[Review] GPD WIN - the portable micro PC that poses as a gaming console

GPD WIN it is probably the smallest portable PC you have ever seen. Small in size, it boasts hardware that makes it a pocket computer to all intents and purposes.

GPD WIN: retro aesthetics and high performance

Aesthetically, it seems to have in front of one of those portable diaries that were so fashionable in the 90s. Except that GPD WIN is a bit thicker and heavier, with a half plastic, half metal body.

Dimensions: 155x96x20mm
Weight: grams 300
Display: IPS LCD da 5,5" with HD resolution, touchscreen
Battery: 6700 mAh 

Under the body, a hardware that makes it in all respects similar to a normal laptop. Precisely for this reason, it also seemed "too high-performance" to me; the device has physical limits, which make it difficult to use it continuously, without the aid of external supports.

Processor: Atom X7 Z8750
RAM: 4GB
Memoria internal: 64GB
GPU: Intel Graphic HD
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1

The display is equipped with touch screen capacitive, but you can also interact with the device using the keyboard QWERTY and the joypad. GPD WIN also wants to be one gaming console portable. For this reason, mortifying the space available to the keyboard, a decidedly complete controller has been inserted.

My experience of use

I decided to ignore, at least initially, the gaming vocation of the device. Rather, I wanted to understand it as a real one Emergency PC. I immediately noticed two things: it weighs so much for the mobility it boasts, but it has avery interesting energy autonomy. The battery is recharged in about 3 hours, thanks to the USB Type-C input.

Its operating system is Windows 10 Home Edition, in English. Among the various forms of connectivity I only had Bluetooth and WiFi available. In fact, there is no data module. Using my portable wireless router, I had no problems. GPD WIN it is excellent for checking emails, managing documents and using all those sites that a smartphone cannot adequately support in desktop mode.

Also, I could watch several without any problems video content on YouTube and Netfix. Very disappointing audio. Although stereo, it is definitely not up to par. For this I preferred to use speakers and headphones, Bluetooth and cable.

It is literally impossible to work with the physical keyboard. The keys are very small, even for those with medium fingers. In most cases, I preferred to resort to virtual keyboard offer of the touchscreen display. Of course, eyesight soon gets tired too. For this series of reasons, the ideal is to conceive GPD WIN as an easily portable PC. Useful for emergencies, but to be used with external mouse, keyboard and display (there is a mini HDMI port) in case of long work sessions.

A gamer soul

Of course, I didn't shy away from the test of play. Although it is equipped with a joypad, the micro PC has to contend with one underperforming graphics card and with shared memory. This means that you can push yourself within certain limits. The various emulation games and some titles from the Windows store are welcome, but forget experiences that require very different hardware configurations.

Nice, expensive and definitely not for everyone

GPD WIN has a price over 300 Euros, it is certainly not a cheap gadget. This makes it even more complicated to identify an ideal target user. In my opinion, the micro PC can be interesting for those looking for a super portable solution, which can allow them to take the office with them (taking advantage, as anticipated, of all the external peripherals of the case) and also be able to control it in cases of emergency. Only this situation could justify the price.