Review: Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 (16-Inch, Intel)

Budget laptops are finally improving. Extra RAM and more efficient processors are making cheap laptops significantly more pleasant to use and recommend.

However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 is somewhat of an old-school budget laptop. It uses a cheaper Intel chip, which compromises performance and battery life, and at first glance, it appears to be overpriced. While this machine doesn't move the needle for budget PCs, if you need a 16-inch laptop, there's just barely enough here to make it worth buying on discount. Just know exactly what you're getting into.

Boring but Well-Built

Photograph: Luke Larsen

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 is a large, 16-inch laptop that is 0.72 inches thick and 4.41 pounds. It’s a hefty laptop. To be fair, it’s actually lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. That’s partially because the IdeaPad 5i is made out of plastic. Fortunately, it’s still fairly well-built. The lid is sturdy and doesn't flex, and it's the only part made of aluminum. There’s a bit of give in the keyboard if you push hard enough, but it’s nothing too egregious.

It’s not necessarily a bad-looking laptop. Just generic. There’s a slightly more attractive Cosmic Blue color that might look nicer, but I haven’t seen it in person. Unfortunately, you can’t open it with one hand, even though it has a 360-degree hinge. That’s what makes it a 2-in-1 laptop, allowing you to position it in tent mode or lay it flat. The heft of this thing pretty much guarantees that you won’t be holding it as a tablet—that’s for sure. I’ve never understood the appeal of 2-in-1 capabilities on a laptop this large, but the addition of a touchscreen is always a plus.

The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 has a decent port selection. On the left, you get two USB-C ports (one for charging), HDMI, and a headphone jack. The right side has two USB-A ports, a micro SD card slot, and the power button. Not having a USB-C port on the right side is annoying, as it means you can only charge from one side. It’s a constant point of frustration on many laptops.

Photograph: Luke Larsen

The keyboard and touchpad are often compromises made on budget laptops, and the same is true here. The keys feel like they take a lot of effort to push through, as if the actuation force is too high. It can feel a bit tiring to type, which led to a lot of ghost typing where I was missing letters. It does have a number pad, but I don’t prefer them, as they force the touchpad to be off-center.

Speaking of the touchpad, this isn’t the worst I’ve used. The click feels nice, as it’s not overly loud or difficult to press—a common problem with cheap touchpads. The issue here, as per usual, is the tracking. It feels choppy to glide your finger across the surface, and precise actions like text selection feel clumsy. It’s certainly not a unique problem to the IdeaPad 5i, but it’s one of the things that makes cheap laptops feel low quality.

A Rough Display

Photograph: Luke Larsen

You buy a laptop of this size for its screen. But with the IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1, you’re not getting a high-quality panel. It’s a 1920 x 1200 resolution display with a 60-Hz refresh rate. That’s not bad per se, but stretched out on a 16-inch laptop, you can definitely see the pixels. That’s why I often recommend smaller laptops if you’re on a tighter budget. Like many laptops at this price, the IdeaPad uses a crummy panel. It’s IPS, but it has a strong green tint that makes colors look off. It's noticeable right away, and once I measured it with a colorimeter, it proved true, covering just 63 percent of the sRGB color space.

It is, however, glossy. That’s the one positive trait about it, as many budget laptops use a matte display that makes the screen look even more washed out. It also means the display doesn’t have those really ugly plastic bezels that come with matte displays. That goes a long way toward improving the look of the IdeaPad 5i. One of the reasons these cheap laptops opt for matte is because their displays aren’t very bright. This one maxes out at 334 nits, and yes, that means you will be fighting glare and reflections if you are near light sources.

But let's be clear: No 16-inch laptop under $800 has a better display. There are smaller laptops like the M1 MacBook Air or the Dell 14 Plus that have far better screens, but nothing in this size range.

The webcam is a point of favor for the device. It’s 1080p, and the quality is quite good. It doesn’t overcorrect in low-light situations, a common problem with laptop webcams. Not surprisingly, the speakers are terrible. Get some computer speakers.

Cheap Enough?

Photograph: Luke Larsen

The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1’s main problem is the chip inside. I’ve been a fan of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chip, which has found its way into some very affordable laptops, such as the Asus Vivobook 14. They’re efficient chips, leading to decent performance and great battery life. The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 255U, and doesn’t enjoy those benefits. Battery life isn't terrible, thankfully, lasting around 15 hours in local video playback.

Performance shouldn’t be too big a hindrance to your work, though, especially since you’ve got 16 GB onboard. The integrated GPU isn’t good; in fact, it’ll slow you down from doing anything graphics-related, such as gaming or 3D rendering. You really need something far more capable on that front if you need a media or content creation machine.

The configuration of the 16-inch IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 I tested costs $770. That’s a solid deal, though I've already seen it dip to $650 on sale. The Dell 14 Plus presents a problem. It’s a 14-inch laptop, but it’s a superior product in almost every way imaginable and costs $750 right now. Not only does it have a much better screen, but it also gets great battery life. If we’re going apples-to-apples, the Dell 16 Plus is far more expensive.

The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s not easy to find another 16-inch laptop that’s better—at least, not one that I’ve tested. The HP Omnibook 5 16 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X and is $750. Similarly, the Asus Vivobook 16 costs $750 and uses that same chip. Those might provide better battery life, but I can't say for sure until I've gotten my hands on them for testing. For now, this IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 barely squeaks by as a solid option for budget laptops and college students—so long as you buy it when it's on discount. If it rises over $800, you should be able to find a better 16-inch laptop for less money.