A large 2-in-1 with bags of stamina. With the IdeaPad Flex 5 16, Lenovo is offering a large 16-inch 2-in-1 which even includes a stylus and all for under $1,000. Internally, the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U is based on an old processor, however, despite this, performance is still competitive.

With its IdeaPad Flex series, Lenovo offers entry-level, 2-in-1 devices and also this year the new G8 generation comes with Intel as well as AMD processors. Every model has a reflective, 16:10 format, Full HD touchscreen. Our review machine is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U paired with 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. With an RRP of $999, this makes it their top-of-the-range model but devices fitted with the smaller 512 GB SSD can currently be had for under $750. Although the AMD processor has a new name, it is effectively the two-year-old Ryzen 7 5825U. 

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

Color-wise, the IdeaPad Flex 5 16 is available in either Artic Gray or Deep Sea Blue. The device has a plastic base unit and only the display lid is made from aluminum. In terms of looks, our gray review device looks especially understated, and, apart from both Lenovo logos, the 2-in-1 possesses no visual accents. Its inconspicuous looks mean it can be used in the office without drawing undue attention to itself. The 16:10 panel’s display bezels are also pleasingly slim.

The base unit is decently sturdy and only the middle of the top area can be visibly flexed. However, this presents no problems when typing. The display lid is very stable and we were only able to produce slight flex as a result of a lot of selective pressure. Both hinges are very tight making it difficult to open the lid with one hand but, at the same time, the display bobs about quite a bit also when you move it. Being a 2-in-1, the whole display can be folded. In doing so, the input devices are automatically deactivated. With a weight of a little over 2 kg, the device isn’t particularly comfortable when used as a tablet. The supplied stylus cannot be stored inside the device but, thanks to a small adapter it can be fixed to one of the USB-A ports (although this also blocks the other ports).

There can be no complaints concerning the build quality of our review device (in terms of the case itself) and, overall, the quality is good considering the price. No more and no less.

      Lenovo Yoga 7 16IAP7       Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 16ABR G8       Dell Inspiron 16 7620 2-in-1       Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 16, i5-1340P       Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 15 NP950QDB-KC3DE       DIN A4 {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_331105’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_336343’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_336343’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_330100’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_330100’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_336306’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_336306’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_327601’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_327601’).checked = false;return false;” title=”hide all”>❌

In terms of ports, the basic requirements are covered by USB-A and USB-C (which can also be used for video output and charging) as well as an HDMI output. In addition, on the right side of the device, Lenovo has installed a fully functioning card reader which performs well thanks to transfer rates of more than 80 MB/s when paired with our reference card, the Angelbird AV Pro V60. The Wi-Fi module supports Wi-Fi 6 and 160 MHz (1×1) which limits the maximum transfer rate to almost 1 GBit/s. The results are very stable and more than sufficient for everyday use, besides, the competition isn’t any faster. The 1080p camera, complete with a mechanical shutter, does its job but even in reasonable lighting conditions, it fails to produce particularly good images. 

The base case cover is secured by a few Torx T5 screws and can be easily removed. Inside, you then have access to the battery, the fan, an M.2 SSD as well as the Wi-Fi module. The RAM is soldered and can, therefore, not be expanded. 

Lenovo has equipped the IdeaPad Flex 5 16 with a backlit keyboard which includes a dedicated numerical keypad. The quality is the sort we’ve gotten used to in the IdeaPad, offering an average typing experience. Although we didn’t encounter any problems during our tests when typing extensively, there are clearly better (and often more expensive) alternatives. In terms of quality, the ClickPad is poor as it is not fitted level (it is somewhat lower on the right side) and is also a little shaky. In addition, click noises are very loud and have a low-quality sound to them. Also, with the ClickPad sitting directly below the space bar and, therefore, somewhat left of center, this is something that could initially take some getting used to. 

As standard, the device comes with the Lenovo Digital Pen 2 which has 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels. With a diameter of 9.5 mm and the same shape as a normal pen, it is much more comfortable to use than a smaller stylus which could be stored away inside the case. In our tests, the input pen worked well and overall the capacitive touchscreen responded very quickly – something you would, however, expect from a modern touchscreen.

Lenovo offers two different, 16:10 format, IPS touchscreens. In addition to the Full HD model found in our review device, there is also a higher resolution 2.5K variant. The Full HD panel made a poor first impression as images appear very grainy. However, that is only due to Lenovo’s poorly chosen standard wallpaper. From a subjective point of view, the image quality as well as the response times are quite decent. On top of that, PWM flickering is absent and only a slight light bleed can be seen at the edges. 

The average brightness sits at around 370 cd/m² and, as such, can be considered to be on a reasonable level when compared to our group of competitors. At the same time, the black levels are pleasingly low at 0.25 and lead to a very good contrast ratio of more than 1500:1. 

* … smaller is better

However, when analysing with the professional CalMAN-Software (X-Rite i1 Pro 2), it quickly becomes clear we are dealing with a low-budget IPS panel. Out of the box, there is a slight yellow tint and the color temperature is somewhat too warm. After calibration, the gray scales are accurate and the color tint is no longer present. The corresponding profile – which can be downloaded above for free – reduces the maximum brightness by around 40 cd/m² and is noticeable in very bright environments.

However, our calibration didn’t help that much with the extremely high color deviations as the IPS panel is simply unable to display the colors more accurately. Even the small sRGB color space is covered by just 58 %. For this reason, the IdeaPad Flex 5 16 is not suitable for editing images. Although this shouldn’t be a problem for many users, in 2023 an sRGB panel should come as standard. At least the optional 2.5K display ought to cover the complete sRGB color space.

Display Response Times

↔    Response Time Black to White
20.2 ms … rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 10 ms rise
	↘ 10.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.4 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 35 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.5 ms).
↔    Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
33 ms … rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 15.9 ms rise
	↘ 17.1 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 34 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (35.4 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Screen flickering / PWM not detected
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19078 (minimum: 2.4 – maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The reflective touchscreen doesn’t feel particularly at home outdoors as there are many reflections present, even in the absence of sunshine. The IPS panel’s viewing angle stability is decent.

The pre-installed Lenovo Vantage software offers three different performance modes: battery-saving mode, intelligent cooling and high performance. We carried out the following benchmarks and measurements in high performance mode as it doesn’t heavily influence the fan noise.

Glancing at the datasheet, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Ryzen 7 7730U is a new mobile processor. In actual fact, it is a renamed Ryzen 7 5825U which can run a total of 16 threads with its 8 Zen3 cores. In the IdeaPad Flex 5 16, the processor briefly consumes 48 watts and subsequently drops to around 33 and eventually 25 watts. This means this old AMD processor is still ahead of Intel’s Alder Lake chips in the multi-core tests. Intel was only ahead in single-core tests, thanks to its performance cores. However, this is not really noticeable in everyday use.

In battery mode, the multi-core performance dropped by around 50 %. Additional CPU benchmarks are listed in our technical section.

* … smaller is better

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In the synthetic PCMark 10, the IdeaPad landed ahead of its competitors with Intel’s competing devices only enjoying an advantage in CrossMark. However, viewed subjectively, performance is very good and not surprising considering the speedy processors and the PCIe SSD. Although the RAM cannot be expanded, 16 GB should leave users sufficiently well equipped to deal with everyday tasks, also in years to come.

* … smaller is better

In our standardized latency test (surfing the internet, 4K YouTube playback, CPU load) the review device was constrained slightly by the available BIOS version and has, therefore, only limited suitability in the area of real-time audio software.

* … smaller is better

Interestingly, Lenovo has installed a PCIe 4.0 SSD from Samsung (PM9B1) but the slot only supports the slower 3.0 standard and this is why the transfer rates are limited to 3.6 GB/s. However, in practice, there are no restrictions. After the first start-up, the user has 887 GB at their disposal. Additional SSD benchmarks can be found here.