Anyone looking for a cheap Android or Windows Tablet, already is no longer confined to the well-known brands. Chinese webwarenhuizen are very active in Europe, and put tablets on the market with exotic names like Teclast, Chuwi, Onda and Pipo. That’s something other than Apple, Samsung and HP. The tablets are usually very cheap and offer interesting options. We asked for merchant Gear Best the Chuwi Vi10 on a 10.6-inch tablet that runs on both Windows and Android and can be equipped with a keyboard
Chuwi Vi10 -. Specifications
| | Chuwi Vi10 |
| Screen | 10.6 inch IPS 1366 x 768 |
| Digitizer | No |
| Processor | Intel Atom 2.1GHz Z3736F |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage Memory | 32GB |
| SD | Yes, MicroSD |
| HDMI | Yes |
| USB | 1x MicroUSB, 2x USB 2.0 |
| GPS | No |
| 3g / 4g | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.0 |
| NFC | No |
| Cameras | 2mp + 2mp |
| Battery | Li-ion, 8000 mAh |
| Operating Systems | Windows 8.1, Android 4.4.4 |
| Keyboard | Optional |
| Price (at time of publication) | 128 euro |
| Price keyboard | 21 euro |
These are decent specifications that match the cheaper segment. That is the target of this tablet: people for not too much money a handsome Windows and Android Tablet want, but can not choose between them. The Chuwi Vi10 you have them both in one device. In this review we see how well that goes together.
Chuwi Vi10 – hardware and design
If the Chuwi Vi10 comes from its simple cardboard box, we have to think a very oversized black iPhone 4S. Both angles and transfer the material to think about it. Not only the screen is glass, the back is too. The long edges are also provided with a metal strip. However, the tablet falls through the basket at the short sides, where it still strip running around a centimeter on each side, but then stops to accommodate the connection ports. The Chuwi Vi10 may be sold officially as Windows and Android tablet, there is at first sight little evidence of this. Below the screen adorned with a Windows logo, and the tablet also start on standard Windows
We say it ‘under the screen, but that is a tablet always a vague concept. The screen is, of course, be rotated in all directions. The Windows logo is located under one of the short sides. Press it, then the Windows 8.1 home screen is imaged, with the familiar tiles you can open the apps. Windows 8.1 can also be put into a desktop mode, where it is found annoying with this operating system for many Windows users that there is no start button more that gives you access to programs, files and settings. Instead, you find that place the bottom left of the screen Windows Logo which does exactly the same as the Windows button below the screen: it takes you back to the screen full of tiles
We walk once around and begin the tablet front. We see a screen me fairly broad, black borders, with one of the short sides a silver-colored Windows logo and along one of the long sides – asymmetrically placed, not in the middle – the front camera. The screen is completely covered with a plastic screen protector that hits quite easily scratched.
On the back is not much to do. We can see the rear camera, which will be here exactly in the middle. Maybe got Chuwi not manage to exactly opposite locations both camera modules without making the tablet a lot thicker. And it’s been a chubby in the current market. Under the camera we see in the silver Chuwi logo, and at the bottom the logos of Intel and some FCC information. The back is made of glass, protected by a plastic screen protector, like the screen.
The top is covered in a chrome metal strip, with embedded power button and the elongated volume knob. The bottom also has such a metal strip with openings and connectors for the optional keyboard, which more later. The left side contains, from left to right, a lot of sockets: 3.5mm earphone, a micro-HDMI port, a full USB 2.0 port, a micro USB port, a full USB 2.0 port, and a slot for a micro sd card. The bottom of the short sides contain stereo speakers.
The design is far from us. It feels solid and premium on. Well it should, given the weight of 640 grams, and the thickness of nearly a centimeter. You want to use this tablet on the bench for a game, then your arms quickly get tired of the weight. It is remarkable that all the stores that sell this tablet, specify that it weighs 523 grams and 8.8 millimeters thin. This is evident at posttest by Tablet Magazine just does not add up.
Display
The 10.6-inch screen has a resolution of 1366 × 768 pixels. That’s a pretty low resolution for the size of the screen; if you sit close to the screen, you can distinguish the pixels. Fortunately it is a bright IPS panel, which offers good viewing angles and bright colors and good viewing. The resolution will be sufficient for most users. Want more, then you should not look at this price. Images, movies, games and programs are anyway well displayed, and the somewhat low resolution of this display is just fine for playing the faster games.
Connectivity
The Chuwi Vi10 is equipped with all the usual connections, plus some less common. Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi b, g and n are each tablet almost naturally. A micro USB port for charging and data transfer is fairly standard, although the latest generation of tablets increasingly over USB type-C features. The Chuwi not, but the Vi10 is therefore a model from 2014. Particularly noteworthy are the two full USB 2.0 ports, equipped with OTG, so that external hard drives and other devices can be hung on the tablet. Recognized properly in Windows.
We also have a external mouse and a full PC keyboard hung on the gates, which then perfectly worked with the Chuwi. It is a nice additional option. With the micro HDMI port, you can transfer via a cable The Viewing of the tablet to an external monitor, television or the big screen.
Speakers
The Chuwi Vi10 has two speakers, the left and right sides are stationed. We find that unfortunate place, because if you take the tablet holds during a game, or simply when browsing on the internet, you will always cover one or two of these speakers with your hands and that does not sound good.
We are dedicating the tablet, however, are optional keyboard cover, then give them a very nice sound. Music via Spotify and the sound of games is good about it. Want more, then you will need to connect a separate speaker via Bluetooth, or enjoy better sound through the 3.5 mm earphone jack. An earphone is however not provided.
Cameras
The camera on this tablet set rare. Both the front and rear camera to provide a paper resolution of 2 megapixels, what could have been a decent resolution, as the rest of the cameras would not ask for much. Grainy images, especially in (half) dark conditions is the highest thing you can take out
of the Vi10 cameras are actually suitable only for video calling, or scanning a qr-code. More should you not want to do with it; for pictures and movies you’d better take a good smartphone with, or naturally a real camera.
Battery life
The Chuwi Vi10 comes with a massive 8000 mAh battery. Which makes an useful lives. Even if we leave at full brightness the display and the usual action to save omit the battery life, we do not get it done to empty the tablet after a full working day.
Is the battery once empty, there is a downside to this large battery: it takes a long time before it is empty, but that also means it takes too long before it is full. In one case we noticed that one night was not enough to fully charge the tablet again. That will probably also have to deal with the supplied charger, which is not the rapste
Chuwi Vi10 -. Software
The two operating systems are of course the most exciting feature of this tablet. Windows 8.1 is the default operating system that comes into the picture when you turn on the tablet, but it’s also possible to boot into Android 4.4.4. Switching between the two besturingsssytemen only takes a second or twenty, thirty and is very simple. Windows is in the launch bar at the bottom of the screen, an Android logo. Press it, and you get a confirmation window after a reboot, after which it is restarted under Android. Are you Android and you want to go back to Windows, then you just have the right to pull down pull-down menu, where you encounter the option again to restart Windows. A child can do the laundry.
Although Microsoft owners of a Windows 8.1 device the opportunity to update to Windows 10, which is not recommended by merchant Gear Best. It is possible, says the store, but if you do, your warranty will be lost immediately. We found that a bit odd; in no other brand we encounter this limitation. Usually Windows 8.x devices properly advertised that they are easy and free to Windows 10 can be accommodated, and it never affects the guarantee.
Because we encountered in several tech blogs that could lose Chuwi functionality after the update Windows 10, we started there but not to, and we choose to reviewing this tablet as he comes out of the box with Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4.4. We can imagine that we hobbyists with knowledge of the technology, not content with this, and yet trying to bring the tablet to both Windows 10 and Android 6.0. However, that does not fit into the framework of this review.
That said, it falls somewhat disappointing that there are no official updates were released for the operating systems that Chuwi supplies Vi10. The tablet has entered the market in 2014 and it has since 2016. Then you may expect from a serious manufacturer updated gradually. The Vi10 has been running for three Android versions and one extremely important Windows Update behind.
Let’s update perils for what they are, then there is nothing to complain about the operation of the two operating systems. Among both Android as under Windows 8.1 everything works flawlessly, are external devices that are hung well recognized to the USB ports, and its software and apps to operate.
Chuwi is under Android or provided the necessary ‘crapware’, some apps that we do not understand much because they are subtitled in Chinese and even after opening not really make clear what they are actually for. Some ‘Chuwi apps’ do provide persistent error messages that keep repeating themselves.
On Windows, missing all those superfluous software. What is included with Windows is a free one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365. This is a very useful addition, the tablet directly to rise a Euro or seventy in value, because that is the cost of a personal subscription to this software.
Chuwi Vi10 – in use
If this tablet order, would be well advised to promptly the relevant, especially for this tablet keyboard produced to order. That is not a bluetooth keyboard, but a cover with built-in keyboard that makes connections through the bottom of the tablet connection. It works immediately. The connection is magnetic, making the tablet-click directly to the right place.
About Keyboard nothing but good. The keys are wide apart, and the keyboard is almost as big as a full-size keyboard. The Windows key is not missing, though that is not very useful on Android. The touch screen will remain sensitive to touch with a finger when the keyboard is connected. There is a trackpad built sulk, leaving in desktop mode is a mouse arrow on screen that can be operated with it. On the trackpad, we are slightly less enthusiastic than the rest of the keyboard, because it reacts somewhat insensitive, but perhaps that is a matter of habituation: we normally serve a Macbook trackpad. The thing does its job well, but who wants to deal with the precise tablet, buying a mouse may be considered an option. Which can simply be connected via one of the two USB 2.0 ports.
We notice we still use these Chuwi most as a kind of scaled-Windows laptop, and Android activation mode for review purposes only. This is very personal, for other users this will probably be reversed. Under Windows you can do more and achieve better productivity. Also gaming on Windows is a delight. Android is mainly due to the overwhelming choice of fun apps a very nice addition to this tablet. You will not bore quickly with it
Performance
As visitors Tablet Magazine are accustomed to, we do not here to benchmarks:. Which are usually unreliable and provide little factual information about the daily use. We have from the Windows Store for download the racing game Asphalt 8 that the best without a keyboard can play and really fast and with good responses to the user’s movements is imaged without any delay or hikkerige images. That counts. The popular game Minecraft, we also once installed on Windows, to see that this can be just as quickly and played well as on a conventional PC. Do you really want to do very heavy games, then opting for a cheap tablet if Chuwi anyway not so logical, so here we assess the tablet therefore inappropriate. We give the Chuwi a good rating for speed and performance, especially considering the price of the tablet
What we do on Android soon encounter is the limited storage memory. The Chuwi Vi10 has 32GB of storage memory, which is chopped in half: half is for Windows, the other half for Android. Because besturingsssytemen also rather occupy their space, there remains on both partitions rather little about. Fortunately, you can expand the memory for Android and Windows with micro sd card, and Windows also unlimited via a USB stick or an external hard drive that can be connected to one of the two USB 2.0 ports.
Chuwi Vi10 – conclusion
The Chuwi Vi10 has a little sexy name, but the tablet does look very good. The premium design, decent performance, and the two supplied operating systems, plus the ability to connect additional hardware via HDMI and two full USB 2.0 ports, give this tablet given its low price of around 130 euros at first sight only pluses. However, those systems are somewhat outdated, so there goes another tip off. Anyone looking for an inexpensive Windows-convertible or a well-functioning, but somewhat outdated Android Tablet is in this Chuwi Vi10 to the right place. We conclude this review with a review of a positive buy recommendation.
Cons
- Keyboard must be ordered separately
- Not super powerful
- Operating obsolete
Pros
- Cheap
- Very solid build quality
- Moderately screen
Tablets Magazine
Review rating 8.5 10 Bart Vuijk product
Review Tablet obtained through Gearbest.com
