$439 Chuwi LapBook Plus uses the same BOE 4K UHD panel as the $1599 Lenovo Yoga 730 15

First impressions are almost everything when it comes to tablets and portable PCs. For Chuwi, this often involves designing super-thin and attractive laptops equipped with high quality displays to induce that all-important "wow" factor from potential customers. The Chuwi LapBook Plus is the latest example of a sub $500 laptop that uses the same eye-catching 4K UHD panel as a much pricier alternative.

In our review of the LapBook Plus, we discover that its BOE NV156QUM-N51 4K UHD panel is the exact same 4K UHD panel as found on the Lenovo Yoga 730-15IKB. While it's common for different laptops to share the same panels, the very wide price differential between the Chuwi and Lenovo models makes this find particularly noteworthy. Users can get essentially the same visual experience from the Chuwi for about $1000 less than the Lenovo. Attributes like response times, contrast ratios, and color coverage are quite similar between these two systems.

Of course, there are plenty of cut corners to keep in mind. The Chuwi system offers no touchscreen features or edge-to-edge glass reinforcement in contrast to the Lenovo. Secondly, almost everything else about the Lapbook Plus feels cheaply made to be more reflective of its affordable price point. When your laptop is equipped with a high quality 4K display and still have to target $439 at retail, then you just don't have very much left to work with from a materials and manufacturing standpoint. In other words, you get a great looker but a weak performer because of the imbalanced bill of materials.