Tag: clamshell

Benchmarking GPD Win Mini 2024

CPU, memory and GPU

Elaborating the subject of the most powerful clamshell handheld of 2024 it is interesting to compare the performance of the GPD Win Mini with other UMPCs of the second epoch.

Here is provided a comparison of CPU, GPU and memory performance: Benchmarking UMPCs of the second epoch. The results of GPD Win Mini are very impressive.

In addition to testing the Win Mini at the maximum TDP value of 28W, it is also interesting to measure the performance depending on the TDP. The corresponding test results are provided below.


What conclusions can be drawn from the charts? The performance of memory and one processor core has practically not increased since 10 watts. TDP value of 20W is almost a performance limit for multithreaded CPU mode and the GPU. In the case of portable use, it makes no sense to increase the TDP above 20W.

Default SSD

The comparison of SSD performance with other UMPCs has already been provided at the link above. In this comparison, the GPD Win Mini was used with the Patriot VP4000 Mini 1TB, instead of the standard SSD from the manufacturer (KIOXIA KBG50ZNS512G 512 GB). It is interesting to compare the speeds of these two drives in the Win Mini.

Test results of the default SSD (KIOXIA KBG50ZNS512G):
Default SSD test results

Test results of Patriot VP4000 Mini 1Tb:
VP4000 Mini test results

As you can see, in terms of operating speeds, the default SSD shows quite good results. It will be difficult to achieve significantly higher values on the Win Mini.

The most powerful 7-inch clamshell UMPC of 2024

The GPD Win Mini 2024 is the most powerful 7-inch clamshell handheld as of 2024.

Let’s take a look at the specifications:

Screen: 7-inch, Native Landscape Orientation, 1080P, supports VRR
CPU: AMD R7-8840U
GPU: AMD Radeon 780M
DDR: 32GB , LPDDR5
Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD
Wireless Network: Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth: 5.2
USB4: × 1, 40Gbps

The second generation of the Win Mini differs from the first generation by having a USB A connector and a native landscape orientation of the screen (which ensures compatibility with many older games).

The device is capable to replace a modern mid-level desktop computer. And the performance of the integrated graphics is close to GTX1650. Surprisingly, the GPS With Mini is good enough for "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", which does not run on the GTX 1080 due to the lack of hardware support for ray tracing.

In the following posts, we will conduct a series of tests and look at the device’s performance in more detail.

Despite the impressive performance, the Win Mini also has weaknesses. In terms of the quality of the case, the One-Netbook OneGX1 Pro is still my favorite UMPC.

3D printed battery cover for Hewlett-Packard 100LX/200LX

One of the most typical hardware failure of HP 100lx/200lx is a broken battery cover latch. That’s why a spare 3D printed battery cover would be a good option even if your current battery cover is intact. A free 3D model of the battery cover is available on Thingiverse. However, I was not satisfied with the quality of this model, therefore I’m glad to present you a custom (improved) version.

You can download this model for 3D printing here: HP 100LX battery cover.stl.

Pinephone – a slate phone, convertible into a clamshell

The Pinephone is a smartphone developed by Pine64, intended to allow users to have full control over the device. It runs plenty of GNU/Linux distributions and provides six physical kill switches, which allow disabling hardware components.

The smartphone itself looks like an ordinary slate phone. However, there is the keyboard case accessory, which converts the device into a clamshell Linux handheld.

Despite the fact that Pine64 developers were inspired by the Psion Series 5 keyboard, the Pinephone keyboard is not as comfortable to type on as the Gemini PDA keyboard. Besides that, the device is quite bulky when the keyboard is attached.

Nevertheless, it seems to be the most affordable Linux handheld with a physical keyboard, a 5.5-inch display, and a wide range of connectivity options. Do not expect high performance, though.

Overall, the Pinephone with the keyboard case is a nice toy for a nerd.

Clamshell handhelds from Planet Computers

I’m glad to present you a new gallery dedicated to handheld computers produced by Planet Computers Ltd.
This gallery extends the gallery introduced in the previous post Gemini PDA – modern clamshell handheld for content creators.
Besides Gemini PDA this gallery also stars Cosmo Communicator. Both of my devices are signed by CEO of Planet Computers – Dr. Janko Mrsic-Flogel.

Here are two interesting interviews of Dr. Janko Mrsic-Flogel reviewing the new handheld:
Cosmo Communicator interview
Cosmo Communicator shipping now to backers