Lenovo has been producing some of the greatest Chromebooks available for some years, and it has just produced the best choice for the majority of people. The IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook is basically an improved version of the model we suggested last year, with a few significant differences. The 13.3-inch, 1080p touchscreen is bright and quite crisp; I wish it had a larger aspect ratio than 16:9, but this sort of screen is popular in Chromebooks. This Lenovo Chromebook is powered by an 11th-generation Intel Core i3 CPU and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which are both twice the size of last year’s model. The battery life is adequate for a laptop in this price bracket, and the backlit keyboard is fantastic for such a low-cost computer. My only genuine criticism is that the key caps are a touch tiny beneath my fingertips.
The Lenovo Flex 5i is no longer available directly from Lenovo, but it is often available on Amazon for about $400 (as of this writing, it is selling for $409; when I purchased it, it was $390). It is a fantastic deal.
Additional advantages of the Flex 5i include USB-C and USB-A connections, a microSD card slot, and a security lock. It’s not the lightest or thinnest choice available, weighing three pounds and measuring 0.66 inches thick, but it’s completely appropriate for the price. Lastly, the Flex 5i will get software and security upgrades until June 2029, so you can purchase this computer with confidence that it will be supported for many years to come.
Finally, the Ideapad Flex 5i finds the sweet spot for the vast majority of Chromebook consumers, offering a level of quality and performance that is uncommon at this price range. But, considering that this laptop has been on the market for over a year, we’re keeping a look out for a successor from Lenovo, as well as similar choices from other manufacturers.
Lenovo’s Chromebook 5i, which was just introduced, is one to keep an eye out for. It is now only available with an Intel Pentium Gold CPU and 4GB of RAM; in my tests, that was insufficient power by contemporary standards. The gadget often froze, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i with its i3 CPU was noticeably quicker at everything I tested. But, Lenovo claims that the Chromebook 5i will be available with up to an Intel i5 CPU, making the notebook worth considering.
