Model Flex 10 can be attributed to compact and inexpensive laptops, but it is equipped with a 10-inch screen, a small hard drive and an entry-level processor of the Bay Trail-M series. We can say that we have before us an ordinary netbook.
The hero of today's review is the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 convertible laptop. A little earlier in the race for the client, netbooks lost to tablets in terms of price / quality and almost disappeared from the market. For many users, the choice was obvious: why buy a slow netbook with Windows, when for the same money you can buy a middle-class tablet with the Android system, which performs similar tasks like working with mail, browser and skype.
Therefore, the manufacturer Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 relies on an improved filling compared to previous series of netbooks and a low price. Having on its board a touch screen, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, 64-bit Windows 8.1 and Microsoft Office, the model is able to interest its consumer.
Design and build quality
The case of Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 is made entirely of black plastic and is firm enough to the touch, so there is a hope that the model will last quite a long time. Fingerprints, although the laptop is covered, but not as fast as similar budget devices made of carbon-black plastic. The build quality itself deserves all praise: there are no squeaks, details do not bend and the case does not break.
The hinges allow you to open the laptop 270 degrees and work with it in different modes: “tent” and “stand”.
Ergonomics
It is worth noting that the tent mode is not implemented very well in Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10. Reviews are full of customer complaints about the uselessness of the regime. After the transformation, the edges of the device can slide over the surface and change the angle of rotation, the manufacturer here had to take care of the rubber legs.
Customers also note that the laptop is not equipped with screen rotation sensors and before setting the model in the “tent” mode, you have to turn the image manually in the settings. If the device does not have auto-rotation, then Lenovo should have thought about at least some key combination that allows you to flip the screen.
In the stand-up mode of Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10, the screen review has a familiar position, and such problems as in the first case do not arise, since only the lower half of the device is turned over.
It is also worth noting that there are no familiar covers at the bottom of the laptop. The case will have to be removed completely if you decide to get to the internal components of the device. The model allows the possibility of replacing the hard drive and RAM, and as for cleaning the fan, then there is no need to do it due to the lack of the active cooling system itself. Thank you for this economical and practical Bay Trail processors.
Interfaces
Netbooks never differed in the variety of ports, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 brown laptop was no exception, although it pleases the already pretty modern interface in the face of USB 3.0 and HDMI video output. Therefore, connecting any external drive will not be a problem, as well as synergy with new TVs and LCD screens.
The only and significant fly in the ointment, which the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 laptop is not without, reviews in all major online stores note the absence of an SD card reader. This port has long been the norm for all new devices, but the Lenovo company for some reason has not included this port in its model. You can, of course, use a USB adapter to transfer photos or videos from third-party gadgets, but having only two ports, you will have to disconnect either the mouse or the external hard drive, which is extremely inconvenient. Instead of the desired SD-interface, the developer installed a volume rocker to work in the "stand" mode.
Users in their reviews are also annoyed by the lack of an Internet port such as RJ-45 or any other analogue. You have to use a special USB adapter (again, just two USB ports) and limit yourself to working with other gadgets.
As an alternative, you can offer to use the mouse via Bluetooth, then one USB port will be free, but not everyone will agree to pay a tidy sum for such a manipulator, especially since it also has its drawbacks: interference from Wi-Fi and frequent charging or changing the battery .
Communications
As a communication module, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 laptop has a Qualcomm Atheros AR956x board that provides Bluetooth 4.0 reception / transmission and single-band WiFi at 802.11 b / g / n points. This budget model can’t count on more, although some old analogs of netbooks were equipped with 3G modems, this is not provided here (a point in favor of tablets).
The quality of communications itself does not cause any complaints. The stability of the connection and the radius of reception of the WiFi signal is kept at an average level, which is more than enough for most offices and apartments.
Speakers
The speakers on the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 are bad, just like all netbooks. The only way out for music and film lovers is with headphones or external speakers. With standard speakers, you can only watch the YouTube channel, where the sound quality is not so important.
Input Devices
At Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10, the characteristics of the keyboard will not allow you to fully plunge into writing a dissertation, but if you restrict yourself to working with e-mail, chat rooms and social networks, then it will work fine.
The distance between the keys and their shape are quite convenient, and during typing the effort to press is not too big - in general, it is a quite comfortable and functional keyboard.
Soft keys such as Fn and Ctrl are in their proper places, which is very pleasing, since the Lenovo company, judging by the reviews of many customers, "got" its users in an orderly manner, swapping many function keys in new laptop models. The brand finally listened to the words of ordinary consumers, and not to the trends of fabulous designers.
However, some shortcomings still remained. The upper part of the keyboard (F1-F12) does not activate the keys themselves, but additional features like adjusting the volume, and in order to press the necessary F, you need to perform combos with Fn. Users accustomed to the frequent use of the top row of keys will have to go into the BIOS and change the keyboard combination settings and its functional characteristics.
Notebook Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10 has a very tiny clickpad, and if you have a little more than average fingers, then using it with Windows will be very difficult, since there is an alternative in the face of the touch screen, so it’s better to use it, or, as an option connect USB / Bluetooth mouse. The clickpad itself is only suitable for performing very simple operations with the interface, where accuracy or smooth movement are not required.
Screen
With a 10-inch diagonal, the laptop has a resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels. The picture is more or less clear, and you can view the middle details of the interface without problems.
Other characteristics of the model are disappointing for many users. The maximum brightness of the display is only 140 Cd / m2, and even in a moderately lit place this may seem insufficient, especially since the screen coating is made in a glossy style.
The black level was about 0.42 Cd / m2, which is typical for mid-range notebooks, but the contrast is very small due to insufficient brightness, only 340: 1.
The color rendering of the display is naturally inferior to many similar laptops, and a strong blue tint is visible during operation. Despite the presence of a TN-matrix, viewing angles are very small, and a side view leads to an instant decrease in brightness and distortion of all colors, so it is unlikely to see a movie or photos with friends.
Due to the cheapness of the model, it may not have a good screen, but the company's capabilities allow it to equip its models with normal displays (S10-2, ThinkPad), and why this was not done in Flex 10 is not clear. Therefore, another point goes in favor of tablets that support the Windows OS.
Performance Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10
The manual indicates that the model is equipped with an Intel processor of the Bay Trail family with two or four gigabytes of RAM on board. Winchester does not differ in large volume and, as a rule, has standard netbook specifications in the form of 320 GB of memory, rarely 500 GB.
The most common modification of Flex 10 is the Celeron N2806 processor, 2 GB of RAM and the Hitachi hard drive with 5400 rpm. volume of 320 GB.
CPU
Built on Silvermont architecture, the BayTrail processor is recognized as an engineering miracle from Intel. No one had ever thought that a super-economical x86 processor would appear on the computer market, working without an active cooling system, that is, without a fan. And not only that, its performance can be compared with powerful analogs that have active cooling.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the built-in hardware video decoder, which is capable of reproducing high-quality films (from 1080p) without significant processor load. You can view any video files directly in the browser without any inhibitions or other problems.
The processor clock speed easily reaches its limit of 2 GHz, without overheating the entire system, so simple games like GTA Voice City or Drift Mania will go without problems.
As for the amount of RAM Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 10, then it is always not enough, the benefit is provided the ability to add trims and increase the reserve up to 4 GB.
Power Consumption and Battery Life
The Bay Trail platform alone consumes very little power. This also includes the screen, the brightness of which is very ordinary, which also allows you to save on power consumption.
The battery capacity is identical to old netbooks and varies within 24 Wh * h, which allows you to sit in the browser for no more than six hours and play games no more than three. If you connect the Internet via Wi-Fi, then you can work a maximum of four hours. When watching a video in 1080 r resolution, the laptop also lasted for more than four hours.
Sadly, Lenovo does not heed the feedback of its consumers, who literally scream at every step that they need the x86 system, but with such a weak battery it is very difficult to use it at full capacity. An ideal option would be to equip the model with a 40-padded jacket, which will allow working several times longer, but, apparently, the company has its own thoughts on this matter.
Summarizing
The Flex 10 is another attempt to bring netbooks back to the computer market. Lenovo has significantly expanded the technical capabilities of this class, adding the device the ability to open up to 270 degrees in two modes. A positive opinion can be left about the keyboard of the device, especially against the background of the fact that the old models were equipped with an inconvenient and poor-quality input system.
The clickpad, due to its size, is inconvenient, and inappropriate - touch input solves all problems. The processor on the Bay Trail platform deserves all praise, as well as the video decoder, which allows you to play video without delay (this activity is considered the most popular among laptop / netbooks).
You can recommend a device for purchase only to those people who have realized all its shortcomings and are ready to put up with them, but in any case there are more than enough alternative options among tablets, so everything is at your discretion. Otherwise, the model is perfect for watching (sole) films and pastimes.