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Chuwi Minibook X revives netbook at $350

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Chuwi revives the netbook concept with the Minibook X, a 10.5‑inch x86_64 sub‑ultrabook priced at $350. It packs a 3.6 GHz Intel N150 Twin Lake quad‑core CPU, 16 GB LPDDR5‑6400 RAM, and a 512 GB NVMe SSD that users can upgrade. Weighing just 911 g and housed in an aluminum chassis, the device targets developers who need a portable, Linux‑friendly secondary machine for daily use.

The Minibook X runs Linux with minor quirks; the factory‑installed tablet panel is mounted sideways, forcing a 270° rotation fix via kernel parameters, GRUB patches, and X11/Wayland configuration. Reviewers note the 2K 16:10 IPS screen suffers a 50 Hz refresh, the keyboard and touchpad lack travel, and speakers sound tinny, but all hardware functions—including Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth, and USB‑C PD charging—operate reliably.

Benchmarks show the device meets its modest price: Geekbench 6 scores 1,295 single‑core and 3,332 multi‑core, while idle power draws 3.8 W and a video loop drains the 28.9 Wh battery in about six hours. Thermals stay below 90 °F during stress testing. For under $400, the Minibook X delivers a usable Linux platform for tinkering, portable coding, and casual media consumption.