Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 15” (Intel) review

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 15" (2022): the middle rung done right

The IdeaPad 5i 15 (2022, Intel) at $470 pairs an Intel Core i3 1215U with a GeForce MX550 carrying 2GB, and 24GB of memory. It sits between the batch's two $399 IdeaPads and the $666 convertibles, and its sheet reads like a machine that spent the extra dollars where they show.

Where it holds up

The graphics score of 49.14 stands 80.4% above the general-laptop median of 27.24, mainstream-tier and top quartile. Photo design posts 88 — top band — as the sheet's strongest axis, value at 71.7 (high) endorses the price, and office at 74.89 (high) anchors the working case. Reliability reaches 66, top quartile for the class. The recommended-bar checks pass for Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege, GTA V is judged by its pass flag alone, and Far Cry 5 logs a plausible 45 frames at its recommended bar — the best game figure in this batch's IdeaPad set. Photoshop and Visual Studio Code clear their minimums.

Where it falls short

Memory is the named weakness: 24GB against a 32GB median, a 25% shortfall — closer to the norm than the budget shelf's 16GB, but short all the same. Portability at 46.9 (mid) is the 15-inch tax, and the throughput mids (gaming 57, modeling 53, CAD 53) are clearance-tier work done honestly by an entry CPU and card.

Price and depreciation

At $470 the class rate reads 11.94% per year with no cohort anchor for a projection — rate-only framing for the general segment. The listing sits $71 above the floor of the batch; the remaining depreciation applies to a small base on a machine this complete.

Alternatives to consider

The IdeaPad 3i 15 at $71 less carries the older MX350 and a weaker photo band — the savings are real but visible. The IdeaPad 5 15 AMD at $399 offers mobility instead of graphics, the endurance-leaning budget choice. The Yoga Slim 7i Pro 14 at $313 more moves to the premium shelf entirely.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. The IdeaPad 5i is the middle rung executed properly — top-band photo design, a 45-frame Far Cry 5 showing, top-quartile reliability — with a 24GB ceiling as the only spec that quietly dates it.