No need to turn the lights off on your way out
The Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 5i 24 is a smaller replica of the 27-inch Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 5i we reviewed recently. Based on a 24-inch display, this all-in-one PC is a mini dynamo for the price, at least as far as computing performance is concerned. At $900, it costs $350 less than its larger 27-inch sibling, and is a step faster. Both models feature the same Intel Core i5-12500H, but our 24-inch test model features twice the RAM of its big sibling. If you don’t have the space for a large-screen all-in-one PC, the IdeaCentre AIO 5i 24 delivers excellent bang for the buck, with one crucial exception. It suffers from one of the dimmest, dullest displays we’ve tested, making it suited only for dark dens or basements and a poor choice for kitchens and other bright public spaces—an AIO’s natural habitat.
Our Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 5i 24 test unit’s processor is a mobile CPU from Intel’s 12th Geneneration Alder Lake H series. It joins 16GB of RAM, integrated Intel graphics, and a 256GB SSD. We’re excited to see 16GB of RAM on board since the 27-inch model we reviewed offers only 8GB. On the flip side, we are disappointed by the 256GB SSD; the 27-inch version has a 512GB one. These days, a 256GB boot drive is undersized for any desktop outside of entry-level PCs.
Our test system (model 24IAH7) is available for $900 at Micro Center. It’s currently out of stock at Lenovo, replaced with a newer model with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, which is $1,074 and features a Core i7-13700H CPU, 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and a 512GB SSD. Given the two choices, I’d take our test model for $900 and pick up a cheap external drive if I fill up the system’s 512GB SSD.
The IdeaCentre AIO 5 24’s design is more about function than form. You’ll find nothing interesting about its looks—it’s destined to be deployed across a sea of cubicles more so than a reception area. At home, it’s better for a desk in your spare bedroom than a public area, a far sight from design-forward machines like the Apple iMac. Still, you’ll find plenty of functionality in the physical design. The IdeaCentre AIO 5 24 sits on a sturdy base that connects to the display via two chrome arms, which form a loop on the back of the system.
This is an all-in-one that arguably is more interesting from the rear than from the front. That’s because viewed from the front, it’s a display on top of what appears to be a dark-gray plastic speaker grille on top of a dark-gray rectangular base, with no eye-pleasing flourishes. The base is compact, at only 11.8 by 6.6 inches, but still is able to act as a steady anchor for the 24-inch display. As we saw with the 27-inch model, the IdeaCentre AIO 5 24’s base has a narrow channel that runs along the front. It might be a convenient spot to store a pen (of the ink variety, since the screen lacks touch support), but I worry it’ll just end up collecting dirt and dust, because I found my pen a bit difficult to dig out of the channel. Last note on the stand: it offers only tilt adjustment.
And about that alleged speaker grille below the display: It’s actually just a thick bezel with a corrugated pattern. The speakers face downward from under the display, but their quality is so poor that it wouldn’t matter if they fired toward your eyes and not the PC’s base. The audio output sounds muddied, with no separation between the high and mid tones, and the bass response is tepid at best.
The display of the IdeaCentre AIO 5i 24 is two steps down from that of the 27-incher we reviewed earlier. Not only is the panel three inches smaller, but it also offers only a quarter of the resolution. The 24-inch model has a FHD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) display, instead of the 27-inch unit’s QHD (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) display.
