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Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 32GB Tablet Review

Power shortage Not a technical ace and always lacking power is how this 10-inch tablet with everything needed for real world use otherwise presents itself to us. First to be mentioned: Two Type-A USB ports and a relatively fast system.
Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 10.6-inch Z8300 2GB 32GB IPS
Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 10.6-inch Z8300 2GB 32GB IPS

For the original German review, see here.

Windows tablets still have an insignificant role on the market. One reason might be their high prices - hardly anything useful is found below 400 Euros (~$454) in this sector. That was different in 2014 and 2015: Diverse pocket Windows systems (6 to 10 inches) by Asus, Acer, Dell or even HP were found on the market. However, the market quickly noticed that combining Windows 8.1, tight storage (sometimes just 16 GB) and the sluggish Bay Trail Atom Z satisfied few users in the long run. Windows is still alive and kicking because convertibles with a stronger Core m or Core i SoCs have moved mainstream. They offer a decent Windows operating speed, have input devices like in a laptop and even interfaces for peripherals.

Intel's Cherry Trail quad-cores, such as the Z8300 (1.84 GHz) installed here, are the present entry-level SoCs to the Windows world. They provide a useful speed and enable low prices - apart from Microsoft's Surface 3 that still costs almost 600 Euros (~$681). Our Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 10.6 review sample carries a price of approximately 180 USD. It is not yet sold in Europe.

That, however, could change soon since Chuwi delivers decent features for little money. Of course, the HD resolution will not make Surface 3 users envious; 1366x768 pixels seem a bit outdated. But then, a total of two USB ports are present.

Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB
Processor
Intel Atom x5-Z8300 4 x 1.4 - 1.8 GHz, Cherry Trail
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Core: 500 MHz, Memory: 800 MHz
Memory
2048 MB 
, single-channel
Display
10.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel 148 PPI, 10 fingers, Chi Mei CMN9003, IPS, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Cherry Trail
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 12 GB free
Soundcard
HD Audio
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headset jack, Card Reader: Micro SD T-FLASH (support 32GB max), Brightness Sensor, Sensors: G-sensor, proximity sensor, docking port (connect with keyboard)
Networking
Broadcom 802.11bgn SDIO Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.8 x 278 x 171 ( = 0.35 x 10.94 x 6.73 in)
Battery
8000 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 32 Bit
Camera
Webcam: front 2.0MP + rear 2.0MP
Additional features
Speakers: 2x stereo, AC adapter, 100-240V DC 5V 2A, 12 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
520 g ( = 18.34 oz / 1.15 pounds), Power Supply: 69 g ( = 2.43 oz / 0.15 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Sensitive rear surface
Air bubbles under the display foil
Docking port for keyboard

Display

272
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
273
cd/m²
272
cd/m²
296
cd/m²
284
cd/m²
266
cd/m²
294
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei CMN9003 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 296 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 282.3 cd/m² Minimum: 17 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 245 cd/m²
Contrast: 925:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.54 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.29
Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8300, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Microsoft Surface 3
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8700, 128 GB eMMC Flash
Dell Venue 10 Pro 5056
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 128 GB eMMC Flash
HP Spectre x2 12-a003ng K3D42EA
HD Graphics 515, 6Y75, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
Screen
17%
-3%
-28%
Brightness middle
296
399
35%
365
23%
353
19%
Brightness
282
380
35%
348
23%
347
23%
Brightness Distribution
90
90
0%
91
1%
91
1%
Black Level *
0.32
0.49
-53%
0.24
25%
0.44
-38%
Contrast
925
814
-12%
1521
64%
802
-13%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.32
1.66
62%
8.31
-92%
6.09
-41%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
12.35
3.24
74%
16.47
-33%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.54
2.75
-8%
3.39
-33%
6.24
-146%
Gamma
2.29 96%
2.22 99%
1.96 112%
2.41 91%
CCT
6537 99%
6358 102%
6451 101%
7238 90%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
64.4
38
46
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
98.8
60
71

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps

Performance

System Performance

Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8300, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Dell Venue 10 Pro 5056
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 128 GB eMMC Flash
Microsoft Surface 3
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8700, 128 GB eMMC Flash
PCMark 7
32%
74%
Score
2025
2725
35%
3029
50%
Lightweight
1132
1437
27%
1552
37%
Productivity
824
1027
25%
1173
42%
Entertainment
1381
1919
39%
5663
310%
Creativity
3964
5380
36%
2377
-40%
Computation
5351
7612
42%
10484
96%
System Storage
3045
3629
19%
3755
23%
PCMark 7 Score
2025 points
Help

Storage Device

Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8300, 32 GB eMMC Flash
HP Spectre x2 12-a003ng K3D42EA
HD Graphics 515, 6Y75, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
Microsoft Surface 3
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8700, 128 GB eMMC Flash
Dell Venue 10 Pro 5056
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 128 GB eMMC Flash
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
2064%
215%
198%
Read Seq
80.1
410.1
412%
149.3
86%
100.4
25%
Write Seq
14.47
316
2084%
47.99
232%
58.7
306%
Read 512
74.6
260.8
250%
133.7
79%
78.3
5%
Write 512
13.13
241.6
1740%
39.9
204%
42.62
225%
Read 4k
6.436
27.4
326%
12.64
96%
7.312
14%
Write 4k
1.801
53.5
2871%
9.52
429%
8.278
360%
Read 4k QD32
11.73
196
1571%
27.94
138%
28.2
140%
Write 4k QD32
2.008
147.8
7261%
11.2
458%
12.24
510%
32 GB eMMC Flash
Sequential Read: 80.1 MB/s
Sequential Write: 14.47 MB/s
512K Read: 74.6 MB/s
512K Write: 13.13 MB/s
4K Read: 6.436 MB/s
4K Write: 1.801 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 11.73 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 2.008 MB/s

Graphics Card

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8300, 32 GB eMMC Flash
322 Points
Dell Venue 10 Pro 5056
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8500, 128 GB eMMC Flash
464 Points +44%
HP Spectre x2 12-a003ng K3D42EA
HD Graphics 515, 6Y75, Sandisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G-1006
1098 Points +241%
Microsoft Surface 3
HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8700, 128 GB eMMC Flash
562 Points +75%
3DMark 11 Performance
322 points
Help

Emissions & Energy Management

Temperature

Max. Load
 43 °C
109 F
31.6 °C
89 F
27.9 °C
82 F
 
 41.2 °C
106 F
31 °C
88 F
28.5 °C
83 F
 
 32.1 °C
90 F
36.2 °C
97 F
31 °C
88 F
 
Maximum: 43 °C = 109 F
Average: 33.6 °C = 92 F
30.2 °C
86 F
37.1 °C
99 F
56 °C
133 F
30.5 °C
87 F
38.6 °C
101 F
45.2 °C
113 F
31 °C
88 F
37.6 °C
100 F
38 °C
100 F
Maximum: 56 °C = 133 F
Average: 38.2 °C = 101 F
Power Supply (max.)  36 °C = 97 F | Room Temperature 22.3 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.6 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 56 °C / 133 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.1 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Stress test: CPU@480 MHz
Stress test: CPU@480 MHz
Loaded GPU: 400 MHz
Loaded GPU: 400 MHz
Stress test: GPU@200 MHz
Stress test: GPU@200 MHz

Power Consumption

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.08 / 1.06 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.62 / 1.64 / 1.66 Watt
Load midlight 7 / 7.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Pros

+ high contrast & brightness
+ good color reproduction
+ noiseless
+ relatively fast
+ two Type-A USB
+ useful webcam
+ decent speakers
+ keyboard docking port

Cons

- production flaws
- charging flaws (via micro-USB)
- no USB 3.0
- sensitive high-gloss chassis

Verdict

Needless: Air bubbles on the screen
Needless: Air bubbles on the screen
5V 2A power supply does not deliver enough energy
5V 2A power supply does not deliver enough energy
Test device courtesy of gearbest.com
Test device courtesy of gearbest.com

Chuwi's Vi10 Ultimate 10.6-inch tablet is certainly not a technical ace. The lack of a Type-C USB and USB 3.0 are a bit painful. The unnecessary flaws like a power button that does not always respond immediately (cold start) and a self-discharging battery in standby when the power supply is connected also add to that. When the battery is fully depleted, it is not possible to reboot immediately either - the user has to wait until a capacity of 10% is reached, which takes about 20 minutes (disconnect and reconnect the power supply).

The power consumption was also a bit confusing. The device consumed 4 watts in standby with a fully charged battery only to start fluctuating between 1 and 2.8 watts after a while. The same is seen in a shutdown state where it varied between 0.08 and 1.66 watts while it also consumed 4 watts at the beginning. Since our measurements also presented strange rates in idle mode (1.62 to 1.66 watts regardless of the brightness), we have to assume that the battery is permanently discharged - perhaps because the supply via the 5 volt micro-USB is insufficient.

We did not use the original power supply due to the wrong plug, but ours had the same output of 5 volts, 2A. The runtime of around eight hours is very good, but the charger needs a full ten hours for recharging Chuwi's tablet when it is active (idle). The energy is altogether inadequate. The air bubbles under the screen protector on the panel are unnecessary. We have not seen this for a long time.

However, Chuwi's Vi10 Ultimate functioned impeccably in practical use with a USB port (port 1) and Bluetooth keyboard, and its low resolution of just 1366x768 pixels was not annoying. The system's setup is fast for a Cherry Trail device. That makes browsing through websites fun, and undemanding applications such as Outlook or Photoshop Elements run smoothly.

The listed flaws clearly show: Chuwi's Vi10 Ultimate is not a device that was built under the best quality monitoring conditions. However, the price is a low barrier of entry, and the 10-inch tablet does its job when its shortcomings can be ignored.

Chuwi Vi10 Ultimate 64GB - 06/06/2016 v5.1(old)
Sebastian Jentsch

Chassis
73%
Keyboard
70 / 80 → 88%
Pointing Device
90%
Connectivity
33 / 65 → 51%
Weight
83 / 40-88 → 90%
Battery
79%
Display
83%
Games Performance
29 / 68 → 43%
Application Performance
40 / 76 → 53%
Temperature
86%
Noise
100%
Audio
55 / 91 → 60%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Add Points
-5%
Average
62%
75%
Tablet - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Sebastian Jentsch, 2016-06- 5 (Update: 2017-05-23)