New Chinese brands: Chuwi - tablets, laptops and mini PCs

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Chinese manufacturers are actively exploring the international market. In the spring, Chuwi brand ranked fifth

crowdfunding campaign by bringing together on Indiegogo andKickstarter more than half a million dollars to release a new tablet transformer UBook. Today we will try to figure out where this brand came from, and what makes Chuwi its buyers like that.

The story of Chuwi began in 2004 with the companyShenzhen Manyin Technology Co., Ltd., which has been developing MP3 players. The debut model Little Beibei (NA700) was equipped with a miniature monochrome OLED-panel and storage capacity from 128 to 512 megabytes. Later the line was replenished with more advanced devices with color screens and support for MP4 format. In March 2007, the manufacturer registers the Chuwi brand (驰 为), all new music players are already released under it. Among the first such gadgets was a metal Chuwi S50 with 2 GB of memory. On his images you can also see the old version of the logo:

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Towards the end of 2007, the company is breaking intoThe portable media player segment - rectangular boxes with screen sizes up to 7 inches were very popular at the time. The 5-inch model of the 2009 Chuwi P7 became a landmark for the brand. At a cost of about $ 100, it was able to play Full HD video and was omnivorous in terms of formats. A year later, the proprietary e-book Chuwi P7 Book comes out with a color TFT panel instead of the E Ink screen. After several more readers of the same format (P500, P700), the topic disappeared.

In 2010, Chuwi agrees to cooperatewith MediaTek, Huawei (the company's main interest was the company's 3G modems) and Internet giant Google. The closed software in MP5 players is gradually replacing the young and fresh Android, but this is not yet the answer to the iPad. The first branded tablet saw the light only at the end of 2011, it became the Chuwi V1 with an 8-inch HD screen, Android 2.3 OS on board and the stated four hours of battery life:

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Outside China, the brand began to recruitpopularity in 2012, when tablets Chuwi appeared on popular online sites (models V9 Extreme, V80, V99 and others). In 2013, the manufacturer announced a partnership with Microsoft and the processor giant Intel, which was then trying to gain a foothold in the mobile market. In the summer of 2014, Chuwi introduces the V99i Android tablet on the Intel Bay Trail-T chip. Behind him comes the Chuwi VX8 3G, which was sold in two versions - with Android 4.4 or Windows 8.

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Chuwi Vi8 Super Edition

In early 2015, Chuwi launchesmodification of the Vi8 tablet with "hot" switching between Windows and Android (over time, similar firmware has been part of the already released models). I did not forget about the manufacturer and accessories - branded keyboards and styluses are on sale. In 2016, Chuwi decides to try his hand at the laptop market and launches a new line of LapBooks. The first project of the team at Indiegogo was the Chuwi SurBook transformer tablet with the design in the style of Surface Pro. In the summer of 2017, it was possible to collect over one million dollars for its release.

Since 2014, the company has been promoting the ILIFE robot vacuum cleaner brand, but this is a topic for a separate material - you first need to deal with the Chuwi device line. So let's get started.

1. Chuwi AeroBook

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"Air" laptop also appeared thanksuser support Indiegogo. It is equipped with a good 13.3-inch Full HD-display with thin frames. Inside - a dual-core Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor with integrated graphics HD Graphics 515. The official store on AliExpress has a configuration with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD drive. Keyboard Chuwi AeroBook is equipped with a two-level backlight. And although the manufacturer can only offer Cyrillic stickers (do not forget to ask about it in the order comment), the keys respond well to laser engraving. Despite the four built-in speakers, their sound is average.

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The laptop comes preloadedmultilingual Windows 10 OS. The case is made of an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Plastic only the surface around the keyboard, but it is well disguised as painted metal. There is a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter, Bluetooth 4.0, two full-sized USB 3.0 ports, a symmetrical USB Type-C, mini-HDMI, 3.5-mm mini-jack and a power connector. If you wish, you can use USB Type-C charging, but this will require a powerful charger with support for the Power Delivery 2 standard. A battery with a capacity of 38 Wh provides up to 8 hours of operation.

The bottom of the Chuwi AeroBook can significantlyheat up, but only under load. It is also worth noting that the F1-F12 function keys work through Fn, and you cannot change the behavior of the top row in the BIOS.

Cost: $ 440.62. Want to buy!

2. Chuwi Lapbook Pro

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More simple model with fine frame 14.The 1-inch Full HD display is built on a four-core Intel Celeron N4100 processor (Gemini Lake) with a frequency of up to 2.4 GHz and integrated ninth-generation graphics. RAM 4 GB, built-in - 64 GB (eMMC). Not so much, although the laptop has an M2 slot for installing an SSD drive, to which, if desired, you can transfer the Windows 10 operating system. The Lapbook Pro is metallic, but the palm rest is made of plastic. Below are two speakers.

The symmetric USB Type-C port is also used forpower supply, and to connect compatible (low-power) devices. There is also a “regular” USB 3.0, micro-HDMI and audio jack. The keyboard is equipped with a backlight, with localization everything is the same: we ask the seller for stickers or carry them to the engraving after purchase. The battery at 37.24 W · h is designed for 8 hours of work in the typewriter mode.

Cost: $ 301.12. Want to buy!

3. Chuwi HeroBook

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The most affordable laptop brand supplied 14.1-inch screen with a "budget" resolution of 1366 × 768 pixels, and although the IPS-panel is declared, the viewing angles are not the widest. But the surface is matte. The heart is already an elderly quad-core Intel Atom X5 E8000 processor, 4 GB of RAM. The manufacturer has installed a 64 GB eMMC drive, and the M.2 slot for connecting SSDs has not gone anywhere either. The new version has a keyboard backlight. Multimedia keys again made major.

The laptop is enclosed in a plastic case, paintedunder the metal. From the interfaces are available two USB 3.0, mini-HDMI, slot for SD-cards, 3.5-mm jack and charging port. Four built-in speakers are average in quality. Battery 38 W · h, declared up to 9 hours of work without recharging.

Cost: $ 274.99. Want to buy!

4. Chuwi Hi9 Plus

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So we got to the tablets. Chuwi Hi9 Plus is a high end model with a 10.8-inch 2.5K-screen (2560 × 1600 pixels) and support for 4G LTE networks. Responsible for the performance of a 10-core MediaTek Helio X27 processor with a graphic accelerator Mail-T880 MP4. He copes with everyday tasks, only heavy games will have to be forgotten. RAM 4 GB, and in addition to the 64 GB drive, there is a hybrid slot for a microSD card or a second SIM card. In the new revision, the power button was painted in dark red, and a second speaker appeared at the back, although the stereo sound was not delivered.

Both front and main camera of the tablet8 megapixel. Behind the metal back cover is a battery with a capacity of 7000 mAh. The manufacturer promises 10 hours of work in video mode. You can connect drives and other devices to the USB Type-C connector. Supports Wi-Fi 5 GHz and GPS. The operating system is Android 8.0 Oreo. Optionally available is an active AAAA powered stylus and a keyboard case with a magnetic connector. In the order it is worth reminding the seller about the Cyrillic stickers.

Cost: from $ 189.74. Want to buy!

5. Chuwi Hi10 Air

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At one time, Chuwi bundles produced inexpensiveWindows tablets, but now only Hi10 Air remains in the line. It is built on an elderly Intel Atom x5-Z8350 chip, 4 GB of RAM. Productivity is enough for web surfing, working with documents and watching videos. With games it is more difficult - even something simple can start to slow down after a while, since the processor resets the frequencies during heating. If the built-in 64 GB drive is low, you can expand the available memory using a microSD card.

Among the branded accessories there is a stylus anda keyboard with two USB ports; when connected, the Chuwi Hi10 Air turns into a laptop. Both cameras are 2 megapixel tablet. At the ends of the body are stereo speakers. In addition to the Micro USB port, there is a universal USB Type-C, micro HDMI and audio jack. The battery capacity of 6500 mAh supports fast charging. With an average screen brightness, the time in mixed mode is more than 5 hours.

Cost: from $ 178.12. Want to buy!

6. Chuwi Hi9 Air

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Chuwi Hi9 Air is equipped with 10.1-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels. In terms of hardware stuffing without surprises: Helio X20 10-core chipset (quite vigorous, though not gaming), 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash memory. The case is almost completely metal, antennas and three slots for a microSD card and two SIM cards are hidden behind a plastic cover. The rear camera is 13 megapixel, the front one is 8 megapixels. Two speakers, but without stereo effect. There is also Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac and a GPS module (without a compass). The model comes with Android OS 8.0 Oreo on board.

The thickness of Hi9 Air is only 7.9 mm, while inside the battery capacity of 8000 mAh. One charge is enough for about 7 hours of watching videos on YouTube, tablet autonomy at a good average level. An accessory case is available in a regular case, without a keyboard.

Cost: from $ 168.62. Want to buy!

7. Chuwi Hipad

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Chuwi Hipad looks like a rolling pingaming smartphone Nubia Red Magic. In any case, the tablet should not be considered as a game: not all games are given to the 10-core Helio X27 chip, with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory, you don’t have much fun either. Of the nice bonuses - a metal case and a good IPS-display with a diagonal of 10.1 inches (1920 × 1200 pixels). The device is running the operating system Android 8.0 Oreo. Two 5-megapixel cameras shoot mediocre, but in the budget segment is a common thing.

To charge the battery with a capacity of 7000 mAhUSB Type-C port is used. The battery life depends on the load, on average, you can count on 10 hours of screen activity. There are dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. For microSD memory cards for some reason, they made a hybrid tray. You can not insert a SIM-card - Chuwi Hipad does not react to it in any way.

Cost: $ 139.99. Want to buy!

8. Chuwi Hi9 Pro

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More compact Chuwi Hi9 Pro got 8.4-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels and 2.5D effect. Inside - a ten-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor with a frequency of up to 2.3 GHz. One 3/32 GB configuration is available. The tablet supports GPS and two SIM cards (instead of the second, you can use microSD). The main camera is 8 megapixel, the front camera is 5 megapixels.

The Chuwi Hi9 Pro case is metal,except for plastic inserts for antennas above and below. The battery capacity of 5000 mAh provides more than 9 hours of work in the mode of watching videos and surfing the Internet. Charging port - symmetrical USB Type-C.

Cost: $ 129.99. Want to buy!

9. Chuwi Hi9

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Ultrabudgetary model with a decent 8.4-inch screen (2560 × 1600 points) and a quad-core MediaTek MT8173 chip with a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz. The tablet is suitable for watching videos, working in the browser and simple games. For more, it is not enough, despite the whole 4 GB of RAM. In addition to the 64 GB drive, there is a slot for microSD cards. The main camera is 5 megapixels, the front 2-megapixel module is suitable only for video calls. There is only one speaker, but the sound quality is not bad.

Battery autonomy meets capacity5000 mAh, the operating time on a single charge reaches 8 hours. Chuwi Hi9 is controlled by an older version of the Android OS 7.0 Nougat. Among the shortcomings of the device, users note a squeaky plastic case and perceptible heating at the top of the back panel, if the tablet is loaded. Both problems are partially solved by buying a case. Some craftsmen even install a copper plate inside to remove heat from the processor.

Cost: $ 103.12. Want to buy!

10. Chuwi GBox

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In addition to tablets and laptops, Chuwi is developingmini-computers, although this is not the main brand profile. The low-cost GBox on the quad-core Intel Celeron N4100 is equipped with 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB eMMC drive. The RAM is soldered to the board, but for data storage, you can additionally install a 2.5-inch disk and a fast SSD-drive in connector M.2. Behind there are two ports USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, VGA, audio jack and Reset button. Front - USB Type-C, two USB 3.0, a slot for microSD cards and a power button.

Chuwi GBox comes with an operating systemWindows 10. Mini PC can be used as a media player. It supports 4K video playback, and comes with a remote control with mouse cursor function. Economical chip allowed to do passive cooling. If necessary, the black box is easily attached to the back of the monitor using a VESA-bracket.

Cost: $ 179.99. Want to buy!

The publication of the material coincided with the summer sale of AliExpress, in which the brand store Chuwi decided to please us with discounts. Catch the moment - promotional prices are valid only until June 24.