If you’re on a small budget or planning on buying a Windows 10 2-in-1 for someone who isn’t exactly tech-savvy, then the Lenovo Flex 6 11 ($329) is for you. The device is excellent for Windows newbies but is also great to keep “on the side” if you already own multiple Windows 10 PCs or tablets. I’ve been spending the last three weeks with the device, and here’s more on my overall experience.
Specs
The unit sent to us for review is powered by an Intel Celeron N4000 processor clocked at 2.6 GHz. It comes with a modest 2GB of DDR 2400 MHz RAM onboard with Windows 10 Home installed. Other specs which we will touch on throughout the review are listed below.
- Display: 11.6″ (295mm) HD (1366×768) color, anti-glare, 16:9 aspect ratio, 250 nits, 10-point Multi-touch, One Glass solution
- Storage: 64 GB eMMC flash memory onboard
- Wireless: 802.11ac 1×1 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1, M.2 Card
- Ports: 4-in-1 reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC), USB 2.0, USB 3.0 w/always-on charging, USB Type-C, HDMI, Audio Combo Jack
- Camera: 720p HD camera with microphone
- Audio: 2 stereo speakers powered by Dolby Audio Premium
- Battery: Li-polymer, 3-cell (36Wh) 6-hours
- Keyboard and Touchpad: 6-row, multimedia Fn keys buttonless Mylar surface multi-touch touchpad
- Color: Onyx Black
- Case Material: PC/ABS plastic
- Dimensions/Weight: 11.57″ x 8.03″ x 0.7″/ 2.75 lbs.
Build and design
Though not made of metal or aluminum, the lightweight PCS and ABS plastic material on the Flex 6 11 still manage to impress. The Flex 11 is all-around adaptable, featuring the same 360-degree hinges that are standard on Lenovo’s premium devices like the Yoga 730. It’s all pretty strong, and it didn’t bend or flex no matter how much I stressed the device. This also keeps things light and under 2 pounds, with dual tone Onyx black color and silver accents making it look great when sitting on any desk.
Display
For a device in the $300 price range, the 11.6-inch screen is solid. It is not full HD resolution, but the viewing angles are pretty decent. Any multimedia consumption is a real showcase of the 250 nits of brightness and antiglare system onboard the display.
Anyway, you also can use this display (and the device) in four modes— tent, tablet, laptop, or stand. I found the stand and tent most excellent for viewing my favorite videos on YouTube. For instance, the animations in The Cyanide & Happiness Show were front, center, bright, and lively.
The tablet and laptop mode, meanwhile, were perfect for casual web browsing and doodling in Fresh Paint. At the end of the day, the display is crisp, and very responsive, with the touch screen never lagging. It offers excellent value for those who aren’t used to premium devices.
Ports
When you drop $300 on a budget device, you might not expect it to have a lot of ports, but Lenovo is kind enough to think different. The Flex 6 11 features plenty of connectivity options, which means the Windows 10 newbie will never have to worry about buying confusing dongles for using their favorite gadgets to the device.
On the right side, you’ll find a USB C port, a standard USB 3.0 port, and HDMI jack. The inclusion of USB C was somewhat surprising, primarily since it usually is reserved for more premium devices. USB 3.0 is also appreciated, as well as HDMI since it means you can connect the device to anything you already own.
On the left side, there is another USB 3.0 port, a full-size SD card Slot, and the headphone jack. Again, it’s cool to see the SD Card slot here, since it allows power users to double up on the included 64GB of storage.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Even though the body is only 11.6 inches, the Keyboard and Touchpad on the Flex 6 11 both feel ergonomic and spacious. It’s not that cramped, and it provided me maximum comfort. The touchpad also is good enough for multi-finger gestures, and I never once had any issues with it. As for the keyboard, I was quickly able to type at 100 words per minute, without any flexing or hollowing out on the keys. For such a small device, there is plenty of room to type, but I do wish the keys were backlit.
Performance
The Flex 6 11 comes with the Intel Celeron Processor and just 2GB of RAM on board, so it isn’t exactly a workhorse. That said, it still is an excellent option for those who’ve never owned a powerful PC (like a child, or grandparent.) General web browsing and multimedia consumption like YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and other social media websites load up fairly quickly on the device.
Unfortunately, opening up multiple web browser tabs slows down the device and will eat up all the RAM. Again, that’s all why I think this is instead for casual use or someone new to PCs. You can see this with the Geekbench 4 scoring, which gives it some low numbers when compared to other Lenovo devices higher up the price range.
That’s not to say this is a lousy 2-in-1, as I still ended up using the Flex 6 11 quite often as a “side device.” I used it to write this entire review in Microsoft Word, and I also ended up using it to write in my OneNote journal every night before bed. I even picked it up to check on my RSS feeds whenever my other Windows 10 tablets or PC were charging. It’s an excellent all-around device to have on the side as a spare PC, but not something that will replace a desktop.
Battery Life
For standard web browsing and average multi-media consumption, you can expect the Flex 6 11 to last throughout the day. I went on a movie marathon and streamed several Amazon Prime series, and it lasted me three movies, for a rough total of 9 hours. Of course, this wasn’t continuous, and there were breaks in between, but the Intel Celeron processor is known to be very battery efficient.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Flex 6 11 is an excellent entry-point computer for younger children or older persons who have never used a Windows 10 device before. The build and design are simple but still have a premium feel, and the display is excellent for multi-media consumption. The processor on board also makes the device perfect for casual web browsing, and the extended battery life makes it excellent for watching movies and TV shows. You can buy the Flex 6 11 as we had it configured here from Lenovo for $329.
