Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05 review (AMD Rzyen 5) – the almost perfect budget notebook

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Specs Sheet
Design and exterior
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware and performance
Noise, heat and speakers
Battery life
Price and availability
Final thoughts
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By Andrei GirbeaLenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05, last updated on October 5, 2021

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05

Summary: For the most part, this Lenovo IdeaPad 5 feels and performs like a much more expensive product. It's a very quick little laptop, and also quiet and comfortable with daily use. It’s also well made, with the exception of that delicate metal lid, types well, and includes the IO and the battery life that I'd need while on the go. However, having used it for the last few weeks, I decided a 54% sRGB screen won't do for me and I'd rather pay extra for a better-quality panel. My entire experience with this notebook is documented down below.

Our score: 4.25 / 5
Price when reviewed: from $699

THE GOOD

compact, clean looking and well made
alright IPS matte screen, if you can live with muted colors
fine inputs
snappy and quiet with daily activities and demanding tasks or games
long battery life on a charge
good value, especially when on sale

THE BAD

delicate coating on the metal lid, has already chipped
washed out 54% sRGB panel
runs fairly hot with demanding loads, both internally and at case level

Table of Contents

Video review – Lenovo IdeaPad 5
Specs as reviewed – Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE
Design and build
Keyboard and trackpad
Screen
Hardware and performance
Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others
Battery life
Price and availability- IdeaPad 5 14ARE
Final thoughts- Lenovo IdeaPad 5 review

I bought this 14-inch version of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 about three weeks ago and it took me a little longer to publish my thoughts, and that’s because I wanted to see whether a color-deficient screen is something I can live with or not.

Over here the IdeaPad 5 comes with merely a 54% sRGB matte FHD IPS screen. It’s otherwise a bright and punchy panel, but those muted colors are awful to look at, at least for me, as someone used to higher-quality screens. And that’s such a pity, as otherwise, this IdeaPad is an amazing ultraportable laptop.

I bought mine for about 600 EUR in a well-specced version, with the Ryzen 5 4500U processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of SSD storage, and 57 Wh battery. This version also gets the blue-colored exterior and the metal lid, unlike the all-plastic variants available in other regions.

Update: Our review of the updated IdeaPad 5 14ALC generation is available over here.

So, how is it? In just a few words, it performs better than I expected, lasts for a fair while on a charge, and types well. But it’s going back tomorrow, as I’ve finally decided that I can’t cope with that screen. You’ll find my whole experience with this computer down below, with the strong-points and the quirks that will help you decide whether this is the right buy for you or not. And if by any chance Lenovo offers a better-quality screen at some point, this would definitely jump towards the top of my shortlist in its class.

Update: Lenovo offfers a better screen and a few other worthy improvements in the IdeaPad/Yoga Slim 7, and our full-review is available over here.

Video review – Lenovo IdeaPad 5

Specs as reviewed – Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE

	Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE
Screen	14-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS 60 Hz, 16:9, non-touch, matte, AU Optronics B140HAN04.E panel
Processor	AMD Renoir Ryzen 5 4500U, 6C/6T
Video	AMD Radeon Vega 6, 6 CUs, 1.5 GHz
Memory	16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz (soldered)
Storage	1x 512 GB SSD (Samsung PM991 MZALQ512HALU-000L2 M.2 2230), one extra M.2 2280 free slot
Connectivity	Wireless 6 (Intel AX200), Bluetooth 5.0
Ports	3x USB-A 3.1 gen 1, 1x USB-C gen with DP and power delivery, HDMI 1.4b, SD card reader, headphone/mic
Battery	57 Wh, 65 W barrel-plug power adapter, USB-C charging supported
Size	322 mm or 12.66” (w) x 212 mm or 8.34” (d) x 19.1 mm or .75” (h)
Weight	1.40 kg (3.09 lb), .33 kg (.72 lbs) power brick, EU version
Extras	white backlit keyboard with NumPad, 2x 2W stereo speakers, HD webcam, figner-sensor in power button

Update: Our review of the updated IdeaPad 5 14ALC generation is available over here, with a slightly improved display and Ryzen 5000 hardware.

Design and build

I like this minimal and clean design language Lenovo implement with most of their notebooks these days, including these entry-level IdeaPads. Branding is kept at a minimum, with two small metal Lenovo plaques on the lid and interior, and no logo under the screen, and the whole thing looks and feels like a higher-tier product.

Sure, the interior is still plastic, but with this slightly textured surface that feels soft and reliable, and does a very good job at concealing smudges and finger oil. In fact, I much prefer this interior plastic to the metal on the lid, for two reasons: the lid shows smudges easier and has somehow already dented in two small spots, revealing the bare aluminum underneath. Not sure how this happened, I take very good care of all my products, and this sort of over-delicate surface is not something I can accept. Lenovo seems to also offer this notebook with a plastic lid in some regions, and if that’s the same kind of finishing as on the interior of my unit, I’d definitely prefer it to this metal lid. Something to look into.

Materials aside, this IdeaPad 5 is sturdily made, with both a strong main chassis and a strong screen.

As far as dimensions go, this is fairly compact for its class, with narrow bezels around the display, but enough of a forehead to include a camera at the top, with a physical shutter. The quality isn’t much, as expected.

This notebook is, however, a tad heavier and thicker than the more premium 14-inch options, but at 19 mm in thickness and 1.4 kilos in weight, it’s still a proper choice if you have to grab it along every day to school or work.

Having used this almost daily in the last weeks, two aspects bothered me. One is the fact that Lenovo included an always-on LED next to the power button. It’s not very bright, but it’s still unnecessary and a bit annoying when watching a movie at night. As a side note, the power button also integrates a finger sensor. They also put some crooked stickers on the palm-rest, but those can be easily peeled off (mine were still on as I was deciding whether to keep or return this).

My other nit is with the limited screen angle and fairly stiff hinge. You’ll need two hands to lift-up the display here, and it only goes back to about 145 degrees and not all the way flat, as I’d want on a portable laptop that won’t always be used on a desk.

On the other hand, Lenovo implemented grippy rubber feet on the bottom, made sure to blunt the front lip and corners, lined a fair selection of ports on the sides, and included up-firing speakers that flank the keyboard.

Furthermore, they also implemented a fairly capable cooling system, with a large intake grill on the bottom and the exhaust hidden beneath the hinge. That still blows hot air into the display, yet its effect is not as bad as on some other laptops that go the same route (such as the ZenBook 14), thanks to the increased distance between the radiator and the actual panel.

As for that IO, you’ll get two USB-A slots and an SD card-reader on the right side, and the status LEDs, a USB-C port, HDMI and a power-plug on the left. This laptop also charges via USB-C, which supports DisplayPort as well and drives a 4K monitor at 60 Hz just fine. I’ve noticed that some 14-inch IdeaPad 5 versions do not include the barrel-plug port and instead ship with an USB-C charger, but keep in mind that’s you’ll have a hard-time powering a high-resolution external monitor on those variants, while also charging up the laptop, so overall this variant is more practical.

Finally, I should also add that you’re getting a fairly-slow SD card-reader here and fairly slow gen1 USB-A ports as well, although I’d say these are fine in this price class.

Keyboard and trackpad

The IdeaPad 5 gets a standard Lenovo keyboard, the same we’ve seen on past Yogas and IdeaPads, but with slightly cheaper feeling plastic keycaps than on the higher-tier models.

No worries though, this is a good typer, quick, quiet, and accurate once you get a hold of its mushier feedback, the kind you should expect from a portable laptop with short-stroke keys.

The layout is standard, and includes PgUp/PgDn/Home and End functionality as secondaries bound to the arrows keys. Many other 14-inch notebooks implement those as an extra column at the right of the keyboard, but there wasn’t space for it here, with the up-firing speakers.

These keys are also easy to tell apart, with the white writing on a gray background, and backlit. The illumination isn’t amazing, with fairly dim LEDs and light creeping from underneath some of the keycaps, but at least they’re uniform and Lenovo also included CapsLock and Numlock lit indicators.

The clickpad is plastic, averagely sized and rather flimsy, rattling with taps. It tracks well, though, handles all the standard gestures and implements decent clicks, although a bit clunky for my liking.

As for biometrics, there’s a finger sensor integrated within the power button, but no IR cameras.

Screen

OK, this screen is the reason I’ve decided to return my IdeaPad 5. But hear me out.

Color-coverage is problematic here, at 54% sRGB in our tests, and I could easily notice the orange-tinted red and the skewed greens and yellows from the moment I powered this for the first time. However, keep in mind I’m used to good quality screens. My old XPS laptop gets a 100% sRGB panel and my main PC monitors are both 100+ sRGB as well, and that made the transition to the IdeaPad a lot more difficult. If, however, you’re not as pretentious, or you’re coming from an older laptop with perhaps a TN panel, or an older PC screen, chances are you’re not going to find these colors that much of an issue, and in that case, this screen should do.

For what is worth, I’ve included some images of this panel next to a 100% sRGB screen on this ZenBook that I have around, as well as the 100+ sRGB screen on the MacBook Pro. Those are more expensive products, of course, these pics are just meant to show the difference between these panels and the kind of colors you should expect on the IdeaPad. And keep in mind the camera doesn’t accurately capture the differences, and in reality, the gap between these panels is greater than it might seem here.

Ok, so if you can live with those colors, this is not otherwise a bad display, with 350+ nits of brightness, 1300:1 contrast, decent blacks, and OK viewing angles.

Here’s what we got in our tests, with a X-Rite i1 Display Pro sensor:

Panel HardwareID: AU Optronics AUO408D (B140HAN04.E);
Coverage: 54.1% sRGB, 37.4% AdobeRGB, 38.4% DCI P3;
Measured gamma: 2.41;
Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 358.48 cd/m2 on power;
Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 3.51 cd/m2 on power;
Contrast at max brightness: 1364:1;
White point: 6400 K;
Black on max brightness: 0.26 cd/m2;
PWM: No.

This panel also came well calibrated out of the box, with just a slight Gamma imbalance. Furthermore, I haven’t noticed obvious luminosity issues or noticeable light-bleeding, which once more attests for the screen’s excellently made frame.

Such a pity for this panel, though. I understand that Lenovo had to cut some corners to reach the aggressive price point, but the screen is among the last I’d sacrifice.

Hardware and performance

Our test model is a mid-specced configuration of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE , with an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU, 16 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM, 512 GB of fairly fast Samsung storage and Radeon Vega 6 graphics baked into the AMD APU.

Before we proceed, keep in mind that our review unit is a retail model bought locally and running on the software available as of late-June 2020 (BIOS DTCN18WW V1.04 from 03.Jun.2020, Lenovo Vantage 3.3.61.0).

Spec-wise, the Ryzen 5 4500U is a 6C/6T processor with a TDP of 15W, but able to run at higher TDP and clocks if supplied with enough power and properly cooled. Lenovo also offers a Ryzen 7 4700U 8C/8T variant of this laptop.

Graphics are handled by the Radeon Vega 6 iGPU embedded within the APU, and we’ll talk about its performance down below.

Our configuration also shipped with 16 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM out of the box, in dual-channel, and a Samsung PM991 512 GB PCIe x4 SSD, plenty fast for everyday use. There are actually two SSD drives inside, with the included one being a compact 2230 mm drive, which leaves the full-size 2280 M.2 slot open for ugprades. You can also update the wifi module on this laptop, but everything else is soldered on the motherboard. Accessing the components is a basic task, you just need to pop-out the back panel that’s held in place by a handful of Torx screws.

As far as software goes, everything can be controlled through the Lenovo Vantage app, which offers access to the power profiles, keyboard customization options, system updates, battery settings, etc. I find this unified implementation one of the better system control apps in the business.

There are three performance/thermal profiles to choose from, and you can switch between them by pressing Fn+Q:

Battery Saving – limits the CPU at up to 9W and keeps the fans noise at very low levels;
Intelligent Cooling – limits the CPU at down to 19W and still low fan-noise;
Extreme Performance – full power CPU running at 25+W and full-blast fans (still quiet).

I’ve kept my unit on Intelligent Cooling most of the time, and only switched to Extreme Performance for benchmarks and some light games. The fan rests completely silent with daily use on Intelligent Cooling, and rarely kick in with heavier multitasking. That translates in slightly higher internals temperatures and warmer interior, especially in the middle of the keyboard, but those are totally worth it compromises on a completely quiet machine.

The Ryzen platform is not just meant for browsing and Netflix, though, it can actually churn through heavier loads as well. We start by testing the CPU’s performance in taxing chores by running the Cinebench R15 benchmark for 15+ times in a loop, with 2-3 seconds delay between each run.

On Extreme Performance, the Ryzen 5 4500U runs at 3.5+ GHz and 25+W of power, but also fairly high temperatures in the 90s Celsius. The fan rests quietly, barely audible with this test, and the laptop stabilizes at roughly 900 points.

Switching over to Intelligent Cooling limits the CPU at around 19W and much cooler temperatures in the 74-76 degrees Celsius, with a roughly 7-10% loss of sustained performance, but a greater difference in shorter duration loads. Similar performance is delivered when unplugging the laptop from the wall, and switching over to the Battery Saver mode is going to limit the CPU at 9W and trump the scores, but running demanding loads on Battery Saving makes no sense to begin with, anyway.

To put these results in perspective, here’s how a couple of other AMD and Intel ultraportable notebooks score in this same test.

The 8Core Ryzen 7 4700U outmatches the Ryzen 5 by about 15% at the same 25W of power, while the Intel 6Core i7-10710U kicks in hard at first, but then also drops towards 900 points once is settles at around 25 W as well. As for the more wide-spread Intel 4Core options, those trail the Ryzen 5 4500U by as much as 50% even on the better implementations.

We went ahead and verified our findings with the more demanding Cinebench R20 test and the gruesome Prime 95. In this case, the Ryzen processor runs at 25W for a while, but then it aggressively throttles to only .4 GHz. Not sure what causes this sort of behavior, but I haven’t encountered in any of the other tests.

We also ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook, on the same Extreme Performance profile.

3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time, and this unit passed it without a problem. Luxmark 3.1 fully loads both the CPU and GPU at the same time, but it’s not properly supported by the Ryzen platform.

Next, here are some benchmark results. We ran the entire suite of tests and benchmarks on the standard Extreme Performance profile. Here’s what we got.

3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 2662 (Graphics – 2896, Physics – 12318, Combined – 957);
3DMark 13 – Night Raid: 10076 (Graphics – 11891, CPU – 5404);
3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 960 (Graphics – 846, CPU – 4123);
AIDA64 Memory test: Write: Read: 37399 MB/s, Read: 35626 MB/s, Latency: 96.9;
Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 1736;
Handbrake 1.3.1 (4K to 1080p encode): 28.32 average fps;
PassMark: Rating: 4225 (CPU mark: 13185, 3D Graphics Mark: 2181, Disk Mark: 11363);
PCMark 10: 4932 (Essentials – 9012 , Productivity – 7431 , Digital Content Creation – 4862);
GeekBench 4.4.2 64-bit: Single-Core: 4857, Multi-core: 19947;
GeekBench 5.0.1 64-bit: Single-Core: 1094, Multi-core: 4862;
CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 992 cb, CPU Single Core 174 cb;
CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 2418 cb, CPU Single Core 444 cb;
x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 32-bit: Pass 1 – 208. fps, Pass 2 – 57.66 fps;
x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 55.76 s.

We also ran some Workstation related loads, on the Extreme Performance profile:

Blender 2.82 – BMW Car scene- CPU Compute: 6m 36s (Auto);
Blender 2.82 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 20m 40s (Auto);
Luxmark 3.1 – Luxball HDR – OpenCL CPUs + GPUs score: CPU not properly recognized;

These are some solid results for a U-type mobile platform. Here’s how this Ryzen 5 4500U configuration compares to a couple of other AMD and Intel + Nvidia options available in the same format.

Finally, we ran a couple of games on the Extreme Performance profile, and don’t forget this runs entirely on the Radeon Vega 6 iGPU.

Ryzen 5 4500U with Radeon Vega 6	Extreme Performance
Bioshock Infinite (DX 11, Low Preset)	63 fps (50 fps – 1% low)
Far Cry 5 (DX 11, Low Preset, no AA)	21 fps (18 fps – 1% low)
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (DX 11, Lowest Preset)	41 fps (30 fps – 1% low)
Rise of the Tomb Raider (DX 12, Lowest Preset, no AA)	33 fps (20 fps – 1% low)
Shadow of Tomb Raider (Vulkan, Lowest Preset, no AA)	28 fps (20 fps – 1% low)
Strange Brigade (Vulkan, Low Preset)	33 fps (27 fps – 1% low)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Low Preset, Hairworks Off)	14-25 min-max fps (21 fps avg, 16 fps – 1% low)

Battlefield V, The Witcher 3, Dota 2 – recorded with MSI Afterburner in game mode;
Bioshock Far Cry 5, Middle Earth, Strange Brigade, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider games – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities.

Based on those findings above, older or casual titles such as Minecraft or Fortnite run alright at FHD resolution and low graphics settings, but this struggles with the more recent AAA games, and you’ll have to lower the resolution to 900p and 720p for constant 30+ framerates.

This is otherwise a good implementation of the Ryzen 5 + Vega 6 hardware. The GPU runs and full 1.5 GHz speed in all our tests on both the Intelligent and Extreme Performance profiles, but I noticed a fair bit of CPU fluctuations between stock and Turbo speeds. That doesn’t translate into noticeable stuttering, but might have an impact on 1% lows in certain CPU-heavier titles and it’s not something I can explain.

This IdeaPad is almost on par with some of the Intel + MX250 10W implementations out there, but the newer MX350 or the full-power 25W MX250 configurations available in some 14-inch chassis do a better job at gaming and graphics loads in general.

The hardware also runs fairly hot in some titles, especially in the more demanding ones such as FarCry 5. In this case, the APU stabilizes at 25W and temperatures in the high 80s, but Witcher 3 and Mordor run at lower power and thus, lower temperatures.

Once more, these findings attest that you should not expect to run recent AAA titles on this sort of a laptop, not only it won’t perform well, but it will also run hot. Older titles or casual games such as Fortnite or Minecraft or LOL should run well here, though, some even with Medium+ settings.

Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others

Lenovo went with a dual-heatpipe and one large fan thermal module on this configuration, a slightly more complex solution than what’s normally implemented at this level.

It allows the APU to run smoothly at 25+ W in demanding loads and tests, while at the same providing passive cooling with daily use, keeping the fan inactive most of the time, with only warm exterior temperatures.

The APU does heat-up to 80 and 90 degrees in demanding chores and games, and a fair bit of that heat also spreads onto the exterior.

We recorded temperatures in the mid-40s in the middle of the keyboard, on top of the AMD processor, and mid-50s around the radiator, but also 60+ on the underside, around the thermal module. Furthermore, hot air is blown into the screen, with the panel reaching 40-45 degrees around the exhausts. At the same time, the fan spins at around 39-41 dB in this case.

These temperatures are recorded in FarCry 5, and the laptop is going to run cooler with less demanding games.

*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Quiet Mode, fans at 0-33 dB
*Gaming – Extreme Performance mode – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, fans at 39-41 dB

For connectivity, there’s latest-gen WiFi 6 with an Intel AX200 module on this laptop. It performed very well with our setup and the signal and performance remained strong at 30-feet, with obstacles in between.

Audio is handled by a set of stereo speakers that fire through those grills around the keyboard. Well, through the lower part of those grills, as most of those are just for decor. Expect fairly punchy volumes, in the 76-78 dB at head-level, and no distortions at higher volumes, but not much in terms of audio quality, with very little on the lower end.

The same can be said about the HD camera placed at the top of the screen. It’s fine for occasional calls, but the quality is muddy and washed out.

Battery life

There’s a 57 Wh battery inside the IdeaPad 5, which is larger than what you’d normally get on an affordable 14-incher. With the efficient AMD hardware implementation and screen, this notebook lasts for a fair while on a charge.

Here’s what we got on our review unit, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~60 brightness).

7.7 W (~7+ h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Quiet Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;
6.3 W (~9 h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Quiet Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;
5.8 W (~10 h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Quiet Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;
9 W (~5-6 h of use) – browsing in Edge, Intelligent Cooling Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON.

The laptop comes with a compact 65W charger that plugs-in via a classic barrel plug. It’s a dual-piece design with a compact brick and long cables, and a full charge takes about 2 hours. USB-C charging is also supported here.

Price and availability- IdeaPad 5 14ARE

The IdeaPad 5 14ARE is available in stores around the world in multiple versions.

It starts at as low as 400 GBP in the UK or 500 EUR in Germany, but that’s for the Ryzen 3 4300U model with only 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, a smaller 45Wh battery, and a TN screen. It’s cheap, but don’t get that!

Instead, the Ryzen 5 variant with 8 GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of storage, and the same IPS screen and 57 Wh battery we got on our units goes for around 600 GBP or 700 EUR.

For some reason, this 14-inch version of the IdeaPad 15 is no longer available on the US Lenovo webstore right now, but it might come back. In the meantime, the 15-inch IdeaPad 5 15ARE starts at a little under $700 for the Ryzen 5 model.

Furthermore, you’ll most likely find these discounted here and again, just as I found my unit. Remember that I paid 600 EUR for the 16 GB RAM/512 GB SSD variant, which is listed at around 800 EUR MSRP.

Follow this link for updated prices and configurations in your region.

Final thoughts- Lenovo IdeaPad 5 review

Lenovo did almost everything right with this IdeaPad 5. In fact, this product feels and performs like a much more expensive product than the 600 EUR I paid for it. Nonetheless, it’s going back and that’s because I for one can’t live with a 54% sRGB screen. I was planning for this to retire my old XPS 13, but it’s not going to.

Update: Our review of the updated IdeaPad 5 generation is available over here.

Sure, it’s a very quick little laptop, and also quiet and comfortable with daily use. It’s also made well, types well, and includes the IO that I’d need while on the go. However, I also edit photos and videos on my travel laptop, and that’s one more reason why that washed out screen won’t cut it for me. I understand that Lenovo had to cut some corners to meet the lower price-point and still end up profitable, but the screen is just too important to skimp on.

They also skimped on the metal coating on the lid, which as mentioned already, has already dented in two small spots while in my backpack, and that’s despite the fact that I took care of the laptop and put it in a protective sleeve most of the time. This, again, is not something I can accept and I’m going to pay extra for a more reliable finishing and a better display.

Otherwise, this IdeaPad is a solid 14-inch ultraportable, and fairly priced. I got mine for a great deal, but the MSRP is a bit higher and on par with the competing AMD-based products such as the Lenovo Flex 5, the US-exclusive Asus ZenBook Q407IQ or the Acer Swift 3. Too bad most of these are also plagued by poor-color displays, but there are some exceptions in the slightly higher price brackets, such as the HP Envy 13 or the Asus ZenBook UM433 lineups, as well as Lenovo’s own top-of-the-line Ideapad Slim 7. BTW, my detailed review of the IdeaPad/Yoga Slim 7 si available over here.

So even if I’m returning my unit, if you’re fine with this sort of a screen and you can find the laptop for a good deal, then by all means, go for it.

That wraps up my time with this IdeaPad 5, but I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Was I too harsh on that screen quality? What do you think?

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Review by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.

38 Comments

william blake

July 4, 2020 at 6:19 am

bad colors but good brightness and contrast is MUCH better than bad colors and bad brightness and contrast :)
but the biggest bummer is not here. mx350 option only for intel sibling means if i need more/the best gpu option-ill buy intel. which is dumb by default, either best gpu or best cpu, never both. plenty of models with this strange perk in the market.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 4, 2020 at 8:29 pm
  
  Sure, that's why this still ended up with a good rating. But not enough for my needs.
  
  Reply
bittricks

July 4, 2020 at 8:40 am

No longer available. Anywhere. Looked for hours online.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 4, 2020 at 12:40 pm
  
  It's out of stock here as well, but I've been told it will be resupplied late this month
  
  Reply
Alexis

July 5, 2020 at 10:54 am

Hey Andrei,

I was wondering if you will be reviewing Samsung Galaxy Book S w/ Lakefield? If you will, when can we expect (this month or next month) to read it?

All the best,

Alexis

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 5, 2020 at 3:16 pm
  
  Hi, most likely not. Samsung notebooks are not available over here
  
  Reply
  - Alexis
    
    July 5, 2020 at 4:14 pm
    
    That's a bummer.
    
    How about Dell XPS 17?
  - Andrei Girbea
    
    July 5, 2020 at 4:17 pm
    
    That might happen, but don't have a timeframe. Dell are not interested in sending over review samples to us, and we're a small publication and cannot buy many laptops just for reviews. That aside, the XPS 17 is still not available over here, for now
Alexis

July 5, 2020 at 4:51 pm

Looking forward to it! :-)

Reply
wertzius

July 7, 2020 at 11:55 am

In Germany you can configure it with a 100% sRGB Panel, then it is a no brainer! I will wait for the 15" Version to come back online.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 7, 2020 at 12:06 pm
  
  We don't have a localized Lenovo configurator over here, so we can only order what the distributors decide to bring in shops. This was a first-batch though, so hopefully 100% sRGB options should be available here as well. Still, 600 EUR was a good deal and I think most users should fine even this 55% sRGB screen good enough
  
  Reply
TheOldOne

July 8, 2020 at 12:57 pm

Hey, just wondering if you can help out with ideas:

Looking for something preferably in the 14" size. 2.5 bay for older SSD to put in (only seen HP 445 G7 have this yet), backlit keyboard and Ryzen 4500u or higher. I prefer non-soldered RAM but if it's 16GB I don't mind. I would like the one that has the better screen tho. Hinges should be durable but I know that's not something you can guarantee considering every type can break.

In the 15.6 size it's easier to find these things but if you know a perfect one, do tell.

I do keep an eye on this list as well: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/36030-amd-ryzen-7-4800u-laptops/ Good thing you included the 2.5 bay if there's any. I've had to ask customer supports for this for different models.

Thanks for the review as well, appreciate when one can see what one's paying for.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 9, 2020 at 10:49 am
  
  I'm updating that list, but panel details are hard to come by without getting my hands on the products, or at least looking through other reviews.
  
  But why is a 2.5" bay that important? OEMs are fading that out more and more, not that M.2 SSDs are getting more affordable, and you'll most likely only get this with lesser products from now on, while the higher tier lineups will only stick to M.2
  
  Reply
  - Andreas
    
    July 9, 2020 at 10:37 pm
    
    Thanks for the reply.
    
    Mainly it's cause the old laptop that's dead has a 1TB SSD. Still a bummer to waste that and it's a great thing to have for simply expanding storage. I already have other SSDs that are in use so can't put it in anything else either. Only reason really. Otherwise I'd say the second M.2 slot on some models is great!
mind12

July 8, 2020 at 10:33 pm

Great review. I'm happy I've found your site.

I consider the 15" version of this laptop for my wife. Ryzen would be best but she needs the mx350 for light CAD work like Autocad, Mapinfo, Archicad. Also 15" has a great 70Wh battery.

Andrei do you think the reason of the chipping is because of the blue color or it would be the same for the other two versions as well? She won't (can't?) protect it based on previous experience so this could be a deal breaker.

Thank you.

PS: I prefer reading so have not viewed the video :)

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 9, 2020 at 10:52 am
  
  As far as I can tell, the paint is pretty sensible and I'd expect it to dent and scratch over time. Not sure about the other colors, but if possible I'd rather go with a plastic lid. Might not feel as premium, but should age better.
  
  Adding some sort of skin over the lid should also help protect the paint, not sure if you'll find something made for this series though. Worth a look
  
  Reply
02nz

July 9, 2020 at 7:07 am

I think you're wrong about "no biometrics." The power button has an integrated fingerprint reader. I have it on my 15-inch IdeaPad 5, it works great (fastest, most accurate fingerprint reader I've ever used on a laptop). Looks like most if not all 14-inch variants have it as well.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 9, 2020 at 10:56 am
  
  Ha, thanks for the heads-up. Stupid of me, but I never thought about looking into that. Will update the article.
  
  Reply
bittricks

July 11, 2020 at 3:41 am

Per Lenovo USA this model has been discontinued. On the US Lenovo site, only a single model (offering either Intel or AMD Ryzen CPU) with only 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD is being offered. Once it is gone there shall be no re-stock of that particular IdeaPad 5 model either.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE is a non-USA market laptop.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 11, 2020 at 10:29 am
  
  Interesting. Perhaps made way for the Flex 5 and the Slim 7?
  
  Reply
Tom

July 15, 2020 at 1:50 pm

That's a great price! Where did you buy it?

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 15, 2020 at 4:10 pm
  
  Locally, here in Romania
  
  Reply
Gorg

July 20, 2020 at 5:31 pm

Is it possible to have two ssd at same time?

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 20, 2020 at 5:35 pm
  
  it is
  
  Reply
  - Tom
    
    July 22, 2020 at 1:21 pm
    
    Are both usable at the same time, and how big is the included 2230?
  - Andrei Girbea
    
    July 22, 2020 at 1:52 pm
    
    they can. What do you by how big?
Will

July 28, 2020 at 3:58 am

Will you review the Yoga slim 7?
Especially interested in the difference to this one for the screen and speakers.
Thanks

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  July 29, 2020 at 10:47 pm
  
  Probably, but don't jabve a sample yet
  
  Reply
Paul

August 29, 2020 at 4:35 pm

Thanks for the article Andrei it was really useful. Like everyone else I’ve been struggling to find these laptops as they are all sold out. I can live with the display and I like Lenovo. What do you think about the intel version of the same laptop? They have the i5 1035G1 or i7 1065G7 available here in Spain with the GeForce MX330 graphics card for about 720€ / 800€. Based on your comparison it seems the Ryzen 5 4500 is much more powerful although potentially the graphics will be better with the intel configuration. I want to use it for some gaming (car racing sims mostly). Would you hold out for the AMD version to be restocked or go with one of these?
They only stock 8GB ram configurations. Would it be possible to upgrade to 16GB from what you saw?
Final question, Lenovo only stock the idea pad with Spanish qwerty keyboards here in Spain and don’t seem to want to ship from another country. Do you know if there is a trick to getting a US/UK keyboard in Europe? I could consider other brands if you highly recommend one.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  August 29, 2020 at 5:39 pm
  
  I haven't yet tested the Intel models, but they're not bad. The i5 + MX330 configurations should do fine with light games and GPU tasks, even better than the Ryzen 5/7 models, if the hardware is properly implemented. You'll need to look into some reviews.
  
  At the same time, the AMD models might run slightly cooler and will outmatch the Intel models in CPU tasks, but you haven't mentioned those, so the Intel model should be fine.
  
  The RAM is soldered so you'll have to get the right amount, no way to change that later.
  
  As for that keyboard, you could perhaps try to find the right configuration on Amazon or maybe another store that ships within the EU. That's what I do over here. Shipping from the US is complicated and most likely not worth it, due to the extra taxes.
  
  As for other brands, I've only tested the Asus VivoBooks in the same niche, and you'll find the article on the site. The IdeaPad is a superior thermal implementation imo, and also cheaper over here, so I'd get that over the matching VivoBook.
  
  Reply
Sany

January 23, 2021 at 7:22 am

Hi
I bought the Intel i5 with graphic card. I am not comfortable with the quality of the camera, not sure if this is because of I am coming from XPS15!?
I am thinking of returning and getting the Huawei Matebook 15 with Ryzen 5. Do you think the camera is any better?

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  January 23, 2021 at 10:10 am
  
  not significantly better. and isn't the MateBook 15 a nosecam in the keyboard, like on the 14?
  
  Reply
George

March 6, 2021 at 9:22 pm

Hi,
Did you experienced eye strain, while using this laptop?
As far as I can tell, I bought exactly the same model (81YM0057RM). The only (considering the price) issue I have is also with the display. I won’t be using it for serious photo/video editing, so sRGB coverage is not big problem, but the white is just too bright and I can’t seem to find comfortable settings. I’ve tried custom icm files (made for the same panel), f.lux, but the problem remains to some extent, especially during nighttime? The sad thing is I probably have to pay close to double for something that have the same configuration but with better panel.

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  March 6, 2021 at 10:02 pm
  
  I don't remember that bothering me, but I also haven't used it at night at all.
  
  Reply
George

March 6, 2021 at 10:16 pm

Thanks for the quick reply. I still have time to return it, but it's a tough decision.

Reply
Rafael

May 10, 2021 at 2:34 am

Just got one of these (currently €629 from the Lenovo website for the 16GB/512GB configuration) and trying to decide whether to keep it. My concerns are mostly whether I can make it play nice with Linux in various ways, but I ran across your helpful review and appreciate some of the general points you covered.

Mine came with a 95W USB charger and no separate power jack, which strikes me as inconvenient as it takes up the only available USB-C port. I'm not sure whether the lid is metal or plastic, but if I can't tell the difference between it and the base, I guess it's probably plastic. Your report of scratches and dents is worrisome, though. BTW, I assume you mean "sensitive" rather than "sensible" (a common mixup between English and French, and perhaps also Romanian).

It's been some time since your original review–do you still consider this a good budget choice or are there better options now?

Reply
- Andrei Girbea
  
  May 10, 2021 at 10:48 am
  
  Hey, thanks for the feedback. It's still a good budget choice now, even if there should be a hardware update scheduled for the near future, but most likely more expensive. You probably got the plastic lid versions, which should age better than the metal that I had on my unit (I've experienced it in the IdeaPad Flex 5, you'll find the review on the site).
  
  Reply
John

April 6, 2023 at 5:51 pm

I bought a slightly newer IdeaPad 5 model with a Ryzen 5625U and have to say the screen quality is not up to what Lenovo claims. I find the colors weak and washed out, some of this might be related to touchscreen.
Supposed to be a IPS 300 nits screen but I question the brightness claim. Even in daytime no direct sunlight I am having to max out brightness level. I have had 250 nit or lower screens where that was not needed. The other disappointment is with the AMD Ryzen APU. It is really snappy on AC power, but apparently AMD has significantly reduced performance on purpose with battery to improve battery life. Another slight annoyance is the bottom cover is so thin it creaks when I pick it up from bottom. For a mid-level laptop granted a consumer model. I felt like it had a screen quality from a base model laptop. I did not feel it was worthy of this price point.

Reply

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05 review (AMD Rzyen 5) – the almost perfect budget notebook

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