Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14-59395491 Pro Reviews

While the screen quality will disappoint video junkies, it doesn't feel like a deal breaker for the most common users of the Flex 14: students and users interested in a common, everyday device for straightforward computing needs. At its most basic, this system is affordable, comfortable to use for long stretches of time, and - most importantly - makes no compromises around performance. Reviewing laptops for TechRadar can make it easy to become so accustomed to hyper-HD IPS displays and extravagant performance that it's easy to forget how important and popular the budget sector is. After spending a week using the Flex 14 full time, we found ourselves pleased with the caliber of performance offered at this price point. Truth be told, on a day-to-day basis performing common tasks, it was hard to detect any discernable difference between this system and far more expensive ones - gaming of course, is a whole other matter. This, in combination with the high-quality keyboard, the touch screen, and the remarkable battery life makes it easier to recommend this laptop. And what to make of the Flex 14's namesake flexibility? Ultimately, it's a bonus perk for users, who will likely find themselves using this device in stand mode far

Between the Yoga line, the ThinkPad Twist, and the ThinkPad Helix, Lenovo’s been targeting all quadrants of the convertible spectrum pretty ferociously. Now, with the introduction of the IdeaPad Flex 14, there’s yet another option available, and with its purpose in mind, it succeeds. Thanks to the Flex, for (far) less dough than a comparable Yoga, you can still score a capable convertible Ultrabook that doesn’t break the bank.The design is clever, boasting some improvements over the Yoga by way of some additional cleverly-located rubber “feet” on the top of the base unit which leaves the device elevated at a slight angle when in Stand Mode. The Flex also nixes the (relatively cumbersome) Tablet Mode and Tent Mode, negating the need for any sort of gyroscopic screen rotation and making its use considerably more straightforward for those who want touch but don’t care about the tablet form factor.Our $749 review unit was also quick and nimble due to the inclusion of an i5 CPU and SSD (the base requirements for an Ultrabook in terms of CPU and storage). It beats the Yoga 11S in most every benchmark and even manages to last over two hours longer in general web surfing. Other, far less expensive configurations are also available with lower-grade CPUs and standard mechanical storage devices—and the Flex 14 is fortunately upgradeable without too much fuss, leaving the door open for future improvement. In other words, in the category of budget performance and portability, the Flex makes a lot of sense.Alas, there are still some drawbacks that separate the Flex from its higher-priced brethren, and these ought to be the primary considerations for those thinking about a purchase. For starters, the general construction (and the various components associated with it) is a grade below that of pricier models, as evidenced by the TN LED screen that saddles the Flex 14 (in the shadow of the Yoga’s IPS looker), the cheap-feeling keyboard and somewhat lackadaisical clickpad, and the plastic frame. These items are typical of lower-priced notebooks and are hardly surprising here—but viewed adjacent to better-equipped rivals, they serve as a swift reminder of the necessary corner-cutting involved.But for the right user, the Flex 14 is a sensible option. It’s affordable, fast, and goes for a long time on a charge—and, with some exceptions—its design does a great job of balancing traditional notebook functionality with touch interface. It’s yet another serious contender from Lenovo in the convertible market.

The IdeaPad Flex 14 is a compelling option for consumers and small businesses that want a budget-priced, touch-capable Windows 8 notebook.

The Flex 14 was made to be a a home or indoor notebook and it fits this category well. It is lighter than the IdeaPad U410 Touch Ultrabook with an arguably sleeker design and a good battery life for classroom or library work. System performance is fast, though we cannot speak for the less expensive models with the 5400 RPM mechanical drive. Even so, users can still opt for the lower-cost models and upgrade later as the internal RAM, HDD and mSATA slots can be accessed with a bit of patience. Some aspects to keep in mind are the glossy display and average backlight, which prevent the Flex 14 from being a good outdoor notebook. The Stand and Tent modes are fun distractions at best and a novelty at worst. Cut corners include the move from IPS to TN and the removal of a glass surface. CPU performance could have been better, though the ULV Core i5 is still sufficient for multi-tasking and other home tasks. Users running heavier programs for gaming or work may want to invest in another series (such as the ThinkPad or Y Series) as the 768p resolution display can feel too limiting too quickly. Hopefully future models will incorporate optional or even standard higher resolutions. The Flex 14 is no ThinkPad or Latitude, nor does it try to be. Instead, it's an all-rounder and aggressively priced consumer touchscreen notebook that is both sleeker and less expensive than much of the competition.

You can find flaws in any low-priced laptop, and while Lenovo's IdeaPad Flex 14 has its share of miscues—dull screen, no keyboard backlighting, substandard touch pad—none are deal-breakers. Neither is the Flex's coming up 60 degrees short of the Yoga's arguably more useful tablet mode, as long as it comes up $300 or $400 short of the Yoga's price.More importantly, the Flex 14 shines in two key areas: performance and battery life. The system delivers outstanding application performance, plus the ability to get through the workday on a single charge. Given the huge discount Lenovo is currently offering for the IdeaPad Flex 14, it's worthy of consideration for any budget shopper, even if you plan to use it as a standard laptop instead of flexing it into its secondary stand mode.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 doesn't have as full a screen swing as of the IdeaPad Yoga family, nor as much of the latter's utility.

Lenovo’s Flex is a compromised laptop, but not because of the 300-degree hinge, which serves its purpose of making touch use more convenient. The problems are more traditional issues which have plagued budget laptops for years: display, touchpad, materials. In short, the Flex is affordable, but it feels cheap, and constantly reminds the user that they received what they paid for. Performance and portability are high points, however, as the Flex provides strong results in both areas. Many competitors selling around $600 come up short in at least one of these two important areas. In some tests, like processor benchmarks, this laptop can keep pace with the Dell XPS 12, a system that costs almost twice as much. The Flex, then, is an uninspiring but reliable entry-level touchscreen notebook that can handle the average user’s needs without trouble. Despite its flaws, we think it a bit better than the average budget notebook, though we recommend buyers check out Lenovo’s U-Series Ultrabooks or Acer’s Aspire M5, the current kings of budget touchscreen notebooks, before laying down cash for the Flex.

Thanks to some all-over-the-place pricing, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 is hard to pin down. The less-expensive configurations make sense for a midsize, Haswell-generation laptop, with a trick hinge that you may or may not ever use. But as you move into more expensive versions -- including the current $999 price of our review configuration --- it feels like less laptop than you'd expect for the money.