Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review: Hitting that sweetspot

I’ve used dozens of Chromebooks over time, together with price range machines, high-end fashions, and even a gaming Chromebook. As somebody who works from house, I’ve discovered there’s a lot to love about Chromebooks.

Chromebooks are usually not solely way more reasonably priced than equally spec’d Home windows machines or MacBooks, however additionally they are typically extra steady because of the simplified nature of Chrome OS. Once I heard in regards to the new Chromebook Plus initiative, it piqued my curiosity. After about two weeks of utilizing Lenovo’s new Chromebook Plus, I needed to share my impressions on this brief Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus evaluate.

The Flex 5i is powered by a thirteenth gen Intel Core i3-1315U with Intel UHD graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of eMMC storage. It additionally includes a first rate vary of ports for a Chromebook, together with two USB-C ports, a single legacy USB port, and a microSD slot.

Moreover, it sports activities a 14-inch Full HD touchscreen IPS panel that appears nice, though it falls a bit brief on brightness for my liking. It capabilities completely indoors however would possibly wrestle in brighter situations. The 16:10 ratio additionally takes a bit to get used to, nevertheless it additionally makes you’re feeling just like the display screen is even greater.

Whereas I used the 1080p webcam just a few occasions throughout my testing, I discovered it to be a major enchancment over the usual 720p cameras discovered on most Chromebooks. I additionally appreciated the presence of OS-level digicam controls for options like blur, noise discount, and extra.

Concerning the battery, Lenovo claims it could present as much as 10 hours of battery life. This declare principally matched my expertise, though it drained noticeably sooner when dealing with extra demanding duties like Android and Linux gaming. Nonetheless, I persistently obtained at the least eight hours of battery life, and on in the future of comparatively modest use, I managed to get a full 11 hours earlier than it ran out.

Among the finest issues about Chromebooks is how rapidly you will get began. Turning on the laptop computer for the primary time took simply ten seconds. As soon as I entered my Google Account, I used to be greeted with the principle desktop, and all the pieces was just about able to go. This not solely included most of the Android apps I had put in on earlier Chromebooks, nevertheless it additionally carried over all my core Chrome browser settings from my major (Home windows) laptop computer. Certain, I needed to enter a number of passwords right here and there, however the level is that the setup was useless easy.

To be truthful, this has at all times been a energy of the Chrome OS platform, particularly with higher-end {hardware}. Nonetheless, I used to be impressed by how effectively the Flex 5i carried out, contemplating its $500 worth.

Whereas my ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is a superb machine, it generally struggles to deal with various dozen Chrome tabs with out some noticeable stuttering when operating it in decrease energy mode off the charger. I needed to see how the Flex 5i in contrast, so I loaded up each work-related tab I may consider.

I reached over forty tabs, and but it was nonetheless comparatively easy crusing. I even hopped into Fb and some gaming apps with out an excessive amount of slowdown. That mentioned, I seen it began to warmth up a bit, however not uncomfortably. It additionally remained comparatively quiet, irrespective of the workload.

After some time, I forgot I used to be on a Chromebook, as this reasonably priced machine flawlessly dealt with internet shopping, WordPress, Adobe Categorical, and all the opposite instruments I wanted to do my job with out a single hiccup. Total, the expertise was simply pretty much as good as any higher-end Home windows machine when it got here to web-based actions.

In case you want one thing for high-end gaming and different demanding duties like video enhancing, Chromebooks nonetheless can’t sustain. Nonetheless, I discovered Adobe’s on-line instruments have been good for fundamental photograph enhancing and different associated duties. It additionally dealt with fundamental Google Play video games and even some Steam video games with out a lot concern, which I’ll get to a bit extra later.

I used to be additionally pleasantly shocked at the way it carried out in comparison with many higher-end Chromebooks on the market. Late final yr, I had a number of weeks with the Acer Chromebook 516GE, one of many first gaming Chromebooks, and I’ve to say that the expertise right here was practically pretty much as good for non-gaming duties.

The Flex 5i was simply as speedy as Acer’s 516GE for Chrome shopping and even appeared to load Android apps sooner. It’s additionally about $150 cheaper. Certain, you don’t get as excessive a decision show, and also you’re lacking the RGB lighting, however you do get a lovely machine that appears moderately high-end regardless of its plastic development and a stable keyboard, even when the keys are a bit shallow for my style.

One vital benefit of the Flex 5i is its 2-in-1 design, which was fairly helpful.

The Flex 5i boots into Chrome’s pill interface as quickly as you flip the hinge even a little bit. Whereas I nonetheless want Android tablets, the interface was straightforward to make use of and ran Google Play apps surprisingly effectively. I examined a number of video games like Name of Obligation Cellular and Minecraft, in addition to all my favourite social apps, streaming apps, and just about each app I exploit frequently on my cellphone. Some labored a bit higher than others, however, for probably the most half, the expertise was similar to that of an Android pill.

I need to admit that it is a huge and considerably heavy laptop computer, so it won’t be appropriate as a pill for everybody. The best approach to make use of it this fashion is to maintain the keyboard partially folded out, turning it right into a makeshift kickstand. I usually discovered myself watching streaming exhibits or shopping the online on my mattress on this method. I hardly ever folded the machine fully flat, although I let my children mess around with it a little bit, and that mode appeared extra pure to them.

One small gripe is the shortage of an included stylus. Whereas the Lenovo Flex 5i totally helps USI pen enter, it doesn’t include one. Then once more, this isn’t a function everybody will use. In case you don’t see your self utilizing it for drawing or taking notes, you in all probability gained’t thoughts.

Whereas the Flex 5i isn’t an ideal pill substitute, it handles the job admirably, and I liked having the 2-in-1 design as an choice for conditions the place I didn’t wish to use the machine in its default clamshell place.

As I mentioned, it is a nice gadget out of the field, however it may be even higher for those who’re a tinkerer like me. Switching to the beta channel, I used to be in a position to set up Steam, in addition to a number of Linux purposes. As you would possibly count on, there have been some hiccups. I examined a few dozen random Linux apps and a few simply plain refused to run correctly, however the overwhelming majority carried out as you’d count on. The identical goes for Steam.

When you gained’t have the ability to deal with each Steam sport with out concern, I discovered many older and fewer demanding video games ran simply fantastic. In complete, I examined out about twelve Steam video games, all of which have been older, and just a few formally optimized for Linux. Simply bear in mind you will have restricted cupboard space, so that you’ll must uninstall video games you aren’t utilizing to make room for extra.

Of all of the titles I examined, a few third refused to run fully, whereas one other third ran with extraordinarily sluggish body charges. Video games like Grim Daybreak and Metropolis Skylines have been two examples of titles that performed surprisingly effectively, although the latter title did require some tweaking within the settings earlier than it could play properly. Simply bear in mind that Steam video games can take for much longer to load as they’ve to put in a number of workarounds to make them play properly with Chrome OS’s Linux core.

I actually wouldn’t substitute my gaming laptop computer with the Flex 5i, nevertheless it’s good to know you possibly can play “actual” non-mobile video games with the machine.

Other than Steam video games and Linux apps, it’s also possible to get sport streaming platforms like Xbox Sport Move up and operating with minimal hoops to leap by way of. I performed Starfield and some different video games and located the expertise labored simply as you’d count on.

In case you’re in search of an awesome web-based productiveness machine that may double as a makeshift Chromebook pill, you possibly can’t go mistaken with the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i. Sure, there are Chromebooks on the market with much more energy on paper, however the precise efficiency is so shut I sincerely suppose this would possibly simply be the candy spot for Chromebook specs.

Not solely does it run practically in addition to Chromebooks that value a whole bunch extra, nevertheless it even provides many Home windows machines a run for his or her cash — so long as you perceive that you just’ll be restricted to web-based apps and Google Play apps out of the field.