An Android PC that's not quite what it appears to be.
The Hannspree CT23BHOB Android PC is marketed as an AIO, or all-in-one, but this isn’t actually the case. The PC comes as two distinct parts - a 23in 1080p touchscreen monitor and the soap bar-sized PC itself.
Although this setup is as compact as an AIO, it requires a tangle of cables that you wouldn’t need with an all-in-one. There’s the HDMI cable to connect the PC to the monitor, power cables for both elements and a dedicated cable that runs from the PC to the monitor to enable the screen’s touch sensitivity.
The touchscreen’s adjustable stand lets you flip it back 45 degrees, making it much more comfortable to use. You can control the PC entirely via the touchscreen, but if you prefer a keyboard and mouse, then you’ll have to use wireless versions or get hold of a USB hub, because the PC only has a single USB 2.0 port.
Once it’s set up, you use the CT23BHOB like any other Android device. This has both pros and cons. On the plus side, you have a wealth of apps to choose from in the Google Play store. On the downside, Hannspree has made none of the modifications to Android that make it more suitable for a high-resolution screen. For example, unlike Samsung’s Galaxy tablets, you can’t use two apps side by side. While this is fine when you want to focus on a single task, it’s limiting if you need to work on a document and refer to a web page or email at the same time. What’s more, there are few keyboard shortcuts and no way to adjust mouse sensitivity.
The CT23BHOB’s hardware is also problematic. Because it has a miniscule 2GB storage built in, you’ll need to buy a USB drive or microSD card. The Rockchip 1.6GHz quad-core RK3188 processor is hobbled by its miserly 1GB of memory, so running multiple apps simultaneously is enough to significantly slow them, w'hile the responsiveness of the touchscreen also suffers.
But the CT23BHOB’s biggest flaw is its graphics chip and monitor, the Hannspree HT231. Straight out of the box, its colour accuracy and contrast are poor and you’ll need to fiddle with its settings for any kind of decent image quality. Annoyingly, the buttons for doing so are at the rear of the monitor so you can’t easily see which ones you’re pressing. Even after tweaking, text and images still look fuzzy. This seems to be due to the PC’s flawed integrated graphics chip because there were no such problems when we connected another computer to the monitor.
The Hannspree CT23BHOB is only marginally more expensive than a standalone 23in monitor, but its flawed image quality, messy cabling, impaired performance and imperfect software make it very poor value. We can’t recommend it, not even for simple computing needs.
SPECIFICATIONS
1.6GHz Rockchip RK3188 quad-core processor • 1GB memory • 2GB storage • 23in 1920x1080-pixel touchscreen • 802.11b/g/n • Gigabit Ethernet • Android 4.4 KitKat • 2kg • 240x660x96mm (HxWxD) • One-year warranty
VERDICT
A cheap PC let down by shoddy design.