Fydetab Duo review: an unfinished geek piece

On the Chinese mainland, Google Mobile Services are scarcely operational, resulting in the absence of a particular category of consumer electronics from the market – Chromebooks.

A quick search on local e-commerce platforms like JD and Taobao yields few results for Chromebooks. These devices are renowned for their affordability, rely heavily on network connections, and are praised for their extended battery life and lightweight design.

One innovative Chinese startup has honed in on this gap in the market and focused on localizing Chrome OS. They not only provide images tailored for specific devices like the Surface but have also introduced their own device - the FydeTab Duo.

Although the crowdfund campaign has ended, its official shipment has been postponed to the fourth quarter of this year.

We had the opportunity to receive a prototype of the device and spend some time with it. Here is my key take:

My initial experience with the device felt uncannily familiar, likely due to my four years of using the Microsoft Surface. Certain design elements were noticeably similar, such as the magnetically-attachable two-height keyboard, the rectangular aluminum body, and the tablet stand.

With a sandblasted outer shell, the pleasing texture of the tablet does not go unnoticed. Its color and texture bear a remarkable resemblance to the platinum variant of the Surface Pro. A plastic band on the top of the back case, housing the antennas, seamlessly fits into the overall aesthetic.

The stand, along with the keyboard, are magnetically separable. The version I used was the “speyside red,” which, when contrasted with the platinum tablet, boasts an appealing visual harmony.

The kickstand’s exterior boasts a fiber-like coating, lending it a sleek appearance. However, upon closer inspection, its interior reveals a somewhat budget design. While it does feel agreeable, the limitations become apparent. The adjustable angle is confined to a mere 45 degrees, which suffices for laptop mode but falls woefully short for tasks such as drawing or note-taking.

Moreover, adjusting the angle demands a knack - one must tightly grip the upper section while pressing the tablet down - which hampers ease of use and convenience, especially when compared to more user-friendly alternatives.

The keyboard, or rather the ‘typecover’, bears a similar design. Its polished keyboard side facilitates a comfortable touch during typing. Sweat-resistant keycaps promise an enhanced experience for extended usage. However, the print on the caps feels rough. While the layout optimizes most of the cover space, the touchpad feels noticeably small.

The Fydetab Duo also offers a supplementary stylus, attachable to the typecover’s side. Its metal body is well-built, with the pen tip and clip made from plastic. The stylus’s color is slightly darker than the tablet's, blending well with its overall aesthetics.

One of the Fydetab Duo’s selling points is that it is a showcase of FydeOS, an iteration of the open-source ChromeOS. The manufacturer provides an app for installing Google services, but this does not seamlessly translate all aspects of Google Mobile Services (GMS).

The device stands out among other Chromebooks due to its alternative services provided through FydeOS. Notably, it can be utilized without a Google account, and you have the option to download apps such as WeChat via Fyde’s app store. Moreover, leveraging everyday essentials like Spotify, Slack, Twitter, Instagram, and Netflix is a breeze thanks to ChromeOS’ extensive capabilities, which essentially resemble a larger version of the Chrome browser. This means it can install web apps and run Linux and Android apps using built-in containers and virtual machines. Savvy Linux users heavily invested in Windows apps would have no trouble running them through Wine.

However, there is a mix of apps available, some of which appear as tablet apps while others maintain the dimensions and ratios of a phone. This bears a resemblance to Apple's Silicon-powered Macs running iOS apps on macOS.

The device’s first launch of an Android or Linux app can be time-consuming due to the setup process, but subsequent launches are notably faster.

When attached to a keyboard in desktop mode, the user interface (UI) functions smoothly without any hitches.

However, in tablet mode, the Fydetab Duo struggled to impress, mainly because Android apps lack optimized UI for larger screens and do not dynamically re-layout for full-screen.

Notably, FydeOS has additional built-in Chinese inputs for better experience. But still, they are less powerful than Baidu or Sougou’s offerings.

On a positive note, the platform has a robust community with numerous active users engaging in vibrant discussions about the system and devices. The community also supports device images, including major Linux distributions like Ubuntu Touch.

The device boasts fairly adequate performance, powered by a Chinese firm's Rockchip-made ARM processor, the RK3588S. Its benchmark equates to a flagship phone processor from years ago.

Despite this, the lightness and efficiency of ChromeOS ensure low-resource-intensity tasks such as browsing websites, watching videos, and writing on Google Docs are accomplished without a hitch.

With 8 GB of memory, the device handles these tasks well, as long as you refrain from opening too many Chrome tabs or running resource-intensive apps.

For casual gamers, the device effortlessly runs most games. I had a seamless experience playing the sandbox title Minecraft at the default image settings.

The 12.4-inch display is commendable. It boasts a 2K resolution coupled with a wide P3 color gamut. While the brightness might be insufficient for HDR content, it enhances the SDR video viewing experience significantly. The audio quality was agreeable, if not spectacular.

For an enhanced audio experience, external earphones would be advisable.

Nevertheless, bugs and glitches were fairly abundant. A still incomplete touchpad gesture for ChromeOS, sporadic freezing of the touchpad, and issues with Bluetooth pairing were notable. Moreover, the inability of the keyboard to wake the device from sleep and the frequent failures of fingerprint recognition were disappointing.

The manufacturer has assured us that these bugs will be rectified before the official retail shipment, and we sincerely hope they uphold their promise.

Fydetab Duo is essentially a Surface with ChromeOS, with additional localization for a Chinese audience.

Despite being a startup with apparent limitations in terms of design and supply chain, their efforts are commendable. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the overall experience involves encountering multiple trade-offs and compromises, leaving it at a satisfactory level.

While the tablet boasts a sleek and clean design, with noteworthy highlights in the keyboard and display, its usability and functionality call for refinement and bug fixes. Addressing these issues would make a significant difference and potentially appeal to tech enthusiasts and professionals who are Linux-savvy.

Despite a few shortcomings, it is worth mentioning that the majority of the issues I encountered with the Fydetab Duo seem to be software-related. This suggests that the company has the potential to resolve these problems before the final version is released. As they diligently address these concerns, the Fydetab Duo may become a highly appealing option for its intended audience.