Chuwi Vi8 Review: This is the tablet you’re looking for

Chuwi has recently launched their very cheap Vi8 priced at $120. What kind of tablet could that kind of money get you from a company like Samsung or Apple? Absolutely nothing. However, Chuwi has changed that. For a measly $120, you can get a tablet that is far better than the $120 price suggests. It seems like the regular price went down, it now retails for $112USD at Gearbest but with the coupon code: “CVI8” the price goes down to $105. Continue reading after the break!

Key Specifications
8″ 1280×800 IPS Display	Intel Atom Z3735F Quad Core 1.33GHz
2GB RAM + 32GB ROM	2MP + 0.3MP Camera
Android 4.4.4 Kitkat & Windows 8.1	Bluetooth, Mini HDMI
5000mAh Battery	MicroSD card slot, OTG
310g, 207 x 122 x 8mm

Build Quality

The Chuwi Vi8 is nondescript. This is the tablet that your mother would pick up and ask: “When did you buy a Samsung tablet?”. It looks like any of the other run of the mill tablets out there. The bezels around the screen aren’t too big, coupled with the 16:9 aspect ratio makes the tablet narrower while taller and much more comfortable to hold with one hand (compared to an iPad Mini, which is a lot wider), even for someone with small hands like me. It is made of plastic  that doesn’t give it a premium feel, but also doesn’t make it feel too cheap either. Let’s say that the plastic used is a happy middle ground between premium and cheap. The Windows logo also features prominently at the bottom of the device and works in both Windows and Android as a home button to go back to the Metro/Home Screen respectively.

When holding the device in portrait mode, the volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the device while the MicroUSB, and earphone jack are located on the top. The MicroSD card slot is located on the left.

The back of the device has a textured plastic back that gives the device pretty good traction and gives it a better feel in hand. The back camera is flush with the back of the device, so if you place the device on the table, be careful not to scratch it. Oh who cares! The camera is so bad anyway! The Chuwi logo is splattered across the back in large font with the back camera above it. The Chinese symbols beside the Chuwi Logo are actually romanized as “Chíwèi”, so I’m not sure why they used Chuwi instead (unless the company speaks a different chinese dialect?).

All in all, the Chuwi Vi8 feels solid in hand and doesn’t feel too bad, especially for a $120 tablet. The relatively slim side bezels make the tablet easy to hold in one hand. Overall, I’m quite happy with the build quality of the Chuwi Vi8.

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