CHUWI Hi10 XR
Hi there, Chards here.
A couple of weeks ago I bought myself a CHUWI Hi10 XR as a portable x86 machine I can lug around and use for college. It has been at least 2 or 3 weeks since I started using it and now I have some insight on how helpful it was during my usage. I'm sure I can skip the usual intro, but that would be unhelpful if you want to verify that I really have the unit in my hand.
So, the need-to-know specifications of the computer:
- Intel Celeron N4120 @ 4 Cores 1.1GHz, with up to 2.5GHz Turbo Clock.
- Intel UHD 600
- 128GB eMMC
- 6GB RAM
- 1920x1200 10.1inch LCD
- Windows 10 ver. 1909
Build Quality
Tablet
It has a glass 10.1 inch screen, with bezels that are VERY helpful when I'm using it as a tablet. But just in case you're asking, the bezels are 2.1cm and 1.5cm wide. The touch is okay, with it being very responsive even with a screen protector on.
The screen is perfectly fine with reading experience feeling very similar to an Apple device. The experience though, you'll have to find a good eBook reader from the internet. I've settled with SumataraPDF but there are definitely much better alternatives best fit for the touch screen experience. The screen backlight leaks through when the processor gets hot, so it's a bit of a downside if you like to watch a lot of thriller/horror movies. Not noticeable if the story's good enough tho.
It has a metal body with a sanded feel. Gets very hot when the processor does a lot of work, but is good enough to dissipate a lot of heat and stay below 60 degrees Celsius. It feels cool to the touch usually and most of the time I'll grab the bottom part when using it in portrait mode anyway.
Keyboard
I also bought the keyboard with it, and it was a very good investment on my part. I'm actually using the unit as a laptop more than a tablet, and I really like how modular this tablet can be with its detachable keyboard. The tablet doesn't come with the keyboard, so you'll have to pay extra to get it, but in my opinion it's very so much worth the moolah.
The keyboard matches the tablet's metallic feel, with keys that are okay. It's a bit cramped but over time I can type as usual on the keyboard. It's very cool to the touch and doesn't burn my palms when the tablet heats up, which is why I like this device more and more as time goes on. Since the processor is on the screen side, you can actually put this tablet in laptop mode on your lap! Imagine my surprise when I thought about this. The tablet also snaps well on the keyboard with its magnetic lock. You can't really accidentally remove the tablet from the keyboard unless you're doing so intentionally.
The keyboard hinge, though, wobbles. The magnetic lock of the tablet sticks well to the keyboard but it's not tight and has a bit of allowance to wobble. It's not really a bad thing at times, because it has at times saved my tablet from breaking from my excessive force when using it. It's certainly annoying, but it is not noticeable when you're using it on tables and desks.
You can also insert the keyboard the opposite way from the tablet's face. You can either use it that way to draw on the screen as an artist, watch movies without the keyboard being a sore to the eyes, or use as a different compact way of bringing the keyboard while using it as a tablet.
Performance
Performance-wise, it's pretty okay. Just okay. I can actually do quite a lot with its Celeron N4120. I was able to do the usual stuff I did with the HP 8440p on this tablet and probably even more. Using Firefox and Brave Browser to watch Twitch streams while doing work, it has enough power to do this for two hours from 90% battery to 10%.
Gaming with it is pretty okay. It was able to play some Minecraft, Devil May Cry, Okami HD, on a stable 25-60 frames per second most of the time on lowest Quality settings I can personally endure. The metal frame of the tablet helps dissipate the heat that the processor generates throughout my sessions. The only time I see it go hot is when I charge it at the same time as gaming or watching a video. Due to the size of the screen being 1920x1200, I had difficulties running osu! without either framerate suffering or input lag reaching 10-20ms.
I tried pushing the tablet to its limits by clocking it to maximum frequencies, but it's just not capable. When I clock it to its highest frequencies, it throttles itself to keep its thermals in check. Not only that, it actually harms performance when Intel Turbo Boost is enabled in the BIOS. You can disable Turbo Boost by either using Throttlestop, or by configuring the BIOS settings. You can check my post from here.
It has 4 Cores, definitely that is fact. People usually equate "more cores" = "better multitasking" but doesn't apply for this Celeron much. You can watch a Youtube video in 720p60 while installing a program, but you can expect stutters. Celerons work better being energy-sipping CPUs than being functional powerhouses. It is perfect for lurking on Twitch streams tho.
Battery Life
It's not much, I should tell you. I'm not battery veteran but I'll spout what I think in the following paragraphs. You can ignore the technical details, or you can contact me so I can correct the details. My apologies.
I can only assume its battery configuration to be 2s2p of 3.6V 1500mAh Li-ion cells, based on the 25900mWh rating it claims to have. When considered as a single battery, it is 8.4V 3000mAh, which is actually quite decent in my area in 2020.
It lasts for about 2 hours when using it heavily (watching movies/videos, playing games, doing 3D stuff, anything that utilizes the GPU), and 5 hours when just using light programs, like word processors, light web browsing, chatting, etc. Can last a few days when sleeping or shut down.
I'm still new to using a Windows Tablet, but I'm sure battery life can be extended using simple behavior changes.
Ports
The CHUWI Hi10 XR has several ports that you can use.
There is the 3.5mm headphone jack, a very rare feature that legends say were extinct because of stupid marketing. Not everything has to be wireless.
The Micro-HDMI port, which is rare for some reason. Provides a way to project your screen to
There is the USB Type-C port that is used for charging. Unfortunately it doesn't support Power Delivery, and if ever you want to charge it using a third party charger, you must do so by utilizing a Power Delivery Trigger dongle. It can only support USB 2.0 protocol, so it's definitely a weird port and they should've changed it to a DC power port or similar. This is a big turnoff for me.
Another port below it is the USB Type-C with USB 3.0 protocol, or maybe higher? I haven't tested this yet as the dongle I bought from China was only for USB 2.0 and does not have enough pins for USB 3.0 functionality. It's a bummer.
Lastly, the port below it is for the SD card you might want to insert. With the limited 128GB eMMC storage it provides, it makes sense to provide you with an option to expand storage using SD cards. While not so useful as plugging in an SSD or a small HDD, it definitely serves its purpose for a low-end tablet.
The keyboard also features two USB 2.0 ports, which is fully functional and actually a nice addition from CHUWI. I haven't much to say about this.
Speakers
It's not great, not bad either. When used on landscape mode, it can be a nice experience when listening to Lofi music streams. It doesn't have much bass, because of course it's a built-in speaker. Defnitely doesn't stop it from giving you a decent stereo experience, despite being positioned somewhere your ears aren't. Let's my ears take a break and take off the earphones.
It's definitely not loud enough to be used as a weird flat speaker, but it provides when it is needed, such as video calls, and playing music in quiet environments.
Opinions
I have the solution for some problems listed here. You can fix some of them, and some I haven't probably touched yet.
I'm awesome with the ports of the Hi10 XR compared to smartphones and tablets in the market right now. I'm all in for minimalism but if an important function is removed for the sake of it, I have to question whether or not I'm in hell right now.
Also, again with the ports, the charger port should've been a different port, so there could be two USB 3.0 Type-C ports instead. I'm still fine with it as the three USB 2.0 Ports are enough for most of my work.
It's actually very nice to use despite being a Celeron. Plays games, just not AAA games. I tried DMC5 but it didn't work. Runs but unplayable lol.
Could use a battery upgrade. I'll do this once the battery on this device starts failing. I'll be patiently waiting for that time to come. I could hopefully upgrade this to at least 1/3 more capacity.
Requires custom drivers which probably won't work on a different Windows 10 install. It wasn't a fun time trying to reset the tablet to its defaults. (jk it was fun but wrong timing)
6GB is unconventional but works pretty well. Still disappointed with windows using 2GB of memory without anything else running though.
CHUWI is better than other companies I can think of right now. This feels premium.
I really like the smell of the tablet. I can still smell its manufacturing scent every time I wake up beside it. I love it.
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