Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (82B80006UX) Review
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The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a surprisingly capable 2-in-1 laptop looking to affirm the entry of Chromebooks into the computing world, not as alternatives to mainstream notebooks, rather stand-alone devices. It’s particularly a perfect match for anyone looking for a lightweight laptop on a strict and limited laptop, but would still do with a certain level of performance.
This 13-inch Chromebook sits somewhere between the loft realm of the Google Pixelbook and the smallish Asus Chromebook Flip. Yet, as far as performance, the Chromebook Flex 5 can hold its own against premium models, and it’s just the right machine for folks who want a lot out of a very portable device without spending a lot of money to make them feel like they should have bought a traditional laptop in the first place.
Design
While we love the Chromebook Flex 5’s performance and price, we sort of have a deeper attachment to its design. Yes, using a 13-inch laptop in tablet mode isn’t one of the best experiences, but being a 2-in-1, it offers other versatile modes. The space on the keyboard has been utilized well, you have top-firing speakers on both sides of the keyboard, the screen bezels are thin, and the graphite grey profile looks more impressive.
Measuring 12.2 x 8.43 x 0.67 inches and weighing 2.97 pounds, this is among the most portable 15-inch laptops you can buy out there – of course it runs on Chrome OS. We’re glad that those bezels have thinned out for a much more immersive movie-watching experience, and the slap of better sounding speakers, it’s as good as they come. Granted, it’s a Chromebook, it manages to be bigger than the 14-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip C434, another impressive 2-in-1 Chromebook.
Display
The 13-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution screen looks fine, but isn’t mind-blowing especially in its color reproduction. However, the touchscreen functionality is quite responsive and sweetly accurate. We’re not surprised as this 13-inch Chromebook is made of good things. In fact, if you won’t be using the laptop for day-to-day typing, then you’ll be using the touchscreen more than the trackpad.
Ports
Available connectivity options are very decent. Here, there are two USB-C ports to make the laptop future-proof, and USB 3.0 port for your regular peripherals, an audio jack for video conferencing, and a Micro SD reader just in case you need to do some light photo editing on this computer.
Keyboard & Touchpad
The keyboard is comfortable and pleasant to use, offering enough travel, resistance and the space between the keys make for a lovely typing experience that’s won’t distract your neighbors at the office. The keyboard also boasts a set of dedicated media keys dedicated for browsing, volume, and screen brightness.
Below the keyboard is a trackpad that’s reliable enough, nice to the touch and has more give in the bottom left and the bottom right where the left and right buttons are. It feels sturdy, just like what you have on the Apple MacBook Pro 15, but a little stiff and not always accurate.
Performance
In addition to the great design, the Lenovo 82B80006UX shines in its performance, showcasing its premium Chromebook side with its spectacular multi-tasking abilities.
However, don’t get us wrong, by good performance we mean enough power to multitask on daily productivity tasks, and not playing games at the highest settings. For instance, if you’re thinking of playing something like PUBG Mobile on this Chromebook in medium settings, expect lots of latency. Yes, it will play fine, but it will not be the smoothest experience to remember for months to come. But for home/office use, you’ll find this Chromebook absolutely great.
That’s hardly surprising consider the specs and the lightweight Chrome OS. The quad-core Intel Core i3-10110U paired with 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD and integrated graphics make it faster and more power efficiency, just the right ticket for multitasking on this operating system.
By multitasking, we mean running 14 or more Chrome browser tabs open at a time, on playing Stranger Things on Netflix, and the other playing The X-Files on Hulu. All that while, Sims Mobile game is playing in the background.
Battery Life
Potential users like high school and college kids, as well non-computer savvy folks will enjoy long hours on this Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 browsing the Internet, shopping, and watching the latest Netflix releases. While on that, expect long hours on the battery: up to 10 hours, to be more specific of what Lenovo is promising. Surprisingly, the Flex 5 really lives up to the hype, which is a rarity.
Bottom Line
A few years back, it was understandable for traditional laptop users to dismiss Chromebooks as laptop alternatives, or even consider them to be lesser devices that can’t handle every day workloads, and only ideal for after-work browsing and entertainment. Now, Chromebooks like the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 are no longer alternatives, they can practically do all tasks a traditional laptop can, provided the app being used can run on Chrome OS.
The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (82B80006UX) is, to put it simply, one such Chromebook that will put any and all lingering doubts to rest. This Chromebook is an excellent fusion of affordability and premium functionality, resulting in a device that readily offers great value to users who don’t utilize a computer enough to justify paying $1000 or more for it. It offers all the muscle you’d need in a laptop – a responsive touchscreen, a 2-in-1 design, dedicated media keys and pretty much all the ports you would need in a day’s work to name a few.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 13" Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i3-10110U Processor, 4GB DDR4 OnBoard RAM, 64GB SSD, Intel Integrated Graphics, Chrome OS, 82B80006UX, Graphite Grey
16 used from $360.99
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5
US 1+
Pros
- Solid perfomance
- Slick, portable design
- Responsive touchscreen
- All day battery life
Cons
- Trackpad would be better
- Not-so loud speakers
