As a recent owner of a Lenovo Flex 5 14 with AMD4700U, I recommend verifying that USB-C alternate mode / Display Port capability is available. On the Flex 5 it isn't and it's quite annoying that docking for multiple displays, etc. is nerfed.
It's mystifying that there's pretty much no availability of competitive spec'd machines for such a great performing processor / GPU on the market. This Pangolin is slightly amazing for allowing up to 64GB of RAM -- all other options using AMD Ryzen 4XXX I've seen are limited to 8GB of soldered RAM, 1080p display, and 720p webcam. I was somehow lucky and got a 16GB version of the Flex 5 in July. Now it's completely disappeared from the market.
It just feels like dark market forces are preventing good options that people really want to buy.
I have also found this. it always seems to be a spec/display conflict and I think it results from us sitting between two very large markets. Consumer space prioritizes decent displays at the cost of poor quality-control/cheap components to keep costs down because that's what sells, and Enterprise space seems to drive costs down by aiming for better reliability at the expense of display options because the buyers are not the users, so the bad display kind of "doesn't matter" to the buyer and doesn't actually prevent work getting done like insufficient RAM might. The final nail in the coffin is Lenovo et. al, leaving off good display options so they don't cannibalize adjacent or higher product lines. :( Pretty massive first world problem, but annoying nonetheless.
How can one check what one's usb-c port supports? I have a Lenovo yoga 920 (I think that's what it is... Got it as a warranty replacement for a different device). I have a usb-c to HDMI adaptor from the first device and it doesn't work on this newer device, which is quite annoying.
I agree it's not easy many times because of all the different modalities of USB-C. And, as a shopper, it feels like many in the industry is preying upon that ambiguity.
"alternate mode" support and "display port" support are the keywords I know to look for. Or alternatively, beware of ones that say "Data and Power Distribution (PD) only"
Seeing it not mentioned in the Pangolin specs doesn't give me hope for this unit -- no mention in the expansion ports section AND no mention in the video ports section. Red flags for me and my desired way of computing.
The 4500U and 4700U are a different market segment than the 4700H and 4800H. If you buy a gaming laptop, you can get 32 or 64 GB of RAM, dual SSDs, and a GTX, RTX, or RX GPU.
I agree. But that comes at a cost of weight and bulk. The Pangolin is a 4700U. There should be a great 4700U option that competes with top-of-the-line Mac and Dell Intel SKUs.
It's mystifying that there's pretty much no availability of competitive spec'd machines for such a great performing processor / GPU on the market. This Pangolin is slightly amazing for allowing up to 64GB of RAM -- all other options using AMD Ryzen 4XXX I've seen are limited to 8GB of soldered RAM, 1080p display, and 720p webcam. I was somehow lucky and got a 16GB version of the Flex 5 in July. Now it's completely disappeared from the market.
It just feels like dark market forces are preventing good options that people really want to buy.