When choosing between the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14", consider your needs and budget. If you engage in intensive tasks like photo editing, video production, or gaming, the Flex 5, with its higher performance, larger memory, and storage capacity, could significantly enhance your experience despite being more expensive and heavier, which affects portability. The Flex 5 also boasts a better display and longer battery life. However, if you prioritize basic tasks like web browsing, word processing, and value portability along with a lower price, the IdeaPad 1 with its lighter and smaller design might be suitable, despite its less powerful hardware and lower display quality. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
6.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 provides a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a better screen, which is crucial for general use performance and multitasking, whereas the less capable processor and lower RAM of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" make it less suitable. Additionally, the Flex 5 offers a higher-resolution touchscreen with better color accuracy and brightness, making it more attractive for multimedia use, while the IdeaPad, though lighter and offering fanless operation for quiet use, falls short on display quality and power for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
5.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16, with a more powerful Intel i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics, achieves fair gaming and 3D performance, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14", limited by a basic Intel Celeron CPU and weaker UHD Graphics 600, performs poorly for those tasks. Additionally, the Flex 5's higher screen resolution and IPS panel provide better screen quality, which is also important for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
5.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is well-suited for engineering and design because it has a higher-performance CPU, ample RAM, and an integrated graphics chip that can handle more demanding tasks, as well as a high-quality IPS screen with better resolution and color reproduction. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a lower-tier CPU, less RAM, and a basic GPU, along with a lower-quality TN screen, making it less capable of handling engineering and design workloads effectively.
Content Creation
7.6/10
6.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.5/10
6.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
5.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 offers a higher resolution and brighter display, which enhances the experience for general use and detailed tasks in engineering and design, along with wider color coverage that benefits color accuracy required in those fields. However, it falls short for gaming and 3D applications, which often require a higher refresh rate to provide smoother motion and less screen tearing. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a lower resolution and dimmer screen, which makes it less ideal across all use cases, and it also lacks the wide color gamut and high refresh rate necessary for specialized tasks in engineering, design, and 3D environments.
Battery
11.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has 9 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$779
$153
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a price of $779 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" costs $153.
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
"The IdeaPad 1 14 is a simple machine, but it’s well-designed and has nearly everything you’d expect from a no-nonsense laptop that allows you to check emails and get schoolwork or other light tasks done with relative ease. A "true" 128GB SSD (as opposed to an eMMC drive) and a roomy 14-inch full HD display are arguably the star attractions, with the comfortable keyboard and reasonably modern styling playing important backup roles."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 16 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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