ALLDOCUBE KBook

ALLDOCUBE Kbook 13.5 inch Laptop

KBook? The name of this product is probably not just a random reminder of Apple. The price of the ALLDOCUBE KBook clone is with almost $480 far behind the original, but the technical equipment is surprisingly good.

At first glance, the ALLDOCUBE Kbook is a well-designed laptop, the design of which the manufacturer apparently took “inspiration” from Apple’s Macbook Air. According to the manufacturer, the 1.5 kilogram device is 1.55 centimeters thick at the thinnest point. That’s true, but it’s only the case on the front left and right at the outermost edge. The self-measured average thickness of about 9 millimeters at the front and about 12 millimeters at the back seems more realistic to us. The laptop is still almost 21.5 centimeters high and 33 centimeters wide. All in all, the Kbook is a relatively compact and not too heavy device for a 13.5-inch screen.

While the basic processing quality is good for an inexpensive notebook, there is one weak point: the hinge of the display. This is where the case can be noticeably pressed in at the bottom. When opened, the hinge is stable, but the screen’s angle of inclination should be somewhat larger. On the upper side is the manufacturer’s logo, which is illuminated when switched on. On the right side of the laptop there is a headphone output and two USB 3.0 ports, on the right the power supply port, a micro HDMI output and a microSD card slot. In addition to four rubber feet for a secure hold, there are two loudspeakers on the left and right underside, as well as a slot for an additional SSD secured with a screwed cover. Practical!

Like the recently tested Surbook Mini (test report) from the manufacturer, the ALLDOCUBE Kbook also uses an Intel Core M3-6Y30 SoC. The Dual Core processor clocks with a maximum of 0.9 GHz per core. The RAM is 8 GB in comparison. This also applies to the internal memory with 512 GB. An Intel HD 515 IGP is responsible for the graphics.

In addition to Bluetooth 4.2, there is WLAN according to 802.11 a, b, g, n and ac in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands. The permanently installed battery has a capacity of 33.7 Wh. Other features include two USB 3.0 ports, a micro HDMI output, a microSD card slot and an easily accessible SSD slot for memory expansion in M.2 format.

The 13.5 inch display resolves 3000 × 2000 pixels. Thus, the sharpness of the panel is still satisfactory. Colour rendition and viewing angle stability are good, the maximum brightness sufficient for most scenarios. However, the completely laminated screen reflects strongly in direct light.

The Front camera for video telephony has a resolution of 2.0MP and therefore does not deliver particularly good picture quality. The lens is sufficient for Skype, but there should be enough light – otherwise the user of the ALLDOCUBE Kbook will only see rough outlines.

As usual with Chinese devices, the Kbook has a keyboard in the QWERTY layout. The German user must either use keyboard stickers, be a trained 10-finger-tapper and be able to blind write, or make friends with the unusual layout. The latter is well worth a try, especially since umlauts are available in the US international layout via special key combinations. For the author of this test, the use of the US layout including umlaut keyboard shortcuts has long since become flesh and blood.

The Chiclet keyboard has a relatively good pressure point, although it can’t compete with the keyboards of more expensive devices. We did very well with the keyboard in the test. A big plus of the ALLDOCUBE Kbook in its price range is the keyboard illumination. Although its illumination is not uniform over the entire surface and it doesn’t have more than just switching it on and off, the feature is very useful when working in dark environments.

The touchpad didn’t convince us that much. In principle, it reacts reliably and supports all common multi-touch gestures, but it turns out to be a little spongy when trying to navigate with pinpoint accuracy. For example, those who are very busy copying, moving and organizing folders, files and media will sooner or later be tired of using a Bluetooth mouse.

In terms of battery life, the laptop lasted up to seven hours in our test. Not an outstanding value, but at least a solid one. Charging the built-in battery takes about three and a half hours. The stereo speakers on the underside of the Kbook aren’t particularly loud and don’t perform very well in the bass range.

The installed and activated Windows 10 Home on the ALLDOCUBE Kbook was older on our test device. We had to run a bigger update marathon until the system was up to date. German is not available as an option of the operating system language at the first start, but it could be downloaded and set later via Windows Update without any problems.

With prices starting from $479.99 at Gearbest, the Kbook from ALLDOCUBE offers a top price-performance ratio. Although the buyer has to come to terms with a QWERTY keyboard, this does not present him with a major problem, but he gets a great overall package: a cheap notebook with more than satisfactory performance, a good display, a good keyboard including usable lighting, satisfactory battery life and sufficiently large internal memory.

SPECS