Obscure Chinese company unveils $399 Dell XPS 13 wannabe business laptop

chuwi larkbook
(Image credit: Chuwi)

After the Larkbox pocket rocket PC, Chinese manufacturer Chuwi has added yet another product to its range: the Larkbook.

This sub-1kg laptop will cost only $399 (about £300 / AU$530) when it goes live on Amazon on December 15, and even features Windows 10 Pro, which is usually only found in more expensive business laptops.

Like the more expensive Dell XPS 13 that it seeks to rival, it has a 13.3-inch full HD IPS display with 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD (we have asked Chuwi for more specifics about the SSD interface used).

Elsewhere, there's an Intel 7265 Wi-Fi 5 module, four speakers, support for DTS sound, two microphones, a 35WHr battery and a 12mm-thin premium-looking all-metal chassis.

The N4120 is a let down

There are no big surprises when it comes to connectors. There's no Thunderbolt 3 sadly, but it has two USB ports, one microSD card slot, a Type-C connector, one barrel-type power connector, a mini HDMI port and a 3.5-mm audio jack.

The processor is the big let down (although this is still quite relative). The Intel Celeron N4120 is far slower than the Intel Core i3-10110u CPU that powers the Dell XPS 13 (late 2020 edition) - by about 40%. On the other hand, it runs cooler and is paired with faster LPDDR4 memory.

Chuwi has two more 13-inch laptops in its portfolio, the CoreBook Pro and the GemiBook, both of which target slightly different audiences.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.