Chuwi MiniBook crowdfunding campaign surpasses US$260,000 in two days
We doubt even Chuwi saw this coming. The Shenzhen based company launched its latest crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo earlier this week, and it has already proven a hit with fans. The campaign is the company's sixth on the crowdfunding website since 2017, from which it has previously raised over US$2.7 million.
As we previously reported, Chuwi has brought two versions of the MiniBook to Indiegogo, the cheapest of which starts at US$430. Both versions feature an 8-inch IPS touchscreen, which operates natively at 1,920 x 1,200. Chuwi claims that the display should reach a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m² lumens, which seems rather dim. The company will equip both models with a 26.6 Wh (7.6 V) battery, Windows 10 Home 64-bit and a 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Wi-Fi modem that supports up to the IEEE 802.11 n standard.
The MiniBook weighs 0.66 kg (~1.46 lbs) and measures 201 x 128.6 x 19.3 mm. Chuwi has incorporated a USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, a headphone jack, a mini HDMI port, a microSD card reader and a fingerprint scanner integrated within the power button. Both models will come with 128 GB of eMMC flash storage too. Please see below for the differences between the two models:
| Model | Deluxe | Entry-Level |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core m3-8100Y | Celeron N4100 |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR3 | 8 GB LPDRR4 |
| Other | Spare M.2 PCIe SSD slot | Spare M.2 SATA SSD slot |
| Indiegogo price | US$530 | US$430 |
| Full price | US$670 | US$540 or higher |
Chuwi is positioning the MiniBook as a competitor to the MacBook Air and Surface Go, although we would not compare an ultra-mobile PC (UPMC) with no trackpad against an ultrabook and a detachable 2-in-1. At any rate, it would still make a more portable alternative to a conventional laptop while maintaining much of the same functionality. The MiniBook campaign will end on August 19, with Chuwi estimating that it will ship to backers in September.
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