The Kupa X11 is a relatively niche Windows tablet PC based on what is the lowest-energy Windows-capable platform there is – Intel Oaktrail, the Z670 CPU and GMA600 GPU. With it’s 1366×768 screen, SSD storage, 2Gb of RAM, fingerprint reader, active digitiser layer and fanless design, it stands alone in the market with, as far as I know, no comparison. The model we have here, the Kupa X11 Pro, even comes with 3G. To add to the list of positives, the Kupa X11 also has a huge internal battery that can run it for 10hrs. Just what sort of customer is the Kupa X11 aimed at and how does it perform? Let’s take a closer look.

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I’ve done some tests on the Kupa X11 and just like they say, it’s possible to use it for up to 10 hours on battery. It’s impressive but what about getting things done on the Kupa X11? You can have all the battery life in the world but if you can’t use the device, it’s worth nothing.

To test the real-world value of the Kupa X11 in terms of ‘getting things done’ I’ve swapped out my Ultrabook-desktop for the Kupa X11 today and as you can see in the image, I’ve connected an external monitor, keyboard and mouse.

The Kupa X11 runs a single-core 1.5Ghz Intel Atom CPU. It’s about as slow as it gets from Intel but you have to remember we’re talking about a CPU that can go in a phone here! Under Windows 7, the architecture required (USB, PCI, ACPI, display and more) means that you don’t quote get smartphone-like battery life but it’s quite impressive. You also get the advantages of being able to hit the ground running with a very flexible and productive operating system.

Average power usage as I type this, with Chrome (3 tabs), LiveWriter, Live Gallery and perfmon windows running, is 6.3W which is 6-7hrs of usage. I’m using ‘high performance mode’ but the CPU is still down-stepping to try and save power where it can. The Kupa X11 is silent.

This is not a desktop experience I’d like to have every day but I’m getting stuff done and Windows is providing me with all the facilities I need to get to work. Apart from a failed Bluetooth file transfer from a mobile phone, everything has worked smoothly. From plugging in the monitor to connecting a phone via USB to editing this article in the WordPress web interface.

The Kupa as a standalone tablet PC

Unplugging the monitor and working on the Kupa as a standalone PC is a slightly different experience. The 1366×768 resolution helps but font sizes need to be pushed up a bit and that reduces the advantage of the high resolution but here I am, with exactly the same applications running, an average power drain of 5.7W and a touchscreen in front of me that, given the right operating system (I’m talking about Windows 8) could be quite compelling, mobile and productive. Typing away with a few web apps running I’m seeing over 7hrs of battery life.

The question is, could this be better?

1.5Ghz Atom, even when coupled with 2GB of RAM and an SSD, isn’t a fluid experience in Windows 7 and it’s not going to be better in Windows 8 desktop.  For my basic Web and typing requirements here it works well once all the apps are up and running but it’s not going to be good enough for, say, a lengthy session of image editing, a 500MB unzip, or some heavy spreadsheet work. Is it going to be good enough for Windows 8 metro though? If it is, the Kupa can then be used in far more scenarios. I suggest it needs to lose 20% of its weight and tidy itself up a bit to become competitive in a mainstream market but as it stands, this 10” tablet is going to be a pretty flexible device for pro-mobile types and that’s exactly where Kupa are aiming this. With 3G and a fingerprint reader, it really does embody the requirements of a pro UMPC. Flexible, mobile, productive.

Now that I’ve done some testing with Windows 7, it’s time to load-up Windows 8. Stay tuned.

(The Kupa X11 has been silent through this hour of testing. Screen brightness was set to half.)

I’m looking back on UMPCPortal to see how long it’s been since we’ve had hands-on with a 1KG, ≤ 10”  PC…..In Sept 2011 we covered the MSI Windpad 120W which didn’t make it to market. There was also the Fujitsu TH40/D which also doesn’t seem to have made it to the market. I also had some hands-on with the new Gigabyte S1081 Windows tablet at CES (which I forgot to post here, sorry – here’s the video.)  I know I’ve missed a few in between (for example the Viewsonic Viewpad 10 Pro) but you can’t deny that times are tough for the Windows road-warrior.

How stimulating it is to have the Kupa X11 [details] here for testing!

In terms of specs the Kupa X11 looks good. Yes, there’s a 1.5Ghz Atom inside which won’t impress anyone looking for CPU specifications but it’s turning in 1800ms on Sunspider and has been coupled with a PowerVR SGX 535, 64GB SSD and 2GB of RAM so it’s not exactly lagging in the current tablet space.

There’s a dual-mode screen (capacitive and digitiser) and a huge battery which I’ll mention again below. The screen is a good, 1366×768 resolution which is enough for Windows 8 Metro usage. You won’t find many Tablet PC’s with a 10” screen and this resolution today although in 6 months, it could be a different story. In this ‘Pro’ version, there’s a 3G module too. You don’t get a VGA port, USB3 port, docking port or stand though.

Obviously the Kupa X11, at 1KG in weight, is focused towards the pro-mobile user but the packaging is very much consumer-oriented. The build quality matches the packaging too with good plastics and metal and a solid feel. It’s a little dense for a 10” tablet but that’s mainly because the ARM-based tablets I’ve used recently are around 30% lighter. For a Windows tablet, it’s not bad; especially when you see the battery size. 52Wh is huge, and it shows in battery life. In a 2hr browsing test this evening (low light) I was seeing a consistent 10hr battery life. I’m confident of 8hrs productivity at this stage.

4.6W average drain for a 10” device is excellent. It’s class-leading and showing that the screen and WiFi components are well matched. This test was done with Windows 7 though, I’m expecting an improvement on that with Windows 8 and I’ll be testing that later this week.

Notes:

• It appears to be fan-less. At least during my 2hr test in a silent room I didn’t hear any noise. There was minimal heat too which is a really good sign.
• Pressure sensitive digitiser not tested yet.
• Matt screen cover was included. (I believe this is an optional extra.)
• 720p YouTube works OK. 720p local H.264 playback tested OK. 1080p not tested yet although I’m expecting it to work OK through the GMA600 GPU.
• The Windows 7 build was pre-optimized for touch. (Scroll-bars enlarged etc.)
• Application startup time seems reasonable for a 1.5Ghz Atom-based device.
• Resume from standby is about 5 seconds. (I will be testing to see how long standby works – Kupa are quoting 30 days standby although this could be in hibernation mode.)
• Frame buttons help with navigation and include a secondary brightness function although the buttons are hard to press.
• In the video below I mention a micro-SD slot. It isn’t a micro-SD slot, it’s a SIM card slot. There’s no removable SD storage on the Kupa X11
• I haven’t found a way to lock the auto-rotation yet.
• Capacitive touch is 2-point multi-touch.
• 2.0Mp front and 3.0MP rear cam not tested yet.
• Fingerprint reader not tested yet.
• SSD speed not tested yet.

Here’s the unboxing and overview video. As it’s effectively a first boot on this video (I had booted it briefly once before but for no more than 5 minutes) Windows 7 was doing a lot of work in the background during this demo so the applications don’t look that good but subsequent tests were much quicker.

Check back for more information coming later this week. If Windows 8 testing goes well I’ll arrange a live session for you too.

It was last August that I wrote about the Kupa X11 tablet. I highlighted the battery capacity as the key feature because it’s not often you see such a high capacity battery in an X86-based device under 1KG. What I didn’t know then was that Windows 8 would require 1366×768 to run the full range of Metro apps and features so the Kupa is now one of only a handful of tablets you can buy today that are Windows 8 ready. At the top-end you have the Samsung XE700 based on Core i5 technology. Fighting it out in the lower-end are the ExoPC (and variants) and the Kupa X11. There’s the Motion Computing CL900 to consider too. What’s interesting about the Kupa though is that it runs Oaktrail, which is going to give it a a very long runtime, coupled with a fast SSD, 2GB of RAM and 3G, this could be just what some people have been looking for.

Thanks to Kupa I now have the Kupa X11 Pro here for testing. Full Kupa X11 specifications, gallery and links are available on our information page. Here’s a selection of the important specs.

• 10.1” 1366×768 hi-resolution screen
• 2GB RAM
• Dual-layer touch (finger / digitizer pen)
• 2GB RAM
• 64GB SSD
• 3G (HSDPA including telephony)
• 52Wh battery (equivalent to a 6-cell netbook battery)
• Fingerprint Reader
• Dual cameras (2.0 / 3.0MP)
• Mini HDMI
• Windows 7 Pro

The Kupa X11 was available in Q4 2011 so there may be some of you out there that own it already but as Windows 8 gets nearer, it’s an imprtant device to be testing. Expect an unboxing and first impressions video very soon.

Full details of the Kupa X11 in our database.