Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Surfaces at GearBest

The super-friendly folks at Chinese computer company Chuwi just poked me with news that the Chuwi LapBook 12.3 is now available on GearBest at a reduced price for a limited time only.

The Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is a 12.3-inch laptop with 2K IPS display (2736×1824), Intel N3450 (Apollo Lake) processor, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage.

But before you rush out to snap one up I need to make a few things clear.

Firstly, I have never ordered so much as a novelty USB vacuum cleaner from GearBest.

Anecdotally, from reading around, the site seems reputable enough. However, I make no promises on that front. If you have used them in the past please do share your experience in the comments to help inform other readers.

Secondly, although Chuwi say in their press release that “today [the device] officially becomes a dual boot system device by running on Ubuntu too” it’d be remiss of me not to point out that the device doesn’t actually come with Ubuntu pre-loaded. Instead, the Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 is sold with Windows 10 Home edition; you have to install Ubuntu yourself.

This is a shame as the company had previously intimated that a choice of OS would be offered.

To repeat: you cannot buy the device with Ubuntu preloaded. Chuwi simply say that you can replace Windows 10 and install Ubuntu on it.

Now, the cynic in me sort of wants to scoff because, honestly, most Intel-based Laptops “support Ubuntu” in this way (or more accurately the Linux kernel supports the laptop’s hardware)

But, to be fair, Chuwi has chosen to make a lot of noise about this device being able to support Ubuntu, which they didn’t have to do. They even forwarded an image (presumably a composite) of Ubuntu running on the device:

The Chuwi LapBook 14.1 model (which has the same core internal specs as the 12.3) with Ubuntu 17.04 (Linux Kernel 4.10) seems to work very well.

And given the relatively low cost — less than £250/$309 at the time of writing, with free shipping — it could be a canny purchase for anyone in the market for a thin, metal, high-res portable with decent battery life and decent Linux support.

You can learn more about the device on the Chuwi website or on the GearBest store listing, which we’ve linked below.

View the Chuwi LapBook 12.3 Promotion on GearBest

For the avoidance of doubt: none of the links in this post are affiliate links; we are not being compensated for featuring this product or linking to it. You can refer to omgubuntu.co.uk/ethics for more information.

A recap of the core Chspecs: