With two 2-in-1 convertibles and one fanless detachable, this is certainly one of the more versatile Chromebook lineups we’re seeing in 2022 — all of which pack up to (or over for the Duet 5i) 10 hours of battery life and a variety of small design tweaks that make them better for productivity.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i: Big and cheap
Up top, you’ll find a 15.6-inch, 1080p capacitive touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge, which comes paired with 2x 2W speakers with MaxxAudio for your bingeing needs. Under the hood, there’s either an Intel Pentium N6000 or Intel Celeron N4500 CPU, up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB of eMMC storage. Plus, the size lends itself to a generously sized keyboard (with number pad) and big touchpad. As you’d expect, this is the budget option with prices starting at $399 and a launch window set for May 2022.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i: Hello, 12th Gen Intel
Out of three refreshes, the Flex 5i has been given the most updates. The most immediate visual change is the larger 4.7 x 2.95-inch trackpad and backlit keyboard, along with the 14-inch, 1080p display that is now at a far more work-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio, along with an up-to 400-nit brightness and a 100% sRBG color gamut coverage. Adding to its work credentials is the choice of with an Intel Pentium 8505 (ignore that one), the Intel Core i3-1215U or Intel Core i5-1235U processors, which combines with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage for a decently powerful spec sheet for a Chromebook. Lenovo keeps the work going in the I/O department too with all the connectivity you need including a microSD card slot and Wi-Fi 6E. This is definitely the one to watch from Lenovo’s new Chromebook lineup — starting at $499 and set to launch in June.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i: Surface Chromebook?
The new generation of Lenovo’s fanless detachable brings an 11-inch, 2K display with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 power, up to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM and up to 256GB of eMMC storage. All of this comes together into a pretty solid tablet, which pairs with the folio case-esque detachable keyboard and an optional stylus for a great note taker/productivity machine on first impressions. The Duet starts at $399 and is expected to be available from May.
Outlook
All of these are going to be available in various shades of either blue or grey and you’ve got a wait of at least a two-three months before you can get your hands on one. But are these upgrades worthwhile? On paper, they sound like they are, but keep it locked on laptopmag.com for our full hands-on review.
