Chuwi has been doing a pretty good job in the tablet department. The company has really made a name for themselves by delivering interesting Windows 10 tablets at very compelling prices. Today we take a peek at one of its most prominent launches to date; the Chuwi Hi10, a dual boot tablet that's currently on sale for $159 at Gearbest.
Sure, the tablet stands out thanks to its prominent retina display, 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage but surely it must have its flaws. That's why today we're ready to tear it up as we review the pros and cons of the Chuwi Hi10.
However, let's not forget that as a productivity tablet, the Chuwi Hi10 also comes ready to work with a dedicated keyboard, one that we'd urge potential customers to buy if they're really looking for something aimed more towards productivity.
Chuwi Hi10 The Pros and Cons you must consider
The cons of the Chuwi Hi10
It's running on Android 5.1
The first con of the Chuwi Hi10 that we can quickly point out is the fact that, while the tablet works with both Windows and Android, the version of Android it's operating is Android 5.1 and not the latest version; Android 6.0. This means that if you were planning on using this tablet with the Android OS you'll be using the previous version and not the current version of the OS.
That said, most Android tablets on sale right now work with Android 5.1 and only a select few run with Android 6.0 right off the bat. Dual-boot tablets that run the latest version of Android are even rearer so if that's the con holding you back I wouldn't really hold my breath on seeing a dual boot tablet with the latest version of Google's mobile OS.
It's still aimed at basic computing
Sure, as a tablet, it's an excellent tablet which will deliver as much productivity as a Windows 10 tablet can deliver but let's not forget that at it's essence it's still a tablet. Obviously, you can attach a keyboard to it but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's still aimed at basic computing tasks.
You can do some document editing, web surfing, movie watching, video chatting but that's about as productive as you're gonna get. Then again, it's about as productive as you would get with an entry level laptop so there's not much of a difference there.
Battery life is OK but not great
Battery life is always an issue when it comes down to smartphones and tablets so it's no surprise to find the battery life amongst the Chuwi Hi10 cons. Specifically, the Hi10 has a 6500mAh battery which can deliver up to 6 hours of video streaming time and up to 8 hours of mixed productivity.
These numbers aren't all that bad and a lot of tablets have numbers that are a lot worse but it's also not amongst the most impressive battery life numbers we've seen.
The keyboard is not included in the purchase package
Another disadvantage of the Chuwi Hi10 which is also common amongst its peers is the fact that the tablet is sold without a Keyboard. For a tablet that's focused on productivity you would think that it would be sold with the keyboard but it's not. Then again, Microsoft doesn't sell it's surface with the keyboard nor does Apple with the iPad Pro so why should Chuwi?
Overall, you can buy the keyboard separately for a very convenient $33, much less than the three digits that Apple and Microsoft request for their keyboards.
It doesn't have 3G or 4G connectivity
Connectivity is slightly limited on the Chuwi Hi10 to WiFi and Bluetooth. That's a bit disappointing for those users on the move who like to have internet on their tablets without having to place a dongle in the USB port or connect to a WiFi hotspot.
That said, most tablets are currently sold without 3G or 4G support because most users will use tablets at places where they already have an internet connection like their homes or their offices.
Pros of the Chuwi Hi10
Behold the better than Full HD display on a low cost tablet
While having the latest features on the inside is certainly an uncommon trait on an affordable tablet, having a high end screen is pretty much unheard off. However, that's exactly what Chuwi has done on the Chuwi Hi10 which arrives with a 10.1 inch 1920 by 1200 pixel display.
That makes the Hi10 the perfect tablet to do some light image editing, watch movies in high definition or even for video chats so that you may see your friends cristal clear. All in all, a better than Full HD display only has good things to offer the end user.
High end hardware
Chuwi could've gotten away with 2 GB of RAM but the company ultimately decided to up the bounty and place a 4GB module instead. That means you get a Windows 10 tablet that can actually multitask properly and not like most tablets do these days where they end up refreshing the pages over and over again and call that "multitasking".
But 4GB of RAM isn't all the Chuwi Hi10 is packing, we've also got an Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 quad core processor working at 1.44 GHz and 64 GB of internal storage.
To make things even better you can upgrade storage by adding another 128 GB microSD card, that would leave you with almost 200 GB of storage, now that's a laptop replacement tablet if we've ever seen one.
A wide range of ports
While many tablets get away with placing one or two ports, we're lucky enough that the Chuwi Hi10 didn't try to pull this over on us. Specifically, we've got a miniHDMI port, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, a microUSB OTG port, and of course a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We mentioned before that this tablet does not feature 4G connectivity, however you can always choose to use a 4G dongle thanks to the variety of ports in place.
It's not a heavy tablet
While it's true that the appearance of the Hi10 tablet doesn't seem to indicate that it's a lightweight product it actually is, something very important when you're going to handle this tablet for hours on end. Specifically, it weighs a mere 474 grams. To put this in contrast, the iPad Air launched a little over two years ago weighs 469 grams, while the iPad Air 2 weighed in at 437 grams.
If you've even handled either of these tablets you'll have a rough idea of what it's like to handle the Chuwi Hi10. This is a major pro of the Chuwi Hi10 and one that would likely go unnoticed by many users but that ultimately defines the user experience immensely.
Finally, to wrap up the advantages of the Hi10 we can't ignore the price. We're talking about a dual boot tablet with a better than Full HD display, quad core processor, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage that's available for a mere $159 on Gearbest. It's hardly gonna get any better than that. If you were looking to buy a Windows 10 tablet and not break the bank in the process then this is an excellent choice.
Wrapping things up
In the end, after reviewing the pros and cons of the Chuwi Hi10 it's become quite clear that we're looking at an excellent tablet which could very well act as an entry level laptop replacement.
Again, productivity will always be limited when we're talking about a tablet but having said that this is one of the most budget-concious options in the market. If you're looking for an impressive tablet to really give you some bang for your buck then the Hi10 is just about the best option at the moment.