When you dip into budget laptops, choosing one is always a game of compromise. Companies inevitably have to cut corners in some areas to keep prices low, which can leave you with a tough decision, depending on what’s most important to you. With the IdeaPad Flex 5i, Lenovo hasn’t bucked that trend, though it has still managed to put together a pretty attractive 2-in-1 Windows laptop at a relatively low price.

Inside the IdeaPad Flex 5i, you’ll find an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, which is a couple of years old. That’s paired with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid state drive storage for a respectable configuration at this price (this model has also dipped as low as $458 on Amazon). As long as you’re not expecting to tackle intense workloads, you should be mostly fine with this hardware, but there are some caveats.

Limited Power

In my testing, I regularly encountered hitches and slowdowns if I had more than six or seven browser tabs open or got a little carried away with multitasking. While 8 GB of RAM is still usable in 2024, it’s quickly starting to show its limits in everyday tasks. Still, if you plan to use the IdeaPad Flex 5i casually and aren’t a chronic multitasker, you should be able to get by.

On the bright side, the 16:10 display is crisp and pleasant to use, even in tablet mode. The added vertical space is great for working on documents and provides a good touch canvas when you flip it around. My one quibble is that colors are pretty dull, though my experience is colored by using an OLED monitor with my regular work PC. If you’re used to IPS displays, you may not notice the lack of vibrance.

The keyboard is pretty great with a good amount of travel and zero flex in the keyboard deck. Interestingly, Lenovo added a fingerprint reader that worked quickly every time I used it to log in. The trackpad, on the other hand, could use some work; it’s a little mushy and requires a slightly different amount of pressure to register clicks depending on where I placed my finger.

Surprisingly, the webcam on the IdeaPad Flex 5i is solid. It’s a clear and crisp 1080p shooter that looks good enough in video calls, especially considering the price. There’s also a built-in privacy shutter you can easily slide closed when it’s not in use.

The overall build quality of the laptop is great. There isn’t a lot of flex in the chassis no matter where you apply pressure, which is always a good sign when you’re dealing with a 2-in-1, where you may be flipping the display back and forth regularly. It feels pretty dense as well, giving it a weighty presence that gave me confidence it wouldn’t break if it happened to take a tumble.

Unfortunately, one major letdown is its speakers. I was hopeful when I saw the pair of upward-firing speaker cutouts flanking the keyboard, but I was quickly disappointed when I pulled up a YouTube video. The sound quality is quite thin, making even the most robust tracks sound weak. You can easily solve this issue by using a pair of wireless headphoness or earbuds, but it’s unfortunate nonetheless.

Limited Windows

Perhaps the most perplexing decision with the IdeaPad Flex 5i is that Lenovo chose to ship it with Windows 11 in S mode. If you’re unfamiliar, this version of Windows 11 only allows you to install apps directly from the Microsoft Store. Out of the box, you can’t download and install anything from the internet, which caught me off guard when I immediately tried to install Google Chrome upon first booting the laptop up.

However, you can easily switch out of S Mode, which permanently transforms the OS to Windows 11 Home. Once switched, you can install apps and programs from anywhere, even if it’s technically less secure than sticking with the Microsoft Store. It’s an easy enough process, but it’s an annoying hurdle for anyone who doesn’t know what they’re getting into.

Finally, there’s a decent selection of ports available here that will suit most people. You get two USB-A ports and a full-size SD card reader on one side, while the other houses an HDMI and a Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C port. I would have liked to see an additional USB-C port included, but it’s an understandable omission considering the price.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i offers a decent value proposition if you want a 2-in-1 laptop without spending a fortune. Its performance isn’t the best, and the decision to ship it with Windows 10 in S Mode is questionable. However, it’s a fine choice if you want a basic laptop that will hold up well with basic tasks and video calls, especially on the road.