The Chuwi SurBook is a fantastic little system that is great on the go. Battery life is also pretty damn good with it taking the top spot in all tests, which is probably due to it sipping very little power as it pulls just 25 watts at the wall under maximum load. Needless to say, if you need a system and are always on the go, the SurBook has you covered. Battery life can be extended with further tweaks, such as further reducing brightness, etc. Speaking of brightness, the Samsung IGZO IPS display is very nice with its exceptional view angles and great color reproduction.

Thanks to its 2-in-1 convertable nature, the SurBook is also extremely versatile as it functions well as a tablet or laptop with the docking keyboard and trackpad and is rather light at just over 2 lbs, which, while more than I expected considering its 12.3 inch form factor, is still light enough to easily carry around. Its weight certainly didn't bother me considering Chuwi went with a solid aluminum shell which not only gives the system a premium feel, but makes it rigid and imparts a sense of durability. In general, the SurBook is easy on the eyes in more ways than one. It's also easy on the ears due to being passively cooled.

I was also surprised to see the Celeron N3450 and 6 GB of DDR3. Most manufacturers using Atom series processors tend to use the dual-core N3350. Instead, Chuwi opted for the quad core, which can make quite a difference with some workloads. 128 GB of eMMC is also a nice inclusion; sure, it lacks the massive capacity of an HDD and higher speeds of an SSD, but does offer a good mix of both all things considered. It also doesn't hurt that users have a bit of extra space because of the lack of bloatware. 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.

Sadly, there are a few problems. First, the unit is not upgradable. I would have at least liked a hidden compartment under the kickstand to add an M.2 SSD. As of now, the only option for adding extra storage is via the microSD slot, which is better than nothing but not ideal. Connectivity options are also rather weak. The USB Type C port does feature audio and visual capabilities, but is also the main charging port, which leaves just two USB ports. Yes, with a hub, it can be expanded upon, but that creates more of an ugly cable mess. A few more ports would be welcome indeed. My biggest disappointment is the HiPen stylus. While it works just fine with some applications and probably works great with those Chuwi mentions specifically, my only real use for it was Photoshop, where it just didn't deliver a good experience. I feel it makes for a more compelling option for most users to stick with the tablet and docking keyboard.

As always with Intel's CPUs, the IGP is weak, so you wont be gaming on this system at all. That said, I will admit I was amazed when it managed to make it through the Time Spy test all the same. However, with the CPU being passively cooled, extreme performance obviously is out of the question, especially for Atom series processors. With the TDP Intel sets for the Celeron N3450, performance is in some situations limited, and seeing a slightly higher TDP would mean better performance across the board. This, however, is not Chuwi's fault, though it does mean that there is some untapped potential here. Finally, the trackpad is a bit finicky. It works just fine, but isn't fine-tuned as well as it could be, and the keyboard itself, while more than usable, could be stiffer. Chuwi also needs to ditch that cloth covering. It collects dust, dirt, and pet hair like crazy, making the system seem dirty when sitting next to that beautiful aluminum shell.

In general, I like the Chuwi SurBook. They have done more than enough right to make a compelling offering in the 2-in-1 market. A few changes would really turn it into a home run. All the same, it left a good impression and made for a great daily driver for typical work-related tasks or watching cat videos, whatever struck my fancy at the time. Battery life proved to be the key for me, though. With a few tweaks, I was able to make it last throughout the day. Keep in mind I did not use it continuously; however, I wasn't rushing to an outlet to keep it going when I did.

If you are looking for an affordable 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrid or just want exceptional battery life, the Chuwi SurBook is a damn good option.