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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·
For a balance of performance and versatility with a lower midrange price, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is a solid choice, offering a bright and color-accurate 16-inch touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for general use and light engineering tasks. Its 16GB of RAM and Iris Xe graphics will handle everyday tasks with ease, and the 2-in-1 design adds convenience. However, if you prioritize top-tier performance for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, and budget isn't a concern, the MSI Raider 18 HX stands out with its powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a high-refresh-rate Mini LED display that delivers exceptional color reproduction and brightness. It's built for high performance but sacrifices portability due to its larger size and weight, and it comes with a high-end price tag. 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 portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Raider 18 HX
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Excellent for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.8
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
400.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.2
9.0
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.2
9.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.6
9.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
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
8.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good.
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
9.4
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
11.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider 18 HX 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
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
18.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$779
$3,999
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a price of $779 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.0
7.4
The MSI Raider 18 HX and Lenovo Flex 5 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Flex 5 16 | MSI Raider 18 HX |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$779 | $3,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2022 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.74'' | 15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.63 lbs | 7.94 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.09" | 15.91" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.99" | 12.09" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | Intel i9-14900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 4 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11.5 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 52.5 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 400 nits | 1000 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Flex 5 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | April 2023
"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."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 16 or the MSI Raider 18 HX
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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