Lenovo 14" 81SS0002US Review

The Lenovo Flex-14API is a convertible laptop that tries to be a jack of all trades, but ends up being a master of none. The one thing you need to know? It's hamstrung by a bizarrely low 4GB of RAM in a $999 machine. That's a deal-breaker for any kind of modern multitasking, and it completely overshadows the decent AMD Ryzen 7 CPU. You're buying a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen, but you can't actually use it for much because it'll choke on basic workloads.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700U is a solid 8-core processor, landing in the 63rd percentile for CPU performance. It should feel snappy for basic tasks. But that 'should' is doing a lot of work here. The real-world performance is completely kneecapped by the 4GB of RAM. Opening more than a few browser tabs will have this thing swapping to the SSD and grinding to a halt. The Radeon Vega 10 graphics are fine for video playback, but don't expect to game on it.

At $999, this is a terrible value. You're paying premium laptop money for a machine with a critical, performance-killing flaw (the RAM). You can find much better equipped laptops, or even other 2-in-1s, for the same price or less. It's not worth it.

Compared to other Lenovos, the ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 is a far more serious business machine with better build and upgradeability, though it costs more. The ASUS Zenbook Duo is a more innovative and powerful 2-in-1 in a similar form factor. Even an Apple MacBook Air with an M1 chip, while not a convertible, will run circles around this in performance and battery life for a similar price. The Flex-14API loses on specs to all of them.

Do not buy this laptop. The 4GB of RAM is a fatal flaw that makes it unsuitable for its intended use as a student or business convertible. There are too many better options at this price point that don't have such a glaring weakness. Look at anything else on your list.