When Microsoft insert itsCopilot+ PCinitiative , Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon X chipsets were the first to receive Microsoft ’s official blessing . They ’ve so far proven to be very fast and effective and give Windows laptop a encouragement againstApple ’s MacBooks . They ’re also a bit less expensive than Intel machines , a side welfare that should n’t be discount .
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 is a good object lesson . It ’s still a midrange car coming in between $ 850 and $ 1,000 , so it ’s not inexpensive . But you ’ll pay a few hundred dollars more for Intel , in many shell . And the IdeaPad 5x is an attractive laptop in some important areas , not the least of which is in its carrying into action and shelling life . It might not make our list of the overallbest laptops , but it has a number of strong point that make it worth considering , especially forlaptops under $ 1,000 .
Specs and configuration
As with many of the early Qualcomm laptops , there are n’t a bunch of contour option with the IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 . The introduction - level model is $ 850 for a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 14 - inch FHD+ organic light-emitting diode display ( the only choice ) . For $ 895 , you could upgrade to a 1 TB SSD . An active pen is a $ 20 option .
When Lenovo to begin with offered the laptop for review , it was price at $ 679 . That would be a very attractive monetary value for this laptop , and Lenovo says a sale price like that might show up around the holiday . A tilt toll of $ 850 is attractive enough , though , when some other Qualcomm laptop computer list for more .
An example is theHP OmniBook Xat $ 1,090 with a 14 - in information science display but a quicker Snapdragon X elect chipset . That car is currently on sale for $ 780 , though . TheLenovo Yoga Slim 7xstarts at $ 1,080 with OLED and a Snapdragon X Elite . Then there are Intel Lunar Lake laptop to consider , such as theHP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14that lists for $ 1,450 with a higher - atomic number 75 2.8 K OLED display and an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V that ’s on cut-rate sale for $ 1,000 .
The bottom melody is that the IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 is a near note value even at full price , and if you manage to grab one on cut-rate sale , you ’re get a pretty in effect bargain .
Design
It ’s rare that I occur across a ill built laptop lately . yield , I ’ve been critique mostly midrange or agiotage laptop computer where you expect adequate human body , but it was n’t that long ago when even laptops close to $ 1,000 could sustain some misfortunate character . The IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 is constructed of a mix of aluminum and plastic , but it did n’t have any bending , flexing , or wind in the lid , keyboard deck , or chassis .
It sure did n’t feel like a laptop partially made of charge card , and I would n’t say the more expensive OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 — an exceedingly well - made laptop — was all that noticeably best . TheMacBook Air 13 , which nobody would call badly made , has a hat that ’s more flexible .
There was also a time when a laptop that was 0.69 in thick would have been considered very thin . Today , that ’s getting into the chunky chain of mountains , but it ’s for sure nothing to quetch about . The top and side bezels are lowly enough , but the bottom chin is pretty big , which is n’t rare for 2 - in-1s that need a flexible joint that can swap from grapple to media , tent , and tablet mood .
It ’s a small enough laptop computer and it ’s middling light at 3.28 pound — again , absolutely fine if not a category leader . Interestingly , Acer has borrowed the reverse snick caparison the webcam and infrared camera from Lenovo , which compares to Apple ’s display notch that ’s a lot more factious .
There ’s not a lot to say about the IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 in terms of its aesthetics . Many laptops have a certain look today — that is , they ’re minimalist without any standout designing features or bling . And that ’s OK . For many multitude , a laptop computer is n’t a mode statement , and while the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is notably better take care , who manage ? The IdeaPad 5x see just ok in its undivided gloomy gray colour way , and unless you really want your laptop to stick out out in the chocolate shop , you in all likelihood wo n’t really care one way or another .
Keyboard and touchpad
The IdeaPad 5x has Lenovo ’s standard keyboard with its well - identified sculptured keycaps and good spacing . The substitution variegate from machine to machine , and these are light and live . I care the keyboard , and it was comfortable when I typed up this reexamination . I could bicker and say Apple ’s Magic Keyboard is good , but this one ’s very honest even so .
The touchpad is just OK , though . First , it ’s not all that with child , with plenty of space on the decoration eternal rest for a with child version . And it ’s mechanical and not tactile , which is expected at this Leontyne Price . It ’s serviceable , but does n’t digest out liken to much good haptic touchpads on MacBooks and the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 .
The display is touch- and playpen - enabled , of course of instruction , and my critique unit include the active pen . It work well for save and draw off on the show , although as usual the 14 - inch transmutable 2 - in-1 is n’t most as well-fixed for such employment as a thin and low-cal pad like the iPad Pro .
Connectivity and webcam
The webcam is a 1080p variant , which is the new criterion . It ’s good enough to fend for the full range of the enhanced version of Microsoft Studio Effects package , and the nervous processing unit ( NPU ) exceeds the 40 Pidlimdi operations per second ( upside ) requirement Microsoft set for its Copilot+ PC initiative . That intend the IdeaPad 5x will support the full orbit of AI characteristic as they roll out with sanely fast and efficient on - gadget performance .
Performance
The IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 use the tiresome Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipset , the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42 - 100 . It ’s an 8 - heart and soul chipset run at 3.2GHz boosting to 3.4 gigahertz ( individual - core ) and with a 1.7 TFLOPS Adreno GPU . That ’s down from the 12 - core Snapdragon X Elite running at 3.4GHz with a boost to 4.0GHz ( dual - meat ) and with a 3.8 TFLOPS or faster GPU .
It ’s up against the 8 - core Intel Lunar Lake chipsets that defend Intel ’s reply to Qualcomm ’s more effective ARM - based chipsets . Of course , running on ARM require Windows on ARM , which will go some software system in emulation that will slow things down , and compatibility issuing remain possible .
As we can see from our comparison group , the Qualcomm chipsets are faster than Intel ’s across the board , while AMD ’s Ryzen AI 9 chipset is quicker still but not at all aspire at efficiency . The Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42 - 100 may be the wearisome chipset in Qualcomm ’s stable , but it ’s still meaningfully quicker than Intel — at least in CPU carrying into action . Its Adreno GPU is considerably slow , though , even given some mutant in the Intel Arc 140V integrated nontextual matter . As we can see , even the ingress - level discrete GPU in theAsus ProArt PX13is a lot quicker .
What this think is that the IdeaPad 5x is plenty fast for even demanding productiveness user . It wo n’t make gamers or creators , who bank on fast GPUs , very glad . And also notably , the MacBook Air M3 is just as fast in its central processor nucleus while being a mess quicker in its GPU cores . The MacBook Air wo n’t get the M4 chipset until next class , but that will give it another significant boost .
Battery life
Even though it ’s fast , the Qualcomm ’s master aim is to offer dependable efficiency in Windows laptops . That ’s Intel ’s objective with Lunar Lake , as well . And both weapons platform succeed , propose up very satisfying battery life especially when the chipsets are n’t make for as firmly . The IdeaPad 5x has an OLED display that ’s also just FHD+ resolution , which gives it a small more efficiency but amazing quality ( see below ) . TheDell XPS 13 9350andXPS 13 9345both had an FHD+ IPS display while the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 had a 2.8 K OLED panel .
The IdeaPad 5x will easily last a full Clarence Day of normal oeuvre , and even into a second day . Prior to these new chipsets , only Apple Silicon laptops like the MacBook Air M3 could make the same kind of title . Arguably , the MacBook Air has the longest battery life all around , but there ’s no longer nearly as heavy a delta between Windows and macOS . We ’ll have to wait until the M4 chipset hits the MacBook Air in 2025 to see if Apple extends its hint .
Display and audio
I love OLED displays . They just look so much better out of the box than IPS display , even though that engineering has gotten a set better over the last several eld . OLED ’s colour are so much brighter and blacks are so much ink-black , that even a 14.0 - inch FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) display that I ’d normally dislike as not being shrewd enough seem dandy . That ’s what Lenovo put in the IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 , and it was a capital pick .
My colorimeter liked the display . Colors were unbelievably wide at 100 % of sRGB , 98 % of AdobeRGB , and 99 % of DCI - P3 , and accuracy was great at a Delta - eastward of 1.34 ( less than 1.0 is excellent ) . Contrast was high-pitched at 25,920:1 with the common near - unadulterated blackness , and the panel was more than bright enough at 381 nits . I ’ve visit many bright displays , include other OLED panels , but this is still more than bright enough for all but work outside under direct sunshine .
Again , I do like higher resolution than FHD+ with a 14 - inch presentation , but I doubt that many mass will complain . And a low-toned resolution helps offset OLED for better battery life , which I saw in the barrage fire life results .
Audio is provided by four speakers : two up - firing and two downward - kindling . Sound was very exonerated , with crip mids and high and zero distortion . The only problem was the system did n’t get very loud , and bass was pretty faint . It ’s not the best nor the worst sound you ’ll find on a 14 - column inch laptop , whereApple ’s MacBook Pro 14is the standout performing artist .
A solid laptop at an attractive price
At $ 850 , the IdeaPad 5x 2 - in-1 is a great laptop . It has a very good OLED display , so long as you ’re OK with the resolution . It ’s also quite tight and gets splendid assault and battery sprightliness . It ’s well - ramp up with an esthetic that ’s kind of boring but surely is n’t frightful .
I bid it had a tactile touchpad , and it does n’t have a fast USB4 port . But the best matter is , it ’s whole potential that you ’ll be able-bodied to grab the IdeaPad 5x at an even greater mountain at under $ 700 . At that cost , the laptop becomes even more than just an sluttish recommendation .
