When it comes to Chromebooks, we usually talk about where compromises were made, especially for Chromebooks under $500, but in the case of the Flex 5, it's amazing how well-rounded an experience is offered up. ![]() People who need the convenience of a touchscreen 2-in-1.Media hogs that watch a lot of videos on their laptop. ![]() Those who travel frequently (or at least jump from room to room looking for quiet while everyone's working from home).Someone who wants a single laptop for school, work, and play.Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central) Who it's for Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook Should you buy it? If you like what the Flex 5 offers but need more than a 13-inch screen, consider jumping up to the Lenovo Chromebook C340-15 (opens in new tab), though like the Flex 5 I highly recommend sticking with the i3 model over the starter-level Pentium Gold. There are arguments to be made for putting the Lenovo Flex 5 up against the HP Chromebook 14 G5 or G6, but good luck finding the G6 and the G5 gets far more expensive than the Flex 5 even while having a sub-HD screen. The C434 does have an 8GB option and a bigger screen, not to mention a more eye-catching "Spangle Silver" design, but I like the Flex 5's keyboard more, not to mention the C434 costs at least $150 more. The most obvious alternative to the Flex 5 is the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 (opens in new tab), which is now a year old and getting harder to find. Great Chromebooks are getting more plentiful with each passing year - we love to see it - and the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook stacks up quite well against its competitors. In fact, this may be my favorite Chromebook to cross my desk so far this year, because it's a great experience that won't cost you an arm and a leg the way Acer, Samsung, and ASUS do. It's more than the sum of its parts - and way more than its modest price tag would have you believe. When I was first offered the Flex 5 for review, it didn't seem all that amazing on paper, especially compared to the Project Athena Chromebooks that have been coming out throughout the spring and summer, but once I'd spent a few days with it, the Flex 5 had completely won me over. As mentioned earlier, the fan doesn't kick on often, and even after having the Flex 5 on and in use for five continuous hours, it hasn't warmed up enough to feel uncomfortable in my lap. The charging here is the same 45W charging we've seen on basically every USB C-charged Chromebook. I consistently average nine to 10 hours of use, and I've even eked out 12 hours a few times when I have the brightness at lower levels. ![]() Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)īattery life has been better than projected as well. Most of the time, the Flex 5 takes everything I throw at it in stride: multiple Chrome window and Android apps. I've only crashed this Chromebook once in six weeks, and when I did, I had about 40 tabs open including some bandwidth hogs. What you do get is a choice between an Intel Celeron processor and a Intel Core i3, and given that the i3 model launched at $410, I would highly recommend getting that one. Four gigabytes of RAM has been more than enough for me so long as I don't go tab-crazy - and thank goodness, because there's no 8GB option. While 64GB is enough to get by - you won't be downloading a lot of movies for offline playback with it - I wish the 128GB SSD option was more widely available. That bit about the microSD card is all the more important when you see that the Flex 5 is available with a maximum of 128GB storage, a configuration I have yet to see at any retailer.
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