The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is not your ordinary budget Chromebook. The Chromebook Flex 5i is the bumped-up version of the Lenovo Ideapad 5i Chromebook. Featuring a 2-in-1 foldable design along with a touchscreen. It also got a bumped-up Core i3 11th gen processor, which boosts this Chromebook’s performance and other improvements over the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i 2020 edition.
However, to improve some key features, Lenovo also decided to cut costs in other departments to make this laptop a budget option. We will detail how the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i falls short in some things.
Specs at Glance
CPU: Intel Core i3-1115G4| GPU: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X | Display: 13.3” 1920×1080 touch supported | Storage: 64GB SSD | Battery: 51Wh | OS: Chrome OS
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Chassis & Body Design
When you think of a budget Chromebook, one of the things that will most likely come to your mind is a weak and flimsy chassis, something like the Asus Chromebook C433. However, The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i does not fit that description.
Though most of its body is made of soft-touch plastic, The Flex 5i had very little flex and didn’t feel like it would break easily if you managed to drop it.
This is further complimented by its aluminum lid, the only place where some metal is present on the Flex 5i’s body. The overall design of the Flex 5i is pretty clean and minimal. With slight branding on the lid with the Chromebook badge and the Lenovo Logo metal plate on the top left.
The display on Lenovo Flex 5i opens quite easily. However, when it’s around 87 degrees, you would feel the hinges get stiff. This is not bad, but it’s designed to ensure the display doesn’t move when you tap on its touchscreen or use it in tablet mode.
As for the color selection, Lenovo decided to do something different than your regular silver, white or black and decided to make the chassis of the Flex 5i with this deep ocean blue color.
Honestly, color choice is a bit subject, but I like the muted blue color. If you prefer a traditional black or white chassis, you will have to compromise over this.
Compared to the 2020 Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i, the 2021 Lenovo Flex 5i is pretty much the same in design and chassis. This means that the 2021 version weighs really light, around 2.97lbs (1.35kg). The form factor itself is quite compact and thin, like the 2020 version. It’s 12.2 inches (30.9cm) in length and 8.43 inches (21.41cm) in width while being really thin, around 0.67 inches (1.7cm), which further compliments the premium look of the Lenovo Flex 5i.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: I/O Ports
The I/O on the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is pretty much the same as the 2020 model. It features dual USB C 3.2 that supports both Power Delivery 3.0 and Display out, one USB 3.2 Type-A port, an audio combo jack, and a microSD slot.
The power and volume buttons are also located on the side of the device for the tablet mode. As for wireless connectivity, the Flex 5i comes with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. This is the same as last year’s model.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Speakers and Webcam
Webcam
The webcam on the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is what you would expect from a budget laptop. The 720p camera produces a washed-out image with decent contrast. But it can help you jump on a few zoom calls just fine. Also, Lenovo included their signature physical privacy camera shutter, so you can cover the camera when you are not using it.
Speakers
The Flex 5i includes upward firings speakers on the keyboard’s sides. Though they lack volume, they are one of the best-sounding speakers at this price point. They manage to produce clear mids and highs while also having noticeable bass. So you can play some music from Spotify on these speakers if you feel like it.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Keyboard and Touchpad
Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the defining features of the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i. The grey keys contrast well with the rest of the keyboard. They are well-spaced and big, providing great tactile feedback that makes it easier to type quickly. Considering that this is a budget laptop, the keys may feel mushier to someone who is used to a mechanical keyboard, but it’s not a dealbreaker by any means.
Another way this keyboard stands out from the competition is by having backlit, usually absent from budget laptops. It’s not the brightest backlit, but it’s definitely better than struggling to type in the dark.
Since we are avid PC users, we felt like including this here. Unlike traditional Windows laptops, this laptop replaces the Caps Lock with a Search button. So if you are coming from a Windows laptop, you may hit that Search button accidentally every time you intend to capitalize something. You would have to capitalize by holding the shift key every time, which can be frustrating sometimes.
Touchpad
The Touchpad on the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is big enough to move freely on it without lifting your finger. Though we expect a glass surface at this price point, Lenovo included a Mylar surface that feels almost like gliding your finger over glass.
The responsiveness and accuracy of the touchpad are on point. The touchpad is buttonless, so your taps won’t feel as satisfying as they would on a touchpad with left and right buttons.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Display
The 1080p 13.3inch touchscreen display on the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is decent. The color reproduction and contrast are decent and acceptable. Though it severely suffers in brightness, maxing out at 250nits. So we advise you not to use this Chromebook in a room well lit by natural light or use it outdoors on a sunny day.
Since the display supports touch input, you can also use a stylus with this laptop if you want to annotate documents or get your creativity out every once in a while. However, there’s no stylus in the box, so you must buy one separately.
As for the design of the display, its bezels are relatively thin by budget laptop standards, but it features a big chin. It would have been great if Lenovo included a 16:10 display to utilize the extra space in the chin. But being budget laptops, we have to lower our expectations.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Performance
The performance of the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is amazing. Even though dual-core processors have become a dying breed on budget laptops, the Core i3 performs quite well daily tasks. You can easily playback a video in PiP while working on a word document with a couple of chrome tabs in the background. The Core i3 handles multitasking like a champ. Some of its credit would also go to its 8GB RAM, which gives it enough breathing space to open multiple programs simultaneously.
However, if you got the 4GB RAM variant, your multitasking capability would be slashed in half, so we advise you to go with the 8GB RAM variant if you are someone who works with 10+ chrome tabs opened in the background. We would also like to mention that though the 8GB RAM is plenty, you can still manage to push it to its limits by opening 20+ chrome tabs along with multiple apps running in the background.
The snappiness of the Lenovo Flex 5i also results from its 64GB SSD. Usually, you find Chromebooks use eMMC storage which is quite slow compared to an actual NVME SSD. So the Lenovo Flex 5i flows smoothly from app to app, thanks to its speedy SSD.
Though the Chromebook is not intended for gaming, you can run Android games on it like Asphalt 8 and play it by connecting a game controller. Though if you want to get some serious gaming done, then you should consider cloud gaming on the Lenovo Flex 5i via Geforce Now or Google Stadia.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Battery Life
Though battery life is heavily dependent on how you use the Lenovo Flex 5i, the 51Wh battery will usually last around 8-9 hours on casual use, but if you watch a couple of videos on it, then your battery backup would be reduced down to 6-7 hours which is still quite respectable.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i: Expandibility & Upgradibility
Since it’s a Chromebook, you can’t do much with the Lenovo Flex 5i when upgrading it. Both the RAM and storage are soldered. You can install a MicroSD card in the machine for extra storage, but keep in mind that it won’t be as fast as the internal SSD. Still, its better than having nothing.
Conclusion: Should you buy the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i?
Well, there’s no doubt that the Lenovo Flex 5i is a solid-budget Chromebook. It provides amazing performance, a great keyboard, good battery life, and great-sounding speakers, usually absent from budget laptops. And if you need a well-built laptop, the Flex 5i also covers you with a solid chassis.
However, Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i would be a bad choice if you work in an environment where its dim 1080p display would be unusable. Furthermore, if you are coming from a windows laptop to a Chromebook, remember that you would only be limited to web apps and the apps available on the Google Play store. You can not install creative productivity apps like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, or other Windows apps.
Overall, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is a solid laptop for a student who wants to get assignments done after watching a couple of youtube videos. And is also great for someone who mainly gets their work done in word documents and spreadsheets.
