Travel 2 in 1 PC - Anything Better than The Chuwi?

macrocephalic on 25/05/2016 - 12:01

In a few months I will be travelling for 5 weeks. I like to travel reasonably light. Last time I travelled for this long I didn't take a computer, and just used a 6" phone for everything, but I found that sometimes it was tedious dealing with mobile web pages - and this leads to stress when you're trying to find a train timetable or book tickets standing on the street or platform.

I'd like to buy a small-ish 2in1 with a real OS (ie not just Android or IOS). I'm leaning pretty heavily towards the Chuwi Hi10 at the moment - which is about %350 with the keyboard from banggood.

Uses:

  • General web browsing, travel info, etc
  • Media consumption
  • Transferring photos from memory card to portable hard drive, and cloud
  • Navigation (maybe)

Wants:

  • Battery life of 5+ hours
  • Windows (or desktop linux distro if someone finds that as an option). Dual OS is fine.
  • 32gb+ of storage (preferably 64)
  • 4GB of RAM

Would be nice:

  • Full size USB (preferably a USB3)
  • Charges from USB (one less charger to carry, plus can charge from powerpack)
  • FullHD screen
  • Extra battery in keyboard

I've had a quick look around at the various Chuwi's and Teclast X98's etc.

Can anyone suggest a something better than the Chuwi Hi10? Does anyone know of any good deals at the moment or coming up soon?

Computing

Comments

  • MattyAu on 25/05/2016 - 12:11
    +1

    You can pick up a Refurb Dell inspiron 11 2-in-1 from Dell Outlet for as little as $432.00 http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/product…

    I purchased a 2-in-1 from gearbest (Pipo W3F) last year and the moment I had an issue, I had no support from gearbest or the manufacturer. Ended up making a PayPal claim, got my money back and purchased from Dell. You'll get a larger HDD but they are generally only 1366 x 768 res.

    • macrocephalic on 25/05/2016 - 12:19

      Hmm. Heavier, lower res screen, and non-detachable keyboard; BUT much better processor, bigger (slow) HDD and upgradable parts.

      It's certainly an option - thanks.

      • MattyAu on 25/05/2016 - 12:22

        I upgraded my HDD to SSD and use the 500GB HDD that came with it as a back up drive.
        The keyboard folds flat to the back of the screen and automatically switches to tablet mode in windows, disabling the keyboard and track-pad. Has been a great little device.

        The beauty of the attached keyboard is that you can sit the laptop in all sorts of different positions depending what you're doing or where you're using it.

        • Wampus on 25/05/2016 - 13:57
          +2

          I use a Dell 2 in 1 when travelling, though I use the beefier 13" version. It's faster and has more guts than the big 15" laptop it replaced. Highly recommend the 11" that Matthewk85 suggested, as I'm guessing anything bigger is not what you're after.

          A plus with Dell is their warranty is worldwide, you can have a tech come to your motel and fix it in most countries

  • scrimshaw on 25/05/2016 - 12:36
    +1

    Try to avoid getting chinese tablet if you want good battery life.

    Most of them fall under <5 hours when tested. Your mileage will vary too because poor software and firmware implementations often mean that power management can sometimes be a bit finicky — the charging will be slow, the device will be hot, the battery is not calibrated and % meter is not accurate — all these are common issues reported.

    The Chuvi Hi10 seems to be OK from first glance but when an issue crops up you're left dead in the water with no warranty replacement.

    Buy a 12 inch Dell Latitude from the Outlet if you can.

  • bobbified on 25/05/2016 - 15:10

    Is not wanting to deal with mobile webpages your main reason for wanting a "real" OS?
    Have you tried the function in Google Chrome that allows you to "Request desktop site"? It seems to work on 90% of the webpages that I use - some webpages seem to force the mobile page, but most don't.

    I use a 10 inch android tablet when I travel and use that particular function regularly.

    • macrocephalic on 25/05/2016 - 15:25

      It's part of the reason, but not the only bit. Requesting the desktop site sometimes works, but not always. Many of sites will use other things to determine if you're on a mobile device.

      Honestly, I own an android phone, and have owned an android tablet in the past, and I just find OS's designed for portable touch screen devices to be restrictive. They're fine for a phone, but I don't want it on a laptop.

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