The ZTE Xiaoyao is a tablet with a 10.95 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel 90 Hz display, a Unisoc T760 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and support for WiFi, Bluetooth, and 5G networking. The tablet also comes with a detachable keyboard.
But the most unusual thing about this tablet for the Chinese market is that ZTE is positioning it as an Android tablet that you can also use as a full-fledged computer… sort of. It’s designed for use with a “cloud computer,” effectively allowing you to use this as a thin client for connecting to a virtual machine in the cloud that’s running Windows.
Sure, you can kind of do that with any device capable of running remote desktop software. But ZTE says its tablet offers “one-click switching between computer and tablet modes.” And 5G support means that you should be able to access your cloud computer anywhere that you can get a decent wireless signal.
But you’ll need to pay extra to actually use that cloud PC… and according to a report from ITHome, ZTE is basically asking customers to pay 1899 CNY ($263) for a tablet and then pick one of three cloud computer options:
- Kun – 6-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 100GB storage for 1899 CNY ($263)
- Peng – 12-core CPU, 16GB RAM, 200GB storage for 2299 CNY ($318)
- Dachun – 16-core CPU, 32GB RAM, 1.1TB storage for 4999 CNY ($692)
While those prices don’t sound bad when you compare them with what you’d pay for a desktop or laptop with similar specs, I don’t see any information about how long you get to keep using those virtual PCs for. Companies that offer these sorts of services typically charge subscriptions rather than flat fees, which helps cover the costs of running these services over time.
As for the tablet itself, other features include a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a 5MP webcam, dual microphones, four speakers, and a 7510 mAh battery.
I doubt the ZTE Xiaoyao will be sold outside of China anytime soon.
