Tablet maker Chuwi Inc. revealed in early November that it’s currently working on a new tablet packed with an Intel “Apollo Lake” processor and a meaty 3,000 x 2,000 resolution. More specifically, shared photos revealed the upcoming tablet will use a Celeron N3450 processor and 4GB of system memory. The 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home will be the operating system of choice supporting ten-point touch and stylus pen inputs.
Now during CES 2017, the company has provided a few more details regarding its upcoming flagship tablet, which will be called the Hi13. Here’s what we have so far:
| Screen size: | 13.5 inches |
| Resolution: | 3.000 x 2,000 |
| Aspect ratio: | 3:2 |
| Pixel density: | 267 ppi |
| Contrast ratio: | 1,700:1 |
| Brightness: | 400 nits |
| Color space: | 100 percent sRGB |
| Processor: | Intel Celeron N3450 |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 500 |
| System memory: | 4GB DDR3L |
| Internal storage: | 64GB |
| Connectivity: | Dual-band (type unknown) |
| Other features: | Type-C port Detachable keyboard |
This will be the company’s biggest tablet to date following the 12-inch Hi12. That model is based on Intel’s Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” processor released in the second quarter of 2015. The tablet’s included ports consist of a Micro USB port, a full USB 2.0 port, a full USB 3.0 port, a Micro HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a Micro SD card slot supporting up to 128GB of storage. Expect the upcoming 13-inch model to offer the same options.
On a performance level, the 13-inch model gets a big boost over the Hi12. The Celeron and Atom processors have the same number of cores and threads, but the Celeron’s base speed is a little slower than the Atom chip. The performance gain arrives by way of the boost speed, with is 2.20GHz on the Celeron and 1.84GHz on the Atom. The base graphics speed is the same across both processors, but again there’s an increase in the boost speed at 700MHz on the Celeron and 500MHz on the Atom.
| Celeron N3450 | Atom x5-Z8300 | |
| Micro-architecture: | Goldmont | Airmont |
| Platform: | Apollo Lake | Cherry Trail |
| Process node: | 14nm | 14nm |
| Cores: | 4 | 4 |
| Threads: | 4 | 4 |
| Base speed: | 1.10GHz | 1.44GHz |
| Boost speed: | 2.20GHz | 1.84GHz |
| Cache: | 2MB L2 | 2MB |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 500 | Intel HD Graphics |
| Graphics base speed: | 200MHz | 200MHz |
| Graphics boost speed: | 700MHz | 500MHz |
| Execution units: | 12 | 12 |
| Release date: | Q3 of 2016 | Q2 of 2015 |
| Price: | $107 | $21 |
On a screen level, Chuwi appears to be competing with Microsoft’s Surface Book notebook, offering the same screen size, resolution, brightness, and pixel density. Of course, the comparison stops there given that Microsoft crams Core i5 and Core i7 processors into its Surface Book configurations. The selling point, it seems, is that the Chuwi Hi13 tablet will be a cheaper alternative offering the same Windows 10 experience visually.
The company didn’t say when the Hi13 tablet will become available, or for how much. However, the slightly smaller Hi12 tablet can be purchased on Amazon now for $330 without the docking keyboard, which costs an extra $53. Note that the Chuwi Hi12 is a dual-boot device sporting Windows 10 Home and Android 5.1. Also, note that the Hi12 measures just 0.35 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.87 pounds. The upcoming Hi13 will likely be in the same ballpark.
