This deal isn't as cheap as the previous ones, but it's still a deal I found while shopping for school Chromebooks.
(This is my first post, sorry if I messed something up)
Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5i Chromebook i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD $717 Delivered @ Officeworks
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LDogeConomy on 16/01/2022 - 11:22 officeworks.com.au (1513 clicks)
Last edited 16/01/2022 - 12:07 by 1 other user
Last edited 16/01/2022 - 12:07 by 1 other user
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I recently scored a new i3 version of the Flex 5 for around $300. It's overall a very nice & versatile machine but for a chromebook the battery life isn't that great (eg.1hr of Zoom burnt 45% battery) and it's a bit on the heavy side.
Obviously it's unbeatable value at below $400. However I am not paying over $500 for it let along $700.
I grabbed the flex 5 i3 on clearance from officeworks a couple months ago.
really love the performance/battery life.
Indoors in fine, but trying to use it outside or in a bright room is awkward.
(again, how much can I complain at $300-$400 price range [not much])I would expect A LOT more at double the price.
Only 1hr of zoom using 45% of battery sounds like your battery is faulty and/or weak.
Was that after three full battery cycles?
@ozhunter68: Nah, it was after my first full charge and I was on 90% screen brightness. Hopefully things will improve as charge cycles go.
@ozhunter68: Some minor improvements after several charges. I think screen brightness plays a bigger role. Regardless, it's not gonna last me a whole day.
@MadMaxBargainRoad: Oh, that's not such good news. For a new Chromebook using screen brightness say 50% you would like to get at least 6 hrs medium load use out of it, preferably more. One of the reasons I tend to go for a mid range cpu for Chromebooks like my latest Intel Pentium N5000 with 8GB ram works well enough for what I use a Chromebook for with decent battery life, cool running and no fan noise at all.
Screen brightness as well as fhd resolution definately runs down that battery, and backlit keyboard too. So how many hours are you getting with what screen brightness? A day for some is 5-15 hrs.
Compared to the Duet 5:
Pros:
- Backlit keyboard
- Core i5 processor
- 256 GB SSD storage
- User-facing stereo speakers
Cons:
- Worse display (IPS not OLED)
- Not a proper tablet
- Android apps won't work as well
- No stylus included (comes with 8/256 Duet 5)This for office or school work, Duet 5 for entertainment and media consumption. Hope this helps.
We have one of these machines, and while it seemed expensive for a Chromebook the build quality is excellent and the combination of I5 and 8gb means it is blazingly fast when doing day to day tasks in Chrome.
Feel like this thing will still be going strong in 5 years time, so the extra cost compared to cheaper Chromebooks seems well worth it.- Android apps won't work as well
Can you elaborate why?
Because the Duet 5 is using a Snapdragon Chip that is more optimised for Android applications than an Intel chip.
Actually that thinking may be out of date. Android apps and the app store have supported including intel in the apk for a while now. My Intel HP Chromebook is relatively old and has no problem with Android apps. Otherwise I agree with your comparisons.
You seem to gloss over that this has a SSD where as the Duet has a eMMC. Pretty big difference IMO.
I agree its a big difference, that is why I listed '256gb ssd' in the pros section.
Good summary, though when you read the pro and cons those are pretty big trade offs either way between specs vs form factor between this and the Duet 5.
The user has a really hard decision which is more important as they'll be compromising quite a bit with either choice.
Also:
Pro
-USB A (for wider choice of memory sticks and wireless keyboard/mouse dongles)I needed one for my daughter’s school chromebook and went the Flex 5 over the Duet 5 because of the USB A and also that this screen ratio and form factor is better for school work.
Thanks for pointing that out, yes definitely a notable pro. Also has a SD card reader which is also a deciding factor for some.
Damn it….. I got this Lenovo recently as a replacement to the HP x360 14 under warranty.
Managed to get it for $899 as a price match, 2 days later jbhifi drops the price down to $749 so I got $150 refunded and now this…..
8gb is nice
I agree
i have the older one with 128gb of nvme but otherwise the same.
This is by far one of the better chromebooks out there. The quality is amazing for the money.
If you need a chromebook for school work then this is it.
only 1 x type A which is a bummer but that's about it.
Also no hdmi out I beleive, you need the type c dongle.
Got the 4gb,64gb version of this for mum for xmas. Great chromebook.
I reckon for basic use (browsing, streaming, video calls), I'd save the money and go for the 4gb/64gb version as it seemed to handle just fine.
8GB/256GB solid future proofing tho.
Can somebody please comment on the battery life? It says 10 hrs, but I want to know from real users. Would it suffice for a full school day e.g.? Thanks!
I own the old lower spec one (core i3 and 4gb ram), and mine lasted more than the school day.
Thanks
I gave up waiting for Intel 11th Tiger Lake chromebooks and bought this Lenovo Intel 10th gen chromebook.
I think Intel 10th gen might the fastest chromebooks that will ever be released in Australia for the rest of our lifetimes.
A few 12th gen have been released … probably no chance they will ever come to Australia either.
Yousician doesn't work on Chromebooks. Plenty of apps on the Android Play Store just don't support Chromebooks and won't work.
For a second, I thought its a chromebook which is being sold at $717. Oh wait…
The recommended retail price of this laptop is $999. Yikes 😬.
Some people want high-spec chromebooks .. some people want high-spec windows laptops .. what's the problem?
You must have Covid eyes because yeah it is a Chromebook for $717. Working on a laptop on a sofa for 2 years while binging Netflix will do that. Covid eyes is the next big health problem :(
On a serious note, there are things I can do on a lean running Chromebook much faster than on a Windows machine.
Please note before buying a chromebook that if there is no app in the Google app store for a program you want, there you cannot install it on a chromebook.
Hence your cannot install eg Firefox, thunderbird etc
For that price I would definitely recommend a Windows etc laptop instead.
I have a chromebook which is very cute, startup is immediate etc compared to my 10 year old Lenovo which takes minutes to load. But I just bought a $800 HN Lenovo from OzB and it starts in 10 seconds and can install any program. Afaik.
Even something as simple as using a cloud service other than Google Drive can result in it being frustrating to use.
Well "cannot" is a strong word. Cannot easily certainly. I have installed linux, then kde and can run firefox on my chromebook no problem. But its not what I'd call something the everyday user would want to do.
I cannot see why anyone would buy a $700 chromebook instead of a $700 windows laptop.
100%
chromebook is far better.
let me guess .. you use a windows mobile phone?
I wanted to put some programs on a chromebook to allow grandkids to borrow from a digital library then put them on a Kobo. First you need to download Adobe Digital Editions to allow you to transfer library book to Kobo. No such app, hence can't do it on chromebook or android.
I wouldn't recommend dealing with the headache but ChromeOS is a Linux distro and you could install it as a Linux app, but it would be a very complicated and long process.
https://itectec.com/ubuntu/ubuntu-how-to-install-kobo-deskto…
That is actually super-simple .. very easy to drop-in linux on a chromebox and run a couple of commands .. the steps in the link would take about 5 to 10 mins to complete.
If my memory is correct, I think Dev mode was required to be able to use Linux commands which was the more complicated part for a grandparent end-user, as you said the installing a linux app is rather easy from there.
Just look at the really thin bezel at the bottom
I managed to get the display model last November of the previous Flex 5 i5 while 'window shopping' which has all the same specs except 128gb SSD for $397. Hadn't owned a Chromebook, nor did I need one but the First Commandment of OzB is 'Buy now, think later'. Figured if it didn't suit me I'd pass it over to the old man. I ended up keeping it.
I use it everyday and it's more than I require and it's relatively future proof for me. Having said that, $397 is a no brainer, but at $717 I would want to make sure it is what I need.
Are you sure you have the 10th Gen i5 and 8Gb RAM?
It says Intel Core i5-10210U 8GB so yes I’m sure.
Bargain!
@ozhunter68: I was actually looking at the i3 from this deal for $396 when I saw the i5 next to it https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/666674
this is not the cheapest. Black Friday Sales was 699 @JB Hifi (Officework was 670++). I bought one from TGG on the boxing day sales (non-catalogue) for 650+
+1 .. I paid $699 also a few months back .. but this deal is still fine .. ozbargaining is a bit like shares .. you can't always be the winner and know the perfect timing for everything.
Buying on Lenovo website now attracts 14% Cashrewards.
Also, they have a bunch of computers on discount using a promo code BACK2SCHOOL
I bought one of these and it's great. Only downside that folks haven't mentioned which is apparently "normal" for Flex 5 and 5i, is the coil whine. Basically it makes a ticking/high frequency noise under load (it's not a fan). I'm living with it because Lenovo has a document that says this is normal electronics/design etc but it is one of those "can't unhear" things. Still a great workhorse/machine especially for mucking around with Linux.
I would go with the Duet 5 at this price range.
The screen brightness is a little bit of a let down.