Windows – Tablet Review: Kupa Lux X11

Not long ago, I wrote an article about how the Kupa Lux X11 debuted as CES as the first “Windows 8 Ready” tablet.

This is a fancy term meaning its just a Windows 7 tablet that is ‘certified’ as being able to work perfectly with Windows 8.

The funny thing is that Microsoft has already clarified that all Windows 7 tablets and PCs are “Windows 8 compatible” (and through proxy this means so are all Vista machines), so this ‘ready sticker’ means little, in my honest opinion.

Still, it is one of the few ‘new’ Windows tablets out there and I feel that now is the right time to give users a review that focuses on this lesser-known Kupa-branded tablet.

As always, we will start out with specs:

• Intel Atom Oaktrail 1.5GHz Processor
• 10.1” LED backlight 1366×768 WXGA Resolution
• 2GB DDR2 memory
• 10″ 1280×800 wide-view, multi-point touch screen with IPS
• 128GB SSD
• 10 hours of continuous operation battery life
• Fingerprint scanner
• TPM security chip
• active digitizer for pen and hand-touch use
• 3G + Bluetooth: 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
• Front and Rear Camera, Front 2MP / Back 5MP
• Weight: 2.04 pounds
• Dimensions: 10.71×7.32x.58-inches

For those who read my earlier post about when this thing debuted, I wasn’t initially that impressed but I wanted to set my skepticism aside when diving for a review. What did I find? Let’s take a look:

Look And Feel

Although this thing is about 2.04 pounds, it is worth noting that they designed it well enough because it certainly doesn’t feel that heavy in the hands. Additionally, it has a nice a fairly bright screen, though its viewing angles are far from perfect.

As far as design appearance, I believe that this is something that is largely based on opinions. Some will hate the Kupa for reasons like its large bezel, others will applaud its simplistic build.

What I can tell you is that it doesn’t feel as dirt cheap as you might expect from a non-major brand like this, but nor does it feel as sturdy or stable as the iPad or even other Windows tablets like the Series 7.

Last but not least, the active digitizer is present in this little guy, meaning that it should work just fine for both hand-swiping and pen use.

I also want to say I was surprised to find front and rear cameras, something not as common on Windows tablets.

Battery Life

I’m not going to focus a ton on this other than to say, I’m actually impressed about this one. At roughly 10 hours of use (this is light use though) per battery charge, you aren’t going to find much better on the Windows front.

This is more on par with Android devices actually, and one of the pleasant surprises that I found with the Kupa.

Business Focus

It is clear to me that this device is aimed at the enterprise and business level, which I find somewhat funny.

Generally it is the more casual consumer market that I would think would be willing to take a chance with an unknown brand, and not a major business.

Still, I suppose many other tablets with this feature set cost around $200-$300 more, so some companies might be willing to take the risk if they are purchasing many of these at once (as it could add up to some big long-term savings).

So what kind of business features does the Kupa X11 tout?

Beyond the active digitizer, we have a fingerprint scanner that adds an extra element of security.

Taking this a step further, the Kupa tablet is one of the Windows tablets that offer TPM chips that help encrypt files and make them very difficult to get to unless a user is authorized to do so.

Hardware Performance

This is the area where the Kupa shines the dullest.. after all DDR2 and just an Intel Atom processor? I would expect more from a machine that is truly aiming at business users. Still, if you just need basic Office/Word functions, access to the Internet, and other business-speciality programs that aren’t that demanding… this should work OK.

Honestly though, more RAM alone would have helped make up for a bit of a weaker processor.

Summing It All Up..

The Kupa X11manages to throw in some surprises that make me think that maybe this might not be such a bad deal after all. The business security features a nice touch, same with the cameras, the feel, and the SSD drive.

To me it seems like Kupa was trying to make a more Android-like tablet that happens to instead run Windows. This somewhat seems to contradict its purpose of also appealing to businesses.

Perhaps with the Lux x11, Kupa was trying to reach out to everyone and as a result doesn’t fully hit the mark in any major area.

Still, I can’t help but think that this seems like a much better deal than I thought it would be when I first caught wind of it at CES.

The biggest stopping point for me though is the brand. Can it be trusted and is it worth the risk finding out?

At $969 from Amazon, I’m not so sure.