THE SHENZHEN REVIVAL
ALTHOUGH TRADITIONAL
manufacturing giants have largely abandoned pocket computers, the format has seen a renaissance via boutique manufacturers from Shenzhen in China. These companies have avoided the pitfalls of traditional product development by crowdfunding and skipping normal retailers in favor of online stores such as AliExpress, Amazon, and eBay.
Of all the boutique makers, GamePad Digital, or GPD, is one that can truly be called a trendsetter. GPD has developed a cult following redesigning neglected forms into something truly desirable.
GPD
GPD first caught the world’s attention in 2015 with the XD: an ARM-based Android gaming device, designed for easy emulation and styled like a Nintendo DS. It was an instant hit among retro gaming fans, due to its simple design, clever tweaks, and generous expansion.
Following the XD’s success was the GPD Win: a Windows 10 handheld with console controls. After moderate success with the Win, GPD stepped away from gaming to make something very different: the Pocket.
THE POCKET MILESTONE
The GPD Pocket reinvented the discarded netbook format by shrinking the design to a mere seven inches overall. Despite its diminutive size, clever engineering compromises allowed for a keyboard that was reasonable for typing on, encased in a sturdy aluminum chassis. Customers could choose between either Windows 10 or Ubuntu pre-installed.
The Pocket was a runaway success, and in 2018, GPD released the Pocket 2, which added a more powerful Intel Celeron CPU and swapped the “nub” mouse for an optical touch sensor. While GPD’s earlier products were designed around gaming, the Pocket was a hit with writers and students, who wanted to work anywhere, any time, with a product that was truly compact and portable.
Its design hit a sweet spot that spawned numerous imitations from Shenzhen rivals, such as One-Netbook’s One Mix Yoga series (2018), which has a 360-degree hinge and stylus support; and the Chuwi Minibook ( 2019), which also has a webcam, and a cheaper price.
Interest in the GPD Pocket led to other niche products, such as the MicroPC—a cheaper, ruggedized handheld for engineers with an RS232 port; and the P2 Max, a trickedout 8.9-inch netbook GPD has dubbed ‘the world’s smallest ultrabook’.
GPD is still selling the Pocket 2, while One-Netbook’s line has morphed into the OneMix series. You may still be able to find the older 7-inch OneMix2 for sale online, while the OneMix3 stretches to an 8.4-inch screen, and the OneMix4 is a full 10.1inch netbook.
WHAT ABOUT GAMING?
For many years, companies have tried to make something ultra-portable and capable of modern gaming. However, the mobile processors needed by such small machines have always been a generation behind desktop PCs. But now it seems we finally have the right technology.
In 2016, GPD launched the Win, with an intel-based Windows 10 touchscreen handheld. Although its QWERTY keyboard couldn’t be used for proper typing, its design allowed dual analog stick controls, face and shoulder buttons, and a D-pad.
The Win was a reasonable success and was followed in 2018 by the Win 2, which upped the screen size from 5.5 to 6-inches, ditched the lousy Atom processor for an Intel Core m3, and doubled its RAM from 4 to 8GB.
While these machines were great for indie gaming and emulation, they were unrealistic for modern AAA gaming, and their keyboards were too small for proper typing. But in 2021, the Win 3 was launched, and it’s a far more compelling games machine.
The design has changed, with GPD ditching the clamshell design for something resembling a Nintendo Switch, but slide the screen upwards and it reveals a keyboard, like an old Sony Vaio. The touchscreen is 5.5in, with an overall footprint of 7.8in.
The Win 3 is powered by the Intel Tiger Lake platform, sporting a 4.2 GHz Intel Core I5-1135G7 CPU and a
Gen12 Iris Xe GPU. There is now 1TB of NVMe M.2 SSD storage and 16GB of RAM. All this allows for a viable gaming experience, even if it won’t rival desktops. GPD even provides a customized image of Ubuntu MATE for Linux users. On the downside, its small, flat keyboard has not been well received, as it gives bad feedback and appears to have reliability issues.
There is competition in Shenzhen and, for those who prefer team AMD, there is the Aya Neo, which packs a 4GHz AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU and a 7in touchscreen. For an Intel rival, there is the bulkier OneXPlayer Handheld PC, with a 4.8GHz Intel Core i7 1165G7 CPU, Intel Iris Xe 96 EU GPU, and an 8.4-inch touchscreen.
However, neither the Neo nor the OneXPlayer has physical keyboards: you use an on-screen virtual keyboard, so neither fits our specification for an ultra-mobile PC.
The GPD Win 3 and OneXPlayer Handheld PC are available at online stores such as AliExpress and Amazon, while the Neo is available from Aya’s website.
BUT I WANT A PROPER KEYBOARD!
If none of these options take your fancy, there are gaming machines that retain a clamshell design, but add game controller features. The first is One-Netbook’s OneGx1 (2020). During normal operation, it looks like a small netbook, but has RGB lighting and a rear cooling design “borrowed” from Alienware gaming laptops and is transformed by two controller paddles that attach either side.
Reviews are mixed. Some love it, others find it flawed and impractical. The 7-inch screen has stylus support, and the machine has an overall footprint of 8.4-inches without paddles. It is older than other models here, with a tenth-generation i5 core processor that maxes out at 4GHz.
The last machine to consider is the GPD Win Max. This essentially enlarges the older Win 2 design with a proper typing keyboard and places the touchpad, control sticks, and buttons above the keyboard.
While it started life in 2020 with the same family of Intel CPU as the OneGx1, the new 2021 model comes in two varieties: a quad-core 11th Gen Intel i7-1195G7 CPU (5Ghz maximum), or an eight-core 4.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 4800U APU.
The Win Max has an 8in touchscreen, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of M.2 SSD storage. Reviews have been positive, and both the Win Max and OneGx1 have excellent I/O expansion. Both are available on sites such as AliExpress and Amazon.