Chuwi has started sales of its new CoreBook Pro laptop that brings together a high-resolution display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, a dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU with Iris Graphics, a compact aluminum chassis, and a sub-$500 price.
(ed: Our review of the Chuwi CoreBook Pro is live)
Chuwi’s CoreBook Pro is designed for those who need to surf the Internet comfortably and occasionally use graphics-intensive applications. To that end, the CoreBook Pro is equipped with an IPS LCD featuring a 2160x1440 resolution as well as a 3:2 aspect ratio, which is considered to be a better fit for those surfing websites and reading.
The notebook, which runs Windows 10 Home, weighs 1.34 kilograms and is 17.75 mm thick, which is in line with most 13-inch-class devices.
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Good old Skylake
Given its positioning, the Chuwi CoreBook Pro is based on Intel’s Core i3-6157U processor accompanied by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
The CPU has two cores with Hyper-Threading running at 2.4 GHz and based on the Skylake microarchitecture (the same technology that powers most of Intel’s contemporary processors, except Ice Lake) as well as Intel’s Iris Graphics 550 integrated GPU.
With its 64 EUs and a 64MB eDRAM cache, Intel’s Iris Graphics 550 based on the company’s Gen 9 architecture can offer higher performance in graphics-intensive applications and games than most Intel’s integrated GPUs available today that come with 24 EUs or 32 EUs.
Meanwhile, being a 2016 solution, the Iris Graphics 550 will not beat Intel Ice Lake’s Iris Plus Graphics G4/G7 or a modern discrete GPU though. Furthermore, unlike successors, Intel’s Gen 9 GPUs do not support hardware acceleration of H.265/HEVC Main10 and VP9 playback, which means that high-resolution content encoded using these codecs will be unwatchable.
Connectivity wise, the Core Book Pro is fairly standard as it supports Wi-Fi 5, USB 3.0 Type-A and Type-C ports, a 3.5-mm audio jack for headsets and a microSD slot. As for battery life, the unit is equipped with a 46.2 Wh battery pack, so one can make certain predictions.
Chuwi’s CoreBook Pro is usually priced at $499, but for a limited time the manufacturer is offering a $100 discount coupon, meaning it can be yours for just $399.
Via PC Watch
