Chinese manufacturer Chuwi doesnt have the global brand presence of much larger rivals like Samsung or Huawei, but that hasnt stopped the company from continuing to expand its product range, with a particular focus on Windows 10 devices.
Over the last 18 months, its launched the Vi8 Plus, Hi8 Pro, Hi12, and HiBook, and in December, it unveiled the LapBook 14.1. Now, the company is preparing to release another new Windows 10 product, the Hi13.
The new device aims to offer a much more affordable (and far less powerful) alternative to Microsofts Surface Book range. Like the Surface Book, the Hi13 has a 13.5-inch display with 3000x2000px resolution, and has a tablet form factor with a detachable keyboard base. But while Microsofts device comes with high-end Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, the Hi13 has to make do with one of Intels "Apollo Lake" Celeron CPUs.
Considering its $369 price tag - over a thousand bucks less than the cheapest Surface Book - thats not exactly surprising, but the Hi13 certainly seems to offer some decent specs for the price. Its key specs and features include:
- "All-metal unibody design"
- Quad-core Intel Celeron (Apollo Lake) N3450 CPU + Gen9 Graphics 500
- 4GB DDR3L RAM
- 64GB eMMC storage (plus storage card support up to 128GB)
- 5MP rear-facing camera
- 2MP front-facing camera
- Dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi
- microHDMI port
- 1 x USB Type-C port on the tablet section
- 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports on the keyboard section
- Quad speakers
- 10,000mAh battery with fast-charging support
And just like the Surface Book, the Hi13 also includes stylus support, using Chuwis existing HiPen H1, or the new HiPen H3, which is "coming soon". The Hi13 will officially launch on February 20, and will come with Windows 10 Home pre-installed, but it also officially supports Ubuntu OS.