Russian student replaced the laptop brands that had left Russia and became the best on market!

By Kamil Khuzhiakhmetov
Laptops: https://echips-pc.ru/
Published with the permission of the author.
The original article is here.

Hello, everyone! My name is Kamill Khuziakhmetov, the founder and owner of the Echips laptop brand. It's a Russian brand, and more specifically, Chelyabinsk-based. Tough, indeed. And… stop!

I suspect that some readers might decide to close the article after my introduction, thinking, “Oh, we know these domestic brands that emerged after certain events… We’ve read reviews on Echips laptops and similar devices.

…

Russia massively replacing leaving brands with brands from China

We understand that the goal of many such brands is to import something cheap and flimsy from China, loudly proclaim the arrival of a full-fledged alternative to AirPods, MacBook, iPhone, iMac, and whatever else, sell it to the trusting consumer, and then, well, let the chips fall where they may…

Well, comrades making such claims, are somewhat correct. Indeed, there is currently no shortage of Russian “gadget” brands with a similar business model. Whether this is good or bad – I won’t dwell on it; it’s all clear. But I want to explain how the products and concept of the Echips brand fundamentally differ from everything that came before us.

The decision to write this piece was partly inspired by the various reviews of Echips laptops on different platforms, reviews that I read every day. I can’t help but note with satisfaction that the majority of the feedback is positive. However, at the same time, I realized that not all owners of our laptops fully understand what they have actually purchased and the significant advantages that come with Echips. In this article, I will delve into these aspects. Consider this my opportunity to express myself fully and, perhaps, provide some guidance on choosing a laptop in 2023 🙂

…

This is me, Kamil Khuzhiakhmetov, with a laptop from my brand: “Echips”.

I’ll start by saying that we ventured into the laptop market not in 2022, as some colleagues in the industry did, but back in 2019. In other words, our brand was created, so to speak, with a clear understanding of what we ultimately wanted to achieve, without haste and for the long term (more on this below).

However, it’s a different story that after the official departure of global laptop giants from Russia, we indeed received a powerful impetus. The demand for Echips computers in 2022 increased fivefold compared to 2021. It’s understandable: laptops from Asus, Acer, HP, Dell, and others became scarcer on the shelves, all imported through somewhat unclear schemes, and they were priced oddly (sometimes twice as much as similar models in Europe, the USA, and Asia).

…

Moreover, potential issues with warranty and spare parts could arise. It’s logical that consumers urgently sought alternatives—computers that would be reasonably priced (not like the renowned laptops imported through parallel import), offer a reasonable level of quality, and be eligible for official warranty service.

Our Echips laptops fully meet all these demands. The figures alone attest to this (and, as a certain Elvis Presley manager once claimed, figures don’t lie). At the end of 2019, at the very beginning of our journey, Echips started with monthly sales of around 200 laptops. Now, by the summer of 2023, the monthly circulation of our laptops ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 units.

Is this a lot or a little? Well, for example, a little bird told me that no more than 5,000 Xiaomi laptops are sold in Russia per month (that is, either the same amount or even noticeably less than our Chelyabinsk laptops). And this is considering both official and grey market sales.

…

In total, we have already sold about 100 thousand laptops.

I acknowledge that readers might have a question: What sets Echips apart from typical “Russian” laptop brands? In reviews of Echips laptops, there is occasionally the assertion that our computers are essentially the same as those from Digma, F+, DEXP, Hiper, and others. Our models and theirs are priced similarly when comparing close configurations, and they look similar…

But there’s a nuance, as they say. I won’t speak for the entire Odessa; after all, I’m from Chelyabinsk, and I fully admit that in the lineups of the mentioned brands, there might be individual successful laptops. However, the overall business model of these brands is roughly as follows: select a seemingly decent computer from a Chinese factory. Importantly, at first glance; they usually don’t dig deeper! Don’t attempt to thoroughly understand which laptop is genuinely better, this one or that one. And order its production in a certain quantity. Naturally, don’t forget to ask the Chinese to slap the logo of the Russian brand on the lid.

…

That’s it; you can bring them to Russia by plane or sea and sell them at retail. Echips laptops are… suddenly!… also developed in China. Yes, I don’t hide this fact, and I don’t claim Echips to be purely Russian laptops. I’m not the Belarusian brand “Horizon,” which, if I understand correctly, openly talks about developing its computers in a certain country. So, Echips laptops are initially DEVELOPED in China and then FINALIZED by us, Chelyabinsk residents.

Let me delve a bit into this process of laptop development and refinement. There are brands (Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, etc.) with years of serious engineering expertise. They create the architecture of a new computer model in their laboratories. This architecture is passed on to a Chinese factory responsible for assembling computers for these major brands.

These factories, partnered with such giants, are strictly verified and reliable. In some cases, these factories even develop new laptop models for Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, based on their orders and with their consent. And, most importantly, considering all the achievements of the engineering school of the ordering brand.

Sometimes, these factories have the right to sell their laptops, originally designed for major companies with respect to their quality and engineering standards, to other clients. It’s precisely these rare offers that Echips seeks out in China. Essentially, Echips laptops are the same laptops that were initially created for HP, Lenovo, and Acer (yes, primarily in our lineup, there are analogs of these three corporations). In other words, they are essentially the well-known and dearly loved HP, Lenovo, and Acer laptops, officially offered in Russia under the local brand name Echips.

…

Gateway is a brand of the Taiwanese company Acer, under which it sells laptops in the United States. And we have this same laptop in our line. See comparison in the photo

Although, of course, with certain changes in design and construction. They are necessary for:

• Reducing the price (but not at the expense of reliability). Echips doesn’t offer flagship solutions; the average price of laptops from our brand is 30 thousand rubles. If we can make a laptop cheaper by removing something unnecessary from our point of view, like a slot or some useless embellishment from a hypothetical HP model (such as a glowing logo on the lid), just to lower the price by a couple of thousand rubles, then… why not?
  .
• Increasing repairability. This is, in fact, our signature feature.
  .
• Improving the design. Yes, sometimes even in HP, Lenovo, and Acer laptops, there are non-obvious solutions. For example, if a laptop is generally good but has weak speakers, we won’t take that model as is (meaning without any changes). Instead, we’ll equip it with a more powerful audio system. Or rather, we’ll make the Chinese do it.
  

…

Where do we get the expertise to “direct” the Chinese and select the right laptop models?

My first venture in the computer-related business was launched back in 2008 when I established the largest laptop repair service in Chelyabinsk. Currently, its staff consists of five engineers with an average of 20 years of experience. Over the 15 years of operation, my service and repair company has completed around 10,000 laptop repairs. Through these repairs, we extensively studied the architecture and internal layout of the vast majority of machines brought to the service. As a result, a very clear understanding emerged of how a reliable, high-quality, and non-disposable computer should be designed and manufactured. In the process of our repair activities, we learned:

• How laptops are structured internally, which components are made to be durable and long-lasting, and which ones often break.
  .
• The reliability of various components, where and how to obtain them cost-effectively.
  .
• Which laptop brands and designs are less prone to breaking.
  .
• How to choose a laptop from a Chinese factory to avoid pain and embarrassment later.

…

That’s one side of the story. On the other hand, I had another business at one point. Since 2011, I was involved in supplying computer parts and components to Russia. At some point, I exited that business, but the connections remained. I know all the ins and outs: which company in Asia provides good SSDs, where to get screens, and with which Mr. Liao’s you’d better not engage at all.

5,000 rubles – that’s roughly the average cost to install a (non-licensed!) Windows on a Chinese laptop from AliExpress if you go to the average computer technician. But with Echips, there is no such problem: every single one of our laptops comes with a licensed Windows 11. User expenses – 0 rubles.

…

So, Echips laptops are, on one hand, a product based on the engineering experience of global giants. On the other, they are tested (or fine-tuned, if you will) by computer masters with 20 years of experience who know how to make laptops and what should be avoided at all costs. And from my side, thanks to my connections in Asia, I can connect (and indeed, I do) our partner factories with the best suppliers of the most reliable components.

Take SSDs, for example: I know where to buy an affordable and high-quality 256-gigabyte disk, whereas the factory offers 128 for the same money. I put the project on hold, connect the factory with the supplier, and as a result, a 256-gigabyte Echips laptop appears in Russia for the same price. Even though originally it had 128 GB. For the same money!

…

By the way, about SSDs. Earlier, I mentioned that we place a special emphasis on repairability, and much of this is related to storage devices. All disks in Echips laptops are removable: you can replace them in 15 minutes in case of a breakdown or simply increase the memory capacity. Bought a laptop with 128 gigabytes, a couple of years later installed 256, and then another couple of years later – a terabyte. And the computer remains relevant for many, many years. This is rare today: the market is seeing more laptops with soldered storage. Even the latest “MacBooks,” and not only them… These high-end laptops costing hundreds of thousands of rubles, in reality, become outdated faster than our Echips model for 30 thousand (on average).

We also have some pleasant bonuses for buyers. I’ve mentioned some above, like Windows being pre-installed on all our brand laptops. Let me tell you about another interesting feature. We noticed that in China, waterproof covers for keyboards are popular: see the photo below.

…

This is a silicone panel that attaches to the laptop’s keyboard and… prevents water from reaching the electronic components if spilled on the keyboard. In the meantime, the convenience of text input is hardly reduced, and the laptop owner can be sure that, for example, spilled coffee will not disable the laptop. Simply because the cover will not allow the liquid to reach the disk, memory, motherboard… So, we equipped some of our models with such a cover. Yes, you can also order it from AliExpress. But when it arrives… And it’s not certain that there will be Russian letters on it.

But with Echips models, there is an option with Russian letters. And it’s free for the buyer. Really free: we practically give away this accessory, not including it in the cost of the computer. And yes, I’ll note that we are in a constant search for such small pleasant features. And if we find something, we try to implement it in our laptops as quickly as possible.

Another thing I consider important to mention separately is our warranty. I know that in our not-so-stable times, people pay particular attention to this when trying to understand which laptop to choose. So, our deep immersion in the process of creating laptops (even though we don’t “carve” them ourselves from scratch, again, I won’t liken us to some other brands) and confidence in their reliability allow us to implement an interesting and original warranty policy. No other brand in Russia has anything like it. Not even the top ones, let alone the Chinese.

Firstly, our warranty is… one year. It seems like the usual duration. But! It can be extended to 3 years if you perform annual maintenance in our official service center for 1,000 rubles. Currently, such a center exists only in Chelyabinsk. But in September 2023, we plan to open a similar facility in Moscow, and during the following year. In all 15 cities with a population over a million in Russia.

…

Secondly, substitute laptops. In case of a computer malfunction, a courier (currently only in Chelyabinsk; in the future – everywhere where our Service Centers will be located) goes to the customer who reported the malfunction of the Echips laptop with an identical one. We pick up the faulty laptop for free and provide a new one for the duration of the repair work. After the repair is complete, we also return the laptop to the customer for free. If necessary, the customer can remove their SSD from the faulty laptop (they are easy to remove, not soldered, as is often the case with our competitors) and transfer it to the new one. I remind you, the whole procedure is free.

Currently, 80% of repairs in Chelyabinsk are carried out in this way, that is, with a visit to the customer’s home or office – in the presence of the computer owner. This is a significant difference between Echips and competitors.

Usually, what do they do? Even with a minor issue that can be fixed by reinstalling drivers, they take the laptop to the service center and keep it there for the legally required 45 days. And this… is terrible! As you can see, we offer a different approach. Yes, only in Chelyabinsk for now. But in the future (not too distant), everything will be completely different: see above.

…

In Echips, we try not to burden the user with service issues. If it's possible to repair the laptop at home, we do it. In Chelyabinsk, 80% of cases fall into this category. For other cities, laptops with issues still need to be sent to us in Chelyabinsk. If the case is covered by the warranty, it's a) free for the user and b) we strive to repair it as quickly as possible, in days or weeks, without taking the computer away for months, as some competitors do.

In conclusion, I must say the following. I, by no means, am trying to prove to anyone that we’ve developed laptops of an extraordinary class, amazingly orthodox and purely Russian laptops, and after their appearance, your MacBook or top Asus should now retreat to a corner and cry, realizing their meaninglessness. Not at all. It just so happened that our team, in my opinion, managed to offer the market uniquely inexpensive and at the same time very decent, reasonable computers. Yes, it’s a somewhat crude combination, but… otherwise, perhaps, you can’t put it.

…

Yes, inexpensive: we’re not aiming for the top segments. And yes, decent, reasonable: Echips doesn’t have the typical, classic flaws of budget laptops. No, like a lifecycle of a maximum of a year (or even less), because then a budget laptop just won’t turn on. Slow memory: causing the computer to lag longer than it takes to solve the tasks assigned to it. Screens that you have to look at only from one angle because from others the image fades to nothing.

Our models – I say this with a little burst of pride – belong to the category of “well-thought-out typewriter of the lower/middle class (depending on the model),” not “Chinese something incomprehensible with wires sticking out on the side.” And this, in my opinion, is already quite an achievement. Don’t mistake it for cheap pathos: I’ve spent my whole life in the computer market, and I know what I’m talking about.

Creating a decent laptop that doesn’t cost 60-70 thousand rubles in today’s configuration is quite challenging. And we cope with such a task unlike, as they say, others.

…

Moreover, we plan to continue expanding. For example, we have plans for gaming models with decent Nvidia graphics cards – also with a worthy pedigree, the contribution of computer masters with 20 years of experience, and the tasty service and warranty policy described above. As they say, wait a little.

I hope that readers now have a better understanding of how to choose a laptop in 2023 – primarily affordable. But if they have any questions – feel free to ask in the comments. I’m ready to explain, discuss, and even… no, it won’t come to a fight. Even though I’m a tough Chelyabinsk guy 🙂

By Kamil Khuzhiakhmetov
Laptops: https://echips-pc.ru/
Published with the permission of the author.
The original article is here.