Lenovo Ideapad Flex 20 review – hands on
Lenovo's latest all-in-one is compact and potentially quite powerful but we were surprised by its low-resolution screen
The new Lenovo Ideapad Flex 20 touchscreen all-in-one PC has a 19in IPS display, although this wasn’t set off to its best advantage when running off battery under the harsh lighting of the IFA exhibition centre. Nonetheless its colour reproduction is pleasing to the eye, even though its glossy screen can exhibit unwanted reflections under bright light.
The Flex 20 has a surprisingly low 1,600×900 resolution, but it’s also got plenty of power, available in configurations with up to an Intel Core i7-4500 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD or SSD, depending on which version you buy.
As the the name indicates, and like many of Lenovo’s recent products, the Flex 20 can be used in multiple positions. It normally functions as a compact all-in-one touchscreen PC with a standard landscape display and a fold-out stand which makes it easy to adjust to whatever viewing angle you require.
Fold it down flat, though, and you can use it as a giant touchscreen tablet, ideal for keeping the kids busy. Lenovo provides its own Aura interface, a suite of apps and games that provide a family-friendly selection of touchscreen optimised entertainment, including many two-user apps.
You can fold the PC flat to play games, draw or make it easy for others to see its screen
The Flex 20 has a battery that can keep it working hard for up to three hours, so you can move it and use it anywhere in the house, from watching a film in bed to looking up recipes in the kitchen. It also comes with a wireless keyboard and a uniquely horrible mouse, two USB3 ports and a headset port
The Flex 20 will be on sale at pricing starting from a little under £600. It’s certainly got the potential to be a capable home PC, but given the importance many rivals are placing upon high resolutions this year, it may get left behind in the scrum.
