How reliable are Chuwi devices?

[Faris FS]

Hi. Can anyone share their long term experience with Chuwi hardware, preferably on the Surbook mini? I'm thinking of buying it for my primary device (I'm on a tight budget) but I'm concerned with the longevity of the devices.

I'm considering a less attractive Lenovo yoga 310 as an alternative.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

It's been a while since I had a Chuwi device. Maybe three or so years ago, I bought a Chuwi tablet on eBay. It's was one of those dual boot Android/Windows tablets. Needless to say, my experience with it was horrible. It felt very cheaply made. Within minutes of unboxing and booting it up, I noticed that everything was in Chinese. It was a pain figuring out how to change everything to English. Once that was done, I noticed that there was a watermark on the bottom right of the desktop letting me know that it was using an unlicensed version of Windows. After many messages back and forth with the seller and Chuwi, I was left with the fact that I was going to have to purchase a license in order to use it properly. Chuwi rightfully blamed the seller for installing a fraudulent OS, but ever since then, I've stayed away from the lower tiered OEMs like Chuwi, Onda, and Cube. I'm sure that you'd have nothing to worry about if you bought directly from Chuwi or a reputable seller, though. That was years ago, so I'm sure their products have improved.

 

[Martin Plamondon]

I have a Chuwi HI10 Pro, Windows/Android dual boot and never had an issue with it, unlike the post above my Windows was licensed. I had also bought the clip-on keyboard and ir works great. A bit underpowered with an Atom processor.

The Android aide gave me a bit more problems, with some apps that don't seem to run on Intel even though they still install.

A friend who bought one on my recommandation had his screen break but Amazon refunded him after some discussion.

I wish they do these kind of dual boot tablets with a Windows on ARM and Android running really on ARM processor.

 

[Paul Gorski]

Two 10" Chuwi's, both live at the local dump now. Never again. Junk POS. Poor support.

 

[Jmh89]

I bought a Chuwi Hi10 Pro 10.1 Inch Tablet dual boot Windows 10 & Android. The Android parts works ok, but the Windows 10 part is downright nasty. Whenever it's resumed from sleep, it has to be rebooted cause it is so slow and laggy. Edge keeps locking up and Chrome is very slow. I'm not sure if it's the Atom power that makes it so bad or what, but regardless, I just purchased a Surface go on ebay the other day with the discount to replace it. I might sell the Chuwi on eBay???

The Chuwi feels well built and the keyboard is quite good, but it has a tiny trackpad that has horrible response. I don't know what their other products are like, but I would be a bit scared.

 

[Mike Buckhurst]

I bought a Hi10 to use whilst traveling, so far it seems pretty good, I've not had any issues whatsoever, both Android and Windows perform well. I've not installed many Android apps, so not hit the issues with Intel compatibility, probably more of a problem is it's version 5 or 5.1, so a lot of apps won't work. The Surface Go is a far more tempting prospect now with a high price premium, but certainly when the Chuwi was bought, there were few options available.

Perhaps the biggest issue on the device is the screen, it's not perfectly flat so you would have difficulty using a gorilla glass protector, and without a protector it scratches too easily.

 

[Yakko Warner]

I use a Hi10 and have had it for several months. No major issues with it to report. I rarely use the Android side, sticking almost exclusively with Windows. It is a little slow, but it's an Atom, so I kind of expect that. Occasionally it stops detecting Wi-Fi networks coming out of sleep mode, requiring a reboot (which is quick, so I consider it a minor inconvenience). Once in a blue moon, even a reboot doesn't fix that, and I have to go into device manager and disable and re-enable the Wi-Fi adapter. It's a pretty minor problem to me, with a pretty quick fix; and I'm not entirely sure if it's the hardware or software, since even my desktop occasionally can't detect my network coming out of sleep mode until I reboot.

 

[NConley9]

I own an original Surbook. I've had a few issues with it, but overall I would recommend Chuwi. The first thing I did was format it and install a clean version of Windows 10 (which wasn't necessary really, there wasn't much bloat). That was a big mistake. They have very specific drivers, so I had to revert to an original system image. Also, when it launched there was an issue with the touch screen, but it was patched. My only existing isue is that the touch pad on the keyboard cover is garbage. For what I paid though, it's a nice machine.

 

[Ondadawg]

Have been looking to get a chuwi laptop for a while but lack of touch screen, no fingerprint unlocking, no 360 hinge and no USB-C charging lets me keep looking elsewhere

 

[Drael646464]

Yeah I can answer this as someone who's very familiar with Chinese brands, and has used several Chuwi devices.

Chuwi is overall a pretty good budget brand. They do more right than wrong. However model to model, there are noteable compromises.

Here, the screen is great for a budget tablet, but the pen is ****e, and the speaker loudness is low.

As I say, it's model by model, because something like the Chuwi Hi10 models had some of the best speakers of any budget Chinese tablet.

And there are Chinese tablets with decent pens. Techtablets is literally the go to, authority on Chinese tablet reviews. Head over there and listen to some of his video reviews, and you'll find something that suits your needs.

If you check his reviews, you'll know exactly where the price compromises are, and where the high quality surprises are, and in general what to expect.

There are strong areas to the Chuwi sur mini, just depends on what your use case is.

The other comment I'll make, that whilst there's no "support", brands like Chuwi have gotten much better at refining the software.

So like on the old models you'd get weird little issues like wifi dropping out, you don't tend do get that kinda stuff anymore.


I've personally owned about three Chinese tablets, never had any issues really. I've used a whole bunch more. There are model, by model weak points, usually the things mentioned here - pen, speakers, wifi. Screens are sometimes ex-Microsoft model screens, and can sometimes be excellent. You get some individual surprises, and where you find those, it's a pretty solid experience.

My current tablet is a teclast x98. I deleted the android partition, originally it was dual boot (I don't advise that process, it's complicated, lol). Wifi is a little weak, but it never bothers me, i'm never that far from a hotspot. Ram is single channel but it still runs alright. Speakers are a little tinny but I always use headphones when watching media anyway.

As I say, Chinese tablets have been getting better. Fully laminated screens are now more common. As are things like machined aluminium backing. CPUs are slowly pushing forward to newer gens. Ram has moved past intensely budget levels. Back in the day, it was a real crapshoot. Now, if you stick with the better brands, check the reviews, you might get some weak points, but you can get some excellent value for money.


I'd recommend buying straight from the OEM themselves though, via aliexpress. You don't need some middle man adding expense, and also tinkering with it, or selling older batches without software patches or early batch issues.

 

[joshcsmith13]

My house has/had two Chuwi devices, a Hi10 Pro and a Hi13 - both tablets with the optional keyboard. As mentioned, for the price, they're pretty nice. I never had any significant complaints about either one, until I made the mistake of plugging the Hi13's higher powered USB-C charger into the Hi10 and fried it - dead, instantly.
I reached out to their "support" via Facebook and was told that was my fault and even though both devices use USB-C charging that they are not designed to use alternative chargers.
Boo.
That said, the Hi13 is still plugging away admirably, and it has a great touchscreen. The touchpad is a little buggy (and regularly interrupts typing), but I just remind myself that I saved a bunch of money by going with this brand.

 

[davidtayo]

I have a Chuwi HI10 Pro, Windows/Android dual boot and never had an issue with it, unlike the post above my Windows was licensed. I had also bought the clip-on keyboard and ir works great. A bit underpowered with an Atom processor.

The Android aide gave me a bit more problems, with some apps that don't seem to run on Intel even though they still install.

A friend who bought one on my recommandation had his screen break but Amazon refunded him after some discussion.

I wish they do these kind of dual boot tablets with a Windows on ARM and Android running really on ARM processor.

I am hoping this happens too.

 

[Hawkwind2005]

Been using the Hi13 for nearly two years now. Just everyday stuff, Office applications, Netflix, a bit of light Web design and gaming, it's fine. Reliable enough, and performance is just what you'd expect for the low spec. The screen is stunning and keyboard nice except for lousy track pad, so I got a Bluetooth mouse. Pen is OK for light duties. Classic case of getting what you pay for! If it's for light use, you should be fine.

 

[Drael646464]

Have the Chuwi Surbook Mini now. It's solid in terms of reliability. It has it's issues (speakers all fire one way), but chuwi as a company IMO, is a solid budget option. Not quite the xiaomi of tablets, but similarly priced, ok spec'd, and decent build quality.