The Lenovo Flex 3 is considered by many to be the poor man’s Yoga 3, which is currently the flagship 2-in-1 laptop/tablet from Lenovo. We do agree up to a point though. The Flex is up to 40% cheaper than its premium counterpart and that alone is a decisive factor in many user’s buying decisions, since most don’t actually need the thinness and mobility guaranteed by the Yoga.
The Lenovo Flex 3 comes in many different flavors, the one we’ll be reviewing today, the 80JK0020US has an impressive 14 inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The processing power is given by the newest generation Intel Core i5-5200U, which we’ll also find on the Toshiba Satellite S55T we reviewed a few days ago. With 3MB of cache, you won’t need more for everyday stuff such as browsing internet, playing movies, music or writing in Office software, but may find it underpowered should you do some work with specialized tools such as 3DSMax or developer software. Coupled with the 8GB of RAM and a fast 8GB SSD, alongside a 500GB Hard Disk Drive, the Flex will feel blazing fast out of the box.
One thing people complained about is the screen glossiness in sunlight conditions and the accumulation of fingerprints especially around the bevel (this being a touchscreen display). Other than those two minor -and somewhat expected- issues, there are no other complaints about other features such as materials used, reliability, ease of use, etc. The casing material is made out of brushed aluminum and overall it feels like a well built laptop, rivaling even its more premium counterparts.
Also, the laptop would have greatly benefited from a dedicated video card, but it’s only equipped with an Intel HD Graphics 5500 and a more decent webcam. The rest of the features are pretty standard for a modern all-rounder: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and backlit keyboard. The battery back is better than some of its rivals, but it’s nothing spectacular: you can obtain around 6 hours of work time out of the Flex before it shuts down.
The Flex 3 80JK0020US shines when it comes to functionality. It’s fairly light and you can use it as a laptop or as a tablet, or rotate it’s screen at 180 degrees to showcase something to your speaking counterpart. Therefore, it’s a good option for a business environment or for client meetings.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Product[/th_column]
[th_column]Lenovo Flex 3 80JK0020US[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]Details[/row_column]
[row_column]Check prices on Amazon[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Processor Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Core i5-5200U[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Processor Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual Core, 14nm litho[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Processor Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]2.2 GHz, 3 MB Cache[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Installed / Max Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Memory Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]DDR3L[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Total Memory Slots[/row_column]
[row_column]2[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]500 GB HDD + 8 GB SSD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]HDD @ 5400 rpm + SSD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Display Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]IPS Anti-Glare Display[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Size[/row_column]
[row_column]14 inches[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1920 x 1080[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Aspect Ratio[/row_column]
[row_column]16:9[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touchscreen[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Processor[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel HD Graphics 5500[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Video RAM[/row_column]
[row_column]Shared[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Card Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Integrated[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Audio Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]Dolby Home Theater[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Speakers[/row_column]
[row_column]2 x 1.5W speakers[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Connectivity[/row_column]
[row_column]802.11 ac WLAN
Bluetooth 4.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Interface[/row_column]
[row_column]2 x USB 3.0
2 x USB 2.0
1 x HDMI
1 x Audio Combo Jack[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Built-in Devices[/row_column]
[row_column]4-in-1 Card Reader
0.3 MP Webcam[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]Backlit Keyboard[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 8.1[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Li-Ion[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]45 Whr[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Up to 6 hours[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]13.39″ x 9.25″ x 0.85″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]4 lbs.[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Warranty[/row_column]
[row_column]1-Year Parts & Labor[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores
[row]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”75″ bartype=”progress-bar-warning” label=”Performance: 75″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”85″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 85″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”85″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Price: 85″]
[/column]
[/row]
Pros:
- Great display
- Good CPU, RAM and storage devices
- Relatively light
- Touchscreen and backlit keyboard
- You can use it as a laptop or a tablet
- Decent battery pack
- Good building materials
Cons:
- No dedicated video card
There aren’t many cons to buying the Lenovo Flex 3, because it’s such a good all-rounder. It doesn’t really shine at anything, but it’s moderately good at everything, including the rotating screen and tablet transformation.