Searching for one of the best laptops under $500 can feel like a monumental task. Even the best budget models lack the flashier features of pricier machines, and it’s hard to know if you’re buying something that will last. But affordable laptops that nail the essentials — and even throw in a bonus feature or two — do exist.

Setting realistic expectations is crucial in this price range. If your needs are basic—web browsing, writing papers, streaming, or using productivity apps—there are solid sub-$500 laptops that can handle the job. These machines are great for students, kids, or anyone looking for a reliable secondary device without breaking the bank. While you’ll find Windows options here, the best Chromebooks often offer better value.

Naturally, some tradeoffs come with the lower cost. Don’t expect top-tier specs, high-end graphics, or premium materials. You should expect slower processors, limited storage, and decent displays. Still, the best budget models make smart compromises, and every laptop on our list has one standout feature: long battery life. If you know what you need, a budget laptop can absolutely be worth it.

This page is regularly updated with our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag’s top picks for 2025.

Update log

5/5/2025: Added FAQs, testing charts, and Acer Chromebook Spin 312. Updated "how to choose" section.

The Quick List

Best overall

If you're looking for a modern laptop that won't break the bank, we cannot recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus enough. That's a mouthful, so I suggest it is a lot of work. But here it is, in all of its Intel Core i3 glory. Slap on 8GB of RAM and a 1080p display, and you have quite a decent laptop for just under $500.

While you might expect poor performance from a Chromebook, the IdeaPad Flex 5 averaged a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 5,384, just above the 5,259 Chromebook average. It's also far above the performance of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook's average of 1,727 and the Lenovo Flex 5 14 (Intel)'s average of 3,841.

To make that performance even more valuable, this is a Chromebook. That means you won't run into intensive tasks as often as you would with a Windows laptop. On top of that amazing AI-backed performance, it also offers close to 10 hours of battery life. That'll take you into overtime (paid, or else call me).

One of my favorite features about the IdeaPad Flex 5i is its design. You won’t get stuck with a clunky laptop that looks like it came straight out of battling Windows 95. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a premium laptop by the looks of it. It comes in at 12.4 x 9.0 x 0.8 inches and 3.6 pounds. It’s not the lightest or the thinnest, but it makes up for it by being a sturdy shoulder to lean on.

Yeah, its 14-inch, 1080p display isn't colorful, but its 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more vertical space to work with.

See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review.

Best under $300

The Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook has been at the top of this list for years, and that's only recently changed because we want to make room for more up-to-date products. However, that doesn't change the fact that it is an absolute champion.

Regarding our synthetic benchmark tests, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook has some of the most underwhelming performance on this list. The Duet 5 Chromebook's Geekbench 5 multi-core average of 1,727 is well below the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel)'s 3,841 average. It is above the Acer Chromebook 317's 1,137, though both laptops fall below the Chromebook average of 2,253.

This baby is packed with a 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 OLED display. It reproduced 85.2 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and averaged 361 nits of brightness. Those numbers we’d see in premium laptops — and some of those more expensive items don’t get as bright or colorful. And an OLED panel is an impressive addition. You’d find those in gaming laptops, MacBook competitors, and big TVs.

Speaking of dissing premium laptops, this detachable will also get you 13 hours and 31 minutes of battery life. That’s almost enough battery life to land on our laptops with the best battery life page. That alone is an excellent package for under $300. But there's more! This is a detachable 2-in-1, meaning it can go from a tablet to a full laptop. And unlike some pricier detachables, this machine includes the keyboard and cover (I wish that weren't boast-worthy, but it is).

The only downsides to this machine are its relatively weak performance and lack of a stylus. But for the price, it's pretty damn good.

See our full Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook review.

Best Windows laptop

It's a challenge to find a Windows laptop for under $500 that won't be DOA when it gets to your doorstep. That's where the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel) comes in. Another chunky name for another star on this list. It's got everything you need to make a laptop work at this price — strong performance, over 14 hours of battery life, and a comfortable keyboard. The battery life alone is enough to sell me on this machine, as we've seen plenty of budget and premium laptops die before they could get across the 8-hour mark.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 performed well in our lab, but it failed to blow us away. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel) averaged a score of 3,841 on Geekbench 5's multicore benchmark. This is above the Chromebook average of 2,253 and is also well ahead of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook (1,727) and Acer Chromebook 713 (1,137). However, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus does have far snappier performance.

How was the keyboard so comfortable? Each stroke was met with a tactile click at the end, encouraging our fingers to tap dance across the deck at top speed. It was a little more shallow than we would’ve liked, but the typing experience was pleasant overall.

When we first reviewed the IdeaPad Flex 5 it hovered around $500-$650 depending on the configuration, but you can now find it for under $500 or even $400 for the base model, making it an even better value and easily the best Windows laptop under $500.

However, it might be more difficult to find the Intel version, but if you see the AMD Ryzen 3 model, it’ll likely offer the same benefits just with slightly different performance and battery life. Since we didn’t test it, we can’t say for sure.

See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 review.

Best for students

The best under $500 laptop for students is a Chromebook I wish every student at my school had access to: the Acer Chromebook Spin 312. It'd be a major upgrade from the pre-pandemic Dell's that fill the laptop charging cart in my classroom.

Its silver-coated chassis makes it look more expensive that it actually is. It's not the thinnest laptop we've ever reviewed, but it is one of the lightest at just under 3 pounds. (I wouldn't want to carry anything heavier between classes all day!) The battery can last up to 10 hours and 33 minutes fully charged, too.

A couple small, unique features make this laptop standout; Acer's OceanGlass touchpad is the smoothest I’ve ever felt on a budget laptop — even compared to some expensive Windows laptops. The Corning Gorilla Glass coating on the Spin 312's 12.2-inch display makes colors appear more vivid than what the IPS panel can actually produce.

According to Laptop Mag's tests, it covers only 55% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. But the colors don't look desaturated, and the contrasts are more dramatic, compared to how they would look on an IPS panel with the same color coverage and no coating.

The keyboard isn't the worst I’ve ever tried, even if it does have a strange clicky-squishy feel that makes the thinness of the plastic keycaps really noticeable. But the Spin 312 is a 2-in-1 laptop, so if taking notes by hand is more your style you won't need to worry about that — not until its time to type that essay on George Orwell's 1984, at least.

See our full Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review.

Benchmark comparisons

Recently reviewed

Not every laptop can make the best laptops under $500 page; we review new laptops every week and over 100 laptops yearly. But here's a look at our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make this page either due to a fault, price, battery life, display brightness, or something else.

How to choose one of the best laptops under $500

To make your shopping process a little easier, we put together some tried-and-true guidelines to help you choose the best laptop for under $500.

Budget: What you get for the money

You can find decent Windows laptops and great Chromebooks for under $500. But pay close attention to the specs — everything from internal hardware to keyboard quality. We thoroughly the good and bad of cheap laptops in our reviews, so you'll know what laptops offer more or less for their price.

If we haven't reviewed it, we recommend typing the laptop's name into your favorite search engine followed by "review." You should find what you need to make an informed decision.

Screen Size: 12 to 14 inches for portability

Screen size can tell you a lot about a laptop's overall portability. 12-, 13-, and 14-inch models are generally the lightest and thinnest, and most $500 and under laptops come in these sizes.

Form factor: Clamshell or convertible?

Clamshell (traditional) laptops often have better features for a lower price, but there are a decent number of convertible laptops with a 360-rotating display (2-in-1s) or detachable keyboard that are just as inexpensive. If you want to use your laptop as a notebook or drawing tablet, either of those forms could work for you!

Just keep in mind that a 2-in-1 in tablet mode will be thicker since the display folds back to meet the bottom of the keyboard — and that also means the keys face outward. Laptops with detachable keyboards don't suffer from the same awkwardness.

Battery Life: 10+ hours

Even a sub-$500 laptop should have enough battery life to last an entire workday before it needs a charge. We recommend buying one with at least 10 hours of battery life, according to our tests.

Specs: What's the best for $500 or less?

If you come across a cheap laptop with 16GB RAM, a 256GB storage drive, and an Intel 13th-gen processor or newer, then you might have found one of the few options out there with the best specs for the price.

What you'll come across more often are sub-$500 laptops with some combination of 8GB RAM, 128GB or less of storage space (the slower, eMMC kind), and a MediaTek Kompanio or Intel N-series processor. You'll get more mileage out of those specs with a Chromebook than with a Windows laptop, though.

FAQs

Q: Are budget laptops worth it?

A: If you don't use a laptop for anything more than checking email, watching videos, or doing homework in Google Docs, there's a good chance you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of today's cheap laptops. Some feature snappy processors, clicky keyboards, or colorful displays.

But as Laptop Mag reviews editor, Rami Tabari, points out, not all budget laptops are a great deal. Even on sale. It's crucial to keep the laptop's potential longevity in mind, especially when it comes to battery life.

Q: Are laptops getting cheaper?

A: There are lots of factors that ultimately determine laptop pricing (like tariffs), but the average price of a laptop has stayed relatively the same over the last several years while their overall quality has improved. If or when tariff hikes hit laptops, it's likely they'll be significantly more expensive — and it could become even harder to find a quality laptop under $500.

Q: When are laptops cheapest?

A: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when you'll usually see the best deals on laptops, but many manufacturers and retailers have great deals throughout the year. (We keep track of the best laptop deals you can get right now, so check 'em out.)

How we test the best laptops under $500

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5 and 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier's Civilization 6 Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.

After completing lab tests, each laptop heads to our expert reviewers for in-depth, hands-on evaluation. They spend several days using the laptop in their everyday workflows — writing, editing, video calling, streaming, and more — to get a feel for how it performs in the real world. This combination of technical analysis and lived-in experience helps us deliver a well-rounded, honest perspective on every laptop we review at Laptop Mag.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

Why trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

The question I kept coming back to while testing the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 was, what makes a great budget laptop?

Compromises are inevitable when trying to get the lowest price, but what makes those trade-offs a worthy exchange for affordability? The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 attempts to answer this question, balancing a sub-$1,000 price with surprisingly strong performance. There are still compromises, though, and they may or may not be deal-breakers. More on that later.

I have plenty of experience trying to get the best laptop I can for under $1,000. It’s no easy task. The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 might be on your shortlist if you're also in this camp. Budget buyers can’t afford to waste their money on a laptop that doesn’t offer good value, though, so you should know a few things before buying this particular 2-in-1. 

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 isn’t perfect, but it isn’t bad, either. Does it balance its pros and cons well enough to be a great budget option? Here’s a look at the numbers. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Specs (as reviewed)

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Price and configurations

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 starts at just $752 and comes in two colors: Luna Grey and Cosmic Blue. The base configuration includes an AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS CPU, AMD Radeon 760M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. 

Our review unit includes the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU, AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The CPU and storage are both upgradeable, and you can choose either chassis color for any configuration. For additional costs, you can also upgrade to Windows 11 Pro (rather than Windows 11 Home) and add Microsoft productivity software, like Word or PowerPoint. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Design

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 has a fairly standard design that’s hard to go wrong with. Our review unit is in Cosmic Blue, a dark metallic navy blue. I like the look of this color, although I would have preferred for the keyboard to match. 

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 measures 12.32 x 8.94 x 0.7 inches and weighs 3.54 pounds. It could be lighter but easily fits into any standard laptop backpack. 

As its name suggests, the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 is a convertible that can be used in laptop or tablet mode. If you want to take notes by hand or draw, you can flip the IdeaPad into tablet mode. There isn’t a stylus in the box, but the IdeaPad is compatible with the Lenovo Digital Pen 2, which only costs $37 extra. 

Two features I love about the otherwise basic design are the top-firing speakers on the keyboard deck and the built-in webcam shutter. All of Lenovo’s recently released laptops have included a built-in webcam shutter, and I’m glad to see that IdeaPad is no exception. It’s a convenient privacy feature that I’d love to see on more laptops. As for the speakers, top-firing is my preferred layout since it makes for a better movie-watching experience compared to bottom-firing speakers. 

Another notable feature is the built-in fingerprint reader. It’s compatible with Windows Hello, so you can sign into the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 without typing in a password.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Ports

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 has a good variety of ports. On the right edge, there are two USB Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and the power button. On the left side, there’s an HDMI port, two USB Type-C ports (one for charging), and a headphone jack. That was plenty of ports for my needs, but if you want to expand your port selection, see our guide to the best USB Type-C hubs or docking stations.  

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Display

One of the first things I noticed about the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 was the display quality. It’s noticeably duller than most other laptop displays I’ve used, with colors that appear washed out or undersaturated. 

This showed in our test results, too. The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 only covered 43 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, less than half of the mainstream laptop average of 89 percent. That’s also significantly lower than the Acer Swift Go 14 (78 percent) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (73 percent). 

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 also struggled in our screen brightness test. Its average brightness was 288 nits, almost 100 nits less than that of the Acer Swift Go 14 and just over half of that of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, which averaged 567 nits.  

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Keyboard and touchpad

I had high hopes for the keyboard on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 since Lenovo laptop keyboards have been among my favorites in the past. However, the IdeaPad’s keyboard doesn’t quite match the typing experience of the Lenovo Slim 7i or Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. The keycaps are a smooth silver plastic with minimal key travel, so the typing experience feels flatter and hollow compared to Lenovo’s other offerings. 

While the keycaps are smaller than I prefer, I could still type smoothly on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1. On the Monkeytype typing test, I scored 94 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy. That’s on par with my laptop average of 90 wpm with 97 percent accuracy but well below my score on the Lenovo Slim 7i (102 wpm, 100 percent accuracy) and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (105 wpm, 100 percent accuracy). 

So, while the tactile feedback from the keys could be better, they perform relatively well. The keyboard also includes all the main bonus keys most users want, such as a full function row with pre-assigned media keys, arrow keys, and a dedicated Copilot key. 

The touchpad offers similar performance with good responsiveness but lackluster feedback when clicking. It performed just fine for me, though, and never lagged or felt sluggish. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Audio

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1's audio quality is solid thanks to the top-firing speakers, which create a sort of “mini theater” effect when watching movies or playing games. During my testing, I never had to turn the volume up past 60 percent. The speakers captured dialogue, music, and background noise well in games and videos. 

Music also sounds good on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1. Highs, mids, and lows are fairly balanced, although I would have liked the bass to be a tad punchier. However, the vocals sound great. Lead singer Conor Mason’s voice sounded even better than usual in Nothing But Thieves’ uplifting hit “Overcome.” The speakers seemed to handle rock better than pop, though. I noticed Taylor Swift’s vocals sounded good in “Maroon,” but the song’s bass got lost in the IdeaPad’s speakers.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Gaming and graphics

I’ll admit, the gaming experience on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 surprised me. It’s no gaming laptop, but it delivers stronger gaming performance than I would expect from a laptop at this price point. The AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics kept up reasonably well in our benchmark tests, scoring 7851 on the 3DMark Fire Strike test and averaging an admirable 48 fps in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. 

The Acer Swift Go 14 scored about 200 points higher on the 3DMark Fire Strike test, but the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 scored higher than its rivals overall. 

For a sub-$1000 laptop, the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 is a surprisingly capable laptop for casual gaming. I played Once Human, Enshrouded, and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU on it and had a good experience with all three. I averaged 30 fps in Once Human, 21 fps in Enshrouded, and an impressive 60 fps in Tales of Kenzera. 

When I booted up Enshrouded, I got a warning that my device’s specs were below the recommended minimum, but the game was completely playable. The only quirk I noticed was certain animations or effects sometimes failing to load, such as the colorful ripple produced by spells or teleportation. 

All three games, particularly Enshrouded and Tales of Kenzera, have rich, colorful graphics. The underwhelming display quality on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 rendered them fine but with less vibrancy than I’ve seen on most other laptops. I also noticed the keyboard deck getting quite hot, especially in Once Human, but mainly along the top edge where the keyboard deck meets the hinges.  

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Performance

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 kept up reasonably well in our overall performance benchmarks, handily surpassing our mainstream laptop averages across the board. It scored 2,481 on the Geekbench 6 single-core test and 11,209 on the multi-core test. It couldn’t keep pace with the Acer Swift GO 14 or Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 in the multi-core benchmark, but the IdeaPad’s score is still well above the category average of 9,910. 

Similarly, the Idea 5 2-in-1 took about one minute longer to finish the HandBrake video transcoding test than the Acer Swift Go 14 or Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. However, the IdeaPad’s time (6:17) is still much faster than the category average (8:05). 

This is what one would expect from a sub-$1000 laptop. The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 might not be the best laptop on the market, but it’s far from the worst and powerful enough for everyday tasks. 

I used it as my main device for a couple of days for everything from word processing to photo editing in Adobe Express and casual gaming. It never seemed to lag or lose steam, at least not noticeably. Web browsing with numerous tabs open was smooth, and load times were never overly long.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Battery life

Battery life is one area where the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 falls short. It lasted less than seven hours in our battery test, far below the Acer Swift Go 14 (8:25) and less than half as long as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15:44). Unfortunately, you will probably need to bring a charger with you if you want to get through a full day on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1.  

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Webcam

I wasn’t expecting much from the webcam on the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1, which basically met those expectations. The video quality was noticeably grainy and seemed to struggle capturing light and background details more than some other laptop webcams I’ve tried. The mic quality was decent, though. So, you could use the built-in webcam for everyday video calls without any trouble, but you may want to invest in one of the best webcams if you want higher-quality video. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Heat

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 manages heat fairly well in everyday tasks like web browsing and word processing but can get quite hot under stress. In our thermal tests, the touchpad averaged 77.5 degrees. The highest temperature we recorded was 93 degrees in the center of the underside of the keyboard deck. 

I also noticed the top edge of the keyboard deck getting hot to the touch while running games, particularly while I was playing Once Human. The keyboard deck got warm during my daily use, but never uncomfortably so. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1: Software and warranty

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 includes Lenovo’s standard 1-year limited warranty. If you want additional protection, you can extend it or upgrade your service through Lenovo Premium Care. 

The IdeaPad comes pre-loaded with a handful of standard Windows 11 apps including Microsoft Edge, the Xbox app, a trial version of Microsoft 365, and Lenovo Vantage, which is where you can find all of your device, warranty, and troubleshooting info. A preview of Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant also comes ready to go (although you can turn it off in your device settings if you prefer not to use it). 

Bottom line

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 offers solid performance at an affordable price but compromises on battery life and display quality. Some users won’t mind those trade-offs, but they’re important to note especially the sub-8-hour battery life. 

Considering it costs less than $1000, the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 delivers surprisingly strong performance, even in gaming. It might not be competing with a true gaming laptop, but it can manage casual gaming well. It keeps up with everyday tasks like web browsing and word processing with ease. This combination of low price and relatively high performance makes the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 a good option for students or professionals on a budget. 

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 isn’t perfect, though. You will need to keep a charger handy, and the lackluster display leaves something to be desired. However, there’s still a lot to love here, enough that those trade-offs could be worth it depending on your needs. If you want to compare the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 to more alternatives before adding one to your desk setup, see our guides to the best 2-in-1 laptops and the best laptops of the year. 

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Surprise surprise! The MacBook Air M2 is down to its best price yet in what appears to be a sneaky Prime Day preview. Right now, you can get the MacBook Air M2 for just $829 at Amazon, but you'll have to act fast! Typically $1,099, that's $270 in savings and the lowest-ever price for the MacBook Air M2 to date. 

Despite being dethroned by the MacBook Air M3, the MacBook Air M2 is still one of the best laptops around. We gave it our esteemed Editor's Choice Award co-sign for all the right reasons. In our MacBook Air M2 review, it garnered a 4 out of 5-star rating for its elegant redesign, good performance, and impressive 14-hour battery life. 

If you're due for a laptop upgrade or want to treat Mom, Dad, or that Grad you know, the MacBook Air M2 is a wise choice. Especially at this ever-so-tempting deal price. As with all MacBook deals, quantities are going fast, so don't hesitate too long! 

Today's best MacBook M2 deal

Ahead of CES 2024, Lenovo is announcing five new IdeaPad laptops, all of which boast a better user experience thanks to the Lenovo AI Engine that's built into every IdeaPad now. Additionally, these new laptops will take advantage of Lenovo's Smart Power feature that boosts performance and battery life, as well as the Smart Wireless feature that improves Wi-Fi strength and minimizes lag.

Among the new laptops, you'll find the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 and the IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1, both of which are offered with a smaller 14-inch display or a larger 16-inch display. Then, there's the incredibly thin IdeaPad Slim 5i, the first 15.3-inch (16:10) display form factor in Lenovo's IdeaPad lineup. All laptops except for the Slim 5i can be decked out with a gorgeous OLED display.

We're on the scene in Las Vegas to check out the latest tech at this year's CES 2024 showcase. Be sure to tag along on our CES 2024 journey by following Laptop Mag on TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Flipboard, and Facebook for the most up to date hands-on impressions and news coming from the convention floor.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i

The IdeaPad Slim 5i is an upgrade over Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3i in every way. Starting with the most important internal specs, the IdeaPad Slim 5i can feature up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, up to 1TB of PCIe M.2 storage, and up to an Intel Core 7 150U or Core i7 13700H processor, depending on how you customize the configuration.

For the display, there are two sizes to choose from, 15 or 15.3 inches, but each display is equipped with the same features. The Slim 5i has a WUXGA (1920 x 1080) IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate, 300 nits brightness, a 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% sRGB, and TÜV Low Blue Light Certification.

During configuration, you can also customize whether the Slim 5i has an FHD camera with a privacy shutter, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2. All IdeaPad Slim 5i models will be equipped with Windows 11, Intel Integrated Graphics, a dual microphone array, two 2W user-facing speakers with Dolby Audio, and a 76Whr polymer battery. 

There's an HDMI 1.4 port, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, an audio jack, and a microSD card reader. This laptop has a light starting weight of 3.95 pounds, easily portable dimensions of 13.52 x 9.37 x 0.69 inches, and fun color options of Cloud Grey or Violet. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1

If a laptop/tablet combo is more your style, Lenovo's IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 might be better for you. With the IdeaPad 5i, you can get up to an Intel Core 7 150U processor, up to 16GB of LPRDDRX RAM, up to 1TB of PCIe M.2 storage, up to Bluetooth 5.2, and up to Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. By default, you'll also get Windows 11, Intel Integrated Graphics, and a 57Whr battery.

There are two display sizes for the 5i 2-in-1: 14-inch or 16-inch. If you opt for the 16-inch display, you can choose between a 2K (2048 x 1280) OLED display (60Hz, 400 nits) or a WUXGA (1920 x 1080) IPS display (60Hz, 300 nits). The 14-inch IdeaPad 5i offers similar display options, letting users choose between a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED display (60Hz, 400 nits) and a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS display (60Hz, 300 nits).

Both laptops are equipped with two 2W user-facing speakers with Dolby Audio, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, a microSD card reader, an HDMI 1.4b port, and an audio jack. There's a FHD camera with a privacy shutter and a dual mic array on each 5i 2-in-1 model, though the 14-inch 5i 2-in-1 has an HD option for the mic array.

The 16-inch IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 starts at 4.41 pounds, measures 14.01 x 10.04 x 0.77 inches, and only comes in one material option. The 14-inch model offers a Metal Cover version or a Plastic version, both of which start at 3.53 pounds and measure 12.32 x 8.94 x 0.74/0.76 inches, respectively. Both the 16-inch and 14-inch laptops come in Lenovo's Lunar Grey and Cosmic Blue color schemes.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1

In many ways, Lenovo's IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 is very similar to the 5i 2-in-1. You'll be able to choose between a 16-inch display and a 14-inch display, and each display comes with two options identical to the 5i 2-in-1 above. 

You can go with the standard WUXGA (1920 x 1080) IPS display (60Hz, 300 nits) or upgrade to an OLED display (60Hz, 400 nits). The 16-inch IdeaPad 5's OLED display offers a slightly higher 2K resolution (2048 x 1280), whereas the 14-inch OLED display maxes at 1920 x 1200 pixels.

The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 features built-in AMD Radeon graphics and lets you choose up to an AMD Ryzen 8845HS processor, up to 16BG of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 1TB of PCIe M.2 storage. Each IdeaPad 5 features Windows 11, a 57Whr battery, an FHD camera with a privacy shutter, a dual microphone array (with an HD option on the 14-inch model), and up to Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.

Both laptops are also equipped with two 2W user-facing speakers with Dolby Audio, an audio jack, an HDMI 1.4b port, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and one microSD card reader. Just like the 5i 2-in-1 above, you can get this laptop in Lunar Grey or Cosmic Blue color schemes.

Lenovo's 16-inch IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 starts at 4.41 pounds and measures 14.01 x 10.04 x 0.77 inches, whereas the 14-inch model starts at 3.53 pounds and measures 12.32 x 8.94 x 0.74 inches for the Metal Cover version. The 14-inch Plastic Cover version has the same starting weight and dimensions except for its 0.76-inch height.

Update Nov. 3 at 4:45 p.m. ET: The MacBook Air M2 is on sale for $899 ($200 off) at B&H in a limited time flash deal. 

Black Friday arrives early with this hefty discount on our recommended best overall laptop to buy. For a limited time, our beloved MacBook Air M2 is on sale for $899 at B&H. Typically $1,099, that's $200 in savings and the lowest outright discount we've seen for this Apple laptop. Earlier this year, it briefly fell to $849 at Best Buy for My Best Buy Plus and Total members only.

This is one of the best early Black Friday MacBook deals we've seen so far. 

Today's best 13-inch MacBook M2 deal

Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M2 is the best overall laptop to buy for good reason. It's ultra-portable, crazy fast, and lasts long between charges. Right now, the MacBook Air M2 is on sale for $899 at Best Buy. No membership required. It normally costs $1,099, so that's $200 and its lowest price ever. 

This is one of the best MacBook deals we've seen outside of Black Friday. 

Today's best 13-inch MacBook M2 deal

Apple's 2023 MacBook Air M2 has an upgraded look and enhanced performance over the M1 MacBook Air. If power, portability and endurance are important to you, the MacBook Air M2 ticks all the right boxes. The MacBook in this deal features a 13.6-inch (2560 x 1664) Liquid Retina display, Apple M2 8-core processor, 8-Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD.

In our MacBook Air M2 review, we gave it a high rating of 4.5 out of 5-stars and backed it with our Editor's Choice Award. In real-world tests, we were floored by the MacBook Air M2's elegant redesign, fantastic performance and bright, colorful screen. As for battery-life, it endured 14 hours in our Laptop Mag Battery test which is pretty impressive. 

With a weight of 2.7 pounds and 0.4 inches thin, the MacBook Air M2 slips easily into a laptop backpack, messenger bag or medium sized purse. It’s lighter and thinner than the Dell XPS 13 (2.8 pounds, 0.6 inches) and HP Spectre x360 13 (2.8 pounds, 0.7 inches). It's slightly heavier yet thinner than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon (2.4 pounds, 0.6 inches).

Port-wise, the M2 MacBook Air supplies you with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, headset jack and a MagSafe charging port. For more connectivity options, consider a USB-C hub like the 5-in-1 Anker 332.

Now $200 off, the MacBook M2 is a solid investment if you want the best everyday laptop for school, work and everything else. 

Best Buy currently has Chromebooks on sale from $149 during its ongoing back to school sale. One standout deal drops the 128GB model Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5  Chromebook to just $369 . Typically priced at $499, this Chromebook is now $130 below retail and at its best price yet. 

Hands-down, this one of the best Chromebook deals for the money.

Lenovo's IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is the device you want if you want a laptop that doubles as a tablet. Perfect for the on-the-go student lifestyle, the Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet is super-portable and versatile. One of the best 2-in-1 detachable Chromebooks to buy, it's a cheaper alternative to the Surface Pro 9 with Pro Signature Keyboard. 

The device in this deal features a 13.3-inch (1920 x 1080) OLED 400-nit touch screen, Snapdragon 7C Gen 2 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and Adreno graphics. There's 128GB of eMMC storage on board for storing your important files.

In our Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook review, we loved it so much that we gave it a solid 4 out of 5-star rating and our Editor's Choice Award. It wowed us with its vivid OLED display, long battery life, and practical 2-in-1 design. 

During real-world tests, it juggled 24 Google Chrome tabs, two YouTube 1080p videos, and Google Docs simultaneously with no issue. Back in our lab, it endured 13 hours and 31 minutes and continuous surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. 

At just 2.2 pounds and 0.27-inches thin, this lightweight 2-in-1 Chromebook slides easily into a backpack or shoulder bag. If you're looking for a modestly-priced Surface Pro-like Windows alternative, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook fits the bill.

It's tough to find an affordable laptop that provides the most it can for your money, and while Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 tried to be that — this ain’t it.

For $799, this looks like a sleek machine on the outside, but if you take a closer look you’ll soon see this laptop isn’t worth your time or money. From its poor display and mushy keyboard to its middling performance and below average battery life, the Flex 5 can’t keep up with its competitors. It has certainly fell from grace since its 2022 outing.

I cannot recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 for our best laptops or best laptops under $1,000 pages, let alone recommend purchasing it at all.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) price and configurations

Oh boy, it was a journey to find the model of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 we reviewed. It costs $799 (on sale for $699 at the time of writing) and comes with an Intel Core i5-1335U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch 1200p display. I found this version is available only at Costco.

However, there are other models available elsewhere. There’s a $605 version on Lenovo’s website that drops down to 8GB of RAM. There’s also an AMD version that costs $829 at Lenovo, which comes with 8GB of RAM as well and a AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor.

If you’re looking for a laptop even more affordable, check out our best cheap laptops page.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) design

One thing I like about the IdeaPad Flex 5 is that it doesn’t look cheap. Instead of the usual black or silver, the Flex 5 sports Lenovo’s Abyss Blue color over its metal hood. That’s complemented by its curved edges and neat Lenovo stamp on the top left corner. 

The interior shifts to a plastic deck and an awkward-looking gray keyboard — it should have been black. There’s a decent-sized touchpad, and a fingerprint reader on the right side. Surrounding the keyboard are top-firing speakers. The display sports relatively thin bezels, but the top has a lip for the webcam.

This is a 2-in-1, so the Flex can literally flex all the way up to 360 degrees, which offers tent and tablet positions for you to experiment with.

At 3.4 pounds and 12.3 x 8.85 x 0.7 inches, the Flex 5 doesn’t get much slimmer or thinner compared with the competition. Except for the 16-inch Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 8) (4.5 pounds, 14.3 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches), the Acer Swift Go 14 (2.9 pounds, 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches) and Asus ZenBook 14 OLED (3.1 pounds, 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches) are lighter and not as wide as the Flex 5.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) ports

There’s a decent number of ports onboard the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5.

If we look to the left, we see the power jack, an HDMI port, one Thunderbolt 4 port, and a headphone jack, whereas the right side holds room for two USB Type-A ports, an SD card slot, and the power button.

Find yourself in need of more ports? Check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) display

Oof. Even for a sub-$1,000 laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5's 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 display performed poorly all around.

I watched Dimension 20's A Court of Fey & Flowers, and the greenery that made up the set was dull and muted. When the background switched to a dimly lit scenic view, it felt like I was watching the show in battery-saver mode, which was made all the worse by its glossy panel. Despite that, the panel was sharp enough to capture the details in Aabria Iyengar's lovely lashes.

According to our colorimeter, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 covered a measly 42.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is less than half of the mainstream laptop average (91.8%). The Yoga 7i (45.8%), Swift Go 14 (175.7%), and ZenBook 14 (95.6%) destroyed the IdeaPad.

At 288 nits of brightness, IdeaPad Flex 5 could not get past the 341-nit average. It did best the Yoga 7i (267 nits), but couldn't get near the Swift Go 14 (395 nits) and ZenBook 14 (375 nits).

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) keyboard and touchpad

Typing away on the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 felt weird — the keys were shallow and mushy, and not at all satisfying to use.

However, I hit 83 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is above my 78-wpm average. The keys were well-spaced, like most Lenovo keyboards, which is likely why I did well. But I didn’t like it.

The 4.9 x 2.9-inch touchpad is smooth, but offers shallow clicks, like the rest of the laptop. However, Windows gestures like two-finger scrolling and three-finger tabbing worked fine.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) audio

I love top-firing speakers, but not the ones in the IdeaPad Flex 5. The audio was low and hollow, and the only compliment I can pay it is that it was audible.

I listened to Honey Revenge’s “Airhead,” and the opening guitar sounded a bit distorted. When the vocals took over, they were clear, but the guitar in the background remained noisy, if not more hollow. The percussion was low and couldn’t catch a bass. The instruments were distinguishable from one another, but overall, the sound was low and unfulfilling.

While Lenovo packs in the Dolby Access app, with settings for Movies, Music and Games, there’s not much more that the app can do to help the audio.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) performance

Tucked in the chassis of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 lies an Intel Core i5-1335U with 16GB of RAM. It had no trouble working through a couple dozen Google Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos.

On the Geekbench 5.5 overall performance test, the IdeaPad Flex 5 scored 8,440, which doesn’t quite make the mainstream laptop average (9,064). It faltered against the Yoga 7i’s Core i7-1355U (8,663), the Swift Go 14’s Core i7-13700H (11,815), and the ZenBook 14’s Core i5-1240P (8,590) processors.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 11 minutes and 41 seconds, once again dropping short of the category average (8:10). It fell into last place against the Yoga 7i (10:12), Swift Go 14 (5:35), and ZenBook 14 (8:40).

Lenovo’s 512GB SSD sports a transfer rate of 788 megabytes per second, which isn’t too far from the average mainstream laptop (833 MBps). It crushed the ZenBook 14’s 256GB SSD (246 MBps), but it got nowhere near the 512GB SSDs in the Yoga 7 (1,380 MBps) and the Swift Go 14 (1,481 MBps).

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) graphics

The Flex 5 isn’t offering anything special in terms of graphics, sticking with its standard Intel Iris Xe Graphics chip just like its competitors. 

Yet, it somehow ended up last again on the 3DMark Fire Strike synthetics graphics benchmark. The IdeaPad Flex 5 scored 3,936, slowing down against the average mainstream laptop (5,073) as well as the Yoga 7i (5,027), Swift Go 14 (5,533), and ZenBook 14 (4,048).

On the Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (Medium, 1080p) benchmark, however, it scored 28 frames per second, which might not be playable (30-fps), but it averaged better than the Yoga 7i (25 fps), Swift Go 14 (27 fps), and ZenBook 14 (21 fps).

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) battery life

It could be worse, but it could be better. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 lasted 8 hours and 22 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, falling below the mainstream laptop average (9:54). It survived the Swift Go 14 (8:05), but died before it could see the Yoga 7i (12:04) and ZenBook 14 (10:52) succeed.

Last year's model lasted 14 hours and 16 minutes. A massive step down.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) webcam

I recommend the IdeaPad Flex 5’s 1080p webcam if you feel like being humbled. 

The colorful posters that adorned the wall behind me were muted and faded, like I threw them in the washing machine for a dozen cycles. In terms of contrast — no, the window behind me was washed out and begging for help. Meanwhile, my face looked like a grainy mess. I recommend picking up one of our best webcams.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) heat

Poetry — the IdeaPad Flex 5’s lack of power helps it remain relatively cool. It measured 98 degrees Fahrenheit on the underside, which is just slightly above our 95-degree comfort threshold. Meanwhile, the center of the keyboard and touchpad reach 93 and 80 degrees, respectively. The hottest that the machine got was 101 degrees on the underside, near the hinge.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2023) software and warranty

If you’ve ever had a Lenovo laptop, you know that the company packs all of its useful systems in the Lenovo Vantage app. This lets you obtain information about your system and warranty, and lets you adjust settings for power, audio, display and more.

There’s some bloatware onboard, like Spotify, WhatsApp, and Solitaire.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 has a one-year limited warranty. See how Lenovo performed on our Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands ranking.

Bottom line

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 falters in more ways than one. Despite its affordable price and its neat design, everything under and around the hood found itself way below the quality we expect from a laptop at this price.

For example, the Asus Zenbook 14 (Q409ZA) OLED is $749 and offers a bright, sharp display, better battery life, and better performance despite its lacking components.

We cannot in good conscience recommend purchasing the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5. There are better options out there for better prices.

Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is one of the best budget laptops for the money. It's portable, long lasting, runs on a fast 8-core CPU, and boasts a gorgeous 1080p display. One standout back to school Chromebook deal drops it to an incredibly low price. 

Best Buy now offers the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook for just $169. Formerly $319, that's $150 off and the lowest price ever for this Chrome OS notebook. By comparison, it undercuts Lenovo's current direct price by $10. Value-wise, this is one of the best Chromebook deals you can get on a tight budget. 

Lenovo is known for its line of capable, durable, and secure laptops. The IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is one of the brand's more affordable offerings. 

It features a 14-inch 1080p display, MediaTek Kompanio 520 8-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, Intel UHD graphics and 64GB of eMMC storage. If you need more room for files, you can expand your storage via the built-in media card reader. While these specs may seem paltry to some techie snobs, it's all you need for creating docs, managing emails, browsing the internet, and streaming content. 

The IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is also outfitted with stereo speakers tuned with Waves Maxx Audio, a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter, and a good amount of ports. You get a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and a headphone/mic combo jack. For stable wireless connections, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

Weighing in at 2.9 pounds and 0.7 inches thick, the IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is super-portable. It easily fits into any backpack, messenger bag or medium sized purse without weighing you down. 

At just $169, the IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is a wise choice if you're looking for a decent budget laptop.

Whether it’s back-to-school or off to university, a good laptop is a must buy to make the most of your education. Whether it's settling down in the library for an all-nighter on that dissertation, or quickly whipping it out in a lecture for note taking, a portable system can be a true game changer.

Of course, there are many ways for students to save — from entering their academic email address into discount sites like UNiDAYS to the numerous sales happening right now. We’ve scoured the internet and found the absolute best savings that give you the most bang for your buck.

So, let’s go through them. Whether your course is reliant on essays, or you need some additional performance for a more creative workload, here are the best student laptop deals.

Student laptop deals: Quick links

• UNiDAYS: Up to 20% off laptops, Apple education pricing, and more
• Studentdiscount.co.uk: 15% off Acer laptops, 25% Dell student discount, and more
• Lenovo: Student discounts on IdeaPad Flex 5, Yoga Slim 6i, and more
• Dell: Up to 20% off laptops, accessories, and more
• Apple: Save on Mac or iPad, and get a gift card up to £130
• Laptops Direct: Up to £469 off laptops, MacBooks, and Chromebooks

Student laptop deals under £500

For most students, spending up to £500 will be enough for all your needs — giving you sufficient power for all your essay-writing and presentation-creating needs, along with a good display for binge watching while eating instant noodles.

Student laptop deals under £1,000

The middle of the pack. These laptops are a nice step up in performance and specs over those sub-£500 options, which gives you both a snappier experience and more ways to enjoy yourself (especially so for the gaming laptop in this section).

Student laptop deals under £2,000

We’re reaching close to and beyond the upper echelon of student laptop pricing. Spending this much is only a requirement for those who need the horsepower. I’m talking about the likes of animation, media production, design, and advanced sciences.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is massively discounted in today's Lenovo laptop sale. Lenovo continues to knock up to 75% off select laptops from the Lenovo ThinkPad, Yoga, IdeaPad, and Legion family of machines. Stack extra savings when you use coupon code, "BUYMOREOFFER" at checkout.

During the sale, you can get yourself the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 for $1,215 . Apply coupon codes, "BYOTHINK2023" and "BUYMOREOFFER" at checkout to reflect this deal price in your cart. It normally costs $2,319, so that's a massive $1,104 in savings. It's the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11's lowest price ever and one of the best laptop deals of the summer. 

Looking for a flexible 2-in-1 laptop instead? You can get the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 for $959 ($2690 off) via codes, "THINKPADCLEARANCE202" and "BUYMOREOFFER".

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 business laptop is great for college students and work professionals alike. It features a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) 400-nit display, 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U 10-core CPU, 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and 256GB SSD. If you require more oomph and storage, you may customize it up to a 13th Gen i7 chip, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to a 2TB SSD. 

In our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 review, we liked its lightweight design, fast SSD, and great battery life. Following real-world and performance tests, we gave it a solid rating of 4 out of 5-stars. 

Powered by Windows 11 Home 64 to start, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 equips you with a 1080p IR hybrid webcam with privacy shutter. Logins are fast and secure thanks to Windows Hello face recognition and the laptop's integrated fingerprint reader.

Built to military specs, ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops are rugged and can take a beating. Lenovo engineers its ThinkPad family of machines to withstand everyday wear and tear of heavy use and travel. 

If you're looking for a reliable and secure laptop for school, home office or business, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a wise choice. 

Best Buy back to school deals are now live with summer discounts on college essentials. For a limited time, Chromebooks start from $159 and among these offering is a standout discount on one of our favorite 2-in-1s.

Right now, you can get the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 for $369 at Best Buy. This Chromebook usually costs $499, so you're saving $130 with this Chromebook deal. This is the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5's lowest price ever and one of the best back to school laptop deals available today. 

Lenovo's Chromebook Duet 5 is one of the best Chromebooks to buy. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the $1,000 Surface Pro 9 , the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 just might be the device for you. Just like its pricier counterpart, it features a 2-in-1 detachable design to easily convert from laptop to tablet mode.

Specs-wise, the Chromebook in this deal has a 13.3-inch (1920 x 1080) OLED 400-nit touch screen, 2.55-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7C Gen 2 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM and Qualcomm Adreno graphics. There's 128GB of eMMC storage on board for storing your important files. If you require more storage and don't want to rely on the cloud, we recommend you invest in a USB-C flash drive or external drive.

In our Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 review, we gave it a 4 out of 5-star rating and our Editor's Choice Award cosign. The Chromebook Duet 5 won us over with its vivid OLED display, 2-in-1 design, and long battery life. It endured a staggering 13 hours and 31 minutes of continuous surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nit brightness in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. 

Performance-wise, the IdeaPad Duet 5 effortlessly managed 24 Google Chrome tabs, two YouTube 1080p videos, and Google Docs simultaneously. You can expect seamless multitasking whether you're creating documents or streaming content. 

At 2.2 pounds and 12 x 7.32 x 0.27 inches, the IdeaPad Duet 5 fits easily into a backpack or shoulder bag. If you want to jump start your back to school shopping list and don't want to spend a whole lot, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is a budget-friendly option. Especially at this price!

Update July 18 at 10:20 a.m. ET: This laptop sold out. As an alternative, you can get the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex for $409 ($290 off) via coupon, "BBYDEALS"

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is $240 right now in the PC makers ongoing Black Friday in July sale. Whether you're back to school laptop shopping early or just on the hunt for a new PC, here's a deal you wallet will like. 

For a limited time, you can get the Lenovo Slim 3 for just $408 at Lenovo. It normally costs $650, so that's a sweet discount of $240. So if you skipped Amazon's big sale, it's one of the best post- Prime Day laptop deals still available. 

Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3 is well-equipped for multitasking and productivity to-go. This particular computer is configured with 15.6 (1920 x 1080) 300 nit touch screen, AMD Ryzen 3 7330U quad-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, Radeon graphics and 512GB SSD. For online courses and remote work video conferencing, you get a  720P HD webcam with privacy shutter and dual array microphone.

Though we didn't test it, IdeaPad Slim 3 reviews on the product's landing page rate it 4.7 out of 5-stars. Satisfied owners who primarily use it for school, browsing and streaming say it's an overall solid laptop. According to customer feedback, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is lightweight, fast and easy to use. Others say the keyboard is a pleasure to type on and the touch-enabled display is crisp.

Port-wise, the IdeaPad Slim 3 offers tons of connectivity options. It has a full function USB-C Gen 1 port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an  HDMI port and a headphone jack. There's also an SD card on board if you want to expand your storage and manage files. 

For just $409, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is worth considering if you're on the hunt for a laptop that's easy on the wallet. 

Shop Lenovo's Black Friday in July sale for more discounts on laptops, tablets, and PC accessories. 

Prime Day 2023 continues to offer the lowest prices of  the summer on select gaming laptops. You still have to get yourself Acer Nitro 17 RTX 4070 gaming laptop for under $1,000. That's $200 off and a a great price for this configuration. Not only is this the lowest price ever for this 2023 release, it's also one of the best Prime Day gaming laptop deals you can get.

If you're on a smaller budget and don't want to spend more than $700 for a gaming laptop, here's a sweet deal for you. Flex your Prime membership and snag the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 with RTX 3050 GPU for just $599 ($300 off). Again, this is the lowest price ever for this laptop according to our trusty CamelCamelCamel price tracker. 

Prime Day 2023 day 2 is on til midnight. Before you catch your 40 winks, visit our Prime Day 2023 hub for the best deals available. 

5 best Prime Day gaming laptops I recommend

 
Dear Lenovo: I’m mad at you. How dare you make such a dope laptop configuration and say that I can’t have it. And I’m kind of peeved at you, AMD, for letting me know that this even exists. The following configuration of the new Lenovo Slim 7 is not available in the U.S. Instead, only folks across the pond will have the opportunity to engage with this slim powerhouse. 

The laptop offers over 17 hours of battery life, blistering fast transfer speeds and incredible performance. Read on as I gnash my teeth and pump my fists at what would normally be a 5-star product that would live on our best laptops page, but for its availability. As it stands, I can’t even give it a rating. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 pricing and availability

Le sigh. The American version of the Slim 7 starts at $899 and has a 2.0-GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor with 8GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD and integrated AMD Radeon Graphics. The cheapest Intel version costs $1,049 features an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD and a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX350 GPU with 2GB of VRAM.

My sister site Tom’s Hardware found my review unit on a Netherlands site for €999.00, which converts to $1,197.95. That gets you a laptop with a 1.8GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4800U CPU with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe SSD and integrated AMD Radeon Graphics.

One thing the U.S, version of the Slim 7 has that my version doesn’t is a fingerprint reader, which is kind of a bummer. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 design

I first saw the Slim 7 at an AMD event earlier this year and it was a vision in purple. It’s a color rarely seen in modern laptops and as my favorite color, it made me incredibly happy. So to say I was disappointed to see a slate gray slab when I opened the box was an understatement. It’s a handsome system without a doubt, but it also doesn’t stand out. The all-aluminum chassis doesn’t have any identifying features outside of the small Lenovo tag near the top-right corner of the lid. 

There’s more of that slate-gray aluminum when you open the lid with another Lenovo tag on the right corner of the palm rest. The keyboard sits in a slightly recessed deck in between two speakers. The touchpad is below the keyboard and is also recessed. The bezels are fairly thin, but that bottom bezel could be so much smaller. The rounded hinge running the length of the bezel actually belies just how thick it actually is. 

At 3.1 pounds, the 12.6 x 8.2 x 0.6-inch Slim 7 is on the heavier side of the scale as the LG Gram 14 2-in-1 (2.5 pounds, 12.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches) and the Asus ZenBook 13 (2.8 pounds, 11.9 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches) are lighter. The Lenovo lives up to its name as it’s slimmer than both laptops. The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15 (3.5 pounds, 14 x 9 x 0.6 inches) is understandably larger and heavier since it’s a 15-inch system, but it’s just as thin as the Slim 7.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 ports

For such a svelte system, the Slim 7 has a surprising mix of ports and slots. On the right, you get a pair of USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a microSD card slot and the power button. On the left, there are two USB Type-C ports, one of which is dedicated to charging the system along with a full HDMI port and headset jack. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 display

The Slim 7’s 14-inch, 1920 x 1080-pixel IPS display is more bright than it is vivid, but it gets the job done. Watching The Cuban trailer, actor Louis Gossett Jr. deep brown skin looked weathered like a well-loved hardcover book. I could easily see the wrinkles and moles marking his face like an ancient map. It helped highlight the delicate powder puff pink of Urbanears headphones he wore. The light gently shimmered off the thin line of chrome lining the earcup. 

If you’re watching any Dolby-compatible media, the Dolby Vision software is there to enhance your viewing experience with several presets that play well with 4K HDR content. 

When we measured the panel’s color reproduction capabilities, the Slim 7 reached 80.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which covers a larger gamut than sRGB. The Slim 7 was just short of the 83% premium laptop average. It was better than both the Gram 14 (76.7%) and the Zenbook 13 (70.6%). However, none of the displays were a match for the Galaxy Book Flex and its QLED display, which served up a vivacious 109%.

Measuring in five specific spots on the Slim 7 display, we got an average brightness of 353 nits, which is enough to outshine the Gram and the Zenbook, which reached 306 and 254 nits, respectively. However, it couldn’t overcome the Galaxy Book (381 nits or 565 nits outdoor mode) nor the category average 384 nits.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 audio

The Slim 7’s speakers aren’t anything to write home about –– they’ll allow for a moderate jam session and make sure you can hear clearly during video calls. Listening to Chioe x Halle’s “Do It,” I immediately started nodding my head to the bop. The laptop isn’t loud, but it managed to fill my smallish living room with decent volume. The bass was the weakest part of the track while the synthesized instrumentals were a bit harsh at maximum volume. However, the sister’s seductive harmonies came through loud and clear.

If you want to try to tweak the sound profile, there’s the Dolby Atmos Speaker System software, which offers six presets (Dynamic, Movie, Music, Game, Voice and Personalize), some of which have adjustable EQ presets. I got the best results from the Dynamic setting whether I was watching movies or listening to music.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 keyboard

Just call it service with a smile. The Slim 7 has those telltale Lenovo smile-shaped keys that you’ll find on the company’s best-in-class ThinkPads. The island-style keyboard is well-spaced and delivers firm, punchy feedback that made typing a breeze. I sailed past my usual 70 words per minute on the 10fastfingers typing test, landing at 76 wpm. The white backlighting allowed me to keep the pace even when I sat in a darkened living room. 

The 4.1 x 2.5-inch touchpad is smooth and performed Windows 10 gestures flawlessly. The bottom corners depressed with a satisfying snap when used as right and left mouse buttons. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 performance

Now we get to the fun part. With its 1.8-GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4800U processor with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD, the Slim 7 was on a never-ending quest to kick ass. The notebook handily ran 35 Google Chrome tabs, some of which had YouTube or Twitch videos playing while others ran Tweetdeck or Google Docs. Despite the load, I couldn’t detect any latency.

The notebook kept up the stellar performance on our synthetic benchmark tests, scoring 6,669 on Geekbench 5.0, an overall performance test. It crushed the 4,050 premium average as well as the scores put up by the Galaxy Book (4,416, Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU), Zenbook (3,297, Core i7-10510U CPU) and Gram (3,321, Core i7-10510U CPU).

It took the Slim 7 only 8 minutes and 55 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. It dusted the 18:50 category average as well as the 21:34, 22:18 and 22:19 clocked by the Zenbook, Galaxy Book and Gram, respectively. 

During the PugetBench Photoshop test, which loops through 21 different Photoshop tasks in three cycles, the Slim 7 notched 643, defeating the 591 premium average. The Galaxy Book wasn’t too far behind at 612. The Gram and the Zenbook got 542 and 503, respectively.

The Slim 7 finally hit a stumbling block during the File Transfer Test, where its SSD reached a transfer speed of 537.7 megabytes per second while duplicating 25GB of multimedia files. It’s just below the 540.8 category average. The Gram and its 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD posted a faster rate of 745.9MBps as did the Galaxy Book (512GB SSD) with its 1,011.6MBps. The Zenbook (512GB PCIe M.2 SSD) brought up the rear with 447.2MBps. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 graphics

Buoyed by its integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, the Slim 7 continued its winning ways. The laptop achieved 35 frames per second on the Sid Meyer’s Civilization 6 benchmark, easily clearing the 25-fps premium category average. The Zenbook and Galaxy Book with their discrete Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPUs reached 23 and 16 fps, respectively, while the Gram and its integrated Intel UHD Graphics only scored 10 fps. 

On the 3DMark FireStrike benchmark, the Slim 7 attained 3,467, which was more than enough to beat the Zenbook (2,250), Galaxy Book (2,215) and Gram (1,038).

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 battery life

AMD is on a serious roll here. Laptops with its latest Ryzen chips are destroying our battery test. After continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Slim 7 finally gave up the ghost with a time of 17 hours and 21 minutes. The 10:03 premium laptop seems paltry by comparison. The Galaxy Book came closest to matching the Lenovo with times of 15:44 and 13:14 (outdoor mode). The Gram clocked in at 14 hours while the Zenbook delivered a below-average 9:08.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 heat

The Slim 7 stayed cool under pressure with its touchpad measuring 80 degrees Fahrenheit after 15 minutes of playing a fullscreen HD video. The center of the system registered 92 degrees while the bottom reached 96 degrees, which is slightly above our 95-degree comfort threshold. Still, I wrote the entirety of this review with the laptop in my lap with no discomfort or ill effect. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 webcam

The Slim 7’s 720p webcam will do in a pinch. The detail in the test shots I took gave a hint of the intricate pattern at the top of my blouse and caught wisps of new growth sticking out at the top of my head. The best thing about the shooter is the color accuracy as it showed my shirt’s exact shade of pink. 

I’d still recommend investing in an external webcam if you’re doing a lot of video calls like me. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 software and warranty

Lenovo preinstalled a few helpful branded pieces of software to help get the laptop set up. Lenovo Welcome acts as a hub for the Migration Assistant and Lenovo Vantage. There’s even an offer for a free year of 30GB of storage from Dropbox. Vantage does most of the heavy lifting with utilities to keep your system and software updated, quick settings for the mic and camera, access to system diagnostics, security settings and troubleshooting measures. Lastly, there’s Lenovo Utility, which enables/disables hotkeys.

Outside of the usual mix of Windows 10 bloatware, there isn’t much by the way of third-party software. But of what’s there, Glance is the most interesting. Dubbed as an AI-powered app, Glance uses the webcam to track your gaze, blurring the screen to peeping Toms and Janes when you’re not looking directly at the display and even displaying a warning if someone’s cheeky enough to read over your shoulder. It will also allow you to snap windows and the pointer to a second display if you have one handy. Finally, the app will remind you every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds in a small bid for wellness.

The Lenovo Slim 7 ships with a 1-year limited warranty with depot service. See how Lenovo fared on our Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands special reports. 

Bottom line

Lenovo and AMD, where do you get off making a laptop this awesome and not making it available everywhere? Are my fellow U.S. laptop lovers and I going to really have to import this from Europe? I’m jealous! For $1,197, I could get a fairly lightweight, thin powerhouse that puts the competition to shame with its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and GPU. Also, I could move from room to room of my house without worrying about charging thanks to a whopping 17 hours and 21 minutes of battery life. Or at least I could if this laptop was available in the U.S. Why do you folks hate joy?

Since this version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 isn’t coming to the U.S., I’d recommend the $1,399 Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 15. The laptop offers a brighter, more vivid display, better transfer speeds and excellent performance and battery life (albeit not as good as the Slim 7) all in a gorgeous blue chassis with integrated pen support. I’m hoping that the U.S. models can match up to this version of the Slim 7, but if not, I’d recommend perusing the European shops to get your hands on this slim dynamo.

Lenovo's unannounced Ideapad Miix 720 2-in-1 got out of the bag a little early, according to leaked photos and specs from German site WinFuture. 

According to the report, the detachable 720 will get the upgrade to Intel's 7th-generation "Kaby Lake" Y-series CPUs, a 2880 x 1920 display, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. The device will allegedly charge via a newly added USB Type-C port but maintain two USB Type-A ports for existing peripherals.

MORE: Best Lenovo Laptops

The Surface competitor will, unsurprisingly, keep Lenovo's trademark watchband hinge and will come in both gold and black. According to the report, it will gain an infrared camera to log in with Windows Hello via facial recognition. Additionally, it seems that Lenovo will ship a new version of its stylus, the Active Pen 2, with more levels of pressure sensitivity.

There's no word on pricing, release date, or even an official announcement from Lenovo. But should the Miix 720 be released soon (and these details point to that being the case), we'll let you know what we think as soon as we test it.

[via WinFuture]

Laptop Guide

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• How to Configure Your Laptop: Specs That Matter
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• Why 78 Percent of Laptop Screens Suck
• A Guide to Computer Ports and Adapters
• 13 Ways to Make a Slow Laptop Faster
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• Laptop Locks Guide: Do You Need One?
• 10 Features You Can Skip to Save Money

Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 gives a whole new meaning to the phrase flexible budget. Priced at $499, this Best Buy exclusive offers the 360-degree, bendable hinge of the Yoga series without killing your wallet. While its Intel Celeron processor and integrated graphics aren't the most powerful, the Yoga 2 11 has everything you need for surfing the Web, watching video and keeping up with Facebook and Twitter. Not bad for a system this affordable.

Design

The Yoga 2 11 retains most of the elegance of the previous Yoga 11 models. However, in an effort to keep costs down, the Yoga 2 11's black chassis lacks the soft-touch finish we loved on other Yogas. Consumers looking for a splash of color can also get the laptop in Clementine Orange or Light Silver.

The plastic exterior is highly susceptible to fingerprints and smudges, so you'll want to keep a cleaning rag handy. The chrome Lenovo logo in the top right corner looks somewhat cheap, making the overall presentation appear chintzy. Fortunately, Lenovo kept the strong aluminum 360 hinges that are the Yoga series claim to fame.

Although they both weigh 2.8 pounds, the 11.7 x 8.12 x 0.67-inch Yoga 2 11 is slimmer than the 11.2 x 8.2 x 0.9-inch Toshiba Satellite NB15t. The ASUS Transformer Book T100 (1.2 pounds, 10.4 x 6.7 x 0.41 inches) is a featherweight by comparison, but its dimensions grow to 2.4 pounds, 10.4 x 6.7 x 0.93 inches when combined with its keyboard dock.

Multimode

Click to EnlargeIf Yoga's in the name, it's safe to assume you're going to see some multimode action. Like the original, the Yoga 2 can fold into four modes: Notebook, Stand, Tablet and Tent. Notebook Mode is your traditional clamshell setup, whereas Tablet Mode folds the lid backward onto the lid.

Stand Mode places the keyboard under the display, which makes it usable in such tight spaces as an airplane tray. Lastly, there's Tent Mode, which turns the notebook into an upside-down V. This mode can come in handy for accessing recipes while cooking.

MORE: Top 8 Windows 8.1 Tablet-Laptop Hybrids

In practice, the screen has about a second of lag when switching between modes. That often left us waiting for the display to reorient itself after we'd already finished turning the device.

We continue to be fans of multimode, but we wish the Yoga 2 11 had an elevating keyboard base similar to the one on the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga. Because the Yoga 2 11's keys don't retract, they were somewhat of a distraction when we held the device in Tablet Mode.

Multimode Apps

Click to EnlargeWhat good is a notebook that morphs if there are no good apps to take advantage of its versatility? Lenovo's Yoga Picks utility highlights apps that it thinks would be beneficial to users, and tailors its selections based on the Yoga 2's modes.

When you switch modes, a small notification appears in the top corner of the screen. Clicking the message opens the app, which offers a series of downloadable apps and games from the Pokki.com app store.

When we switched to Stand Mode, Yoga Picks recommended Music Maker Jam, Outlook, IMDB, SoundCloud and "Chimpact." When we switched to Tent Mode, the app offered RaRa, MTV, Vevo, Spotify, CNN and Vyclone.

In Tablet Mode, the software recommended Yahoo Weather and StumbleUpon, as well as games featured on the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 and the Lenovo IdeaCentre Flex 20, such as "Lenovo Roulette," "Chess," "Lenovo Air Hockey," and "Lenovo Tycoon."

Laptop Mode recommendations include Twitch, MapQuest, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Package Tracker and casual game "Duolingo."

While Yoga Picks is a good idea, we wish Lenovo would take the next step and allow you to launch apps instead of just downloading them. Once you've installed the apps that you want from Pokki's app store, Yoga Picks quickly loses its usefulness.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe Yoga 2 11 delivers vivid color with crisp detail on its 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 touch screen. The 1080p trailer of "Cuban Fury" was alive with color as dancers in bold blues, yellows and purples twisted and shimmied across the dance floor. Details were sharp enough to catch the sparkle of red rhinestones and the gentle sheen of the main character's rose sateen dress shirt.

Viewing angles were excellent and retained the screen's color and vibrancy in each of the four modes and easily accommodated two people. The display registered a bright 348 lux (342 nits) on our light meter, beating the 265 lux ultraportable category average. The T100 and NB15t hit 204 and 135 lux, respectively.

We found the 10-point touch screen very responsive; it allowed us to quickly launch apps, pinch to zoom and swipe between apps.

The Yoga 2 11 displayed only 68 percent of the sRGB gamut on our color test, which is better than the 67 percent ultraportable average and the NB15t's 61 percent. Color reproduction wasn't as accurate as we would have liked; the Yoga 2 11's Delta-E score of 6.6 is lower than the category average of 7 (lower scores are better, with 0 being perfectly accurate). The NB15t was somewhat more accurate with a score of 5.

Lenovo Motion

Touch isn't the only way to control the IdeaPad Yoga. For those who want a more hands-off approach, the Lenovo Motion application uses the Yoga's webcam to interpret gestures.

Once we enabled the software, the webcam switched on and followed our hand movements. According to Lenovo, the app operates from a distance of between 11.8 inches and 4 feet 11 inches. We found the software was most responsive when we were about 1.5 feet away.

MORE: 8 Worst Windows 8 Annoyances and How to Fix Them

The Lenovo Motion application works in tandem with software such as PowerPoint, Windows Photo Viewer and Yoga Chef. For example, we scrolled through photos and slides with a simple wave of the hand. We also made a thumbs-up gesture to pause and resume videos or slide shows.

When we viewed images, we held one fist up to zoom in or out. Once we became comfortable with the commands, we found that Lenovo Motion was quick and accurate. We preferred using the software in Stand Mode to flip through photos and watch movies. It is one of the better examples of motion-control software we've had the pleasure of using this year.

Audio

This petite laptop has an even smaller voice. The Yoga 2 11's bottom-mounted speakers failed to fill our small testing space. Drake's vocal on "Hold On We're Going Home" sounded hollow and was nearly overwhelmed by the pronounced echo effect. The bass was practically nonexistent on Kendrick Lamar's "Backseat Freestyle."

On the Laptop Mag Audio Test, the laptop hit 83 decibels at a distance of 23 inches. That's just below the NB15t and category average of 84 dB.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Click to EnlargeThe Yoga 2 11's keyboard might be AccuType in name, but not in practice. The island-style keyboard has the well-spaced, smile-shaped keys we've come to associate with Lenovo keyboards. But with only 1mm of vertical travel, as opposed to the typical 1.5-2mm for notebooks, typing on the keys was like repeatedly pressing down on a rock.

To make matters worse, there's considerable flex in the keyboard deck, making the keyboard more uncomfortable when used. We scored 50 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, which is below our 55 wpm average.

We had a better time with the 3.5 x 2.4-inch Synaptics touchpad, which delivered quick, fluid action as we performed multitouch gestures such as pinch-zoom, three-finger swipe and summoning the Charms menu. The bottom corners of the pad were a little mushy but ably did their duty as right and left mouse buttons.

Heat

Click to EnlargeThe Yoga 2 11's touchpad measured 84 degrees Fahrenheit after streaming a full-screen Hulu video for 15 minutes. The space between the G and H keys registered 92 degrees, a few degrees shy of our 95-degree comfort threshold. The bottom of the laptop posted a temperature of 101 degrees, but we still used the notebook comfortably in our lap for more than an hour.

Webcam

Click to EnlargeVideo and stills captured with the 720p webcam and the preinstalled Windows webcam had good color, but lacked definition. Our chocolate skin tone looked nice and warm in both natural and fluorescent lighting. The camera also did a good job capturing the red stripes in our co-worker's plaid shirt.

Our test shots were grainy almost to the point where it appeared we had on a photo effect. Our co-worker's hair was reduced to a brownish blob, while our locks were reduced to long, stringy blurs.

We saw similar results when we switched to the Lenovo Camera Man software. However, the software incorporates various frames and effects to add a little pizzazz to your photos. Our favorite feature of Camera Man is the ability to use Lenovo Voice Command to snap a shot with a simple "One, two, three -- cheese."

The webcam can also be used as a security measure with Lenovo's VeriFace Pro software. When enabled, VeriFace snaps your picture to be used for subsequent logins on the laptop. After registering your face, you can use facial recognition instead of a traditional password.

Ports

Click to EnlargeButtons for power, volume, rotation lock and Novo, Lenovo's OneKey Recovery software can be found on the Yoga 2 11's right. A USB 3.0 port and a mini-HDMI port are also located on the laptop's right. The left side contains a USB 2.0 port, an SD Card slot, a combination microphone/headphone jack and a proprietary power port.

Performance

Click to EnlargeIt's not the most powerful notebook on the block, but it gets the job done. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 is equipped with a 2.16-GHz Intel Pentium N3520 CPU with 4GB of RAM, which can handle moderate to light productivity tasks with relative ease. The notebook streamed an episode of "Young Justice" with six open tabs in Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome while running a full system scan.

The Yoga 2 11 got 1,865 on the PCMark7 benchmark, which is far short of the 4,112 ultraportable category average--which, to be fair, is mainly comprised of notebooks that cost upward of $1,000, and have SSDs and faster processors. The ASUS Transformer Book T100 and its 1.3-GHz Intel Atom Z3740 CPU notched 2,338, while the Toshiba Satellite NB15t (2.0-GHz Intel Celeron N2810 CPU) posted 1,458.

On the File Transfer Test, the Yoga 2 11's 500GB 5,400-rpm hard drive duplicated 4.97GB of mixed-media files in 2 minutes and 14 seconds, a transfer rate of 38MBps. That's far below the 133MBps average, but better than the T100 (64GB Flash Memory) and NB15t (500GB 5,400-rpm hard drive), which gave us 25 and 24MBps, respectively.

We booted Windows 8.1 on the Yoga in 17, seconds matching the T100, but missing the 15-second ultraportable average. The NB15t was only a couple seconds behind at 19 seconds.

During the OpenOffice Spreadsheet Macro test, the Yoga 2 11 matched 20,000 names and addresses in 16 minutes and 19 seconds, noticeably slower than the 14:07 average. That's better, however, than either the NB15t or T100, which posted times of 18:57 and 20:48, respectively.

Graphics

Click to EnlargeLike its processor, the IdeaPad Yoga 2 11's Intel HD Graphics GPU isn't built for heavy lifting. You won't have the oomph needed to play "World of Warcraft," but you can definitely play "Angry Birds," "Duolingo" or "Lenovo Air Hockey" to your heart's content.

When we ran the 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme test, the Yoga 2 11 scored 12,745. That's below the 20,333 ultraportable average, but much better than the Toshiba Satellite NB15t and the ASUS Transformer Book T100, which notched scores of 6,141 and 9,710, respectively.

During the "World of Warcraft" benchmark, the IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 achieved 20 fps at 1366 x 768 on autodetect. That's lower than the 34 fps average, as well as our 30 fps playability threshold, but it's better than the NB15t and T100, which hit 12 and 19 fps.

Battery Life

After continuously surfing the Web over Wi-Fi at 100 nits of brightness, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 lasted 5 hours and 19 minutes. That's well below the 7:54 ultraportable average.

We evaluated the Yoga 2 11 using the updated Laptop Mag Battery Test, in which we surf the Web continuously over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to 100 nits. In this case, it was a brightness of 28 percent.

MORE: 10 Laptops with the Longest Battery Life

On our previous version of the battery test, we set the brightness to 40 percent across the board; at these settings, the Toshiba Satellite NB15t and the ASUS Transformer Book T100 posted times of 4:07 and 9:19, respectively.

Software and Warranty

Click to EnlargeLenovo Companion helps new users by including the Getting Started Guide, App Showcase and other helpful links. Lenovo Support provides links to a User Guide, Hints and Tips, Knowledge Base and Discussion Forum. OneKey Recovery System allows you to create a backup image file of your hard drive in case of a crash.

The laptop also ships with a few Lenovo applications designed specifically for the Yoga line of laptops. Yoga Phone Companion syncs with your phone, and lets you text and place calls using your PC, share the contents of your PC via SMS, and display your phone's files on your PC.

With Yoga Photo Touch, you can edit photos, add digital frames, create collages and insert text bubbles. Yoga Chef serves as a recipe repository and lets you use voice commands to navigate the cooking instructions if your hands are covered with food.

Third-party apps include AccuWeather, Zinio Reader, Evernote Touch, Kindle, Nitro 8 PDF reader, and 90-day trials of Absolute Data Protect and McAfee Central.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 comes with a one-year parts-and-labor warranty. See how Lenovo fared in our Best & Worst Brands Report and Tech Support Showdown.

Configurations

Our $499 review unit is exclusive to Best Buy and features a 2.16-GHz Intel Pentium N3520 CPU with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB 5,400-rpm hard drive and an Intel HD Graphics GPU.

Lenovo also offers a $599 version has a 2.42-GHz Intel Pentium N3520 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB 5,400-rpm hard drive, a 16GB SSD and Intel HD Graphics. A $649 configuration has a 2-GHz Intel Celeron processor N2920, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB 5,400-rpm hard drive.

The $749 model has a 2.42-GHz Intel Pentium N3520 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB SSHD and a 16GB SSD.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeThey say you can't have it all, but the sub-$500 Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 11 comes close. For $499, you get a laptop with a bright, vibrant display and the Yoga line's extreme versatility and portability. Consumers looking for even more versatility should check out the ASUS Transformer Book T100, which has a detachable keyboard. While we wish the Yoga 2 11 offered a better typing experience and greater endurance, it's a good choice for budget-conscious shoppers interested in a 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid.

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