Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Chromebook 14inch FHD Laptop (Intel Core i3, 4 GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, Chrome OS) – Sand

Product Information

The two P-cores in the 1235U are capable of multi-threading and can run at a maximum turbo power of 4.4GHz. The eight E-cores are capable of a maximum 3.3GHz. The CPU’s base power is 15 watts, while the maximum turbo power is 55 watts. The Flex 5i also supports Rapid Charge Boost, regaining two hours of use from the 52.5Wh battery on just a 15-minute charge. Whether that all-rounder approach can help the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook along with being one of the best Chromebooks we’ve tested remains to be seen, though. I’ve been doing some testing to find out. Design and Keyboard The top-firing speakers were decent in testing with good volume, and little in the way of distortion. They carry with them a fair amount of mids, and not much in the way of low-end, but are still decent enough for day-to-day work and relaxing with content on Disney+ or Prime Video after you’re done. The fact they’re also top-firing is also handy if you use your laptop on a soft surface such as a bed, where downwards-firing units would be muffled. Performance Next up after looking at the category and the average prices, we thought it would be good to take a look at the brand, Lenovo.

The sound quality on the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook Gen 6 is decent. It’s not the greatest but does offer plenty no matter what you’re playing. Since the speakers are front-facing, you’re getting the most out of the sound quality versus what you would if the speakers were at the bottom of the laptop. As the outstanding balance, plus the interest now form part of your payable balance they will attract interestSound is another area where the IdeaPad Slim 3i does surprisingly well. You’re not going to get the richest tone or immersive surround sound here, but it isn’t horrible weedy, harsh or tinny, and you can watch old concert footage on YouTube or stream a show on Netflix without feeling like you have to plug some headphones in. The IdeaPad Flex 5i preinstalls 30-day trial versions of McAfee antivirus software and Microsoft Office 365. Likewise, the Flex 5i comes with Lenovo Vantage, basically an interface to let you tune your system’s performance, update drivers, personalize audio and display settings, and request remote support. Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505 (2.00 GHz, up to 3.50 GHz with Turbo Boost, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 4 MB Cache) (up to Intel Core i5 available)

I've been a computer-tech writer and editor for several decades, and a photographer who writes about photo techniques and equipment for over a decade. My first job in the tech press was as a writer for Compute! magazine, where we used Commodore 64s from Circuit City as word processors. I next became the editor of Computer Dealer, offering advice to computer retailers, then moved on to Personal Computing as an executive editor, where I developed the magazine's benchmark suite. I held several positions at the massive Computer Shopper magazine before becoming editor in chief. While at Computer Shopper (owned by CNET Networks at the time), I edited bi-annual issues of Technology Review as a joint project with Fortune magazine. Where the Vibe CX34 Flip scored 1,805 in the Geekbench 6 single-core test and 6,517 in the multicore, the Lenovo scored just 1,025 and 2,663. In fact, its score in the WebXprt3 web application benchmark (223) is much closer to the Acer Chromebook 514 with its Pentium Gold 7505 (215) than it is the Vibe CX34 (284). Intel’s new Core i3-N305 is a peculiar little chip. It’s one of Intel’s Alder Lake-N CPUs, and with its eight cores and speeds of up to 3.8GHz, it feels it belongs in the Core i3 line rather than the barebones “Processor” line of the cheaper, four-core N100. However, those eight cores are Efficiency cores rather than the Performance cores you’ll find in the higher-end 12th and 13th gen Core i3 part, and this has a tangible impact on performance. Basically, I’d say this chip has more in common with the old Pentium Gold CPUs than a modern Core i3. You won’t want to use this laptop for serious image or video editing, but it is comfortably readable in most lighting aside from direct sunlight and it’s great for everyday work in Google Workspace apps or casual video streaming via Netflix or Disney+. On the photography front, I've owned a host of 35mm cameras, both film and digital, as well as a Mamiya 645 medium format, a Toyo 4x5, and a Graflex 6x7cm. The last I modified to provide full swings and tilts (allowing you to avoid converging parallel lines, as when you photograph a tall building from ground level). I'm proud of this project, which I wrote about in View Camera magazine.Shop Direct Finance Company will receive a commission from the Insurer for arranging and administering your Insurance policy. Stream content at Full-HD with the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook's 14in IPS touchscreen display on selected models, featuring narrow three-sized bezels so you get more screen, and an enhanced Waves-certified user-facing stereo speaker system with built-in amplifier for fuller, louder and crystal-clear audio. I’ve used a lot of Lenovo laptop keyboards over the last ten years and the best are as good as it gets, while even the worst examples tend to be perfectly usable. The keyboard on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 sits somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Additional information can be found in the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and Further Relevant Information. A weight of 1.85kg makes this quite a heavy laptop for its size though, making it a little bit more of a pain to carry around. Similarly-priced competitors can lose an inch or two in screen size, but also lose anything from 300 to 500 grams of mass, making them a better choice for those on the go. As much as that extra weight can make it a tad cumbersome to carry, it’s reflective of how well built the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook is. The chassis feels solid and isn’t hollow.

In PCMark 10 we get a score of 4811, which is way more than the score Intel Core i7-1065G7 is listed with (3179), and the latter is a chip that is commonly used in laptops in the same price range as Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14”. There is really no doubt that you are getting a lot of performance for your money here.There were also a total of 16 products that were more expensive from Lenovo and 17 that were cheaper. Price of Lenovo products in the Laptops category The only issue here is arguably the operating system itself. ChromeOS still doesn’t support certain apps that Windows does, or offer as wide functionality, meaning you are limited on what you can do. It’s fine for light computing, but not for anything more than this. Battery Life Put another way: This isn’t your grandpa’s Pentium. It’s a peppy little processor that keeps things moving nicely in Chrome OS. Dare I say, this year’s Pentium in an entry-level Chromebook competes well against last year’s mid-range line? These include the Asus Chromebook CX34 Flip (in its non-Vibe edition) and the AMD-based CM34 Flip, the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6 and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 and 514 models. Meanwhile, Lenovo has the virtually identical IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook Plus and a 14in convertible – the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus.

The overall quality of any product is important, but it’s especially important when you’re considering Laptops. You’re making an important investment in this product so you want to be sure that it’s going to be durable and serve its purpose for a decent length of time. I also have to admit: Even though it doesn’t appear on the specs, I really like the LED battery indicator. A portable Pentium powerhouse On the right edge, there are two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a rarity on ultraportable laptops these days, and handy for connecting one of the vast number of devices that haven't yet moved to USB-C. The right edge also hosts a full-size SD card reader and the Flex 5i's power button. Side-mounted power buttons are easier to use when the laptop is propped up like an easel, but be careful not to accidentally press the button when you grasp the Flex 5i on its sides. There are no Thunderbolt 4 ports, but we don't expect one at this price. (Photo: Molly Flores) Paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of eMMC storage, it’s nowhere near as fast as the Core i3 and Core i5 processors we’re seeing in devices such as the Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip or Acer Chromebook Spin 714. The 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) gives you the capacity to store documents and media, while ensuring speedy and dependable access to your files and programs. It'll boot up in a flash, and there'll be enough space for photos, videos, music, and more.To give you an idea of how the 11th-generation Pentium Gold inside the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook, I ran a suite of benchmarks. Just bring your new device to one of our stores, and our Partners in Technical Support will take it from there.