Our 7th-place choice for the best i3 laptop and the best laptop is the Lenovo Flex. It has a 14” full size touch screen, is powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i3-8145U, has a 128GB SSD, and is powered by an Intel UHD Graphics 620 card. Perfect for students and light users, the Lenovo can be used as both a laptop & a tablet. Its features make it a contender for best laptop available.
Why We Like It – Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1
In this Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1 review, we’ll go over the ins & outs of this multi-purpose device. Perfect for students, this convertible laptop offers a decent amount of internal storage space, a tablet mode, touch display, and a single USB C port.
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- Has Two USB 3.1 Ports & One USB C Port
- (Up to An) 8 Hour Battery Life
- Other Lenovo IdeaPad Flex Models Are Available With An Intel Core i5 processor, an Intel Core i7 processor, or an AMD Radeon Vega Graphics Card
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- This Model Doesn’t Have An Intel Core i5 Processor
- Backlit Keyboard & Fingerprint reader Are Only Available on the Higher End Models
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Power & Performance
This model of the Flex runs on an 8th Gen Intel Core i3-8145U. The performance isn’t anything spectacular (so it’s not suitable for gaming), but it should be adequate for basic everyday use. Internally, the Flex offers 4GB of RAM & 128GB of space (if you need more storage space check out our HP 15.6 laptop review). Unlike other higher-end versions of the Flex, this model runs on an Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU, and lacks some great features such as a fingerprint scanner or a backlit keyboard. You may also want to check out our Lenovo Flex 14 review for a laptop with a large storage capacity.
Battery
Lenovo claims that the Flex 14 has a battery life of up to 8 hours, Based on the reviews, this seems to be an accurate claim. A great feature of this laptop is its rapid charge technology. This allows you to charge the battery up to 80% of the full capacity in just one hour, which is adequate for a longer lunch break. Although the battery may not last an entire school day on a single charge, the quick charge feature ensures that you’ll be able to stay powered on throughout the day.
Ports & Expandability
You don’t get a wide variety of connections on this laptop, but they should be enough for a casual user. While it lacks connections such as a VGA plug or a mini DisplayPort, it does have a single HDMI port, a USB-C port, two USB 3.1 ports, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. These are OK for a budget laptop, but it would have been nice to have had additional USB 3.1 ports included on this model.
Build Quality
The Flex 14 has is housed in a plastic shell that offers minimal flex. The 14” screen has a glossy finish, which unfortunately results in poor viewing angles (for a larger screen you may want to consider the HP 17.3 laptop). This model doesn’t have many special features, but higher-end models include a fingerprint scanner & a backlit keyboard. It does, however, have a TruBlock privacy shutter to physically block your webcam when not in use, which is a nice feature.
See Also: Check out the Lenovo Flex 5 review for a lightweight machine with a tough exterior.
Value
At $699, this laptop is mid-priced as far as basic laptops go (for a cheaper option, check out our ASUS VivoBook 15 review). Free shipping is offered, but as usual, you will have to pay an additional charge should you decide to return it. There isn’t any information available on a warranty, but there are protection plans available for this laptop. This Lenovo Flex model receives generally positive feedback, scoring a 4.4 out of 5-stars based on 303 Amazon ratings.
Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1 Wrap Up
Although this laptop definitely isn’t up to par for gamers, it is available for an affordable price, has a reasonable storage capacity of 128GB, & offers dual functionality as both a laptop and a tablet. The Lenovo Flex 14 2 in 1 is a great option for students, office workers, or casual users.
