Poket GPD 4

Mini computer

Before reviewing my Pocket PC 4, I must give DroiX a shout out for their speedy service. I ordered the PC at about 9pm on a Thursday, and I was unboxing it before mid-day on the Saturday!!!!! And that's with the 3-5 working day free delivery!!!!!!

Fantastic!!!!!

I opted for the 32Gb/2TB AI 9 HX370 variant. My intention was that by going for a specification that is higher than I currently need, it would provide some sort of "future proofing" as the demands made on it by Windows and other software increase over time.

I've seen some negative comments in the reviews about noisy fans. Sure, Windows updates and software installation can set it off, but under my normal usage, and although it seems to be constantly running, it's barely audible.

In fairness to others, I'm not taxing the machine by running resource heavy games or videos etc.

I have installed an Android emulator, running apps for which there are no Windows equivalents, but that doesn't seem to put much of a strain on it.

Other than that, it's usual things like word processing and spreadsheets (Libre Office), Python programming, on-line banking and so on.

It's like I've bought a Formula One race car but I only use it for tootling around town at 30mph!!!!!!! Which again was part of my thought train. Less wear and tear by not straining the components.

I have used the touch screen and it seems to work very well with fingers. I have yet to try it with the stylus I bought at the same time as the PC. Although I have briefly tried it, I have not used the "tablet mode" screen rotation for any length of time. This might well be something I do further down the line.

I usually hate track pads on any PC with a passion, but I actually find this one reasonably useful. I'm not sure if that's because of the unusual placement of the pad and buttons as compared to full size laptops, or despite it!!!!!!

At the moment I am busy installing software and getting data across from my Android tablet, so at the moment I find it easier to use a conventional mouse, but I suspect I will dump that when I get into normal day to day usage.

The keyboard doesn't seem to be giving me any problems, I seem to be able to type at the same speed as a full size keyboard. From time to time I do get caught out with the characters on the very top row, {}[] etc, but that will come in time when I remember that's where they are!!!!!!!!

I get battery life ranging from 7hrs to 5hrs depending on what I've been doing, but I don't monitor it that much. While I'm still installing stuff, I tend to be on mains anyway.

I find the screen very legible and I currently have the brightness at 50%.

The sound is pretty good given the speakers must be quite small.

As a very minor point, I do like the way the disk has been partitions into C: and D: drives. This allows software to be on C: and my files to be on D: which appeals to my tidy mind!

Niggles?
Given the power button is also a finger print sensor, I find it pretty impossible to log in to Windows by finger print with the button. I think it would be better if the button were located on the keyboard; there is plenty of room at the top.

The display has some sort of screen protector on it, but I suspect it was only intended to be used for transit. I have deliberately left it in place and it doesn't seem to be affecting the screen legibility or the touch functionality. The "niggle" is that there is a sticky label on it to assist in it's removal ... right where the closing 'X' is in a full screen window!!!!!! The label says it is to "help remove the mask from the screen guard". I am left wondering if the screen already has some sort of protection (if that is what the "screen guard" is) if I were to remove the "mask"? For now, I think I'll leave the mask in place, but (very) carefully remove the sticky label.

Given the small size of the PC, I am surprised there isn't a Kensington Lock slot for some sort of security.

Although the metal case is really sturdy and attractive, it's a finger print magnet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The keyboard keytops are getting polished by my fingers already. I hope the lettering doesn't wear off as fast.

However, these are exactly what I said, niggles.

I agonised for quite a while as to the best way of replacing my aging Windows 7 laptop and aging Android laptop, and when I saw the GPD products they seemed the perfect solution replacing 2 devices with 1 while retaining the portability of the 8" size (the same as my tablet).

In conclusion I have absolutely no regrets about buying the Pocket 4. It is turning out to be more than perfect for my needs and is a sturdy looking device. I am extremely pleased with it.

I only hope the internal build quality (i.e.: the electronics) is as good as the visible external quality so that my "future proof" plans aren't thwarted by low grade electronic component failure. Only time will tell.

I'm very happy with my new Pocket 4. So much power in such a small device is amazing. And it stays cooler than many large laptops. The build quality is also top notch.

I received my GPD Pocket 4 two weeks ago. Since unboxing it, it has been a never-ending diagnostic to figure out why things don't work. Maintaining a reasonable fan level requires additional software. Otherwise, it constantly runs at near full speed and sounds like a turbine. The fan also never shuts down in sleep mode. I've tried using Windows' hibernate feature, but it causes the screen to lock into its last orientation and requires a reboot to correct. I've also had to use Device Manager to delete components to get the system to charge correctly, as well as have a working touchscreen. The system also doesn't come with secure boot or BitLocker enabled. Make sure to enable secure boot in the BIOS (first) and then enable BitLocker before adding fingerprint/pin authentication. This last item would be genuine of any computer, but adds to the overall frustration with the 'Pocket 4'. Lastly, downloading drivers and BIOS updates was a tedious process. They're stored in an overshared Google Drive folder that required multiple attempts to complete successfully. I still haven't been successful in updating the drivers b/c the instructions are in Chinese and the script fails. This is a brand new device; there shouldn't be this many things to correct in order for it to work.

I will start by saying that for a such a tiny device the whole thing feels more like a quality laptop than a "toy" that you may expect. This is a serious piece of kit (as it should be at the price!) for getting work done.
The keyboard is very nice, compared to a Macbook Pro, it is like-for-like typing feel if a little constrained by the size which is to be expected.
Performance is exceptional, in fact, I am replacing my desktop Windows PC with it. The built in GPU seems up to the task - I would just say switch off things like FPS counters and benchmarking and just enjoy some games without worrying how many frames per second you are getting - it all feels fine which is the most important thing, many titles that are recent additions to Gamepass work flawlessly on it and you always have that USB 4 port if you want to explore using an eGPU later down the line.
As for the one annoyance, it's the screen, it is lovely to look at BUT they appear to have done something odd with the rotation, in all but Windows the screen is incorrectly rotated. I think they may have used a portrait orientated panel, as it is always 90 degrees counter clockwise rotated outside Windows. It can be corrected with settings, but makes it very hard to navigate things like GRUB bootloaders or the desktop until it is done via commands.