AMD CHUWI CoreBook Plus Gaming Laptop 16'', AMD Ryzen Review
The Chuwi CoreBook Plus is marketed as a gaming laptop, but its integrated graphics and poor reliability scores make it a risky buy for gamers. It's best as a cheap, large-screen media machine.
The 30-Second Version
Don't buy this for gaming. It's a cheap, big-screen laptop with great upgradeable RAM, but its reliability is suspect and its performance is average.
Overview
The Chuwi CoreBook Plus is a weird laptop. It's marketed as a 'Gaming Laptop' with a massive 16-inch screen, but the specs tell a different story. The one thing to know is this: it's a budget-friendly, large-screen laptop with surprisingly good RAM and upgradeability, but its actual gaming chops are mediocre. It's trying to do too many things at once, and the result is a machine that's decent for basic tasks and watching movies, but you shouldn't expect it to handle modern AAA games well.
Performance
The performance is a mixed bag, and the biggest surprise is how misleading the marketing is. It uses an AMD Ryzen 7430U CPU, which is a solid mid-range mobile chip, but it's paired with integrated Radeon graphics. That's not a discrete GPU, despite the listing's confusing mention of 'AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme 16GB VRAM'. In our database, the GPU performance ranks in the middle of the pack. For gaming, you're looking at older titles or low settings on newer ones. The CPU is also about average, which means it's fine for everyday work but not a powerhouse.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The RAM is top-tier. 16GB is great, and having two upgradeable slots means you can push it to 64GB, which is fantastic for a budget laptop. 100th
- It's surprisingly light at 0.59kg for a 16-inch machine, making it easy to carry. 87th
- The upgradeability is a strong point. Two SSD slots and the RAM slots mean you can actually improve this laptop over time. 68th
- It comes with Windows 11 Pro and Office pre-installed, which is a nice bonus at this price.
Cons
- The reliability score is one of the worst we've seen. That's a huge red flag for long-term use. 3th
- The screen quality is underwhelming. A 30th percentile ranking means it's not very bright or color-accurate. 25th
- It's not a real gaming laptop. The integrated graphics will disappoint anyone buying it for that purpose. 32th
- The storage is mediocre. A 512GB SSD is fine, but it's smaller than what many competitors offer at this price. 35th
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Intel Core i7 1355U |
| Cores | 1 |
| Frequency | 1.7 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme |
| Type | discrete |
| VRAM | 16 GB |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 16 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR4 |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD |
Display
| Size | 16" |
| Panel | IPS |
Connectivity
| HDMI | HDMI |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
Physical
| Weight | 0.6 kg / 1.3 lbs |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
Value & Pricing
At $470, it's a cheap big-screen laptop. If you need a large, lightweight display for basic tasks and media consumption, and you're willing to gamble on the reliability, it's worth considering. But if you're buying it for the 'gaming' promise, it's absolutely not worth it. You're getting average performance in a flashy package.
Price History
vs Competition
Compared to a Lenovo Legion or an ASUS gaming laptop, the Chuwi falls flat for actual gaming. Those machines have proper discrete GPUs. For a large-screen budget option, it's lighter than many, but the screen quality is worse than something like a Microsoft Surface Laptop. Its main appeal is the upgradeable RAM, which is rare in this price bracket. If you're a tinkerer who wants to max out the specs later, this has an edge. If you want a reliable, polished experience, look elsewhere.
| Spec | AMD CHUWI CoreBook Plus Gaming Laptop 16'', AMD Ryzen | Apple MacBook Pro Apple 14" MacBook Pro (M5, Silver) | ASUS ROG Flow ASUS 13.4" Republic of Gamers Flow Z13 2-in-1 | Lenovo Legion Lenovo 16" Legion Pro 7i Gaming Laptop | MSI Stealth MSI Stealth A16 - 16.0" OLED 240 Hz - GeForce RTX | Microsoft Surface Laptop Microsoft 13.8" Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC (7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 1355U | Apple M5 | AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 |
| RAM (GB) | 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Storage (GB) | 512 | 4096 | 1024 | 2048 | 2048 | 1024 |
| Screen | 16" | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 13.4" 2560x1600 | 16" 2560x1600 | 16" 2560x1600 | 13.8" 2304x1536 |
| GPU | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Apple (10-Core) | AMD Radeon 8060 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | Qualcomm X1 |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Battery (Wh) | - | 72 | 70 | 99 | - | 54 |
Common Questions
Q: Can this laptop run games like Fortnite or Call of Duty?
It'll run Fortnite on low settings, maybe. Call of Duty? Not well. The graphics are integrated, not a dedicated gaming GPU. Treat it as a media laptop, not a gaming rig.
Q: Is the RAM really upgradeable to 64GB?
Yes, it has two SODIMM slots. That's a legit strong point. You can pop in two 32GB sticks later if you need it for heavy multitasking.
Q: How bad is the reliability? Should I be worried?
Our data puts its reliability in the bottom 3%. That's a major concern. It means a higher chance of hardware issues down the line. Consider it a gamble.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for a real gaming laptop, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion or an ASUS TUF instead. If you want a reliable daily driver with a great screen, skip this and look at a refurbished business laptop or a Surface Laptop.
Verdict
We can't recommend this as a gaming laptop. It's a budget large-screen laptop with good RAM and upgrade potential, but terrible reliability scores. Buy it only if you need a big, cheap screen for web browsing and movies, and you're comfortable with the risk that it might not last. For anything else, especially gaming or creative work, there are better choices.