Review | 4K laptop, unbeatable value: Chuwi LapBook Plus review – just don’t try to multitask
- US$499 MacBook Air clone offers gorgeous 15.6-inch screen, full-size keyboard and large, responsive track pad; it has no USB-C connectivity, though
- Best used to consume media or do basic office work, it’s not capable of graphic-intensive work and, with its size, not very portable either
Screens with 4K resolution used to be reserved for the most premium of laptops or televisions, but as manufacturers in Shenzhen, China, continue to commoditise technology, it is becoming increasingly affordable. The new Chuwi LapBook Plus is the latest to offer a 4K screen, and at just US$499. Is it worth buying?
Design and hardware
The large screen and those bezels make it unusually large – it measures 368mm x 246.4mm and was too long to fit into the laptop compartment of my backpack, which has had no trouble housing half a dozen other tablets and laptops in the past. Its 1.6kg weight and 9mm thickness are impressive, however.
The internals and ports also leave something to be desired. Powering the laptop is a dated mid-tier “Apollo Lake” Core i5 8250U processor. While its 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage are no slouch in this price range, there is no USB-C connectivity. Charging is done via a proprietary DC plug, which is increasingly a hassle as all laptops (and phones) move towards USB-C. Other ports include a micro-HDMI out, two USB-A 3.0s, and a microSD card slot.