Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 (14″) review

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 14: the $1,084 folder with a memory ceiling

The 14-inch IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 asks $1,084 and delivers a convertible built on a Core 3 100U with 16GB of RAM. Its strengths are real: reliability of 87 against a convertible-class median of 49 (a 77.6 percent edge, top quarter) and a graphics reading of 14.08 — modest in absolute terms but 266.7 percent above the class median of 3.84. The flagged limit is memory: 16GB against a class median of 32, a 50 percent shortfall that matters more on a folding machine meant to be a primary device.

Where it holds up

Reliability of 87 is among the stronger figures in this batch's convertible class — a folder lives or dies by its hinge, and the data votes confidently here. The 100U's graphics placing translates into a mid-band 64 gaming index with minimum-level clearances for Overwatch, Grand Theft Auto V and Rainbow Six Siege plus a recommended-level Visual Studio Code pass — an unusually complete toolset for a folding consumer machine. Portability of 68.3 lands high-band, and office reads 77.19 high.

Where it falls short

Memory is the flagged weakness: 16GB halves the class median of 32, capping multitasking headroom on a machine whose format invites all-day use. Modeling at 29 sits low-band, photo design at 20 low, and the performance index of 44.28 lands mid-pack. Gaming's 64 is clearance-level, not comfort. At $1,084 the buyer is paying folding-hinge money for entry-silicon capability, and the value math is honest about the tension.

Price and depreciation

$1,084 is standard convertible pricing in this batch. No listing history exists for this unit, so the class rate of about 13.87 percent a year is the anchor. Folding mechanisms age visually as well as mechanically; buy on hinge confidence, which the reliability figure supports.

Alternatives to consider

The ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 (model 1798) at the same $1,084 offers 32GB of memory — double this machine's ceiling — in the same class with a matching top-quarter reliability standing and a matching office band. The 16-inch variant of this same machine (model 1830) at the same price trades portability for screen but weakens gaming to 23.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. A dependable hinge, a high portability figure and clearance-level game support make the 5i 2-in-1 a pleasant light-duty folder; the 16GB memory ceiling is the line that decides whether it can be your only machine.