Powerful subnotebook thanks to Ryzen 5 4500U: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05

With the IdeaPad 5 14ARE05, Lenovo delivers a 14-inch subnotebook that is powered by a Ryzen 5 4500U APU. The APU provides more than enough computing power for office and Internet applications. The integrated Vega 6 GPU enables the use of computer games with hardware requirements that aren't too high. Good: The APU can run at high Turbo speeds for prolonged periods of time.

The good performance doesn't stand in the way of long battery life. One battery charge should get the laptop through a workday. In addition, energy is supplied via the included USB Type-C power adapter. The IdeaPad's USB Type-C USB port (USB 3.2 Gen 1) supports both Power Delivery and DisplayPort via USB-C.

Lenovo packs the IdeaPad 5's hardware into a fancy, slim, compact aluminum case, which features a dark gray tone (Graphite Gray). Alternatively, the laptop is available in a lighter shade of gray (Platinum Gray) and in aquamarine (Light Teal). The chassis does not offer a maintenance hatch; therefore, the inside can be accessed by removing the bottom cover.

The latter would be necessary, for example, if a second NVMe SSD were to be installed in the laptop. The IdeaPad comes with a second M.2 slot, which is intended for an SSD model in the M.2 2280 format. The first slot is only compatible with SSDs in the M.2 2242 format. However, it's not possible to swap or upgrade the RAM since there are no memory slots; the existing memory (8 GB, dual-channel mode) is soldered. An IdeaPad model with 16 GB of memory is recommended for a certain degree of future-proofing.

The Full HD IPS display pleases with stable viewing angles, a matte surface, a decent color reproduction, and good brightness. The contrast and color-space coverage aren't convincing, though. We expect more here.

More information and many benchmark results can be found in our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ARE05.