Like me, youve probably never heard of Robo & Kala before this very moment.
And if you have, its because youre researching this product youve not long just found out about.
On paper, this gear is the perfectWindows on ARMdevice.
The rear chassis is aluminum and feels premium.
This is my full review.
Unfortunately, for now the Robo & Kala is only available in the United States.
There’s no LTE or 5G variant, which is an odd omission for a Windows on ARM equipment.
The rear chassis is aluminum and feels premium.
But you do get Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which is nice to see.
Robo & Kala: Design and features
The design of the Robo & Kala is fantastic.
I absolutely love the look of this thing.
The front display is gorgeous.
The chassis is made of aluminum which feels great in the hand.
The product is also SO THIN, coming in at just 7.3mm.
They’re still great, and work exactly as you’d expect them to.
Thin bezels and rounded corners!
After a short while of use, the back of the unit is basically covered in gross finger grease.
Around the front, we have a glorious 12.6-inch 2K AMOLED display which looks phenomenal.
Plus, Windows renders natively at 200% here which means text and icons look amazing.
The Robo & Kala is SO THIN.
I think it looks excellent.
I also just want to emphasize just how thin this gadget is.
For a full Windows computer, it doesn’t seem real.
We love this green colorway.
It looks great and is more than enough for filming meetings or lectures.
The front facing camera is a less good 5MP shooter with 1080p video capabilities.
It’s fine, but it’s not winning any rewards.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
The real let down comes in the form of audio quality, which is, frankly, abysmal.
There’s absolutely zero bass, and the tweeters we do have are tiny, tinny, and rattly.
You’ll want to invest in some headphones for that.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
That includes Google Chrome, Slack, and plenty others.
A good alternative to Google Chrome is Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox.
That’s what I did for Slack, for example.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
SSD speeds are good, coming in at 2,685MB/s for write and 3,037MB/s for read speeds.
You won’t have complaints about the SSD, which to my knowledge is user upgradable.
Battery life is also very good in day-to-day usage.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
In real world usage, it gets much longer battery life.
The equipment can get a little warm when being pushed, but never to a concerning level.
Overall, I’m satisfied with the performance of the Robo & Kala.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
The pen feels nice in the hand and works well on screen.
The typing experience feels great, being tactile with a key travel of 1.2mm.
Its a full-size keyboard, complete with a function row and arrow keys.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
Its even backlit, meaning youll be able to see all the keys even when in the dark.
Below the keyboard is a nicely sized trackpad, though this is not my favorite part of the gear.
This is a lovely addition that I didnt think was necessary until I actually used it.
The pen magnetically attaches to the table to charge.
Its sometimes more comfortable!
Its also sturdier, with there being basically zero flex without really having to push down on the keyboard.
The good news is the keyboard only uses Bluetooth when disconnected from the tablet.
The keyboard is okay.
I’d argue the Robo & Kala is more comparable to theSurface Pro Xin form factor alone.
Robo & Kala: Should you buy?
You should buy the Robo & Kala if …
You should not buy the Robo & Kala if …
It uses a direct connection with these pogo-pins.
This unit simply has no right to be as nice as it is for $799.
And for the price?
I mean, there’s nothing to complain about here.
The Surface Pro 9 is the closest competition on the market.
I will say the company Robo & Kala should think about giving this gadget an actual name.
The pen looks kind of like an Apple Pencil.
