Chuwi HeroBook Pro+
Slow compared to laptops costing £400, but the quality on offer for the price has to be seen to be believed
SCORE
PRICE $279 (approx £205) from store.chuwi.com
The world’s fastest laptop? Absolutely not. Its Intel Celeron J3455 chip dates back to 2016, and that showed in its PC Pro benchmark result of 20 – that’s two-fifths as fast as Lee’s mean machine with its result of 49, and even slower than the Raspberry Pi 400.
And whilst I’d love to write “ignore the benchmarks, it speeds along in general use”, that isn’t the case. Whereas Lee’s system is snappy, in part because it runs on Windows 8.1, I had to switch off Windows 10’s advanced graphics effects to make the Chuwi responsive enough for everyday tasks. This done, however, it becomes usable rather than frustrating.
It’s a case of managing your expectations, and that extends to all aspects of the HeroBook Pro+. For instance, the case is plasticky – albeit pretty light at 1.2kg – and that feeling extends to the keyboard. It’s usable, but you know you aren’t typing on a MacBook. Likewise, the compact touchpad rewards you with an overly loud click when you press down.
But then come the positives, and top of the list is the 13.3in IPS screen. A peak brightness of 213cd/m2 means it’s only suitable for use indoors, but a 3,200 x 1,800 resolution means all the detail you could ever want and it even covers 92% of the sRGB space. At this price, I expected 60% coverage.
Chuwi also surprises with the 1,600 x 1,200 webcam, which offers more detail than the 720p webcams I tend to see in laptops, and while battery life isn’t great at 4hrs 38mins at least the bundled power supply is compact and light (138g).
You don’t get much connectivity – two USB-A 3 ports, a mini-HDMI output and 1x1 Wi-Fi 5 – but the main drawback is the 128GB eMMC storage. You might want to spend the £45 left over from £250 on external storage.
This assumes that the dollar-topound exchange rate still equates from $279 to £205 when you buy.
And while it should arrive with you within the week, note that if something does go wrong within its one-year warranty then you’ll need to ship it back to Hong Kong.
SPECIFICATIONS 4-core 1.5GHz (2.3GHz boost) Intel Celeron J3455 processor Intel HD Graphics 500 8GB LPDDR4 RAM 13.3in non-touch IPS display, 3,200 x 1,800 resolution 128GB eMMC storage 1x1 Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5 2 x USB-A 3 mini-HDMI microSD slot 1,600 x 1,200 webcam 38Wh battery Windows 10 Home 320 x 221 x 18.5mm (WDH) 1.2kg 1yr RTB warranty
(to Hong Kong)