Why You Can Trust CNET Get a Chuwi 12-inch Windows-Android hybrid tablet for $249.99
From the Cheapskate: Many of this tablet's specs rival those of the Surface 3! A keyboard and pen will cost you a bit extra -- but only a bit.
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The keyboard and pen are not included, but they're also not expensive to add.
Let's get this out of the way right up front: today's deal comes from GearBest. Some of you had a very bad experience with them, though I hope they eventually made things right. In any case, I've been assured repeatedly by company reps that things have improved dramatically. What's more, the product will be shipping from a U.S. warehouse, not China, so delivery should happen within days, not weeks -- or even months.
Fair enough? Even with that, I have to admit today's deal seems almost too good to be true. But I'll lay it out anyway: for a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get the Chuwi Hi12 Windows/Android 12-inch tablet for $249.99, plus around $4 for shipping.
Chuwi compares this model to some of the latest 2-in-1 tablets from Huawei, Lenovo and Samsung. Some of the specs certainly seem on par.
Yes, cheap tablets tend to cut corners, but I'm not seeing much evidence of that here. The Hi12 features an Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of solid-state storage and a 2,160-by-1,440-pixel IPS display.
Even more interestingly, this is a dual-OS tablet, equipped with both Windows 10 and Android 5.1. Talk about a two-fer!
Now, the photo you're seeing here also shows a keyboard and pen, but those items are not included. Here's the good news: The Chuwi Hi12 Keyboard costs just $39.99, while the Chuwi Hi12 HiPen H1 has a presale price of just $16.52.
The bad news: Both of these items ship from China, and the turnaround time could be weeks. (The pen doesn't actually start shipping until June 25.)
I'm honestly dying to know if this gear is any good, because it sure seems to be. There are 65 user reviews, averaging a whopping 4.8 stars out of 5. And there's an informative-looking unboxing video on the product page, but it's not in English. Anyone care to translate?
One thing: the Cherry Trail processor is similar to the one used in Microsoft's Surface 3. You should get pretty solid performance, but this isn't a Pro-level powerhouse.
That said, I've never seen such high-level specs for such a low price. Too good to be true? I'm eager to hear your thoughts.
Bonus deal: Are you in the market for a Wi-Fi security camera? Normally those things are expensive, but for a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get the Amcrest IP2M-841 ProHD 1080P Wi-Fi IP security camera for $84.99 shipped. That's after applying discount code CNETDADS at checkout. Regular price: $124.99.
It features remote pan/tilt, IR LED night vision, motion alerts and, perhaps best of all, 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Users rated it a solid 4 stars out of 5.