Beware the Thinkbook x10 ‘Laptop’

I don’t know if you’ve seen the ads on Facebook for a 9″ Windows 10 notebook selling for $120 and up (advertised as 80% off), but if you’re looking for a Windows notebook computer, it may not be for you.

And if you’re the PC go-to guy for family and friends, you need to know about this “fake notebook” computer being sold so cheaply.

Thinkbook x10

Thinkbook x10

First off, with a name like “Thinkbook” you might think it comes from Lenovo (which took over IBM’s PC division). ThinkBook and ThinkPad are well known brand names – but it appears that IBM/Lenovo didn’t trademark ThinkBook.

In the US, the Thinkbook™ x10 is available with 16 GB of storage (not RAM) for $120 through GemLoop – or $130 with 32 GB of storage. And that definitely sounds like a steal for a Windows laptop.

Then again, it isn’t exactly the kind of Windows 10 laptop buyers expect. It has a low resolution 1024 x 600 pixel 9″ touchscreen display, which sounds more like what you’d get on a 7″ Android tablet (such as the $50 Amazon Fire 7). And that’s almost what you get for $120.

The Thinkbook x10 is not a laptop computer or a notebook PC. It is a cobbled together collection of parts – a 9″ Windows 10 tablet, a docking leather keyboard, a USB cable, and a “charger adapter” (probably an AC-to-USB device).

It’s Not a PC

Thinkbook x10 box

Thinkbook x10 box

It is impossible to find specifications about this device, whether it is based on x86 (if so, probably outdated Atom technology) or ARM architecture, for instance. At this price, my best guess is that it is running the ARM version of Windows 10 on completely unknown hardware. It could be a dual-core ARM processor, a quad-core, or even an octo-core. And no indication of processor speed, how much system memory the device has, the resolution of the front and rear cameras, etc.

Most of all, if this is indeed an ARM-based device – and all signs point to it – you won’t be able to run much Windows software on it, and anything it runs would have to be via emulation.

keywords: #thinkbook #thinkbookx10

short link: https://wp.me/p51SSp-dbV