Ubuntu on the Chuwi Hi10 Pro offers a more everyday Linux experience than Kali — a general-purpose desktop environment rather than a penetration testing toolkit, running on the same affordable Intel Atom hardware. The Hi10 Pro’s x86 architecture means standard Ubuntu ISOs work rather than requiring ARM-specific builds, which simplifies the installation significantly. The main challenges are hardware compatibility: WiFi, touch input, display rotation, and audio all need varying degrees of attention.
What Works and What Doesn’t
On a typical Ubuntu 18.04/20.04 installation on the Hi10 Pro: the display works correctly in landscape orientation without additional configuration; WiFi works with the Intel variant but may need driver installation for Realtek; the touchscreen registers as a pointer device and works for basic interaction; audio from the speakers requires firmware installation from the linux-firmware package and may need additional configuration via PulseAudio. Bluetooth works adequately. The keyboard dock connects via the proprietary connector and works as a standard USB HID device. Suspend and resume behaviour varies.
Verdict
Ubuntu on the Hi10 Pro is a viable daily driver for light productivity tasks — web browsing, document editing, terminal work — on a device that cost a fraction of mainstream alternatives. The hardware compatibility caveats require some patience to resolve, but the result is a genuinely usable Linux tablet. For anyone interested in running Linux on cheap x86 hardware, the Hi10 Pro is a rewarding (if occasionally frustrating) platform.
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