El CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus It enters a highly competitive segment: that of lightweight ultraportable laptops with good hardware and an affordable price. The Chinese brand has spent years refining its product line, and this 16-inch model is, currently, one of its most well-rounded offerings for those seeking a versatile laptop for work, study, and leisure without breaking the bank.
Throughout this analysis we will delve deeper into its design, performance, battery life, display, storage, and user experienceWe will base our analysis on tests and data from various specialized reviews. Furthermore, we will compare it to the 14-inch CoreBook Air and examine to what extent this Air Plus can be a genuine alternative to much more expensive laptops, such as typical "premium" ultrabooks.
Design, construction and first impressions
The first thing that stands out about the CoreBook Air Plus is its aluminum chassis in indigo blueThe finish is a departure from the typical gray or black, giving it a rather elegant touch. The top lid is smooth, with a matte finish and the CHUWI logo in the center; it shows fingerprints slightly, which is normal with this type of paint, but in hand it feels more like an expensive ultrabook than a budget laptop.
In terms of size and weight, we are clearly dealing with a team focused on portabilityIt measures approximately 355,5 x 249 x 16,3 mm and weighs around 1,35 kg. Considering it has a 16-inch screen, this is very competitive; it feels light in a backpack and is comfortable to carry all day, especially if you're coming from a classic 15,6” laptop, which is considerably heavier and thicker.
The overall rigidity of the chassis is adequate, although not perfect: the The keyboard area gives slightly when pressed firmly.This has already been mentioned in several reviews. It's not a major concern in normal use, but it's not up to par with high-end models. The screen cover has moderate torsional rigidity, so it's advisable to open it from the center to avoid unnecessary stress on the panel.
The hinge runs almost the entire width of the lower area and allows open the screen to about 180ºThe movement is smooth, without any strange noises, and the lid doesn't wobble while typing. This is a useful feature if you work on your laptop in unusual positions or if you share the screen with someone else.
At the base, we find the bottom panel, also made of aluminum, with ventilation grilles, rubber feet, and Phillips screws that allow the unit to be opened. On the Air Plus model, this cover can be removed without much difficulty to access the interior, which facilitates tasks such as replace or upgrade the M.2 SSD, something that is greatly appreciated in a laptop at this price.
Screen: 16-inch 16:10 IPS panel
The CoreBook Air Plus features a screen of 16-inch IPS panel with 1920 x 1200 resolution pixels (16:10 format). This aspect ratio, slightly taller than the classic 16:9, is very convenient for office applications, browsing, and programming because it allows more lines of content to be visible vertically.
The panel offers a 60 Hz refresh rateThis is sufficient for the intended use of the device. It's not a screen designed for competitive gaming, but rather for productivity and multimedia. The bezels are relatively thin, with a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 85%, so it looks modern and not at all bulky.
In terms of brightness and contrast, the actual measurements are around 300-350 nits and a contrast ratio of around 1300-1500:1This translates to decent visibility indoors and good visibility in well-lit offices; outdoors or in bright sunlight, it starts to struggle a bit, but it's not terrible. The finish is matte, which helps reduce glare, although the brightness isn't among the highest on the market.
Where cutbacks are noticeable is in the color coverage and accuracySome reviews place the Air Plus panel's performance well below the marketing claims (100% sRGB), showing around 55-65% effective sRGB and figures close to 40% for Adobe RGB and DCI-P3. This means that colors, especially reds, appear somewhat muted and cool, with a factory color temperature close to 7500K in some cases.
The good news is that, after proper calibration, the panel becomes more pleasant: the blue cast is corrected, it approaches 6500K, and the sRGB color space is better adjusted. Even so, even with calibration, It is not a screen for demanding professional design work.It is a perfectly valid panel for general use, office work, browsing and video consumption, but not for those who make a living from photo or video editing.
Keyboard, trackpad, webcam and sound
The CoreBook Air Plus maintains the series' focus on delivering a polished input experience. The keyboard offers a backlit ANSI layout (English)There is no printed Ñ key. You can configure the system in Spanish and "simulate" the Ñ, but the special symbols don't match what's printed on the keys, which can be annoying if you're not used to it.
The keys are island-style, with a short travel and cushioned feelThere's some flex in the central area, more than you'd typically see on more expensive devices, but for normal typing, it's comfortable and quiet. It has white backlighting with several intensity levels, ideal for working in low light, and the latest models even include [the following features]. dedicated Copilot key, designed to invoke AI functions in Windows 11.
The trackpad, although not huge, has a sufficient size and smooth glideCompared to other budget models from the same brand, it's a clear step forward: good responsiveness, a firm click without play, and no strange "wobbling" when making gestures. It's centered within the chassis, which improves ergonomics when typing and using the mouse simultaneously.
On the screen we find a 2 MP cameraThe CoreBook Air Plus offers a version with an IR camera compatible with Windows Hello for facial recognition, while other CoreBook Air models feature a 1080p FHD camera with a mechanical shutter, without IR. In both cases, the quality is typical of a laptop: sufficient for video calls, nothing fancy, but useful for remote work or online classes.
The sound is provided by two 2W stereo speakers Located at the bottom/front, they deliver acceptable volume, with defined mids and highs but very little bass, which is completely expected in such a thin chassis. They're more than enough for watching series, YouTube, or video calls; if you want a more serious movie or music experience, you're better off using headphones or external speakers.
Connectivity and ports
In terms of physical connections, the CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus is quite well-equipped, especially considering its thickness. On the left side, depending on the configuration, we find a Full-size HDMI 2.0/1.4 and two "full" USB-C 3.2 Gen2 ports, meaning they support simultaneous data, charging (Power Delivery up to 65W) and DisplayPort video output.
While on the right side there is normally a additional USB-C (some reviews mention it as a dedicated USB 2.0 for charging only), a USB-A 3.2 Gen1 port, and a 3,5 mm combo jack for audio and microphone. Together, these provide up to four USB ports, which is quite unusual for a thin ultrabook, although the lack of a USB 4 port in the most recent configurations is noticeable.
The included power adapter is 65W with USB-C connectorIt supports PD fast charging, and the laptop can be recharged via any of the power-enabled USB-C ports. Furthermore, if you connect it to a USB-C monitor that offers Power Delivery, you can use a single cable for video, data, and power, leaving your desk considerably cleaner.
In the wireless section, the brand uses a Realtek RTL8852BE module with Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2In real-world field tests, it performed well, with good range and stable speeds, without any unexpected drops. It may not be the most advanced chip on the market, but it's far superior to the older Wi-Fi 5 and integrates well with the rest of the system.
Internal hardware and key specifications
The heart of the CoreBook Air Plus is the AMD Ryzen 5 6600HIt features a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Zen 3+ architecture, manufactured using a 6nm process and with a boost clock speed of up to 4,5 GHz. It includes 16 MB of L3 cache and was originally designed for high-performance "H" series laptops, but in this chassis it is configured with a reduced TDP.
Depending on the review, configurations have been observed with TDP sustained between 23 and 35 WThis falls short of its official specification of 45W. CHUWI has opted to limit power consumption to control heat and noise, a logical approach for such a thin laptop. Even so, the processor performs well above the U series under sustained loads, allowing it to smoothly handle advanced office applications, multitasking, browsing with multiple tabs, and light editing software.
As an integrated GPU, the Ryzen 5 6600H includes the well known AMD Radeon 660MIt features 384 shaders (6 CUs) and a frequency of up to 1,9 GHz. It shares memory with the system RAM and, while it doesn't replace a powerful dedicated graphics card, it's among the most capable iGPUs of its generation for general tasks and undemanding games.
The RAM in this laptop is 16 GB LPDDR5 at 6400 MT/s Soldered to the motherboard, with no possibility of expansion. In some measurements, the effective performance of the RAM has been slightly below what was expected for that speed, approaching what DDR4-3200 would offer in terms of bandwidth, but in practice it does not significantly hinder daily use or the performance of the iGPU.
For storage, CHUWI mounts a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSDVarious brands (AirDisk, TWSC, etc.) have been tested, with CrystalDiskMark results ranging from 1500 to just over 3000 MB/s in sequential read speeds and more modest write speeds, especially in some entry-level Chinese drives. The pattern is clear: it's not a high-end SSD, but it's more than sufficient for Windows 11, light applications, and games without noticeable bottlenecks in daily use.
Performance in real-world applications and benchmarks
In synthetic tests such as Cinebench R23/2024, PCMark, V-Ray or AIDA64The CoreBook Air Plus sits in the mid-range of laptops with a Ryzen 5 6600H processor, penalized by its TDP limit but still very capable. Compared to newer generations of mobile processors, it lags slightly behind in raw power, but maintains perfectly adequate performance for general use and somewhat demanding tasks.
The processor tends to start heavy workloads with a peak power consumption near the 40 45-WThe power consumption then stabilizes at around 28-35 W, depending on the thermal profile implemented by the manufacturer. This allows for sustained frequencies of around 3,3-3,6 GHz across all cores during extended rendering or compression sessions.
In day-to-day life, the feelings are of smooth and jerk-free systemMultiple browser tabs, office applications, video calls, 4K video playback, some basic photo editing… everything runs smoothly. Several reviews mention that, after weeks of intensive use, no significant bottlenecks or annoying slowdowns are noticeable.
The most noticeable reductions compared to more expensive machines are in sustained, purely CPU-intensive tasks (complex 3D rendering, heavy video editing, very long compilations), where the capped TDP prevents the chip from reaching its full potential. Even so, for someone who occasionally renders or exports video, the wait time remains reasonable.
Regarding the SSD, sequential and random read/write tests show that we are dealing with mid-range storage This doesn't hinder the experience: Windows boots up quickly, applications open smoothly, and installing programs or games doesn't take forever. Very demanding users might notice the difference compared to a top-of-the-line PCIe 4.0, but they aren't the target audience for this laptop.
Graphics performance and games
The AMD Radeon 660M has proven to be a fairly capable iGPU within its limitations. In the CoreBook Air Plus, thanks to dual-channel LPDDR5 memory, performance remains very close to that of other systems with the same graphics chip, even though the overall system TDP is slightly lower.
In demanding modern titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn or Baldur's Gate 3Tests agree that it's possible to play at 1080p resolution with low graphics settings, achieving around 30 fps if the configuration is properly adjusted. Using upscaling techniques like FSR, you can squeeze out a few extra fps, although at 720p, using FSR can introduce artifacts and a more noticeable loss of sharpness.
In less demanding or competitive games such as Dota 2, LoL or similar eSports titlesThe iGPU performs much more smoothly, reaching 60 fps at 1080p and medium/high settings without major issues. For emulation, it handles some older consoles well (PS2, Wii, some Wii U games), provided the games aren't particularly demanding.
Do not forget that We're still talking about an integrated graphics cardIt's not designed to replace an RTX or similar. But as a bonus for killing time and casual gaming, the CoreBook Air Plus is more than adequate, especially when compared to the old low-power Intel iGPUs, which lagged far behind in this area.
Furthermore, the presence of the AV1 codec in the VPU and HDR10 compatibility allows the laptop to be used as competent multimedia center For streaming: services like YouTubeNetflix, Disney+, Prime Video or Apple TV work well, in many cases reaching 4K HDR resolutions when the platform allows it and the browser/app is compatible.
Temperatures, consumption and noise
The CoreBook Air Plus cooling system is based on two copper heatpipes and a single low-profile fanwith a compact heatsink in the air exhaust area. The motherboard is highly compressed to make room for the battery, and the LPDDR5 memory (or LPDDR5X in some variants) is soldered around the processor.
During standby and light tasks, consumption is around 12 15-WWith processor temperatures hovering around 40-50°C and the fan spinning very slowly or almost at a standstill, the computer feels remarkably quiet. Browsing, typing, or watching videos doesn't increase the noise level, and you can work in quiet environments without it being a nuisance.
When the CPU is subjected to a heavy load, the system momentarily increases its power consumption to around 40-45 W, before stabilizing at about 28-35 W sustainedIn that scenario, CPU temperatures hover around 80-88°C, normal figures for a thin laptop, while noise levels are in the 38-42 dB range measured at a typical user distance.
Prolonged stress tests show relatively stable behavior: after a few minutes of initial "peak," the laptop finds a balance between frequency, temperature, and noise without entering cycles of sharp increases and decreases. This means that, although it doesn't push the 6600H to its full potential, It also doesn't drown or enter severe thermal throttling.
In the 14-inch CoreBook Air model, with a slightly different TDP and a similar single fan, temperatures peaked at 94-96°C at the start of extreme load, stabilizing afterward at around 75-77°C, but the noise at maximum speed was more noticeable. The Air Plus, with more internal space, fares slightly better in terms of thermal/acoustic balance.
Battery life and experience
The CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus integrates a 60Wh batteryWhile its smaller 14-inch sibling has a 55 Wh battery. On paper, these figures don't seem spectacular, but when combined with an efficient processor and a relatively low-power panel, the result is more interesting than you might expect.
In realistic mixed use (browsing, office applications, occasional streaming, some light editing), the Air Plus usually gets around 5-6 hours of autonomyIf usage is focused on watching streaming video with medium/low brightness, it is possible to get close to 8-9 hours according to some tests, always with moderate power profiles.
Meanwhile, the 14” CoreBook Air has shown excellent results in dedicated tests under very specific scenarios, with up to 14 hours for light office tasks Using maximum efficiency profiles and the iGPU at its minimum. In multimedia playback, those figures drop slightly, but they are still very good for a budget laptop.
When gaming or performing demanding tasks, battery life naturally drops to around an hour and a half or two hours, as the CPU and iGPU consume significantly more power. However, the 65W USB-C charger allows you to fully charge from 0% to 100% in just over an hour, and can go from empty to around 50% in about 40-45 minutes.
The fact of power Charge via the included charger or other USB-C PD adapters It offers considerable flexibility: you can use the same charger for your mobile phone, tablet, and laptop, or leave one permanently in the office and another at home so you don't have to carry it around all day.
Software, extras, and overall experience
All the models analyzed come with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed and activatedAnd many units also include Office 2024 Pro (or a pre-installed version of Office) that's ready to use right out of the box. This is a significant advantage for those who don't want to deal with additional licenses as soon as they take the laptop out of the box.
CHUWI incorporates its own application, called Easy Care or Chuwi app Depending on the version, this software displays system information, battery status, storage details, and allows you to check drivers or access support. However, its practical utility is limited: it doesn't offer advanced performance profiles, TDP adjustments, or fan controls, features that are somewhat lacking in a modern laptop.
In terms of safety and productivity, the combination of Camera with physical shutter or IR for Windows HelloMultiple USB-C ports with video and charging capabilities, along with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, make the CoreBook Air Plus a well-equipped machine for remote work, university studies, and light professional use. Simply connecting it to a 4K USB-C monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse transforms it into a handy little desktop.
The various analyses indicate that the overall experience of daily use is very positive: the device feels light, comfortable to use, sufficiently powerful, and quiet most of the time, with Weak points located in the screen and the inability to expand the RAM, but with many successes in design, keyboard/trackpad, connectivity and value for money.
For students, advanced home users, and professionals who prioritize portability, battery life, and a good price over raw power or a professional screen, the CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus positions itself as a very competitive option within the budget ultraportable marketespecially when it is obtained with coupons or discounts that clearly put it below the big names in the sector.