Review: Chuwi Herobox Pro

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Avatar for BrechtRyckaert
3 years ago

This week, I'm reviewing some low powered hardware: The Chuwi Herobox Pro (version 2021). I've also published this review on my Publish0x blog.

As my GPD Micro PC recently died on me, I was on the lookout for a piece of low power hardware that could run my linux environment at home. After doing some research I found the Chuwi Herobox Pro at Amazon.fr. On paper, the specs seemed to be just right for my needs:

  • Intel Jasper Lake N4500 Dual core processor

  • 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM

  • 256 GB SSD

  • Intel UHD Graphics Gen9

  • 2 USB-A ports

  • 2 USB-C ports

  • HDMI

  • Ethernet

  • 3.5 mm audio jack

So I placed my order. Sure enough, two days later, I received the box. 

For such a cheap product, the box felt really nice. I was suprised by the size of the box though, since it turned out quite compact. For comparison, here's the box together with a Blu-Ray of one of my all time favorite bands: Dire Straits. 

Once we open the box, we're faced with a plastic wrapped computer and a separate box with accessories. 

Below the computer there's a tiny box containing the manual. I mean, it's really really REALLY tiny, but at least it proves that some thought went into the design of the packaging. They could've just as much shipped a dull cardboard box. So props to them for that.

Not much info in that manual though... 

I also unpacked the power brick, which is the size of a modern phone charger.

Below the power brick you'll see the included VESA mount. Yeah, it's included at this low price. I was impressed too. 

I then turned my attention to the computer itself. First, to demonstrate how small this device actually is, here's another size comparison picture besides my Blu-Ray from Dire Straits: 

Again, I was very much impressed by the design and packaging of the computer. Let's first look at the front together: 

This gives us the following: 

  • USB-C port (no Thunderbolt though)

  • 2 X USB-A 3.0 ports

  • Micro-SD card reader slot

  • Power button

There's also a sticker from Intel there, due to the N4500 processor in the unit. 

At the back, we're seeing this: 

  • A reset pinhole

  • The power plug

  • VGA-port

  • HDMI-port

  • Ethernet port

  • 2 x USB-A 2.0 port

  • Headphone jack

And that's also where the positivity in my review ends... I sent this unit back, due to following reasons: 

  • The left USB-A port on the front was dead on arrival

  • The quality of the case was abysmal. While the design was nice, it was creaking as soon as you touched it. It felt so vulnerable I believed it could crack just by looking at it too long.

  • The WIFI-chip was very unreliable. It worked sometimes, but most of the times it wasn't even recognized in the operating system as being present.

  • The processor was doing a constant 100% on both cores in Windows. I'm pretty sure it's a driver/OS-related thing, as none of the other Operation Systems I tested had this issue.

So yes, I'm not very happy with my first experience with Chuwi hardware. I probably will not purchase from them again. As such I've repackaged it all, wiped my data from the SSD and sent it back to Amazon. The search for a low powered computer continues...

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