Consumers typically rely on listed hardware specs for their accuracy, given the difficulty in falsifying them. However, recent findings suggest that affordable laptops from Chinese makers Chuwi and Ninkear have incorporated outdated and underperforming AMD Ryzen processors, potentially misleading buyers. Probes targeting these brands indicate replacements of promised Ryzen 7000-series units with earlier 5000-series alternatives.
NotebookCheck's analysis, prompted by discrepancies in performance tests, uncovered that a Chuwi CoreBook X model contains an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U instead of the promoted Ryzen 5 7430U. These processors share traits like six cores suited for power-efficient devices, support for DDR4 RAM, and PCIe 3.0 interfaces. Yet, the 5500U relies on Zen 2 architecture with a 2.1GHz base frequency, whereas the 7430U employs Zen 3 tech at 2.3GHz base and dates to nearly three years later, offering noticeable though not dramatic improvements.
The probe went beyond surface-level checks, revealing that the processor appears as a 7430U in Windows drivers and the device's BIOS. Only after opening the unit and removing the cooling assembly to inspect the chip directly did the actual 5500U marking emerge. This points to intentional misleading by the producer to conceal the true components. A similar substitution, posing as the updated Ryzen 7000 variant, has also been identified in a Chuwi CoreBook Plus unit.
Further updates from NotebookCheck suggest additional models, including the Ninkear A15 Pro, could involve this processor swap, though it seems inconsistent since some earlier tested versions of the A15 Pro contained authentic 7430U chips. Regardless of brand variations, these devices originate from Emdoor Digital, also called Shenzhen Emdoor Information Technology, a Chinese firm specializing in original design manufacturing (ODM) that produces unbranded components for resale under various labels.
While the laptops vary in display dimensions and body styles, it aligns with tactics where producers hide inferior, aging processors through firmware manipulations. Such deceptions occur occasionally in refurbished or unofficial market products, often affecting graphics cards or storage drives. As low-cost options, Chuwi and Ninkear devices undercut prices of comparable setups from established players like Acer or Lenovo.
The CoreBook X and CoreBook Plus series are absent from Chuwi's US official site, and Ninkear avoids US sales entirely. Their items surface mainly through third-party sellers on platforms such as Amazon.
NotebookCheck has labeled this incident as 'CPU fraud,' a claim that PCWorld has not verified independently. Efforts are underway to reach out to Chuwi, Ninkear, and Emdoor Digital for statements, with any responses incorporated into future updates.