Updated January 10, 2024·Prices updated 24 hours ago
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 comes at a somewhat higher price than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" but with more storage, more RAM, and slightly better performance scores across general use, 3D and machine learning, and engineering tasks. The Flex 5 has a compact form, making it more portable with a better portability score, while the IdeaPad is slightly heavier and larger due to its bigger screen. The IdeaPad 1 15" offers lesser battery life compared to the Flex 5. Both have touchscreens; however, the Flex 5 boasts a higher screen pixel density and brightness but with a lower score in fast motion display. If you need a balance of performance and portability with longer battery life, you might lean towards the Flex 5 14, while the IdeaPad 1 15" is for those looking for a larger screen at a lower price, with good general performance. Both laptops are not suited for intensive gaming. 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 14
Good for engineering and design
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Flex 5 14.
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.4/10
6.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
277.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" have similar screen quality.
For general use, a clear and bright display is key, but both the Lenovo Flex 5 and IdeaPad 1 have moderate screen resolutions and brightness, which are sufficient for everyday tasks but not outstanding. When it comes to engineering and design, professionals need accurate color representation; while both models provide acceptable quality, they don't cover the wider color gamuts that high-end design workstations do, leaving colors less vibrant for detailed design work. As for gaming and 3D applications, the smoothness of motion is paramount, and these laptops' screens do not refresh as quickly as gaming-optimized models, nor do they offer the high resolutions or fast panel types that would enhance the visual experience for fast-paced games and complex 3D rendering.
Battery
11.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$950
$741
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" costs $741.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for general use.
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
6.2/10
6.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both equipped with an integrated Vega 8 GPU, not specialized for gaming, and standard 60Hz screen refresh rates, which are fair for casual gaming but not ideal for fast-paced games or professional 3D work. While the CPUs in both are capable, the screen quality is better in the Flex 5 due to higher brightness and resolution but still average for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
6.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to be good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 boasts a newer processor, more RAM, and a higher resolution screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15", which makes it more suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks that require power and detail. However, the IdeaPad is slightly more portable and quieter, but these advantages are overshadowed for engineering and design purposes, where performance and screen quality are paramount.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for content creation.
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
7.4/10
7.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" are both good for software development.
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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to have very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" compare to other laptops
"The highlight of the latest IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is clearly its AMD CPU. The octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U is insanely fast even when compared to the best Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market or even Core H CPUs in many gaming laptops. It's a lot of raw processing power for what is supposed to be a budget 14-inch convertible. If your daily workloads can benefit from extra multi-thread CPU performance, then look no further than the inexpensive AMD-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14. For regular on-the-road browsing or video streaming, however, a slimmer and lighter 10th gen Core Yoga, Spectre, or XPS would be a more balanced option."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
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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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