If you prioritize versatility and portability, the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a convertible laptop usable as a tablet and is lighter, making it more convenient for travel or dynamic work environments. For gaming or graphics-intensive tasks, the MSI Bravo 15 with its dedicated Nvidia graphics card will deliver better performance, but it's heavier and less travel-friendly. The Lenovo Flex also tends to have a better battery life and a slightly higher resolution screen with a more modern aspect ratio, which is great for productivity, while the MSI offers a larger screen and higher refresh rate which is beneficial for fast-paced 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 software development
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Bravo 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
7.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
277.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Bravo 15 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 offers a strong balance of performance features suitable for general use such as a higher-quality screen, more RAM, and a more powerful CPU, along with great battery life and portability, encompassing a convertible design for versatility; conversely, the MSI Bravo 15, while having a strong CPU and dedicated gaming graphics, falls short for general use due to less RAM, a lower-quality screen, shorter battery life, and less portability, although it does have better heat management and a stronger gaming-oriented design. Therefore, the Lenovo Flex 5 14 excels in areas that are very important for general use, while the MSI Bravo 15, designed more for gaming, doesn't align as closely with these general-use priorities.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Bravo 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is less suited for gaming and 3D tasks compared to the MSI Bravo 15 mainly because it uses integrated Vega 8 graphics, which are less powerful than MSI's dedicated Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card, which is better equipped for such tasks. Additionally, the MSI Bravo 15 boasts a higher screen refresh rate, making it more responsive and smoother for gaming, unlike the Lenovo Flex 5 14 which has a standard refresh rate better suited for general use.
Software Development
7.4/10
6.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is good for software development, while the MSI Bravo 15 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
6.4/10
6.9/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
277.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a better screen than the MSI Bravo 15 for software development, and content creation, while the MSI Bravo 15 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Lenovo Flex 5 14's screen may be adequate for everyday tasks due to acceptable resolution and brightness, but it falls short for engineering and design as it doesn't cover the wider color gamuts required for precision work. The MSI Bravo 15, while offering better brightness and sharpness, still doesn't provide the color range professionals in engineering and design need. Both laptops are limited for gaming and 3D applications as they lack the high refresh rates necessary for smooth visuals, though resolution and panel quality are moderately suited for these tasks.
Battery
11.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Bravo 15 has 6 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Bravo 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$950
$862
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 has a price of $950 and the MSI Bravo 15 costs $862.
The MSI Bravo 15 and Lenovo Flex 5 14 are both good for engineering and design.
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
7.6/10
7.1/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.0/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 14 and MSI Bravo 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 14 to have good build quality, while the MSI Bravo 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and the MSI Bravo 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."
"Overall, the MSI Bravo 15 C7U is a great gaming device for the masses that isn’t too pricey. The capable hardware (for the price range), the 144Hz display, and the comfortable keyboard are one of the things that should attract buyers who don’t want to spend a fortune on a new gaming laptop."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 14 or the MSI Bravo 15
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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,695
Recommendations made
21,818
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.