Is this $450 laptop from an unknown brand too good to be true?
A budget Windows laptop from Chuwi features an aluminum build and an Intel Wildcat Lake chip, but compromises heavily on hardware.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Chuwi Unibook is priced at $450
- Powered by an Intel Core 3 304 processor and 8GB soldered RAM
- Features plenty of ports but terrible screen and trackpad
- Performance falls short of the MacBook Neo across the board
Finding a decent laptop under $500 was already challenging due to cheap hardware and underpowered, outdated chips. That changed when the MacBook Neo disrupted the market by offering solid build quality and adequate performance starting at $599. Even with its price bump to $699, it remains the ultimate budget laptop to beat.
When relatively unknown Chinese brand Chuwi announced a $450 Windows laptop featuring an aluminum chassis and a brand-new Intel Wildcat Lake processor, it raised eyebrows. The UniBook comes in a single configuration with a 14-inch screen, an Intel Core 3 304 processor, 8GB of soldered RAM, and a user-swappable 256GB SSD.
This Intel Wildcat Lake chip represents the entry-level tier with just five CPU cores—one performance core and four low-power efficiency cores—alongside a single GPU core. Compared to the MacBook Neo's six-core CPU and five-core GPU ensemble powered by the A18 Pro, the Chuwi offering feels severely underpowered for anything beyond basic web browsing, emails, and messaging.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The emergence of $450 laptops from lesser-known manufacturers highlights fierce competition in the low-end segment. However, hardware bottlenecks like limited 8GB memory on modern operating systems often remind consumers why ultra-budget devices require careful consideration regarding long-term usability and overall system responsiveness.
In practical use, the UniBook feels sluggish. Benchmark scores verify its lack of power, with our Adobe Premiere 4K export test taking over an hour compared to the MacBook Neo finishing the same task in under 10 minutes. The UniBook's only minor victory is having a slightly faster SSD storage drive.
Despite faster storage, the 8GB of RAM hinders Windows 11 performance. A fresh reboot consumes between 4.6 and over 5GB of memory. Launching half a dozen Chrome tabs, messaging apps, and a music streaming app easily pushes memory usage to 7GB, causing Chrome to crash when pushed past 20 tabs across virtual desktops.
"Using this trackpad made me physically and mentally tired. And clicking around on a laptop? Pretty important!"
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Beyond performance, the Chuwi's physical hardware makes everyday interaction frustrating. The display is washed out, covering merely 64 percent of the sRGB color space and topping out at a dim 300 nits. Meanwhile, the trackpad is exceptionally stiff, requiring so much force to click that the entire chassis flexes.
Source: The Verge
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