The laptop scene is currently shaking things up in significant ways, and this shift is making its way even into the budget-friendly realms.
Throughout this week, I’ve been monitoring laptop prices, and I stumbled upon some irresistible deals that I absolutely must bring to your attention. For instance, there’s the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1, which is powered by the Snapdragon X Plus chip.
This device is a convertible Copilot+ PC that snagged a coveted Windows Central Best Award. It stood out for its fantastic OLED display, remarkable efficiency, and wallet-friendly pricing. Originally marked at $859, it’s now been slashed to $559 at Best Buy, offering a substantial $300 savings. Senior Editor Zac Bowden described it as “the ideal Snapdragon X Plus laptop for everyday office tasks and student work.”
Now, is it the right moment to purchase a new laptop? Given the laptop market is currently undergoing a significant overhaul due to new tariffs, my advice is for potential laptop buyers to start shopping immediately to preempt a potential price surge.
We’re seeing significant moves in the market. Framework and Razer have paused sales for some models in the U.S., and back in February, Acer announced a price increase of 10% following the initial tariff talks—affecting laptops largely made in China.
Indicators are pointing towards a steep rise in laptop prices in the U.S. in the near future. Yet, right now, we have a narrow opportunity where retailers still have stock that arrived before these regulations hit.
When the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 was priced at $859, it was already a great bargain. With an additional $300 off, the value becomes even more enticing.
In a review by Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 was highly praised, earning it four stars alongside the Windows Central Best Award. What makes this Best Buy offer appealing is the fact that these accolades were given when the device was sold at its regular price.
In his review, Bowden tested a $750 iteration, noting: “The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is among the first mid-range laptops I’ve examined featuring the Snapdragon X Plus. It’s priced at $750 and boasts an all-day battery life, solid productivity performance, a nice keyboard and trackpad, and a stunning 14-inch OLED touchscreen that supports pen input.”
He remarked on how, a few years back, achieving such specs for $750—particularly without sacrificing elements like display quality, trackpad, or battery life—was nearly unheard of.
The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 includes the advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus System-on-Chip (SoC), featuring a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 45 TOPS for handling local AI functions.
Even if you bypass the AI features of a Copilot+ PC, you’ll still benefit from Qualcomm’s outstanding efficiency. In his battery rundown test with Procyon, Bowden witnessed the device lasting over 15 hours on a single charge. Even deducting a few hours for a more realistic estimate, it should easily last a full working day.
While the laptop doesn’t aim to dazzle with style, and its camera and speakers are fairly middle-of-the-road, the display more than compensates for those sacrifices.
This 14-inch beauty sports a 1080p OLED panel, ensuring vivid color and contrast. It’s also capable of reaching around 400 nits of brightness, helping to minimize glare in bright environments.
