Established in 2004, Chuwi is a popular Chinese OEM headquartered in Shenzhen. A global strategic partner for both Intel and Microsoft, the company has recently gained some footing in the international market with availability on Amazon as well as Chinese online retailers like AliExpress and GearBest which ship its devices globally.
The company has launched some pretty good and affordable Windows 10 laptops and 2-in-1 devices in last year and a half, but now it’s upping the ante and wants to take on Microsoft’s Surface Pro with the new SurBook – a name so obviously ‘inspired’ from Surface Book.
The SurBook is a portable 2-in-1 Windows 10 device powered by the latest generation Intel Celeron N3450 processor and packs in 6GB of RAM. Compared to the Cherry Trail generation, Apollo Lake processors offer up to 30% performance improvement with improved power management for a longer battery life. The SurBook boasts of a 12.3-inch 2K display and sports a Surface Pro-like kickstand that you can adjust from 0 to 125-degrees.
Just like the Surface Pro, the SurBook comes with a detachable keyboard (to be available in Black and Purple) and a magnetic pen. The ultra-slim keyboard is backlit as well.
Chuwi SurBook Specifications
- Display: 12.3-inch 2K (2736 x 1824) | 267 PPI | 3:2 aspect ratio
- Processor: 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Apollo Lake N3450
- RAM: 6GB
- Internal Storage: 64GB/128GB | expandable via microSDXC card
- Battery: 10,000mAh
- Dimensions: 297.8 x 203.3 x 9.4mm
- Weight: 967g
- Ports: 1 x USB-C | 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
The SurBook is an obvious Surface Pro clone, but the company has delivered some nice products at affordable price points in the past. So, I’d not really dismiss it as just a rip-off.
Starting at $473, SurBook could be a nice device if Surface Pro is out of your budget. It’s a tad heavier that Surface Pro 4 (200-odd grams extra) and I’m wary of its trackpad issues (as experienced in past few products), but maybe as a package it doesn’t disappoint.
We’ll only know by end of July when the shipments are estimated. At the moment though, Chuwi is running an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for SurBook. Early backers can score one for as low as $299. You can check out the campaign details here.
