Chuwi Vi-10 Plus Review [Remix OS]
My Android tablet died and I found myself in need of a replacement. Well, let’s be honest, I didn’t need a new device – I wanted one. I could survive just fine with my phone which is a 2015 Moto X Pure. It can run all the latest games and apps I would ever need.
Sadly, I found myself using my phone too often to play silly little mobile games – namely Mobius Final Fantasy – draining the battery in the process. Then, when I needed it most, my phone was low on battery or dead completely.
It’s even worse now that Dynasty Warriors Unleashed, and T
ransformers Forged to Fight are out. I’m addicted.
So, I set out to find a decent Android tablet. This is how I came upon Gearbest, and the Chuwi Vi10 Plus. I researched the tablet – and many others – extensively before actually making a purchase. One thing I saw mentioned repeatedly, is that you should never buy from Gearbest. Many claim the devices are priced well, but are often unreliable just as the company is.
I could see how this sentiment would be true. I have no comment on this, nor do I claim to know the full extent of the company’s reach.
What I can share, however, is my experience and my review of the tablet I purchased.
Chuwi Vi-10 Plus Review
Without further ado, here is my review of the Chuwi Vi10 Plus.
Chuwi Vi-10 Plus: The Bad
This tablet is fairly cheap compared to the competition, so let’s talk about the bad first. Why?
Because most people are going to see the price and bite. I bought the Chuwi Vi-10 Plus for about $130. I also purchased a keyboard case to go with it for another $30.
All in, that’s about $160 for a decent, 10” tablet (not an affiliate link).
It works great. Hell, it performs way better than I expected it to being a dual-boot capable Android and Windows tablet (I bought the Android version).
Unfortunately, it freezes, a lot. Luckily, I’ve never had it freeze or hang up when I was using it, which is great. But if I leave it to sit for a while and come back, the screen won’t turn on and I have to soft reset the tablet.
It can be frustrating, but I’ve grown used to it, especially since I use this tablet as a secondary device. To translate, it’s second only to my phone, so I use it often.
There are some bios settings you can change to lessen the freezing, but you’ll need a Bluetooth keyboard to access it. If you didn’t buy the keyboard case like I did, you’re SOL.
Other than the freezing problems, it’s a great tablet. I suspect it happens because of the Remix OS, which is a forked version of Android. It’s designed for productivity and acts like more of a Windows-esque OS.
I did fix the freezing completely by flashing a custom update created by a third-party community developer. The tablet works perfectly now, and I do mean perfectly. If you’re not as tech literate as I am, you might end up stuck with the freezing issues, which is no Bueno.
Chuwi Vi-10 Plus: The Good
This tablet is cheap, works exceptionally well, and gets decent battery life. With the optional keyboard dock it turns into a modern tablet, although the keyboard is a bit small for someone like me with chubby sausage fingers.
Still, I’m very happy with my purchase and would definitely buy something from Gearbest and Chuwi again, even with the problems I encountered along the way.
As for shipping, purchase and regular retail stuff, I had no problems whatsoever. I did reach out to Gearbest when the tablet was freezing a lot and they basically told me to figure it out myself. They offered an RMA, but there was no point as I’d likely get one that started freezing just as much. I could definitely see this putting off a few folks, especially if they don’t have the knowledge or skill to fix the problem on their own.
But, like I said, I fixed it thanks to a community patch, which you can find here if you own one of these bad boys.
The tablet runs games quite well, including graphic intensive ones like HIT, Marvel: Contest of Champions, Real Racing 3 and Mobius Final Fantasy.
If you’re not into games don’t worry, that means it will definitely handle whatever it is you want to throw at it, including streaming movies and shows, music, and more. Keep in mind the speakers aren’t amazing, but you can definitely sync this tablet via Bluetooth with a portable speaker if you want more kick from the audio.
Money well spent, I say.
Do you own this tablet or another model by Chuwi? What do you think?
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