Lenovo IdeaPad 16" Flex IdeaPad 5 Blue 2025

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a 16-inch 2-in-1 with a strong Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, plus a bundled docking station with another 1TB of storage. It's great for productivity and light creative work, but the display is mediocre and the integrated graphics limit gaming. At $929 to $999, it's a solid value, especially with the bundle. Buy it for the flexibility and CPU, not for the screen or gaming.

The Ryzen AI 7 350 sits at the 77th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's well above average, and for everyday tasks like browsing, office work, and even some light video editing, it's going to feel snappy. The 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM is solid, though it's right around the middle of the pack at the 51st percentile. For most people, that's plenty. But if you're running multiple VMs or doing heavy 4K editing, you might feel the ceiling.

The Radeon 860M is where things get interesting. It's integrated graphics, and it lands at the 62nd percentile for GPU performance. That's about average, which means it'll handle older games and esports titles fine, but don't expect to crank Cyberpunk 2077. The 1TB SSD is a nice size, sitting at the 67th percentile. Boot times and app launches will be quick. The display, though, is a weak spot. The 1900x1200 WUXGA panel is only at the 34th percentile for screen quality. It's fine for productivity, but creators who care about color accuracy will want to plug in an external monitor.

The MacBook Pro M4 Pro is the elephant in the room. It absolutely crushes this IdeaPad in GPU performance, display quality, and build, but it also costs nearly twice as much. If you're a professional video editor or 3D artist, the MacBook is the obvious choice. But if you're a student or someone who wants a big touchscreen and doesn't need macOS, the IdeaPad makes a lot more sense financially.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is a gaming laptop with a discrete GPU, so it'll run circles around the Radeon 860M in games. But it's also more expensive and doesn't have the 2-in-1 form factor. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is another gaming-focused option with a better screen, but again, you're paying more. The MSI Prestige and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition are closer competitors. The Surface Laptop has a better display and build quality, but it's not a 2-in-1 and costs more. The MSI Prestige is similar in price, but the IdeaPad's bundle and touchscreen give it an edge for the right buyer.

Pricing is a bit of a moving target here. The US listings show a range of $929 to $999, which puts this in the mid-range bracket. For that money, you're getting a 16-inch 2-in-1 with a current-gen Ryzen AI chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and that whole docking station bundle. The bundle alone would probably cost you $100 to $150 if you bought the pieces separately.

Compared to the competition, this is a decent deal. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 are both significantly more expensive and aimed at different buyers. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and MSI Prestige are closer in spirit, but they tend to cost more for similar specs. If you can find this at the $929 end, it's a solid value. At $999, it's still reasonable, but you're getting close to territory where a better display might be worth the extra cash.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is one of those laptops that tries to be a little bit of everything. It's a 16-inch 2-in-1 with a touchscreen, a 360-degree hinge, and a Ryzen AI 7 350 chip that Lenovo is pitching hard for AI work and content creation. At 2.00kg, it's not exactly a featherweight, but for a 16-inch convertible, that's about what you'd expect. The blue color is a nice touch too, if you're tired of silver slabs.

Who's this for? Honestly, it's for the person who wants a big screen for design work or spreadsheets, but also wants to flip it into a tablet for sketching or watching shows. The bundled docking station set is a genuinely useful add-on, especially since it includes a 1TB drive and a 32GB MicroSD card. That's not something you see every day.

The interesting part here is the Ryzen AI 7 350. It's an 8-core, 16-thread chip with a 50 TOPS NPU, which puts it in the same conversation as some of the newer AI-focused laptops. But the Radeon 860M is integrated graphics, not a discrete GPU, despite what the spec sheet might imply. That's going to matter for gaming and heavy creative work.

If you're a serious gamer, skip this. The integrated Radeon 860M will leave you frustrated with anything beyond esports titles. Look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or HP OMEN Transcend 14 instead. If you're a professional photographer or video editor who needs accurate colors, the display here is a weak spot. The MacBook Pro M4 Pro or Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition would serve you better, though you'll pay more.

Also, if you need to run large language models or heavy AI workloads locally, the AI and LLM performance is the weakest area of this laptop, scoring just 29.3 out of 100. The 50 TOPS NPU sounds impressive on paper, but it's not going to replace a dedicated GPU for serious AI work. And if portability is your top priority, the 2.00kg weight puts this at the 20th percentile for compactness. There are lighter 16-inch options out there, though you'll likely sacrifice the 2-in-1 hinge.

If you're a designer or student who wants a big touchscreen, a 2-in-1 form factor, and a laptop that can handle Corel, Photoshop, or light video editing without breaking a sweat, this IdeaPad Flex 5 is a strong pick. The Ryzen AI 7 350 is a genuinely good chip, and the bundled docking station with an extra 1TB of storage is a real bonus. Just don't expect the display to be a color-accurate dream.

For gamers, this isn't the laptop. The integrated Radeon 860M will handle older titles and esports, but anything modern will struggle. If gaming matters, look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or HP OMEN Transcend 14. For everyone else, especially if you can snag this at the lower end of the price range, it's a well-rounded machine that does a lot of things well, even if it doesn't excel at any one thing.