For many, the design of the Apple MacBook Air is considered iconic for a laptop. The all-metal body, the wedge-style design, and even the glowing Apple logo is a hallmark of a premium laptop design. It’s also one that plenty of companies try to emulate, including this near-perfect replicate from Shenzhen-based Yepo.
At Computex 2016, Yepo is offering a laptop called the 737S for OEMs with a very intriguing premise: a full Windows 10 laptop in the body of a MacBook Air, starting from just $99 (about RM410).
It is definitely an odd combination, and that price certainly means there are some compromises. The Yepo laptop has a metal body, but the laptop’s lid is made from plastic (though in true Apple style the Yepo logo is backlit).
The hardware of the Yepo laptop is where one can see how its starting price can be driven so low. The three hardware variants all run on either an Intel Bay Trail or Cherry Trail chipset, and use eMMC storage. That said, for RM410 you do get quite a bit for a laptop.
For instance, all three models feature a 13.3-inch Full HD display, two USB ports, a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB cards, a mini HDMI port, a 1.3MP front camera, and an audio jack.
The low and medium range model features an Intel Z3735F quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, 5,500mAh (Low variant) or 8,000mAh (Medium) battery, and 32GB (Low) or 64GB (Medium) of eMMC storage.
The High version has a faster Intel Cherry Trail X5-8300 quad-core chipset, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, and a 8,000mAh battery.
The Low and High model weighs 1,140g while the Medium variant weighs 1,180g. All three models support 4K video playback, and measure 6.66mm at its thinnest point. There are also two “HiFi” speakers, fast boot-up speeds via eMMC, and portable hard disk support.
Currently, Yepo is only offering the 737S laptop to hardware partners, and is not available for purchase for consumers. Nevertheless, while it is easy to pass this off as yet another MacBook Air clone, what you get for the price is actually quite appealing – especially considering it runs on a full version of Windows 10.
