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Lenovo Flex 14: At First Glance
The Lenovo Flex 14 is a reliable laptop that lives up to the Lenovo brand’s stellar reputation. It’s light, well-made, and on top of that, it performs admirably.
Flex 14 is a 2-in-1 laptop that may be used as a tablet. It’s also a good laptop for professionals and students who seek portability.
Lenovo is most recognized for its legendary business laptops. However, for customers with more basic demands and budgets, the company also offers a variety of less expensive products.
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- With a 1920 x 1080 full HD touch screen display and the powerful and efficient AMD Ryzen 5 3500U mobile Processor, you can work, stream, and game for hours, along with Radeon Vega 8 for fast video and photo editing. Includes HDMI, USB-C, and USB 3.1 inputs
- Comprehensive, built-in, ongoing protection with Windows 10 helps protect you against viruses, malware, and ransomware
- Convenient true block privacy shutter allows you to physically close your PC's webcam whenever you're not using it
- With the included active pen, you can draw or take notes directly on the screen, anywhere you go
- Up to 10 hours of battery life with recharge technology to power your laptop computer up to 80% in just one hour
Lenovo Flex 14: Design, Dimension and Weight
The design of the Lenovo Flex 14 is similar to that of the Dell Chromebook 13. Both laptops have a smooth, almost rubber-like cover and a sleek dark silver interior.
Unlike most Lenovo laptops, which come in colors like Clementine Orange and Silver Gray, the Flex 14 is only available in black. This laptop is made of a simple gray plastic that gives it a dull first impression.
As I hinted earlier, the laptop features two 360-degree hinges, allowing you to use the laptop in tablet mode or tent mode. The hinges are very sturdy, they keep the display in place and prevent it from wobbling.
The Flex 14 comes with either an FHD or an HD touchscreen display. Both displays are brilliant and vibrant, but they can’t be compared to a more costly, brighter laptop display.
The maximum brightness of the display is 224 nits, which is below the class average of 250 nits for comfortable indoor viewing. The display is still fairly useable in an office setting, but it isn’t particularly bright when used outdoors.
On the plus side, the Lenovo Flex’s IPS-technology display has excellent viewing angles. Despite the fact that the screen dims when viewed from extreme angles, it does not show traces of inverse colors, as cheaper displays do.
Furthermore, the laptop’s glossy IPS touchscreen is surrounded by medium-thick bezels. For such a low-cost laptop, the laptop’s overall aesthetic is superb.
The touch display of the Flex 14 responds well to taps and swipes, and it also supports pen input. There is a Lenovo Active pen included with the laptop, which has 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Furthermore, you can get a plastic USB pen holder for your Lenovo Flex 14 pen, which is something that the majority of users require.
The Flex 14 features two speakers on its base. The speakers aren’t spectacular, but they’re adequate and loud for a laptop in this price range.
On the top bezel of the display lies a 720p webcam, which is blurry and intrusive. However, the webcam is capable of capturing relatively clear and sharp video, and it’s also ideal for Skype chatting.
The Lenovo Flex has a comfortable backlit keyboard with small concave keys and a tactile bump roughly halfway through each keystroke. However, the keyboard doesn’t have a number pad, but it’s still quite wide.
A fingerprint reader is located beneath the keyboard’s bottom-right corner and can be used to unlock your Windows profile. With a single touch, the fingerprint reader can also be used to open apps that support Windows Hello.
A smooth and responsive midsize trackpad is located directly below the laptop’s keyboard. The trackpad makes precise swipes but takes a lot of pressure to click.
In terms of ports, the Lenovo Flex 14’s ports are better than those found on most convertibles in the same price range. On the left side, there is a USB-C port, an HDMI port, a power adapter input, and an audio jack.
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In terms of dimension and weight, the Lenovo Flex 14 measures 328 x 229 x 17.9 mm and weighs 1650 g. With this dimension and weight, the Lenovo Flex 5 is more portable than most 2-in-1 laptops.
Comparatively, the Lenovo Flex 14 is way smaller and lighter than its fellow Lenovo laptop (Lenovo Yoga 730). The Lenovo Yoga 730 weighs 1890 g and measures 360 x 249 x 16.95 mm.
Finally, I’ll rate the Lenovo Flex 14 an eight out of ten for its overall design.
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Lenovo Flex 14: Processor (CPU) Performance
Lenovo Flex 14 comes with 3 processor options: AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8145U, or Intel Pentium Gold 5405U.
The AMD Ryzen 7 is a 4-core processor and has a cache of 4 MB. The processor has a base frequency of 2.30 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.0 GHz.
The Intel Core i3 is also a 4-core processor and also has a cache of 4 MB. It has a base frequency of 2.10 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.90 GHz.
The Intel Pentium Gold, on the other hand, is a 2-core processor with a cache of 2 MB. It has a base and maximum frequency of 2.30 GHz.
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The laptop I reviewed came with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor. The processor is great for handling normal everyday user tasks like working on excel or streaming Netflix.
However, the processor isn’t good for graphics-intensive games. Moreover, I still recommend getting the laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor due to its excellent features and performance.
To determine the processor performance I conducted Geekbench 4.0 benchmark test. The Lenovo Flex 14 processor scored 13,279 points in the benchmark test.
In comparison, the Lenovo Flex 14 was outperformed by the Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 laptop. In the same test, the Dell Latitude 7400’s Intel Core i7-8665U scored 15,800 points.
Finally, I will rate the Lenovo Flex 14 an eight out of ten for its decent processor performance.
Lenovo Flex 14: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Lenovo Flex 14 comes with a single expandable memory slot. The laptop either comes with 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB DDR4-2400 MHz SODIMM RAM.
Since the number of memory slots is limited, it’s crucial to think about your memory needs before making a purchase. If you’re not sure how much memory you’ll need, I strongly advise getting one with 16 GB of RAM.
Furthermore, if you get a laptop with less RAM, make sure to budget for an upgrade in case you need it. You only have one memory slot, regardless of RAM capacity.
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Additionally, 16 GB of RAM is ideal if you plan to handle memory-intensive software such as Adobe Premiere Pro.
In a memory test, the Lenovo Flex 14 with 16 GB performed brilliantly. The laptop was able to handle about 20 Chrome browser tabs while a YouTube video was streaming all at the same time without lagging.
To further determine the laptop’s memory performance, I conducted a PCMark 10 test. In the test, the laptop scored 3202 points.
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- 【Powerful Storage】: 16GB LPDDR5x SDRAM Memory, 512GB Solid State Drive
- 【Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Ryzen AI 5】: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 Processor (6 Cores, 12 Threads, 16MB L3 Cache, 4.8 GHz Max Turbo Frequency)
- 【Strong Graphics and Display】:14" WUXGA (1920x1200) IPS 300nits Glossy, 45% NTSC, 60Hz, TÜV Low Blue Light, Glass, Touch; Integrated AMD Radeon 840M Graphics
- 【External Ports and Slots】: 2x USB Type-A, 2x USB Type-C, 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm), 1x microSD card reader
- 【Operating System】: Windows 11 Professional, Lenovo Digital Pen, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4, FHD 1080p + IR with Privacy Shutter, Dolby Audio, Authorized DLCA Accessory
Comparatively, the HP Envy x360 performed better than the Lenovo Flex 14. In the test, the HP Envy x360 scored 4796 points.
Finally, I’ll rate the Lenovo Flex 14 an eight out of ten in this memory review.
Lenovo Flex 14: Storage Options and Performance
Lenovo’s Flex 14 supports a maximum storage capacity of 512 TB PCIe SSD. The laptop also comes with a microSD card reader for extra storage expansion.
SSDs are faster than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). Thanks to its SSD storage, the Lenovo Flex 14 will give you a fantastic experience by enabling you to perform computing operations fast.
To determine the storage’s read and write speed, I conducted a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test. In the test, the Lenovo Flex 14 got a sequential read speed of 3,405 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 1,512 MB/s.
Comparatively, the Lenovo Flex 14 outperformed HP Spectre x360. The HP Spectre x360 has a sequential read speed of 3,085 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 1,182 MB/s.
Overall, this laptop’s storage speed is truly impressive. As a result, in this storage performance rating, I’ll rate the laptop an eight.
Lenovo Flex 14: Graphics Card Performance
The Lenovo Flex 14 comes with two graphics card options – Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics or an Intel UHD Graphics 620. Unfortunately, both graphics card options don’t feature a dedicated VRAM.
The Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics card has a base GPU frequency of 300 MHz and a boost GPU frequency of 1400 MHz. The Intel UHD Graphics 620, on the other hand, has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1000 MHz.
Unfortunately, none of these graphics card options have the capability to play most graphics-intensive games. If you are a gamer or use some intense graphics applications, the Lenovo Flex 14 may not be the best laptop for you.
The laptop I reviewed came with a Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics card. To determine the GPU performance, I conducted a 3DMark Fire Strike test.
In the test, the Lenovo Flex 5’s Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics card scored 3304 points. This score is quite low, however, I wasn’t actually expecting a higher score either.
In comparison, the Lenovo Flex 5 was outperformed by the Lenovo Yoga 730. The Lenovo Yoga 730 scored 5156 points in the 3DMark Fire Strike test.
To further determine the laptop’s graphics card performance, I conducted a gaming test. As mentioned earlier, the GPU isn’t enough for heavy graphics-intensive workloads but it easily supports light gaming.
In the gaming test, the laptop managed to achieve 37fps while playing Far Cry New Dawn 2019 on a low-resolution setting. It was also able to achieve 41.2fps while playing Dirt Rally 2.0 on a medium resolution setting.
From the result, it is easy to conclude that the Radeon Vega 8 graphics card is clearly not powerful enough to play modern AAA games. However, it can play some games in low or medium graphical resolution.
In conclusion, I will rate the Lenovo Flex 14 a seven for its GPU performance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Lenovo Flex 14: Battery Life and Performance
The Lenovo Flex 14 comes with a 4-Cell Li-Ion 45 Wh battery. Lenovo claims that Lenovo Flex 14 has a long-lasting battery up to 10 hours of constant usage.
To confirm Lenovo’s claim about the laptop’s battery, I performed a battery test. The test involves setting the laptop at full brightness and continuous web browsing as well as video calling.
In the battery test, the laptops lasted a whopping 13 hours which is beyond expectations. Many users do complain about their device’s battery which doesn’t last long and they have to charge every now and then.
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Lenovo Flex 14 fits perfectly with the current situation.
The laptop also includes a fast-charging 6W power adapter which allows you to charge the laptop fully in just 90 minutes. It is also important to note that the battery is a non-removable battery.
Compared to its competitors, the Dell Latitude 7400 performed slightly better in the battery test. It lasted a whopping 13 hours and 8 minutes on a single charge, but of course, it is much more expensive.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFinally, I will rate the Lenovo Flex 5’s battery a nine out of ten for its excellent battery performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is. The 2-in-1 convertible laptop provides better performance than most competitors that cost more than twice its price. It also comes with decent physical connectivity options, a sturdy, well-designed chassis, and also a comfortable keyboard.
The Flex 14 supports a Lenovo Active Pen 2. However, you can also try to use the Wacom pen because it may have other features that the Lenovo Pen app may not have.
Yes, it does. The Lenovo Flex 14 has a 720p HD camera, which will come in handy if you use the laptop in stand mode.
To pair a pen with your Flex 14, click the Start button on your laptop, then Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices. Furthermore, turn on pairing mode on the pen by holding down the Top button on your pen for seven seconds until the LED indicator flashes white, then select the pen from the list of devices and select Pair.
The Lenovo Flex 14 was released in April 2018.
Conclusion
The Flex 14 is an excellent option for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a productivity laptop. The laptop is an excellent combination of price, power, and portability.
The physical build of the laptop is quite appealing and feels sturdy. In addition, the battery life is very impressive and the system feels snappy even on heavy tasks and light gaming.
The only disappointment is its graphics card, which is not surprising for a low-priced laptop. It’s one of the most affordable laptops I’ve reviewed.
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To sum it all up, I recommend it for budget users looking for an affordable 2-in-1 powerhouse laptop.
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