Review of the Chinese tablet Chuwi Hi10 Pro. Killed the iPad Pro?

I also actively use similar gadgets. For example, on vacation I took a tablet with a keyboard from Chuwi. I don’t feel sorry for him if they steal or lose him – I didn’t dare to take the iPad to the beach. For surfing and texting, autonomy was enough for 8 hours.

Not a bad example to show usability. It seems that Atom + IPS display and keyboard dock is better than the AMD-E1 + TN bundle in the usual format. Or not?

Why Chuwi?

In fact, I didn’t buy this piece of hardware for myself, but for my child – like a school computer. Why him? In the Volga region, a strong inspection of parcels is being carried out, tablets without notification (and these are the majority among the Chinese) are confiscated.

Therefore, I bought from the Russian warehouse of Chuwi officials (if our readers know such stores, please write in the comments – we will collect the base).

Now Chuwi has several options for tablet computers that are similar in terms of filling and form factor: Chuwi Hi10 Pro, Chuwi Hi10 Plus and Chuwi Hi12. We wrote a review of the latter – it is not suitable as a travel device (flimsy docking station, tablet backlash in the keyboard).

The two 10-inch screens differ only in the aspect ratio of the screen. Pro has 16:9, Plus has 3:2. The former is better suited to replace a netbook, the latter instead of a traditional 9.7-inch tablet.

Appearance and usability

The appearance of Chuwi Hi10 Plus confirms that this is a tablet. This is probably why there is still a Windows touch key here (does anyone use it at all?). All connectors are concentrated on the top (for portrait mode) side, the power button and the volume rocker are on the top right side (similarly).

At the same time, the speakers are located with an eye to the landscape orientation, on the side faces. A left-hander in portrait mode runs the risk of closing one of them with his palm (however, a right-hander is also not easy to hold a pound in weight with one hand). It worked fine for me, but the volume margin is so-so even after disabling all system restrictions.

The aspect ratio determines the purpose. Since the Chuwi Hi10 Plus was originally supposed to be exclusively a tablet, a soft case with a keyboard was offered for the first revision of the device on the SoC Z8300. It can still be found on Ali. The choice between a docking station and a case is an amateur one.

The latest version is equipped with a rigid docking station that turns the tablet into a laptop. On the keyboard there is a swivel bracket in which the tablet is held with 2 magnets. The dock is more familiar to me, although the opening angle is small. You won’t work lying down. The cover with the keyboard allows you to open the tablet not by 100, but by 120 degrees. But there is only one position – and this is a disaster. But, at least since Hi12, something has been improved for the better:

• the holder is improved, the tablet does not fall out of the dock;
• the keyboard received normal keys;
• the touchpad does not phantom, multitouch works;
• the docking station has stopped moving around the table (4 large rubber feet and weight) and is on its knees normally.

The dock again has 2 USB ports and no additional battery. Sadly. But there is still a surprise. The keyboard of Chuwi Hi10 Plus is not simple:

• miniature Tab,
• Num keys are available on the right side of the keyboard with the Fn key pressed,
• next to the tiny arrows are Home, End, PgUp, PgDn.

Display: diagonal, matrix, sensor

Perhaps the biggest advantage of all Chinese tablets is the screen. Here 3:2 for content consumption. Unfortunately, unlike the Hi10 Pro, the Chuwi Hi10 Plus has an air gap (not OGS). By and large, this is very good, because you can replace the touchscreen without a screen. Cheaper and easier – for a budget device, this is important. Of course, this leads to slight distortions. And the most unpleasant thing is that it makes an additional contribution to the shine of a glossy screen in the sun.

The tablet uses an IPS-matrix with good resolution. 10-finger touchscreen, good quality. You can even hit a small interface element with your finger. If the tablet is frozen, problems begin: in the heat, a light touch with the edge of the finger is enough, in the cold, you need to apply force.

The top of the panel is covered with glass with unknown protective properties. Theoretically – Gorilla Glass. But still, no matter what is on the display – protective glass or plastic – it is impossible without additional protection. The days of JIAYU are over, everything beats, everything scratches. Moreover, in the case of Chuwi Hi10 Plus, there is no oleophobic coating. Prints come together incredibly well.

In addition to a fairly sensitive screen, the tablet can be equipped with a branded pen. The current revision – HiPen 2, differs from the previous one with a built-in battery and replaceable (!) Rods. The manufacturer claims recognition of either 256 or 1024 degrees of depression. No worse than Wacom. But in fact the screen does not allow you to draw. The stylus is suitable only for handwriting and poking at small elements of the Windows interface. In addition, Windows desperately lacks quality software with handwriting support and low system requirements.

Performance: what can a modern Atom do?

The main question that is asked when choosing a budget laptop or tablet is “Will I be able to play _game_name_?”. And they never believe that Atom copes with the whole mass of tasks beyond which the average user does not go. Much more important is the amount of memory: 4 GB is the minimum required today. What you can comfortably play on Chuwi Hi10 Plus:

• Dota 2;
• Half Life 2;
• NFC: Most Wanted
• World of Tanks.

As a tool for viewing a variety of documents and files, the tablet copes with any task. You can also edit small photos in Photoshop. Pulls Atom x5-Z8350 and other serious software:

• office;
• various SCADA;
• a dozen Chrome tabs with a dozen extensions;
• PyCharm or Visual Studio with small projects
• AutoCAD or KOMPAS (within reason).

Office work eats up the battery in 7 hours with Wi-Fi on and 8 hours in airplane mode. Using MS’s built-in browser gives similar results. But Chrome spends resources less economically, forcing it to charge every 5-6 hours, depending on the load and its own content. If Microsoft developed its own browser, users of many Win-devices with tach would go over to its side.

Interesting video moment. The Hi10 Plus finally has (not with the latest system updates) hardware decoding working. When playing 4K files, the processor load does not exceed 15-20%, Full HD – about 10%. True, Atom is still hard friends with Chrome – hardware processing does not always start in it (it still does not work in old tablets).

Last year’s Chuwi pleased with full-size USB ports. Hi10 does not have any – only microUSB and USB-C. With the help of the last tablet is charged. Pass-through charging is present, but highly discouraged – the hub is extremely sensitive. There is a video output, according to the manufacturer, 4K is supported.

In addition, there is microHDMI, which replaced the specific miniHDMI in Chinese tablets, for which it was never possible to find an adapter. There is no point in two ports with video output – it will be hard to toss and turn.

Operating System: Android vs. Windows

Like most other Chinese Atom tablets, Chuwi Hi10 Plus has a DualBoot bootloader: bare Android 5.1 + Windows 10 Creators Update Home (for one language). Android is easy to read and saves a lot of battery – Hi10 Plus lives longer in it by half an hour or an hour. As an added bonus in defense, it is still the most convenient free system for touchscreen control.

There is nothing to tell about Windows: the system is licensed, when purchased from the official store it comes with the Russian language or is Russified after the first launch. Everything works correctly and without problems.

If desired, you can install Linux Mint or Ubuntu on Chuwi Hi10 Plus. Works much faster than Windows and has no problems with drivers.

User experience and results

Chuwi Hi10 Plus has become my main work device while on vacation. Not from a good life, and not in the most comfortable conditions. I had to work in the most non-standard places for me: on the beach, in the mountains, in public transport and on the night promenade. The test went well with no nasty surprises. Of course, this is not a MacBook, and not even an XPS. But I wouldn’t take a serious laptop for fishing, and I don’t advise you.

Just like using the iPad as a navigator in the private sector of an unfamiliar city at night. There is no GPS in Chuwi (it does not exist at all with Atom processors), but such a task turned out to be possible. Like any other related to viewing, be it movies, Internet sites, documents. The screen does not fade in the sun, although it glares shamelessly.

Worst of all, the tablet showed itself in blind typing. I constantly miss Ctrl when hitting Fn. Over time I got used to it, but a certain feeling of dissatisfaction remained.

Chinese manufacturers learn from their mistakes and listen well to users. In sum, Chuwi Hi10 Plus for 10,500 rubles is more convenient, nicer than a laptop for the same purposes from the nearest store for 15-18 thousand. With texts, surfing – copes. Viewing the drawing, correcting the code, making a sketch is also convenient. And given the price, it’s not a pity to break or lose.

For office work or a study guide, the benefits of a good screen, form factor, and hardware can really outweigh an uncomfortable keyboard, glare, and a weak set of ports. How do we live with a MacBook and 1 USB-C?

(one votes, overall rating: 5.00 out of 5)

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I am often asked what to get as a portable computer for simple office work, movies and surfing. Usually I advise something from the Chinese on Atom: cheap, with good screens and good performance. I myself use these. What they are capable of – now I will tell.

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Nikolai Maslov

@nicmaslov

Not an engineer, radiophysicist and musician. I talk about technology in simple terms.

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