Chuwi's UBook hits Kickstarter with budget price, Surface Go looks

Chuwi is well-known at this point for putting together a range of budget laptops and tablets that, while they may lack in raw power, mimic some of their more expensive cousins in looks. ,!--break--> With its latest offering, the Chuwi UBook, the company is heading to Kickstarter with a low-cost tablet with a detachable keyboard that looks eerily like Microsoft's own Surface Go.

Kicking off with an early-bird backer price of $350 for the base version (regularly $470), the UBook can be combined with a detachable, backlit keyboard and includes a kickstand around its rear.

As for specs, you're looking at an Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor with integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM, and either 128GB or 1TB of SSD storage. The 11.6-inch IPS display packs a 1080p resolution, and there's a 30.4Wh battery on board. Ports include a single USB-C, two USB-A, and one Micro-HDMI.

Obviously, the UBook isn't a powerhouse by any means, but it can be a suitable alternative for anyone who just needs to get some light word processing and web browsing done on the go. But it also faces tough competition from the Surface Go, which starts out at $400, albeit with much lower starting specs.

In any case, the Chuwi UBook is up on Kickstarter now with a total of 300 spots for its biggest 25 percent discount. Further tiers include 20 percent and 15 percent discounts off of the final retail price. And so far, Chuwi has hit one of its stretch goals, which includes a free keyboard. Next up is a free stylus.

See at Kickstarter

Chime in: Have you had good or bad experiences with Chuwi devices?

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl