Laptop computers with substandard CPUs and overrated specs
TSA guards hustle you at the airport and attempt to confiscate them, too, so nobody wants to travel with anything but the cheapest possible functional laptop.
Plus, far too many cops have been showing up at all the free, open source and proprietary software conventions.
The 7430U CPU scandal could spread: Another manufacturer under suspicion, ODM comes into the spotlight
While we recently found Chuwi guilty of CPU fraud twice, there are now indications that another Asia-based brand, Ninkear, could be affected. We also have a sample of this laptop at our disposal and are investigating immediately. Spoiler: The result exonerates the manufacturer, but raises questions about the original design manufacturer (ODM).
J. Simon Leitner
The comparison between the Ninkear A15 Pro and the Chuwi CoreBook Plus is interesting in that both laptops appear to use the same mainboard. The CPU is permanently soldered, so there is no possibility for the manufacturer to make changes after production. The silkscreen marking on the motherboard is "EM_AB8139_S_2C_V1.1", which is identical on both devices and refers to the original design manufacturer, Emdoor Digital (Shenzhen Emdoor Information Technology). Our Chuwi test sample affected by the CPU fraud (CoreBook Plus from March 2026) was probably produced much later than our unaffected Ninkear A15 Pro, whose review is now almost a year old. Incidentally, our affected Chuwi CoreBook X (EM_AL525_ENE_CW_V3.2) also comes from Emdoor Digital, our review from September 2025.
TSA workers grapple with loss of first paycheck: ‘I don’t want to depend on anybody else’ | CNN
A father and Transportation Security Administration officer said he “crumbled” when one of his children asked whether he needed money in the wake of the nearly four-week-long government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Alexandra Skores, Tami Luhby
And it's all rather moot if the TSA workers mistake your laptop for an explosive device at the airline check-in counter but then find it perfectly usable after confiscating it.