Not enough people are talking about this budget Lenovo laptop that overdelivers

Typing on the IdeaPad was a mixed experience. The keyboard is comfortable to work on thanks to the generous amount of space between the keys. But the keys themselves feel mushy, lacking the tactile feel that makes long typing sessions easy on the hands. The trackpad also took me some time getting used to. It sits left-aligned, leaving a significant amount of empty space to the right.

Also: How to buy the right laptop for school, work, and play (and common mistakes to avoid)

The purpose of this layout is likely to give your wrist a place to rest, which is thoughtful of Lenovo. However, the trackpad is small, so it limits the range of motion. You’re forced to lift your finger more often to repeat movements just to get the cursor across the screen. 

Mixed media

For a 2-in-1 laptop, the touchscreen is the standout feature. Unfortunately, Lenovo’s IdeaPad 5i stumbles here; it’s not great. Color accuracy is the first issue. The display looked noticeably dull, with washed-out tones and weak saturation. Reds, in particular, were noticeably less vivid. 

I noticed this when looking at the Google Chrome logo and saw that the red portion at the top looked orange. On the bright side, the color contrast is great with deep black and vibrant whites.

Audio performance is where the laptop surprised me. The IdeaPad 5i houses a pair of 2-watt speakers that support Dolby Audio. This allows them to deliver clean sound with a surprising soundstage. You can distinctly pick out vocals, guitar riffs, bass lines, and drums. 

There is a catch: a low-volume ceiling. These speakers will not be filling an entire room. Still, the clarity is impressive. In my experience, most speakers opt for loud audio to mask a flat output. Lenovo did the opposite, and it pays off.

Lightweight performance

When it comes to performance, Lenovo’s laptop holds its own. The IdeaPad 5i runs on an Intel Core Ultra 7 255U processor, an integrated Intel graphics card, and 16GB of storage. It’s not a powerhouse, but it’s well-suited to everyday productivity rather than raw power.

Also: How I unlocked God Mode in Windows 11 – and the wonders I can do with it

In testing, the hardware handled my typical workloads (which included over 50 Chrome tabs, multiple video livestreams, Google Docs writing, Slack, Spotify, and some light editing) without major hiccups. The 2-in-1 hinge adds a lot of value, too. Editing apps feel more natural to navigate while in tablet mode.

I do wish a stylus was a part of the overall package. Instead, the accessory is a separate purchase. Another surprise came from the device’s benchmarking results in Cinebench 2024; specifically testing the computer’s ability to handle complex 3D rendering. 

According to the hardware comparison platform NanoReview, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255U has an average Cinebench 2024 score of 568. In my tests, the IdeaPad 5i achieved a score of 674, indicating that it’s more capable of tackling heavy workloads than originally thought.