Chuwi (company)
Native name | 驰为创新科技（深圳）有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private Limited company |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | September 2004 |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, Longhua District, China |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Products |
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Number of employees | ~200 (as of 2023) |
| Website | www |
| Chuwi | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 馳為創新科技（深圳）有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 驰为创新科技（深圳）有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Chíwéi Chuàngxīn Kējì (Shēnzhèn) Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Zhuang name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhuang | Cizveiz Cangsinh Gohyih (Sin Cinj) Youxen Gunghswh | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Kana | チーウェイチュァンシンカージ(シェン ジェン)ヨウシェンゴンスー | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chuwi Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (馳為創新科技（深圳）有限公司) is an electronics manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, China. The company primarily produces laptops, tablet computers, and mini PCs.[1][2]
History
Chuwi was established in September 2004 in Shenzhen, China.[3][4] The company began operations by offering portable media player products, laying the foundation for future growth in the electronics industry.
In 2010, Chuwi formed strategic partnerships with MediaTek, Huawei, and Google. These collaborations helped expand the company's technological capabilities and market reach.
By 2013, Chuwi had established business relationships with Microsoft and Intel,[4] further strengthening its position in the industry. During this time, the company also began recruiting sales agents to strengthen its distribution network.
In May 2015, Chuwi became a sponsor of the 2015 China Table Tennis Super League.[4] This move helped enhance the company's brand visibility and reputation in the competitive electronics market.
By January 2016, Chuwi took significant steps to expand into overseas markets. The company established dedicated teams for Amazon, AliExpress, and eBay,[4] and opened a warehouse in the United States to support its international operations.
Products
Laptops
- LapBook Plus
- CoreBook X[5]
- FreeBook – 360 Touchscreen
- GemiBook
- MiniBook
- AeroBook
- GameBook
Tablets
- Hi10 X
- Ubook Pro 8100Y
- Ubook Pro N4100
Mini PCs
- CoreBox
- HeroBox
- GBox Pro
- HiGame
- RZBox
Controversies
Japanese regulatory certification
On 12 April 2023, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued administrative guidance to Chuwi Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., which handles laptops and tablets. It was discovered that some products sold under the Chuwi brand did not have the required Technical Conformity Certification (TCC) for the 5 GHz band.[6]
The affected models included the 2017 "Hi13 (CWI534)", 2019 "UBook (CWI509)", "UBook Pro (CWI535)", "MiniBook (CWI526)", and 2020 "Hi10 X (CWI529)". These products were sold with misleading compliance labels.[7] Chuwi plans to address the issue through a software update and has advised users to use only the 2.4 GHz band until the update is applied.[6]
On 14 April, Chuwi issued an apology for the lack of 5 GHz band certification in some of its laptops and 2-in-1 detachable devices.[8] The company stated that it had been advised by a certification provider that "5GHz band channel certification could be inherited" and that "only 2.4GHz band certification was necessary", leading to the oversight.[8]
Chuwi has begun the certification process for the affected products and expects to complete it by 30 April. The company has expressed deep regret and pledged to prevent similar issues in the future.[8]
Frequent failures of educational tablets
On 4 October 2023, the Tokushima Prefectural Board of Education revealed that nearly 20% of the 16,500 tablets provided to high schools as part of the "one device per student" initiative had become unusable due to issues such as battery swelling.[9][10] These tablets were manufactured by Chuwi.
As of 26 October, no repair timeline had been established, and students were sharing devices or using personal ones.[11] The number of failures continued to rise sharply, reaching 4,834 by 11 December.[12][13]
In March 2024, the prefectural education director resigned to take responsibility for the issue.[14]
Fraudulent Mislabelled CPUs discovered in several models
In March 2026, Chuwi has been caught installing older processors, modifying the BIOS and the SMBIOS identifiers to hide what they've done. Stickers mention "series 7000" Ryzen processors, which are not installed. [15]
References
- ^ "About Chuwi". Chuwi. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Chuwi". Boss Zhipin (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 September 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Chuwi - Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees, Headquarters Locations". www.cbinsights.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Chuwi Innovations-About Chuwi-About Us-Chuwi Hi-tech | Tablets, Laptops, Mini PCs, Accessories". Chuwi. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Chuwi CoreBook X (2021 Model) Hands-On Review | The Best Windows Laptop Under 60,000 Yen". okomerium (in Japanese). 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ a b Impress Corporation (13 April 2023). "Chuwi Faces Administrative Guidance for Some PCs Lacking 5GHz Band Certification; Update Planned". PC Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Chuwi Explains the 5GHz Wi-Fi Certification Issue; Certification Expected by 30 April". ITmedia PC USER (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Impress Corporation (14 April 2023). "Chuwi Apologizes for 5GHz Band Certification Issue; Certification Expected by 30 April". PC Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "2,859 Tablets Provided to Schools Malfunction; Prefectural Board of Education Reports". Yomiuri Shimbun Online (in Japanese). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Governor Furious as Over Half of Tablets Provided to High School Students Fail Within Three Years; No Response from Chinese Manufacturer". 47NEWS. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "School Tablet Failures Surge; Education Director Apologizes: "No Timeline for Repairs"". Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Massive Tablet Failures; Prefectural Board of Education Fails to Report Free Replacement Proposal". MSN. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ Nippon Television. "Shikoku Electric Proposes Free Replacement of 3,500 Tablets Amid Surge in Failures at Tokushima Prefectural High Schools". Nippon TV News NNN (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Education Director Resigns Over Frequent Failures of Chinese-Made School Tablets in Tokushima Prefecture". Sankei Shimbun. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Leitner, J. Simon (12 March 2026). "CPU fraud, next round: Chuwi CoreBook Plus with supposed AMD Ryzen 5 7430U also affected". Notebookcheck. Retrieved 12 March 2026.