Are you looking for a budget Chromebook that can do almost everything a reliable laptop can and feels better compared to its exact-priced Windows counterparts? The Lenovo Ideapad 5 is for you!
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14-inch Chromebook was specially designed to meet the needs of school and college and does it well. Unlike other best Chromebooks, which often skimp on build construction, usability, and performance, the IdeaPad 5 is an excellent bargain with a desktop-sized keyboard, sleek display, responsive touchpad, and lightweight enough to make it easy to carry and carry around in a bag.
The Lenovo Ideapad 5 supports a sturdy and visually compelling aluminium chassis, as well as a keyboard that is both ergonomic and tactile in its response. The device comes with numerous connectivity ports. Its 14-inch screen provides a great combination of mobility and a broader viewing area for comfortable document editing and presentation work.
We delve into a comprehensive review to determine whether the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook is an excellent choice for students and business users. We will intensely discuss all the aspects like design, display quality, performance, and, crucially, its sustained battery life and price point.
So, let’s get started!
| Pros | Cons |
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Specifications
| CPU | Intel Core i3 Processor |
| Screen Size | 14 inches |
| Maximum Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| SSD | 128 GB |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Operating System | ChromeOS |
| Colour | Sand |
| Weight | 1.42 kg |
| Connectivity | USB3.2 + USB-C |
| Warranty | 1-Year |
Design and Build
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook follows Lenovo’s standard design language and feels valuable from the overall aesthetics. The lid is made from two-toned aluminium, while the bottom of the Chromebook is plastic, weighing only 1.42 KG.
When you look aside, this Lenovo laptop offers modern conveniences. Despite having a 14-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the laptop has incredibly thin display bezels, successfully restricting its total size. The smaller bezel leads to a smaller footprint to maximise screen real estate within a relatively small chassis, a design progression that impresses everyone.
In terms of usability and functionality of the hardware, students and professionals couldn’t ask for more. A full-size keyboard is also an incredible feature on any lower-cost computer. This keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience for extended hours. Under the hood, the LED light on the front of the chassis is incorporated to keep you constantly aware of available battery life – a fine addition!
Display
The display is the primary factor which made IdeaPad stand out among previous IdeaPad generations. This Chromebook has a 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display. Thanks to its 100% sRGB coverage, the display delivers accurate colours in all types of content. The 16:10 aspect ratio, in particular, improves the visual clarity. The viewing angles are excellent, retaining colour accuracy even when you see them from various side angles. On the other hand, the glossy quality of the display is a weakness of this Chromebook, and with a brightness of 300 nits, you cannot use this laptop under direct sunlight.
However, the screen is bright and clear, perfect for everyday tasks such as web browsing, watching videos, and editing documents. The display is also non-touchscreen, another weakness, but overall, it’s okay.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard and trackpad of this Lenovo Core i3 laptop are both enjoyable and responsive. The keys are broad and well-spaced, with a pleasant tactile sensation. The trackpad is a good size; you can quickly scroll and pinch to zoom on Windows with smooth navigation. However, it’s just not as good coming from a MacBook Pro.
On the plus side, you can customise the backlight’s colour directly through Chrome OS’s settings, but the customisation features are limited to colours and a predefined rainbow option. Still, the keyboard and trackpad quality are excellent, given the laptop’s price.
Performance
Again, given its budget-friendly price tag, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook is an exceptional performer. An Intel i3 11th-generation processor powers the laptop with two performance cores and four efficiency cores to multitask efficiently.
Lenovo IdeaPad doesn’t skimp on the extras; it offers a responsive and fluid experience with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. You can efficiently work with 10-20 tabs open in Chrome simultaneously with no issue, even when editing spreadsheets. Despite fears that the eMMC storage would impair performance, buyers report no apparent issues. This demonstrates the laptop’s ability to give smooth and consistent performance for everyday operations.
If we talk about the heat, the fans don’t spin when running more manageable workloads like a few tabs on PlayStore, Spotify, or Microsoft Word. However, you may experience slow processing and lags when juggling multiple tasks, running an intensive Chrome OS App, and playing 4k YouTube videos simultaneously.
What about gaming? The games downloaded onto the Chromebook need to run better, especially the demanding titles, like Call of Duty and Genshin Impact, are out of the question. You may play Asphalt 8, but it will struggle with infrequent stutters, interrupting your overall gameplay.
Webcam and Microphone
Lenovo has added a basic 720p webcam on the IdeaPad 5 Chromebook. The brightness and colour accuracy are enough for your digital classes and video conferences.
Like many other professionals, if you are very concerned about the privacy and security of your device, you will be happy to see the inclusion of a physical privacy shutter that can block the camera, especially when you don’t want to be seen.
Another good feature is the microphone, which provides excellent quality, high volume and clarity. While background noises may intrude on you sometimes, you will not hear minor ambient sounds. It’s worth mentioning that the privacy shutter, intended to improve security, does not turn off the microphone.
Connectivity
This Lenovo laptop is designed to work with different peripherals and devices. It includes several connectivity ports like USB-C and two ports supporting USB Power Delivery. You can charge your Chromebook with both of the USB ports. It has an audio jack for audio devices and a microSD card to connect with external storage units. These connections allow fast data transfers, smooth multimedia streaming, and easy battery charging.
You will be surprised that IdeaPad 5 also supports Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6E, the latest Wi-Fi standard. Wi-Fi 6 can efficiently handle every cloud gaming title you throw at it, but extra bandwidth is always a good thing. Wi-Fi 6E also has an additional 6GHz band that boosts network reliability when connecting to multiple devices.
Battery Life
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 packs a 51-watt-hour battery into its small chassis. Thanks to the power-efficient hardware, the device achieved a remarkable result of 10 hours on our PCMark 10 battery test. This extended battery life is sufficient to navigate a full day of classes and study sessions.
Not only this, but you can also still expect to have ample battery remaining for additional activities, such as watching movies during your commute home. The combination of the power-efficient components and substantial battery endurance enhances the overall usability and portability of the Chromebook, catering to the needs of users with demanding schedules.
Price and Availability
You can get Lenovo IdeaPad 5 in various configurations, including up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. However, the availability varies from country to country and region to region. The product we reviewed here has an Intel Core i3 processor, Intel UHD graphics, 4 GB RAM, and 128 GB of SSD.
This model is available at various online retailers and in-stores with a price tag of around £400.
Fortunately, when purchased from Laptop Outlet, you can take advantage of an outstanding discount of £140.00 on Lenovo IdeaPad 5. As a result, the total cost for you will be approximately £260, offering a substantial reduction in price and presenting an excellent offer to get high quality and functionality.
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a budget Lenovo laptop for cloud and day-to-day productivity activities, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 may be the right choice. It has a bright, sharp display, a good battery, many connectivity ports, and an excellent Webcam. While its display doesn’t offer touchscreen capability and storage options need to be better. It will still make up its budget-friendly Lenovo laptop for everyday tasks.
So, combine the exceptional performance and impressive battery life, and you’ll have a robust all-around Chromebook, available for just around £260 at the Laptop Outlet!
