Lenovo has released two new touch-screen laptops, the IdeaPad Flex 15 and 14. What’s interesting about them is ability to operate not only as classic laptops, but also as table-top touchscreen PCs in the so called “stand” mode. That said, the IdeaPad Flex 15 and 14 won’t be able to convert to the “tablet” and “tent” modes, as seen on the Yoga IdeaPads and Yoga ThinkPads.
As their names suggest, the Flex 15 and 14 have 15.6-inch and 14-inch displays, respectively. These are mid-range machines, but they optionally offer some higher-end perks like full HD screen resolution and higher-end processors. The displays have 10-point multi-touch support and 1366×768 pixel count by default, while full HD 1920×1080 resolution is an option on the larger model. Since IPS screen technology is missing, the viewing angles are much narrower than on the aforementioned Yogas, resulting in color inversion while looking at the screen from larger angles. Touching the displays doesn’t cause any significant wobbling of the panel, which is present on some other notebooks.
The laptops come with the Fourth Generation Intel Core i3 and i5 processors with the Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics, but the smaller one will also optionally come with the Core i7. All these chips are more than sufficient for daily tasks and average user might throw at them, while the i5 and i7 are additionally good for multimedia creation and editing. Storage choices include a 500GB traditional hard drive or a 128GB / 256GB solid state drive, while RAM options are 4GB and 8GB.
The Flex 15 and 14 look very similar. They have aluminum palmrests and soft-touch finish on the lids and are well built overall. The sides of the notebooks can be silver or orange colored, depending on customer’s choice. Their keyboards sport isle-style ergonomic keys with high-quality tactile feedback, but unfortunately backlight for them won’t be available even as an option. Besides the screen sizes, the main difference between the two models is that only the 15.6-incher has a dedicated number pad on the right side of the keyboard.
Stereo speakers are located on the bottom of the laptop. While their sound volume and quality is decent, the sound is somewhat muted when the PC is in the laptop mode, because of location of the speakers.
The sealed batteries inside the notebooks have 4-cells and 48Wh capacity, which is good for up to eight hours of operation on a single charge, according to Lenovo.
The Flex 15 and 14 weigh 5.1 and 4.5 pounds respectively and both are around 0.85” thin.
Overall, the laptops aren’t the best in the class in terms of performance, feature sets, and portability, but with their starting price of $630 deliver great value for your money if you take into account the latest processors and good build quality.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 15 Images
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 Images
