Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7 vs. IdeaPad Flex 5 review: Faster processor and better touchscreen

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i is a midrange convertible in between the cheaper IdeaPad 3 series and more expensive Yoga series. It utilizes the same chassis as the IdeaPad Flex 5 but with faster Core i7 CPU options and a higher resolution touchscreen. Thus, we recommend checking out our existing two reviews on the 2022 IdeaPad Flex 5 for more information on the chassis and its physical features.
SKUs are limited at the moment outside of our particular review configuration with the Core i7-1255U CPU, 16 GB of soldered RAM, 1400p 16:10 touchscreen, and 512 GB NVMe SSD for approximately $900 to $1000 USD retail. Competitors in this space include other budget to midrange 14-inch convertibles like the Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1, HP Pavilion x360 14, or Asus VivoBook Flip 14.
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Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
83.2 % | 12/2022 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 i7-1255U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.5 kg | 18.9 mm | 14.00" | 2240x1400 | |
82.4 % | 08/2022 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.6 kg | 17.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | |
90 % | 09/2022 | Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 R7 6800U, Radeon 680M | 1.4 kg | 17.4 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
83.7 % | 06/2022 | Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 i7-1255U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.6 kg | 17.86 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | |
81 % | 02/2020 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.6 kg | 20.5 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
79.1 % | 06/2021 | Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ i5-1135G7, Xe MAX | 1.5 kg | 18.7 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case
Though the IdeaPad Flex 7i chassis is identical to the IdeaPad Flex 5i, there is one easy way to visually distinguish the two models apart. The IdeaPad Flex 7i drops the proprietary AC charging port along the left edge as it uses USB-C charging only. Unfortunately, Lenovo has not added a second USB-C port to compensate. This is one of the few USB-C laptops to not have two or more USB-C ports which can be frustrating if you have USB-C peripherals.
Thunderbolt 4 is still supported much like on the Flex 5i to support a wide variety of docking stations.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
SD Card Reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) |
Communication
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
Webcam

Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes no extras beyond the AC adapter and paperwork. The active stylus pen is sold separately.
A one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Display
The display is arguably the biggest differentiating factor separating the IdeaPad Flex 7i from the Flex 5i. Whereas the Flex 5i utilizes a 1200p IPS touchscreen with just 60 percent sRGB coverage, our Flex 7i utilizes a higher resolution 2240 x 1400p panel with nearly 100 percent sRGB coverage. The upgrades are significant enough that a user can tell the difference with just the naked eye.
There are a few drawbacks, however, including slight downgrades to maximum brightness, contrast ratio, and response times when compared to the 1200p Flex 5i panel. They're thankfully not enough to really detract from the deeper colors and higher pixel density. Meanwhile, the faster 90 Hz refresh rate options are currently reserved for the costlier Yoga series.
|
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 317.3 cd/m²
Contrast: 1442:1 (Black: 0.22 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.99 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 0.6
ΔE Greyscale 6.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
72.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.19
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 BOE CQ NV140DRM-162, IPS, 2240x1400, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 LEN140WUXGA, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 LEN140WQ+, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 BOE NV14N42, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng BOE NV140FHM-N4K, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ Chi Mei CMN N140HCA-EAC, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -42% | 27% | -44% | -43% | -39% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 69.8 | 39.6 -43% | 99.9 43% | 38.6 -45% | 39.35 -44% | 41.6 -40% |
sRGB Coverage | 98 | 59.6 -39% | 100 2% | 56.2 -43% | 58.8 -40% | 62.1 -37% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 72.2 | 41 -43% | 97.2 35% | 39.9 -45% | 40.65 -44% | 43 -40% |
Response Times | 25% | 98% | 39% | 2% | 15% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 44.4 ? | 37.6 ? 15% | 1 ? 98% | 27.2 ? 39% | 44 ? 1% | 39 ? 12% |
Response Time Black / White * | 33.6 ? | 22 ? 35% | 1 ? 97% | 20.8 ? 38% | 33 ? 2% | 28 ? 17% |
PWM Frequency | 360 ? | 192 ? | 25000 ? | |||
Screen | -15% | 58% | -83% | -113% | -72% | |
Brightness middle | 317.3 | 356.8 12% | 386 22% | 269.4 -15% | 248 -22% | 205 -35% |
Brightness | 301 | 339 13% | 389 29% | 260 -14% | 238 -21% | 186 -38% |
Brightness Distribution | 90 | 90 0% | 98 9% | 89 -1% | 74 -18% | 78 -13% |
Black Level * | 0.22 | 0.14 36% | 0.05 77% | 0.41 -86% | 0.235 -7% | 0.22 -0% |
Contrast | 1442 | 2549 77% | 7720 435% | 657 -54% | 1055 -27% | 932 -35% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.99 | 4.39 -10% | 2.6 35% | 6.53 -64% | 5.43 -36% | 5.14 -29% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.34 | 14.61 -56% | 4.8 49% | 19.76 -112% | 17.96 -92% | 19.57 -110% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.6 | 2.19 -265% | 1.8 -200% | 3.13 -422% | 5.7 -850% | 3.17 -428% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.9 | 3 57% | 2.3 67% | 5.4 22% | 3.18 54% | 4.1 41% |
Gamma | 2.19 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.21 100% | 2.05 107% | 2.56 86% | 2.2 100% |
CCT | 6161 106% | 7085 92% | 6121 106% | 6007 108% | 6642 98% | 6807 95% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 37.3 | 43.04 | ||||
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 58.4 | 62.1 | ||||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -11% /
-15% | 61% /
57% | -29% /
-57% | -51% /
-82% | -32% /
-53% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is poorly calibrated out of the box which is common for a midrange series like the IdeaPad Flex. Color temperature is too warm and grayscale subsequently suffers as shown by our Calman screenshots below. Once properly calibrated, however, average grayscale and color deltaE values would drop to just 0.7 and 0.6, respectively. It's recommended to apply our calibrated ICM profile above or to calibrate the display on your own to better exploit its full sRGB colors.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
33.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.8 ms rise | |
↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.4 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 88 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.5 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
44.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 24.8 ms rise | |
↘ 19.6 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 70 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.5 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19232 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and Extreme Performance mode via Lenovo Vantage prior to running any performance benchmarks below. It's recommended that owners become familiar with Vantage as it is the control hub for critical updates, system settings, warranty options, and more as shown by the screenshots below.
There are three power modes on Lenovo Vantage: Extreme Performance, Intelligent Cooling, and Battery Saving which correlate to the Windows Performance, Balanced, and Power Saver modes, respectively. The system is set to Intelligent Cooling by default.
Processor
CPU performance is excellent and where we expect it to be relative to other laptops with the same Core i7-1255U processor. Nonetheless, it's only marginally faster than the Core i5-1235U in the IdeaPad Flex 5i by about 5 to 10 percent. You would have to consider models with the Core P-series or the Ryzen 7 6800U for a more significant boost in overall performance. The larger 15.6-inch Flex series, for example, includes Core P options.
Turbo Boost sustainability is limited. When running CineBench R5 xT in a loop, our initial score of 1377 points would fall to 1165 points by the second loop to represent a performance drop of about 15 percent. The performance drop can also be observed when running Prime95 as detailed in our Stress Test section below.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
Blender | |
v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
LG Gram 14Z90Q | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Latitude 9430 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (444 - 1156, n=43) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9 14IAP7 |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (4313 - 8127, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (19813 - 41353, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (1325 - 2135, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (61460 - 65892, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (3577 - 5095, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (11759 - 20187, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (27900 - 67458, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (393 - 640, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (2474 - 4400, n=8) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (13899 - 44054, n=8) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
System Performance
PCMark results are some of the highest for a Core U-based convertible. AMD's latest Ryzen 7 6800U can score even higher as it is a step above Intel's 12th gen mobile series, but you'll have to spring for the pricier Yoga 7 14 for such an option.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1364 - 1554, n=7) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1117 - 1434, n=7) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 |
PCMark 10 Score | 5505 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (22846 - 67017, n=8) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (22877 - 59691, n=8) | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (22883 - 65839, n=8) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1255U (76 - 101.2, n=8) | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo Yoga 7-14ARB G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14IAU7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 7i 14IAU7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 7420 2-in-1 | |
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TP470EZ |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our unit ships with the same Samsung PM9B1 512GB MZAL4512HBLU M.2 SSD as found on the Flex 5i. Though it's a PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD, its performance is more akin to a PCIe3 x4 drive. It also suffers from performance throttling after a minute or two into our DiskSpd loop stress test as shown by the graph below.