This is an incredible review - everything you'd want covered, you've covered. Clear, objective and without any bloat or typical reviewer nonsense. Its straight to the point and its clear you've made it for your fellow techies. I hope you make more reviews in the future.
I just bought one of these recently. I really enjoy it and it's very useful for my particular use-case of just wanting a very small laptop I can use in my car while on break at work, small enough to stash in my dashboard but big enough that the keyboard is still usable. I also sometimes just fold it over my steering wheel and watch youtube, it's great. This is a really comprehensive review, you covered pretty much everything. One thing that might concern some people though, is that the screen is 50hz, which feels pretty choppy if you're used to higher refresh rates. It is possible to increase this up to 90hz on some Minibooks, but it's a lottery depending on your individual display. I got lucky, mine goes up to 90hz and it feels so much better to use that way, but I've seen other people try it and not even be able to hit 60hz. Also, I wanted to ask since you're using Linux on the Minibook, is it possible to limit the laptop's state of charge to 85% while under Linux? Chuwi are notorious for not only low battery life but also just cheaply made, short-lived batteries in general, so I wanted to reduce the maximum charge level to sustain the lifespan of the battery, since I'll mostly be using it while plugged in (keeping a battery hot and at 100% capacity will reduce the battery's lifespan). I haven't found a way to do this in Windows but I'd totally switch to linux just for that and to mess around with proton.
Thanks for diving deep with this one. Glossing over linux compatibility/driver support was a bit of a missed opportunity, though. I assume that everything was working fine for you.
Hey, you are the second person that asked about linux compatibility. The short answer is: it works well enough after some modifications. Do check out the comments I've left on another person.
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu I see, thanks! A quick google search tells me that most things should be fine on a newer kernel. I don't expect rotation to ever be working under linux unfortunately.
Thank you for the video, it is great, but one thing, please don't put the laptop sleeve under your laptop, because by that you are stopping the airflow and shorting the device's life or overheating can happen. You can use something that is hard and doesn't bend or you can elevate it, so it has better airflow and not heating it self too much. ps. Sorry for my bad english
It's a very detailed review for what it is... Wish your channel would grow further. I was tempted to buy this when it first came out, but on second thought it does not make too much sense for my use case.
This is the best review on this item that I have found. Oh yeah , this little guy has the BIOS with the least amount of setting options to change that I have ever seen. People have asked the company when will they have an updated BIOS (with more settings to tweak) on their site to download and the company rep said that they aren't the real product manufacturer - and won't tell them who it really is. They are also questioning them as to why they would want another BIOS. They are saying that they don't want to deal with people complaining that they did a BIOS update and bricked their device - and blaming them for the problem. I've never heard of this type of reaction from a PC manufacturer. There is the market of Windows users for this item (most of the people commenting here) who want the device for its size, build quality and that they can casually use MS Windows on it - they're set and happy. However, there is another market for it of tweakers - like myself - who like installing an alternate operating system on items like this. In my case - different versions of Linux. If you're going to buy it to put a linux distro on it (like I did), you're in for a nasty surprise. Both your installation media USB plugin thumb drive (when it boots up) and your final install on the laptop's hard drive will BOOT UP SIDEWAYS - all four parts: 1. The bootloader section (at the very beginning) where you're given choices of which OS to load 2. The entire text part - scrolling up the screen as the Distro OS loads 3. The Desktop login screen 4. Finally, after logging in, your desktop itself is also sideways. Actually, everything is rotated 45 degrees counter-clockwise. But wait, it gets better - you also won't be able to use your touchpad correctly - when you try to gesture with it, the cursor on screen will move in a completely different direction - guaranteed to drive you nuts. The touchscreen is what saved me here. You'll have to do online research and find the fixes that more advanced Linux users came up with - installing certain background apps or editing system or bootloader files - a normal day for the Linux community. After several days of doing that, I was able to get everything loading right-side-up.
This video is fantastic, and I appreciate the effort you put into creating it. It has been very helpful in guiding my decision on whether to make a purchase. Ultimately, thanks to this video, I've decided not to proceed with the purchase.
I'm using Ubuntu, mostly due to familiarity. Not everything works out of the box. It is usable enough for me after a few tweaks. For more details, look for "CHUWI Minibook X Linux Reddit" online. The only main issue that isn't fixed yet is Wayland has screen tearing which isn't present in X11. Also, if orientation detection is important for you, it doesnt work. I have not found an article on the internet touching upon this topic so far, likely due to lack of interest.
I was thinking about getting one, but the barebones BIOS is a deterrent. No IOMMU and virtualization settings at all, no control over the power button when the lid is closed, no control over the behavior when the lid is open and the laptop is suspended. Thank you for sparing me 300€ :)
When I checked out this laptop in a Japanese computer shop, I found the power button had a tiny sharp edge and that it was easy in my opinion to accidently power the device in a bag perhaps. Also it slightly rattled in its place.
I have featured the slo mo footage of max brightness in the video; as seen in the video, I did not observe flickering. I'd like to emphasize I couldn't preceive flickering when I dim the display, only when i slowed down the footage that I'm able to preceive it. If you are particularly sensitive with flickering lights in general, you should demo the laptop u wish to buy at physical shop.
What kinds of problem were you expecting? For auto screen rotation, Its best to bring this conversation to chuwi forum or reddit, as the info I have is probably outdated. This applies to all your Linux compatibility concerns.
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu When I fold the computer over to use it in tent mode the screen does not rotate the keyboard & track pad are still switched on. Apart from that everything functions. I will indeed contact CHUWI & or UbuntU & ask them it there is a work around this miner hic. OS being used UbuntU 24.04
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu Well I purchased the Freebook N5100 Intel Celeron, It's a super machine. I am using UbuntU 24.04 LTS. Everything functions perfectly apart for the screen rotation. I up dated the kernel to 6.10.3 but it's still the same. Am I missing something ?
I didn't experience any perceivable reduction in battery life. For heat, I'd say the bottom of laptop is hot as always, especially if I run Windows (background process, windows updates makes the laptop hot). Regardless, expect the laptop to be toasty if you run intensive workload. If you run casual workload, the heat isn't as obvious but still there.
The 2023 version of Minibook X does not have stylus support (you can see the specs in 0:24), I doubt it has palm rejection. You can get better answer by asking on official Chuwi forum.
Don't buy Chuwi, I paid for a Ubook with a 2160x1440 screen with a keyboard and stylus: they sent me one with a 1920x1080 screen and no keyboard or stylus. I tole Chuwi about this, they said to send the wrong one back and they'd send the right one. A few days later I asked for a tracking number for the correct tablet and they're like, "Huh? What? Who dis?" Don't lose your money like I did: do not give money to Chuwi just to have it taken.
The N100 is a good chip, I have a Beelink mini S12 Pro with it .. and it surprised me how capable the CPU is.. If your having issues with wifi and Bluetooth on Linux Try these commands If your running Ubuntu /Debian sudo apt install backport-iwlwifi-dkms cd /lib/firmware/intel/ sudo ln -s ibt-1040-4150.ddc ibt-0040-1050.ddc sudo ln -s ibt-1040-4150.sfi ibt-0040-1050.sfi
There are 2 times this laptop could be useful for me: 1. Field work, supporting ham radio gear. 2. When travelling, I want light weight AND a way to back up camera SD cards to SSD. For both cases, a combination battery supply / external SSD would be a good option. For SD data backup, most laptops have an SD reader - I'd need a plug in USB hub to do that here.
Let's keep the comment section insightful for others!
P.S. timestamps, sources, and linux compatibility are in the description.
Hello, can you please try installing a chromeos flex or fydeos stsrem and see what the battery performance is like? pleaseeeeeee
This is an incredible review - everything you'd want covered, you've covered. Clear, objective and without any bloat or typical reviewer nonsense. Its straight to the point and its clear you've made it for your fellow techies. I hope you make more reviews in the future.
Congratulations! Excellent review. Didactic!
The best review of this laptop. Thank you so much ❤
Great attention to detail! Way better than the average on RUclips! 👍
wow you made exactly the sort of review I wanted of this device :) kudos for linux situation commentary :)
Thank you for the review, you're amazing
This is one of the best reviews out there. Thank you and you just earned yourself a new subscriber
Thanks amazing review well done 👍 as no one seems to care about low cost portable devices.
very good review! Thank you❤❤❤🎉
thanks for the review! I have a thing for mini laptops, especially not the n100 makes this very interesting
Great review.
Sweet mini laptop. Glad you are enjoying it!
I just bought one of these recently. I really enjoy it and it's very useful for my particular use-case of just wanting a very small laptop I can use in my car while on break at work, small enough to stash in my dashboard but big enough that the keyboard is still usable. I also sometimes just fold it over my steering wheel and watch youtube, it's great. This is a really comprehensive review, you covered pretty much everything.
One thing that might concern some people though, is that the screen is 50hz, which feels pretty choppy if you're used to higher refresh rates. It is possible to increase this up to 90hz on some Minibooks, but it's a lottery depending on your individual display. I got lucky, mine goes up to 90hz and it feels so much better to use that way, but I've seen other people try it and not even be able to hit 60hz.
Also, I wanted to ask since you're using Linux on the Minibook, is it possible to limit the laptop's state of charge to 85% while under Linux? Chuwi are notorious for not only low battery life but also just cheaply made, short-lived batteries in general, so I wanted to reduce the maximum charge level to sustain the lifespan of the battery, since I'll mostly be using it while plugged in (keeping a battery hot and at 100% capacity will reduce the battery's lifespan). I haven't found a way to do this in Windows but I'd totally switch to linux just for that and to mess around with proton.
I tried digging around. As far as I know, it does not support limiting laptop's state of charge on linux.
thanks for the reliable review
A nice review. you earned my sub.
nice vid man subbed
Thanks for diving deep with this one. Glossing over linux compatibility/driver support was a bit of a missed opportunity, though. I assume that everything was working fine for you.
Hey, you are the second person that asked about linux compatibility. The short answer is: it works well enough after some modifications. Do check out the comments I've left on another person.
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu I see, thanks! A quick google search tells me that most things should be fine on a newer kernel. I don't expect rotation to ever be working under linux unfortunately.
Thank you for the video, it is great, but one thing, please don't put the laptop sleeve under your laptop, because by that you are stopping the airflow and shorting the device's life or overheating can happen. You can use something that is hard and doesn't bend or you can elevate it, so it has better airflow and not heating it self too much.
ps. Sorry for my bad english
Your English is better than native speakers.
It's a very detailed review for what it is... Wish your channel would grow further.
I was tempted to buy this when it first came out, but on second thought it does not make too much sense for my use case.
This is the best review on this item that I have found.
Oh yeah , this little guy has the BIOS with the least amount of setting options to change that I have ever seen.
People have asked the company when will they have an updated BIOS (with more settings to tweak) on their site to download and the company rep said that they aren't the real product manufacturer - and won't tell them who it really is. They are also questioning them as to why they would want another BIOS. They are saying that they don't want to deal with people complaining that they did a BIOS update and bricked their device - and blaming them for the problem. I've never heard of this type of reaction from a PC manufacturer.
There is the market of Windows users for this item (most of the people commenting here) who want the device for its size, build quality and that they can casually use MS Windows on it - they're set and happy.
However, there is another market for it of tweakers - like myself - who like installing an alternate operating system on items like this. In my case - different versions of Linux.
If you're going to buy it to put a linux distro on it (like I did), you're in for a nasty surprise. Both your installation media USB plugin thumb drive (when it boots up) and your final install on the laptop's hard drive will BOOT UP SIDEWAYS - all four parts:
1. The bootloader section (at the very beginning) where you're given choices of which OS to load
2. The entire text part - scrolling up the screen as the Distro OS loads
3. The Desktop login screen
4. Finally, after logging in, your desktop itself is also sideways.
Actually, everything is rotated 45 degrees counter-clockwise.
But wait, it gets better - you also won't be able to use your touchpad correctly - when you try to gesture with it, the cursor on screen will move in a completely different direction - guaranteed to drive you nuts. The touchscreen is what saved me here.
You'll have to do online research and find the fixes that more advanced Linux users came up with - installing certain background apps or editing system or bootloader files - a normal day for the Linux community. After several days of doing that, I was able to get everything loading right-side-up.
Was it really rotated 45 degrees? That sounds weird.
I rather think that it was rotated by 90 degrees.
Very nice!!!!! Thanks
i have 1 too, similar version (N100). Help me a lot in everyday activities.
Nice review thanks! But the comparisons were a bit silly at over 3x the price of this
This video is fantastic, and I appreciate the effort you put into creating it. It has been very helpful in guiding my decision on whether to make a purchase. Ultimately, thanks to this video, I've decided not to proceed with the purchase.
Good review - thanks. You mention battery life on Linux in the video. What distribution did you use and was it useable?
I'm using Ubuntu, mostly due to familiarity. Not everything works out of the box. It is usable enough for me after a few tweaks. For more details, look for "CHUWI Minibook X Linux Reddit" online.
The only main issue that isn't fixed yet is Wayland has screen tearing which isn't present in X11. Also, if orientation detection is important for you, it doesnt work. I have not found an article on the internet touching upon this topic so far, likely due to lack of interest.
I was thinking about getting one, but the barebones BIOS is a deterrent.
No IOMMU and virtualization settings at all, no control over the power button when the lid is closed, no control over the behavior when the lid is open and the laptop is suspended.
Thank you for sparing me 300€ :)
Well you can change most of that depending on what OS you use.
Masa COVID dulu ada beli product chuwi. Masih berfungsi hingga kini. Cuma keyboard ada kerosakan sikit.
Mine has horrible light bleed at the top edge of the screen. Sucks....
why some version has narrow bezzle and others are big bezzle...if i want narrow what model will i buy?
When I checked out this laptop in a Japanese computer shop, I found the power button had a tiny sharp edge and that it was easy in my opinion to accidently power the device in a bag perhaps. Also it slightly rattled in its place.
Does pwm happen at maximum brightness?
Thank you for the very thorough review btw!
I have featured the slo mo footage of max brightness in the video; as seen in the video, I did not observe flickering.
I'd like to emphasize I couldn't preceive flickering when I dim the display, only when i slowed down the footage that I'm able to preceive it.
If you are particularly sensitive with flickering lights in general, you should demo the laptop u wish to buy at physical shop.
Very good video. Did you have any problems using it in tent mode with LinuX ? & if you did, did you solve it ? cheers
What kinds of problem were you expecting? For auto screen rotation, Its best to bring this conversation to chuwi forum or reddit, as the info I have is probably outdated. This applies to all your Linux compatibility concerns.
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu When I fold the computer over to use it in tent mode the screen does not rotate the keyboard & track pad are still switched on. Apart from that everything functions. I will indeed contact CHUWI & or UbuntU & ask them it there is a work around this miner hic. OS being used UbuntU 24.04
@@BrewingOwl-sm8zu Well I purchased the Freebook N5100 Intel Celeron, It's a super machine. I am using UbuntU 24.04 LTS. Everything functions perfectly apart for the screen rotation. I up dated the kernel to 6.10.3 but it's still the same. Am I missing something ?
I found the solution & it functions perfectly now.
Could this Chuwi notebook match
To Panasonic CF-RZ4 performances since both seems belong to similar class pls ...
What do usb-c ports do, are they thunderbolt or what, can you send data and power to external monitor and stuff?
Could I know how the battery life after and any issues after 6 months? the battery drain quickly? or the heat of laptop increasing follow time using?
I didn't experience any perceivable reduction in battery life. For heat, I'd say the bottom of laptop is hot as always, especially if I run Windows (background process, windows updates makes the laptop hot). Regardless, expect the laptop to be toasty if you run intensive workload. If you run casual workload, the heat isn't as obvious but still there.
Hello, good video, a question, this chuwi has palm rejection? I want to use it with a pencil from the same brand chuwi hipen H8
The 2023 version of Minibook X does not have stylus support (you can see the specs in 0:24), I doubt it has palm rejection. You can get better answer by asking on official Chuwi forum.
Thx bro. I wish more RUclipsrs did such a relatable reviews.
Micro center sells an HP laptop for $200. With an i3 CPU
what is the brand and specs of the power bank you use for this laptop?
What's that white powerbank you showed?
Does it have back-lit keyboard? Could not tell. Great review.
Use a higher trackpad sensitivity to get rid of the up and down space limitation, duh.
what is that game you played?
why would you get this instead of a second hand Macbook air 11.6 e.g. from 2015 or a Macbook (12 inch )?
Don't buy Chuwi, I paid for a Ubook with a 2160x1440 screen with a keyboard and stylus: they sent me one with a 1920x1080 screen and no keyboard or stylus. I tole Chuwi about this, they said to send the wrong one back and they'd send the right one. A few days later I asked for a tracking number for the correct tablet and they're like, "Huh? What? Who dis?" Don't lose your money like I did: do not give money to Chuwi just to have it taken.
share wallpaper, also based linux user
terrible bezels I went back to the 2022 n5100
I can use this to read visual novels xdd
dijual ga bang ?
The quality sucks. I had a Chuwi. Never again.
Helpful and I wont buy thanks
The N100 is a good chip, I have a Beelink mini S12 Pro with it .. and it surprised me how capable the CPU is.. If your having issues with wifi and Bluetooth on Linux Try these commands If your running Ubuntu /Debian
sudo apt install backport-iwlwifi-dkms
cd /lib/firmware/intel/
sudo ln -s ibt-1040-4150.ddc ibt-0040-1050.ddc
sudo ln -s ibt-1040-4150.sfi ibt-0040-1050.sfi
That's an absolute mistake to buy any products with n4100, n95 and n100 processors.
Excellent review.
thanks for the review, it was helpful
There are 2 times this laptop could be useful for me:
1. Field work, supporting ham radio gear.
2. When travelling, I want light weight AND a way to back up camera SD cards to SSD.
For both cases, a combination battery supply / external SSD would be a good option. For SD data backup, most laptops have an SD reader - I'd need a plug in USB hub to do that here.