Among the countless offers of Gearbest, a product with an exceptional price / performance ratio that we have spotted and had the opportunity to try lately is the 15.6 ″ KUU A8S notebook.
This laptop boasts a 15.6 ″ Full HD (1920 × 1080) IPS display, 6GB of RAM (DR3L / LPDDR3) and is available in variants with SSD (SATA3) from 256 or 512GB , with a price starting at only about 260 euros. Below are the various details of the product and our impressions.
Packaging and technical specifications
The computer arrives inside a solid package inside which we find: the actual computer, the power supply and a kit of stickers to be applied on the keys to obtain the various international layouts (including Italian).
The notebook is gray in color (a plastic material), weighs 1.76kg and when open it shows a large trackpad at the bottom; the two lower sides (on the right and left of the trackpad) allow you to rest your wrists, facilitating typing and using the trackpad.
The keyboard (US layout) is of standard size, with the numeric keypad on the right; at the top we have the standard function keys and combinations useful for playing multimedia files, raise and lower the brightness, raise, lower or deactivate the volume.
On the right side we have an Ethernet port, a USB 3.0 port, the headphone output and a slot for SD memories; on the left side we have: a second USB 3 port, the input for the power supply, a mini HDMI port and the slot for anchoring accessories to the desk.
In addition to the Ethernet, we have WiFi (2.4GHz / 5.0GHz) and webcam (0.3MP). At the top left of the top case there are the power lights, the Caps Lock indicator and the one that allows you to understand when the indoor unit is in operation.
The processor is a 14nm Intel Celeron J3455 with 2MB of cache memory and capable of up to 2.3GHz. The graphics are those of the processor, the Intel HD 500: not a lightning bolt of war but capable of supporting 3 screens, OpenGL, DirectX and other technologies, perfect for uses other than gaming and intensive graphics.
When switched on, the 15.6 “display (16: 9 aspect ratio) shows its generosity allowing a wide view of web pages, documents, photos, films, etc. The display is generous but the machine is not heavy and fits comfortably in a bag; the use of the keys is pleasant and the trackpad quite precise (there is also the right button at the bottom right like on the Mac).
The audio sounds good (not an exciting quality but acceptable); the webcam offers enough: considering the overall price, you can probably not expect better.
Benchmark
On the performance side, let's immediately say that it is certainly not a machine suitable for games, video editing, or to be exploited with particularly demanding graphics applications.
In any case, it is perfect for the target audience for which it is designed (web / office environment). However, we did a test with Cinebench R23; the result (with the power supply connected) is the one visible in the screenshots that we attach but it is obvious that it does not even make sense to perform tests of this type on such a machine.
In any case, he behaves perfectly in web browsing, in use with Office, managing e-mails, watching videos: in other words, a combative soldier in areas where it is not necessary to draw heavier artillery.
The benchmark with Aja System test highlighted the performance of the SSD (SATA 3), with sequential read speeds reaching 256 MB / sec for reading and 226 MB / sec for writing.
Speaking of SSD, on the model we tested, the drive is divided by the manufacturer into three partitions: the first of 60GB for Windows and applications, a second of 60GB (for data) and a third of 120 GB (also this for data).
It is not clear why this choice was made and unfortunately in the first boot phase the user cannot change this setting (the more experienced can in any case join the two partitions by starting “Disk Management”, deleting the partitions and extending the primary partition with the remaining space).
Who is it for?
As we have mentioned, the target user is the one who is looking for a basic portable machine, mainly for use in the web-office environment. It is not a machine suitable for high-level gaming, for working with complex graphics applications or for video editing.
It is ideal for those looking for a cheap and easy to transport car . Battery life varies according to use but can easily reach 4/5 hours. The keyboard is comfortable; shame about the absence of the backlight that would have simplified typing in poorly lit areas … but at the price at which the machine is offered, we repeat, it is a lot what you get.
Right side 
Left side
Conclusions
The 15.6 ″ KUU A8S notebook we tested, in the variant with 256GB SSD drives normally costs 426.66 euros but at the time of writing it is offered for just over 260 euros, a price that cannot even be bought. a low-end Android smartphone.
The 6GB of RAM, display the SSD and Windows 10 alone are worth the price in question. The price / performance ratio is fabulous: the machine comes with Windows 10, without demo software and useless installed as standard: in a few minutes it is immediately operational. Hard to find better at this price .
Pro
Cons
To purchase the 254 GB SSD memory version , you only need about 268 euros by clicking on this direct link .
The 512 GB version costs just over 290 euros and can be purchased from this direct link .