Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus Review - 2 in 1 Laptop/Tablet

Find one at Best Buy - lon.tv/qnbi3 (compensated affiliate link) - In this video we'll take a look at one of the first Chromebook Plus devices. I covered the differences between a regular Chromebook and a Plus in this video: • What is a Chromebook P... and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Price & Tech Specs
01:31 - Display
01:58 - Build Quality & Weight
02:51 - Battery Life
03:19 - Webcam
04:01 - Keyboard & Trackpad
04:24 - Speakers
04:35 - Ports
05:23 - Fan Noise
06:02 - Web Browsing & Video Playback
07:15 - Android DRM Issue
08:59 - Speedometer Benchmark Test
09:08 - Video Editing
10:27 - Pen
11:10 - 2-in-1 Display Modes
11:51 - Steam Games & Game Streaming
13:38 - 3DMark WildLife Benchmark
13:56 - Linux
14:32 - Conclusion
15:12 - End of Support date
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[@Unan1mouz]

10 years of software updates? That's awesome

[@thewanderer8]

Nice review and matches my experience. I've had this laptop for a month now and am really impressed. The screen is superb, and for all the things you did in your review, I've had no problems. The laptop is really nicely built, the keyboard and trackpad are excellent and the speakers okay - I have a small Bluetooth speaker next to it when playing music or for higher quality sound. I have no experience of using this playing games, using with any games controller or a streaming account. This laptop will work with any Bluetooth controller? Maybe some information about how to do this, what's compatible with it for newbies?

[@curbsidetech]

Awesome review im glad google is making it easier for new chromebook buyers to know the difference.

[@henriwolbrink]

I just bought mine with i5, 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. And to my surprise a stylus was included.

[@mjs28s]

Bring on the 17" display chromebook plus!

[@roseogrady8785]

Thank You.

[@frodar48]

Yea, When I got a S9 Tablet (S9 FE 5 G) I returned it, and purchased a Lenovo Flex 5i from Best Buy. To be delivered 2 days from now.

[@PLANETWATERMELON]

How is it? Better than the Tab s9 FE?

[@AndrewTSq]

Thanks for the review. I ordered one, but with fingerprint reader for login, and mine came with a pen as standard!.

[@Robosan4000]

Did you buy recently? I'm finding the newest version seems to have the fingerprint scanner removed, which seems like it would be nice to have.

[@AndrewTSq]

@@Robosan4000 Bought it last week!. When I check Lenovo PSREF (Site where you can see all models and specs), it looks like you cant get fingerprint reader in USA?, and I live in the northern part of Europe, or you get it with the singapore version, etc. So I guess you might be living in one of the countries where you dont get fingerprint reader. (on PSREF site just click laptop, scroll down to ideapad section, and then flex and "IP FLEX 5 CHROME" (12th gen Intel), or the "IP FLEX 5 CHROME (plus)" (13th gen intel)

[@dave_w8476]

Thanks for such an honest review. Shame that Lenovo launched this with a a screen of relative poor colour accuracy. This would stop me buying this particular chromebook. I look forward to your future reviews of other chromebooks.

[@arch1107]

well, is it really important? it is a chromebook, very few people will use them for video or image editing

[@dave_w8476]

My current aging chromebooks have given me a chance to declutter my digital life which I want to be as simple, safe and stress free as possible. Chromebooks used in conjunction with pixel phone, nest speakers, and nest doorbell have allowed me to achieve this. My pixel phone and chromebook(s) meet 95% of my photographic needs and is where I do all my photographic editing, the remaining 5% being video editing on linux using openshot. But even then video editing on a chromebook is moving forward and will mature nicely over time, So the answer to your comment is YES, it really is important to me!

[@photolabguy]

Will the minimum Chromebook Plus requirements change every year? Will a Chromebook Plus device retain that Plus status throughout its entire lifecycle?

[@gaming-zombie1392]

Great Chromebooks....

[@mattsanchez4893]

I use a Chromebook for just about everything, although I do have a desktop for photo editing and other somewhat intensive tasks. That being said for me it's important that it have a fast Intel or AMD processor, a good keyboard, and at least a 2k screen that is very color accurate. There are some recent gaming chromebooks that meet these specifications and don't cost a fortune. They also have high refresh screens.

[@hdtube7]

I’m waiting for the uk to get the acer 514 cb plus, either that or the asus cx34…

[@markbracegirdle7110]

I bought a CX34 from Amazon UK for £245 on black thingummy day. Highly recommended.@@hdtube7

[@NovusSky]

Can you do a review for Asus Expertbook?

[@Sagittarius-bf3dv]

Great Video😄. Its SSD storage, well it's supposed to be. As advertised at best buy its SSD storage.

[@AndrewTSq]

Actually it depends!, my northern europe version of this laptop has a real nvme with pcie 4.0 interface, but the american version (according to lenovo psref site) has eMMC 5.1 for some reason. Also mine came with a fingerprint reader and USI Pen in the package, while the american version lacks both. So.. it looks like the european version this time is better.

[@GedNEUK]

​@@AndrewTSq yes I agree - in Europe (I'm in the UK) & I bought the Lenovo flex 5 Chromebook plus 14" IPS, i3 1215u, 8gb ram & 256mb SSD. Great device tbh. However there seems to be various options of this Chromebook which was confusing to work out the best to buy for my own needs. I found various screen sizes, some with backlit keyboards & some not, some with fingerprint scanner & some not. Some SSD & some eMMC. One model also had an OLED 15" display. To be fair though I had the same confusion buying my son's HP x360 a couple months ago as there are SO many different configurations with the hp x360 models too. All I can say is do a little research & double check exactly what is included in the model you're buying.

[@petekolakowski]

When will it be available in Poland???

[@normcfu]

Really glad to hear the change from 5 to 10 years of google updates. Is this just for the Chromebook+ or for all of them?

[@MoChuang343]

I’m pretty sure it’s all of them. And it applies backwards too for a handful of more recently released CBs as well.

[@AndrewTSq]

My old chromebook has been updated to support until 2028, so I would say all of them.

[@incometelligence]

Do you have a link to the usi compatible pen?

[@PLANETWATERMELON]

That's what I was going to ask.

[@crosswhite17]

Hi Lon. How does OBS on Linux run on this Chromebook?

[@LonSeidman]

I would not recommend Chromebooks for OBS.

[@MoChuang343]

Wow that wildlife score shocked me. Half the score of a 6850U with a 680M on a budget i3 chromebook. That’s wild.

[@mtailor5529]

I'm looking to buy the 2024 model of the Flex 5, i5 Intel CPU. It's selling for £500 in Currys whilst the old i3 2023 model is £399. I own the Yoga book i9 duel screen which I love but a Chromebook is much faster to start up and get trading. Not many reviews on the i5 2024 Chromebook.

[@frodar48]

So I just ordered a Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chrome 14IAU7 Intel Core i3-1215U 8GB 256GB SSD (refurbished) from Best Buy $260. It's a 2022 model, and it has all the specs for Plus except possibly no IPS. I haven't been able to find out that yet. Does anyone know?

[@henriwolbrink]

Probably not. As it's unlikely a 12th Gen i3.

[@chriscuthbertson]

Would a windows laptop with the same specs be better at video editing?

[@AndrewTSq]

There are some more basic video editors availble for Chromebook. If you plan to use your computer for video editing mainly, I would suggest a Windows laptop with something like da vince resolve as a editor.

[@handquake]

Love this channel. Couldn't I just run Chrome OS off a USB stick on a Windows rig?

[@hdtube7]

Chrome OS flex is what you want to google

[@joltdude]

Would be interesting if Flex detected a device had Plus specifications and enabled the enhanced functionality

[@ukbb2632]

Lenogo!

[@joltdude]

Not gonna lie, woulda loved to see a trackpoint on a Chromebook in addition to the trackpad

[@MoChuang343]

I think there was a ThinkPad Chromebook with that. The ThinkPad C13 with AMD 3000 chips.

[@joegee2815]

I'm surprised that an ARM chip wasn't included in the spec.

[@hdtube7]

I thought I saw one listed somewhere but maybe I’m misremembering it

[@MoChuang343]

Maybe they want Borealis to be part of the sales pitch.

[@stephenvsawyer]

Its SSD, not eMMC

[@TonyThomas10000]

It would nice to have at least a 256MB NVME drive.

[@MoChuang343]

I wonder if it’s user upgradable since it’s just an SSD now.

[@AndrewTSq]

@@MoChuang343 I have the european version of this chromebook, and it has a real pcie 4 nvme drive formfactor 2242, (you can get up to 512GB) but the american version has a 128GB eMMC 5.1 according to Lenovo psref.

[@camiloarellano7810]

👍Like......... 17:25

[@deadskull6969]

Redflag : when I heard "ram is not upgradeable"

[@petekolakowski]

It's a Chromebook not another slow windows.

[@arch1107]

its a chromebook, not a workstation

[@andyH_England]

Nearly all ultrabooks have non-upgradeable RAM and will eventually be 100%.

[@deadskull6969]

@@andyH_England that what we consumers don't want. We want longevity, also once the SSD R&W maxes out the device is going to be a e-waste. If upgradability is there, consumers can maximize the longevity of the device for years to come.

[@aamirqz]

@@deadskull6969 Get an Acer Vero Chromebook if you need one that is upgradeable.

[@djo9277]

fan and glossy screen deal breaker for me

[@AndrewTSq]

Never heard the fan!, but yeah the glossy screen is not the best. I will see if I can get a screen protector that makes it less glossy.

[@user-ku9cx8tg3x]

Are you for someone else? Anyone else? Then it would concern you.

[@nakedeye44]

nice hardware, junk software.

[@kennymccormick8295]

Not at all but enjoy your fluff.