Lenovo Flex 14 (81SS000DUS) Review of a Feature-Packed Convertible

Finding a laptop that offers the perfect balance between price and specs is never an easy task.

More often than not we either end up overpaying for a laptop that has way more power than we actually need or go the opposite direction and end up buying a very limited model that's barely more than a paperweight.

It's with that in mind that today we're happy to review the Lenovo Flex 14 (81SS000DUS). A mid-range convertible laptop that features 12 GB of RAM, a 14-inch Full HD display, and 256 GB of SSD storage amongst its biggest selling points. But is this laptop for you? That's what we're here to find out!

Who's it for?

=>Students: Students need a reliable, yet affordable laptop that they can use to take notes with, watch video tutorials and movies, listen to music. There's also the small matter of assignments and projects that need completing too – something this laptop has no problem handling.

=>Business users: As long as you don't require multiple monitors or some of the high-end graphic card options on the market, you'll find this laptop is more than capable of handling your everyday business needs.

=>Heavy users: While this convertible doesn't feature a dedicated graphics card, it does pack a powerful processor and more than enough RAM to satisfy the most demanding set of users. Be it working with virtual machines or editing pictures on the go, this convertible has you covered!

=>Travelers: This laptop is incredibly lightweight, portable, thin, and has great battery life so it makes for a great choice when you're away from home or the office.

=>Everyone else: If you're after a mid-range laptop that offers good performance without costing too much, this is one to definitely consider. As an added bonus you'll get yourself a tablet in the deal as well.

Display & Design

Starting off this review with the display, the Lenovo Flex 14 (81SS000DUS) features a 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) touchscreen display.

It's a great resolution and within the standard of what we're used to seeing within its price range, at least amongst convertibles and standard laptops.

It's not terribly bright so we wouldn't recommend using this convertible outdoors unless necessary.

Having said that, the touchscreen is very responsive and with Windows's new interface, it's quite a pleasure to use this notebook both as a laptop as well as a tablet.

The build quality is alright. It's plastic but that's fine as it contributes to the overall portability of the convertible as opposed to it being a heavier metallic device. In any case, it doesn't "feel cheap", as many customers have already attested to.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard featured on the Lenovo Flex 14 (81SS000DUS) is a full-sized chiclet-style keyboard.

Like with most laptops in this segment, the keys are well spaced out, ensuring that typing is comfortable even when you're working for long periods of time.

As for the feedback, while it's not the most tactile, it's good enough to give you a clear indication of how much pressure you're applying with each keystroke.

The trackpad is fine, very responsive and overall it's not the type of convertible with which you immediately feel the need to go out and buy another keyboard and mouse. That's appreciated.

We also appreciate the fact that the keyboard is backlit, curiously enough this isn't all that common amongst convertibles so we definitely take note of Lenovo adding this little bonus to the mix.

Performance

When it comes down to performance, the Flex 14 packs some serious heat with an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor, 12 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD.

This combo allows the convertible to handle anything you throw at it with relative ease. From standard tasks such as browsing the internet or editing documents to more intensive stuff like video editing and gaming.

If you come from an Intel background, we can tell you that this AMD processor is comparable in performance to a 10th generation Core i3 CPU. That's pretty good when coupled with a solid-state storage unit and a massive 12 GB worth of RAM.

On that note, this convertible is the perfect device for multitaskers, as you can easily open a dozen tabs in your browser, watch a high-definition video while you're listening to music, and still have enough power left to snap some pictures with the webcam.

It's impressive, even more so considering that it's not a gaming laptop or an ultra-portable ultrabook but rather, something in between. We're honestly impressed that Lenovo made such a powerful convertible.

Battery Life & Graphics card

With such a powerful convertible, you'd probably expect it to last around 5 hours right? Wrong. The Flex 14 features an impressive 10-hour battery life.

Having said that, we always encourage people to underestimate the manufacturer's battery claims and to try and take all battery readings with a grain of salt.

That being said, the 10-hour figure that Lenovo advertises is based on specific conditions; namely using it for browsing the internet via Wi-Fi only and having brightness set at 50 percent. This means that if you like to push the convertible hard, you can easily achieve close to 6-7 hours of battery life. Still respectable.

As for the graphics, the Flex 14 does feature an interesting AMD Vega 8. Suffice to say that while this card is more than capable of watching movies or editing photos, it is no good for running demanding games or video editing at a professional grade.

Connectivity Options

In terms of connectivity, we're quite happy with the 81SS000DUS. Specifically, this model features a couple of USB Type-A ports - some of us still use them, thank you very much! - a standalone USB Type-C port, an HDMI port, audio jack, and SD card reader.

That's quite a lot of options for a convertible laptop considering most of its competitors will skimp on things like the SD card reader or the HDMI port.

Finally, when it comes to wireless connections, we also appreciate that Lenovo implemented the latest WiFi standard, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 for better overall connectivity.

As for the webcam, it's your run-of-the-mill HD webcam, though what we liked most about it is the fact that you can manually disable it which is a feature that's very easy to add and very much appreciated by those who covert their privacy the most.

Wrapping Up

The Lenovo Flex 14 81SS000DUS, with its AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor and 12GB of RAM, is a really powerful convertible. It can easily tackle most tasks you throw at it while providing an above-average entertainment experience. And that's not only because of the integrated graphics card, but also thanks to the massive battery which will keep this bad boy going for up to 10 hours.

While the Flex 14 might not be the most attractive convertible out there, it's certainly one of the more powerful and versatile ones you can purchase today. In other words; if you're looking for something that can cover all your needs without breaking the bank, this is one convertible that definitely deserves your attention.