The lid picked up a few more fingerprints than the deck did, but kept them at bay overall.Ĭhrome OS ran just fine on this device. The experience wasn’t noticeably different from that of using the Spin 713 with a Core i5 and an SSD (though it may make a difference for you if you’re running Linux or using heavier apps). I saw no visible sluggishness or slowdown, even when I was running multiple programs like Adobe Lightroom and Google Photos on top of a heavy load of Chrome tabs and Android apps. I was surprised by how well my Flex 5 unit performed. (Per Amazon, its MSRP is $429.99, but it’s currently listed at $341.95.) The base model, currently listed at $334.99, has an Intel Celeron 5205U processor (which is likely to be slow) and 32GB of storage, and the top $564.99 model has the Core i3 as well as 128GB of PCIe SSD storage (which should be much faster than eMMC). My Flex 5 review unit has an Intel Core i3-10110U, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage.

Display: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen.Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook specs (as reviewed) Still, it’s quite portable, and far from anything I’d describe as heavy. (It’s just slightly lighter than the Spin 713.) That makes it a bit heavy to hold as a tablet for long periods of time, and you’ll want something smaller if you’re looking for a device you won’t notice in your backpack. It is, however, a bit on the large side as 13-inch Chromebooks go, at 0.7 inches thick and a weight just under three pounds. Bonus points: there’s a USB-C port on each side for convenient charging. In addition to the solid build, the Flex 5 has a reasonable port selection including two USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1, one USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1, a combo audio jack, a microSD reader, and a Kensington lock. And I wasn’t at all worried about jostles and jolts - there was no flex in the screen and very little in the keyboard. It certainly looks more modern than Acer’s $699 Chromebook Spin 713, our current pick for the best Chromebook. (No huge plastic bezels around the screen either.) The keyboard deck has a soft-touch texture that’s quite smooth and doesn’t pick up a ton of fingerprints despite its dark color.Īs a consequence, the device looks a lot better than your average laptop-cart Chromebook. Though the bottom is made of plastic, it’s far from the cheap-looking fare that’s commonplace among budget laptops.

The Flex 5 has a much nicer chassis than many other Chromebooks you’ll see in this price range - it’s actually one of the better-built Chromebooks I’ve used this year.

Buy for $334.99 from Lenovo Buy for $269.00 from Amazon Buy for $269.00 from Best Buyįirst, the good.

Lenovo flex 5 keyboard backlight