Chuwi SurBook 2 in 1 PC Tablet

[crazyeyesreaper]

Chuwi looks to conquer the convertible 2-in-1 market with their new SurBook. Featuring an all-aluminum shell and a rather large battery, it has the looks and specifications to turn a few heads, which may have something to do with its successful Indiegogo campaign in mid-2017.

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[Kalroth]

There were no international keyboard layout options when I looked into this tablet last year and that is pretty much a deal breaker for me.

It doesn't look like that has changed today, so does anyone know if there are international bluetooth keyboards compatible with the SurBook 2?
(By compatible i mean the magnet mount)

 

[natr0n]

Looks like you got upgraded in reviews.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Looks like you got upgraded in reviews.

??

 

[Readlight]

Its much better than my 1gb windows10 Atom tablet whit missing drivers from upgrade from 8.1bing

 

[lexluthermiester]

Micro SD card for extra storage

@crazyeyesreaper How is this listed as a bad thing(in the thumbs down list)? I wouldn't buy a tablet-type device like this unless it had an SD slot, micro or otherwise. Expandable storage is always a good thing, IMHO.
Otherwise, good review though.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

If people read the review rather than bullet points "As of now, the only option for adding extra storage is via the microSD slot, which is better than nothing but not ideal."

Thats why its a negative, it is not ideal , I have Pros and Cons no in-between. Considering the near $500 price tag they want for the bundle an M.2 slot on a premium focused product would be a nice option. Otherwise why buy this when at the price you can have a proper laptop?

The unit is definitely good it feels solid it has a premium feel and build quality but lacks the features to back it up. eMMC is great its faster than an HDD however if the flash goes bad the systems basically junk. Some form of internal option for storage is a must. Also for reference the further down the Pro / Con list something is the less priority it has,

Essentially no upgrades at all = highest weighted negative, while SD card expansion and limited TDP for CPU are lower weighted. They are still a negative but have less importance.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I read the review. And my point was offering constructive criticism on what seems a somewhat biased perspective rather than a more objective one. For the form-factor in question, M.2 isn't really practical, where-as an SD port allows for nearly infinite expansion. I'd much rather have a SD port than an M.2. Lack of an SD port would be a deal breaker. Fixed eMMC instead of M.2 isn't. Having storage expandability is never a negative.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Its not biased I have a micro SD card its slow as hell its not a proper replacement for storage. Now if this is strickly used as a tablet thats not a problem. However as a 2 in 1 device expected to server as a laptop proper storage option are a must.

If you consider points of failure and the life of a device important than the inability to upgrade storage period is in fact a deal breaker. If the eMMC ever fails the entire unit is now garbage throw it away. You can disagree with me all your want. But SD card storage while useful it is not ideal that is why it is a minor negative. M.2 offers larger capacity better speed and a safety net should the onboard flash ever fail. If you fail to realize why that is important then we just see things differently. Nothing wrong with that. However considering how many SD cards and Micro SD cards and Flash drives all use subpar flash. It becomes a problem I have on hand many that are DEAD. Using micro SD for storage is not a confidence booster. It offers a short term solution. Its good that it is there but its not a major selling point.

In this case we can agree to disagree. But considering how much flash I have dead around here. Along with repairs of customers machines where they stupidly reformat shit to the point of killing flash yeah I do not share your opinion. M.2 is just more robust and considering how small these Atom series boards are M.2 could easily have been added If ECS can manage it on an ultra tiny 3 inch form factor there is no excuse here.

BTW this is in the PRO section last sentence 3rd paragraph. "Still, the SurBook feels responsive in day-to-day tasks and at least has a micro SD slot for expanding storage if you desperately need more on board."

Your problem is you are focusing on Bullet points rather than written content. Which means you are biased before reading and comprehending my view point instead. Instead a bullet point colors your perception at which point you jump on me for considering it a negative. It is a nice inclusion but something good can also be something bad. This applies to RGB functionality in cooler reviews some people love it other people hate it. Thus its a possible PRO and CON at the same time and I considered it as such. Could my writing better reflect that aspect sure there is always room for improvement in terms of conveying information.

Still I consider the microSD aspect the same as I do RGB it is a bit of both. In the case of microSD Its not ideal its limited in terms of capacity and performance it has limited reliability and cannot function as a replacement for eMMC. However it is still better that it is there than to be omitted completely. Context is important the written conclusion i feel covers that. I will chalk this up as to the fact I need to convey these situations better in future reviews.