The keyboard is fairly nice with a great quantity of journey and nil flex within the keyboard deck. Apparently, Lenovo added a fingerprint reader that labored shortly each time I used it to log in. The trackpad, alternatively, might use some work; it’s a little bit mushy and requires a barely completely different quantity of stress to register clicks relying on the place I positioned my finger.
Surprisingly, the webcam on the IdeaPad Flex 5i is strong. It’s a transparent and crisp 1080p shooter that appears ok in video calls, particularly contemplating the value. There’s additionally a built-in privateness shutter you may simply slide closed when it’s not in use.
The general construct high quality of the laptop computer is nice. There isn’t a number of flex within the chassis irrespective of the place you apply stress, which is at all times a great signal once you’re coping with a 2-in-1, the place chances are you’ll be flipping the show forwards and backwards repeatedly. It feels fairly dense as nicely, giving it a weighty presence that gave me confidence it wouldn’t break if it occurred to take a tumble.
Sadly, one main letdown is its audio system. I used to be hopeful once I noticed the pair of upward-firing speaker cutouts flanking the keyboard, however I used to be shortly disenchanted once I pulled up a YouTube video. The sound high quality is sort of skinny, making even essentially the most sturdy tracks sound weak. You may simply clear up this challenge through the use of a pair of wireless headphones or earbuds, but it surely’s unlucky nonetheless.
Restricted Home windows
Maybe essentially the most perplexing resolution with the IdeaPad Flex 5i is that Lenovo selected to ship it with Home windows 11 in S mode. In the event you’re unfamiliar, this model of Home windows 11 solely permits you to set up apps instantly from the Microsoft Retailer. Out of the field, you may’t obtain and set up something from the web, which caught me off guard once I instantly tried to put in Google Chrome upon first booting the laptop computer up.
Nonetheless, you can simply swap out of S Mode, which completely transforms the OS to Home windows 11 Dwelling. As soon as switched, you may set up apps and packages from anyplace, even when it’s technically much less safe than sticking with the Microsoft Retailer. It’s a simple sufficient course of, but it surely’s an annoying hurdle for anybody who doesn’t know what they’re entering into.
