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Pros
Running dual operating systems, and switching from one to the other is simple.
Screen offers good viewing angles and vibrant colors.
Premium build material.
Robust keyboard connection.
Decent battery life.
Cons
Extremely slow to charge.
Very little improvement in performance compared to the Bay-trail powered tablets.
Poor cameras.
A lot heavier than the Surface 3.
Cube has attracted lots of attentions with their line of affordable 2-in-1 convertible tablets since early 2014. Now they have two lines of convertible tablets: the premium Core-M powered i-series tablets, including the Cube i7, Cube i7 CM, Cube i7 Stylus and Cube i9, and the more affordable Atom-based iWork series, such as the iWork 10, iWork 10 Ultimate, iWork 11 Stylus, and the all new iWork 12. There are some exceptions, though. The Cube i6, i10 are not premium Windows tablets like the i7 and i9, instead, they are Atom based tablets, designed mainly for basic tasks.
As confusing as Cube’s product naming is, the all new iWork 12 is definitely Atom-based. With a 12.2-inch screen and a kickstand, it bears a striking resemblance to the more premium Skylake Core M powered Cube i9. Running on an Atom Cherry Trail X5-Z8300 CPU and 64GB eMMc drive, the iWork 12 is more of an entry-level convertible than a powerhouse hybrid. The RMB1,599 ($244) price may seem low compared to similar systems such as the ASUS T100HA, but it is still a tad higher than the price of the iWork 10 Ultimate ($152.4), which rocks the same internal setup. Are the $82 extra bucks a worthy investment for more screen real estate and a kickstand, let’s find out.
Cube iWork 12 Main Specs
• OS: Windows 10 Home 64bit & Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• Display: 12.2-inch IPS, 10-point multi-touch, IGZO
• Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1200 (16:10)
• CPU: Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5-Z8300 Quad-core Processor
• CPU Frequency: 1.44GHz – 1.84GHZ
• GPU: Intel HD Graphic Gen8
• RAM / Storage: 4GB / 64GB
• Function: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, OTG
• Camera: 5MP back camera, 2MP front camera
• Battery: 9,000mAh
• Extend Port: USB 3.0 port, TF Card Slot, Micro USB, 3.5mm Headphone Jack, Micro HDMI
• Weight & Size: 930g / 302.9*194.9*9.15mm
Packaging and Accessories
The Cube iWork 12 comes with very nice packaging. Inside the box you will find a tablet, a wall charger with a micro USB plug, an OTG adapter, a user manual and a warranty card.
Design and Build
As we mentioned above, the iWork 12 has an identical design to the Cube i9, with a 12.2-inch display dominating its front and a 2-angle kickstand on its rear. The white bezel removes the feeling of cold black technology, and the Magnalium rear side gives the tablet a premium look.
The left side plays host to a slew of ports and slots. You can find a Micro USB port, a Micro HDMI port, a 3.5mm headset jack, a Micro SD card and a full size USB 3.0 port.
The keyboard port can be found on the bottom side of the tablet.
As always, a power/standby key and a volume rocker on the top side.
The built-in kickstand can open to two different angles, satisfying the needs of using the tablet in different occasions.
Overall, this machine seems to belong in a class way above that of its price point, so kudos to Cube for continuing to provide compelling value in terms of construction. As the overall design remains quite similar to that of the i9, the weight and size are also nearly identical. The iWork 12 tips the scales at just 930g, although far from being the slimmest or lightest tablet out there, it is still quite portable by any definition.
Keyboard
The keyboard cover for the Cube iWork 12 is exactly the one designed for the more premium Cube i9, and it matches the design of the Microsoft Surface Type Cover. It is very thin, light, and won’t add much weight to the tablet.
The tablet and the keyboard clip together quickly and easily, without much force or maneuvering. When in place, it’s a solid connection which seems like it could take some punishment without breaking apart.
Like we mentioned in the review of the Cube i9, the keyboard itself is very well designed, with ideal space between different keys, it also offers decent key travel, which gives you tactile feedback when you type. And we really love the ability to set it flat against the desk or at a more keyboard-like angle. We’d always rather use a full-sized laptop keyboard, but in the absence of that this Keyboard Cover is the very next best thing.
The trackpad is reasonably sized, and it has distinct left and right click zones, and supports gesture control as you would expect. Unfortunately, unlike the Surface Type Cover, when you fold the keyboard cover around the back of the iWork 12 and the keys are still active.
Display and sound
The Cube iWork 12 rocks a 12.2-inch IPS display at the resolution of 1920*1200. The display is bright, vibrant, with wide viewing angles.
Even when compared to top offerings such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, the Cube iWork 12 doesn’t pale in comparison in the display department. And you can’t really tell the difference in pixel density from a normal using distance.
With that said, I did notice more reflection when compared to top Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, using it outdoors should be challenging.
The Cube iWork 12 has stereo speakers, placed on the left and right side of the tablet’s chassis. Sound quality is respectable for a budget tablet, but not truly remarkable. It’s not too harsh or tinny, and having stereo sound is great for watching movies. Top volume is decent, but lacks the low-end bulk and power of the best tablet speakers such as the ones on the iPads and Galaxy tablets. The 3.5mm audio jack has no problem driving our high-end headphones to an ear-splitting level, and we could hear a lot of details through the headsets.
Operating systems
You might have already noticed that I used a plurality in the heading, that’s because the iWork 12 ships with two operating systems in one machine: Windows 10 and Android 5.1, and you can switch between those two systems with only one or two taps on the touchscreen.
Unlike the iWork 11 Stylus, which runs the 32-bit version of Windows 10 and can only use 3GB of the 4GB RAM, the iWork 12 is preinstalled with the 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home and can take full advantage of every bit of the 4GB RAM built in the device.
Both the Android 5.1 and the Windows 10 are clean, with almost no third-party applications. While the Windows side takes care of the everyday business tasks, the Android side takes care of your social networking and media consumption. With access to numerous applications in Windows (those in Windows store and traditional desktop apps) and Google Play, the iWork 12 is much more versatile than any your average Android tablets or iPads.
Storage
The iWork 12 comes with a 64GB eMMc drive. Although not as lovely as the SSD used in higher-end tablets such as Cube’s very own i7 and i9, it is expected as an eMMc drive is always a standard choice for Atom-based tablets and netbooks. As the iWork 12 is running on both Android and Windows 10, the two operating systems takes up different partitions of the hard drive and don’t have shared internal storage. The Android side takes up a partition of 16GB, while the more complex and powerful Windows 10 takes up 48GB.
Fortunately, the iWork 12’s storage is expandable by a Micro SD card up to 128GB. The users can save multi-media files in the external storage, which they can visit from both Android and Windows.
Performance
The iWork 12 is powered by the latest Atom Cherry Trail X5-Z8300 processor and 4GB of RAM (DDR3 1066), and the performance is pretty predictable for an Atom-based system.
On the Android side, the iWork 12 was pretty fast and responsive to all our controls. Tasks from scrolling the home screens to running graphic-intense 3D games are all handled smoothly by the tablet. We experienced very few lags or delays while browsing image-heavy webpages, watching YouTube Videos, social networking and gaming.
We also ran some benchmarks on the Cube iWork 12. In the Antutu 6 benchmark, the slate was returned a score of 56615, and in the Geekbench 3 test, it got a score of 2093 (Multi-core). It is clear that the iWork 12’s doesn’t match the latest top Android smartphones in terms of benchmark scores, but I didn’t really feel it was by any means slow, even comparing it to my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
On the Windows side, things were a little different. Lags and stutters were non-existent running applications installed from the Windows store, and you can even use several Microsoft Office applications side by side, but the tablet still struggled with heavier desktop tasks: Unzipping a compressed folder took forever, Photoshop took a long time to open, and heavy duty applications such as Corel Draw and lightroom simply wouldn’t start.
Benchmarks tell the story, too. In most of the benchmarks, the Cube iWork 12 scored way behind the Core M powered Cube i9 and the Z8700 powered Microsoft Surface 3. In fact it barely surpassed the ASUS T100, which contained the older Atom Bay-trail Z3740 processor.
The iWork 12 isn’t cut out to be a powerhouse tablet and can’t really replace your desktop PC or laptop for productivity tasks, it is more of a system designed for media consumption, social networking and light business duties.
Connectivity
A slew of ports and slots, as well as built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi give the tablet lots of connectivity options. Not only can the micro USB port used for charging, it can also be turned into a full USB 2.0 port by the stock OTG adapter to host all kinds of input and storage devices. The full USB 3.0 port can take care of high-speed data transfer between your tablet and a mobile drive, it can also charge your smartphone pretty quickly. The micro HDMI port means you can connect your tablet to a monitor or an HDTV, and Bluetooth 4.0 means you can establish wireless connections with headphones, external speakers, and input devices.
The iWork 12’s Wi-Fi connection is pretty solid, we could still stream online videos while there are a few meters and two walls between the tablet and the router.
Battery life
Unlike many other hybrids such as the ASUS T100A and Dell Venue 11 Pro, the Cube iWork 12’s keyboard doesn’t have its own battery to boost the tablet’s stamina. All charging is done using the microUSB port on the tablet part, meaning you don’t have to worry about losing a specific charge cable.
Cube claims that the Iwork 12’s 9,000mAh Li-Po battery should last for 8 hours, but we normally only got around 7 hours’ screen time doing different things with the tablet. In our standard battery rundown test, where we played a 720P video (MP4) on loop, we got 7 hours and 35 minutes’ battery life from the slate.
While the battery life of the tablet is still decent for a convertible this size, charging it can be extremely annoying. Sometimes the tablet would boot itself when we plugged in the charger, and the charging is also extremely slow. We normally needed around 6 hours to finish a full charge, and sometimes the charging got stuck at 99% for a whole hour….
Cameras
The iWork 12 has two cameras, a 2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing cameras. The front camera is decent enough for video-chatting, but we would not suggest using it for selfie. Useless for most people, the rear camera is just there for the sake of being there, the photos it took were of extremely poor quality, and you don’t really want to use a big and heavy tablet like this to capture your daily moments, while any smartphone could do a much better job.
Summary
So who might we recommend this device to? Definitely not those who want a device to use as a main PC, but someone who already owns a powerful desktop PC and only wants a cheap netbook/tablet for light business tasks and media consumption.
We liked
The best thing about the Cube iWork 12 is its cost-efficiency. For only RMB1,599 ($244, keyboard excluded), you have a versatile, simple convertible with a stunning 12.2-inch IPS screen. The tablet does media-consumption tasks brilliantly, and can handle reasonable productivity tasks as well as most entry-level laptops. And you can easily switch from Windows to Android and the other way around on one device. Also, the build quality of the Cube iWork 12 is superior to the similarly priced ONDA and Teclast tablets.
We disliked
There was plenty to be annoyed about with the Cube iWork 12. This is fundamentally not a powerful laptop, and only a passable tablet – especially when there are alternatives for which you could pay much less money and get the same level of performance.
The excruciatingly slow charging speed and only average battery life mean this slate is going to spend a lot of every single day plugged into walls.
Both the DDR3 RAM and the eMMC are pretty slow on this device, and that’s very noticeable while the tablet’s thrown with traditional Windows desktop tasks.
Final verdict
The Cube iWork 12 is more of a system to replace your iPads or Android tablets than to use as a main personal computer. The ability to run Microsoft Office and other light desktop applications means you will always get more productivity out of this device than from an iPad or an Android tablet. For the right reason this can be a really good purchase, but since the iWork 12 is not the only dual boot tablet out there, you might want to take a look at other options before digging into your pocket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3RWLqTrmBM
Video review here
Nobody interested in this tablet?
Nice Review
Thanks for the nice and detailed review. I'm interested in this tablet. The kickstand is a nice addition and I love the build quality of Cube. My only annoyance is the slow charging, and its making me consider getting the Chuwi H12.
Windows 10 sound?
Thanks for the review, I just received mine. I like the quality of the unit. The screen is pretty glossy, but it's still fine.
The biggest issue I'm having is sound quality in Windows 10 (3.5mm jack). Very muddy, and disappointing considering I want this for media consumption. I'm thinking it's a driver issue, since sound in Android is fine. Sound devices are:
Intel SST Audio Device (WDM)
Nuvoton SST Nau88L24 Codec Device
If anyone has input of how I can better the sound, I'm all ears!
EDIT: Turns out it was more of an issue of my Xiaomi Piston 3 headphones (which seem to be failing), my AKG ones sound good. DFX enhancer did work well however in tuning the speakers.
You should definately use "DFX Audio Enhancer". It makes every device sound like studio quality (even on android), if set up correctly. I've tested several software-based audio enhancer and this is by far the best one.
Cost: Currently 30 bucks, normally 40.
They also offer a demo, but it restricts some of the controller handles, so you can't test the full potential.
krazystuff said:
Thanks for the review, I just received mine. I like the quality of the unit. The screen is pretty glossy, but it's still fine.
The biggest issue I'm having is sound quality in Windows 10 (3.5mm jack). Very muddy, and disappointing considering I want this for media consumption. I'm thinking it's a driver issue, since sound in Android is fine. Sound devices are:
Intel SST Audio Device (WDM)
Nuvoton SST Nau88L24 Codec Device
If anyone has input of how I can better the sound, I'm all ears!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Some site saids that it's support stylus some site saids no.
So somebody who have the tablet could tell me if it's support stylus ?
Regards
Marc
Grainy screen
My experience with this tablet so far.
Windows 10 really good, runs office apps no problem.
Android performance good for media consumption, eg magazines, podcasts etc.
On the down side is the display. On Android the display always seems a little fuzzy, not so sharp. This is much better in Windows quite sharp.
Unfortunately my unit has the "grainy" screen issue. Its like having a really poor quality screen protector on. Its very noticeable on whites and greys. Also the screen is highly reflective which means I have to be careful where I sit while typing.
Its a shame that the display issue impacts and otherwise very good device.
Weird, I don't notice this grainy screen issue. Looks the same as any of the other 3 screens I use. I do agree on reflections however; I am thinking about getting a tempered glass protector for the thing.
After using the thing for a month (exclusively in Windows):
- Wifi: Performance is good, except sometimes after it wakes from sleep I need to disconnect and reconnect to regain the connection. Kind of annoying, hoping a driver update will fix that.
- HDMI out: I use this for Netflix (Windows 10 app) and Kodi for local media, and both work great (only 1080p tested). No problem with getting bitstreamed audio and 23hz or 24hz output (although I need to switch it for Netflix manually, app issue). I did get an angled connector though which I realise is a mistake since now I can't charge and have the micro HDMI dongle connected at the same time.
- Chrome: Chrome is kind of sluggish, but still ok. Edge is vastly superior, but not having extensions yet lead me to live with Chrome for now. Youtube is kind of sluggish to start; I started using an extension to force MP4 instead of VP9, and haven't noticed much of a difference. Still, it is acceptable for general browsing with a few tabs.
- Battery: I'm happy with battery life, but I haven't measured it formally. With light/medium use, it lasts me 3 days. It does take long to charge, but I can live with charging it overnight every couple of days. Waking from sleep works well also.
All in all, I am happy with the unit, and it fills my niche for a portable, tablet/notebook hybrid that I can take travelling, on a plane, and carry around the house.
linux ?
thanks for your review.
we can install linux in i9.
can we install linux in iwork12?
thanks
Thanks for the lovely review. Very nice it was.
Its been around 6 months now, are you still using this tablet? How is 6 month ownership experience?
Rom/Recovery
Hi
I just received my Cube iWork12 and on turning it on noticed that it had already been turned on by GearBest so I clicked on Factory reset in Windows. it froze during the reset and now won't book. It comes up with the cube logo for about 20 seconds then restarts and does the same again. Android still boots. Does anyone know how I can fix this or where I can get am image of the Rom to restore? thanks
In case anyone is having the same problem a forum user has kindly posted it on google drive here: http://techtablets.com/forum/topic/cube-i12-firmware/
I have had this tablet for a month. No matter what I try I cannot stop play store from closing all the time. Has any one else had this problem? I have reset the tablet. closed and forced stop on play store. checked date and time +++++.
If any one has an answer to the problem I will be grateful.
My thanks in advance.
Brian
ecrivain5 said:
I have had this tablet for a month. No matter what I try I cannot stop play store from closing all the time. Has any one else had this problem? I have reset the tablet. closed and forced stop on play store. checked date and time +++++.
If any one has an answer to the problem I will be grateful.
My thanks in advance.
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likewise here. I have tried all sorts with different Play Store APKs, based on CPU, Screen Resolution, etc but nothing works, at least not for any length of time.
I have resorted to locating and downloading the APKs of the apps I want to install and doing it that way, bypassing the Play Store altogether.
It is a real PITA. Cube seems to have forgotten this device in terms of firmware updates and support.
Which one i must choose, chuwi hi 12 or iwork 12? I need for my study, i usually use ms. Office, spss, geogebra and other small software. Which one is better? Because i plan to use this stuff for a long time.
youngred09 said:
Thanks for the nice and detailed review. I'm interested in this tablet. The kickstand is a nice addition and I love the build quality of Cube. My only annoyance is the slow charging, and its making me consider getting the Chuwi H12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to know, so you re take chuwi or cube? How the performance? I still confuse to take cube or chuwi because my money limited.
how can i update android 5.1 with android 6 or higher?
---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------
raviemailid said:
Thanks for the lovely review. Very nice it was.
Its been around 6 months now, are you still using this tablet? How is 6 month ownership experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can i update android 5.1 with android 6 or higher?
---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------
Can you tell me the easiest procedure to update android 5.1 with android 6 or higher on our iWork12 cube?
Thanks!
Does it support any pen ?
I'm delighted with this tablet, very comfortable and performing, the only flaw so far found is that there is no automatic update of the firmware that was compatible with the Android version 5.1, but to use it I need at least the Android version 6.0! Cube site does not upgrade, I contacted the company but told me to ask the retailer ..
I'm waiting for a solution! Has anyone already updated the version of Android?
Thank you
raviemailid said:
Thanks for the lovely review. Very nice it was.
Its been around 6 months now, are you still using this tablet? How is 6 month ownership experience?
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Beelink is best known for its Android TV boxes, but their newly-released Beelink AP34 Ultimate, which comes with an Intel Celeron N3450 quad core Apollo Lake processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and Windows 10 OS, is definitely not just another regular TV box. How does this device fit into our daily life? We will try to answer this question in this review.
Main specs of the Beelink AP34 Ultimate
Operating System: Authorized Windows 10 Home
Processor: Intel Celeron N3450 quad core Apollo Lake processor
CPU Frequency: 1.10 GHz (base) to 2.20 GHz (turbo)
GPU: Intel HD 500 graphics
RAM: 8 GB DDR3
Storage: 64 GB eMMC flash, SD card slot, M.2 SSD slot up to 320 GB
Video Output: HDMI 1.4
Audio: 3.5mm audio jack
Internet: Gigabit Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, & Bluetooth 4.0
USB Ports: 3 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports
Button: Power Button, Reset Hole
Power Supply: 12V/2A
Shell: Cool Blue Metal Case
Unboxing
The Beelink AP34 Ultimate ships with very compact retail package.
Inside the retail package we have the Beelink AP34 mini PC, a 24Watt power brick, 2 HDMI cables of different lengths, a wall mount bracket, some screws and some documentation.
Design and build
The Beelink AP34 looks like a regular TV box at first glance, thanks to its small size. In fact, it is even smaller than most of the Android TV boxes we have reviewed, including the Jide Remix IO. The cool blue metal case gives the device a chic and premium feel.
You can find the Beelink logo on the top surface of the device. The font side plays host to an LED indicator, which will light up when the device is booted.
The right side hosts two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a SD card reader, and some vents.
The back side of the device is the busiest, it contains a power button, a 3.5mm DC port, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, An RJ45 network port, an audio jack, and a reset hole.
The left side sports a Wi-Fi antenna and also some vents.
On the bottom side of the device you will find four rubber feet and more vents.
The build quality of this device is great, it feels extremely robust and sturdy, no matter how hard I try to squeeze it with my hands, it stays the way it is. Also, the cool blue coating on the surface is very resistant to scratches. After 4 weeks of reviewing the device and moving it around constantly, I still haven’t found any marks on its surface.
System & Apps
Setting the AP34 up is as easy as any TV box, connecting the device to a socket, a display and input devices (a mouse and a keyboard) and you are good to go. After some first-boot settings (language, Wi-Fi, PIN) and you will enter the familiar Windows lock screen. Unlock it and there is the desktop.
The AP34 Ultimate ships with a clean version of stock Windows 10 Home OS, there are no preinstalled 3rd party applications and bloatware, which is good news for the majority of users.
There are thousands of apps available in the Windows Store, if they are not enough, you can also install traditional PC apps on the AP34. Not only can the device serve as a media center in your living room, it can also get some lightweight productivity tasks done.
You can install the mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint from the Windows Store for free, and use them to browse your documents or do some simple editing. If you find their functions too limited, you can also buy the PC version of Office 365.
We connected the AP34 to my 65-inch HDTV, and did a lot of media consumption, web-browsing, social networking. Everything looked amazing on the 65-inch display. We feel like we can never really go back to our old Android TV box, as there are too many things which the AP34 can offer but average Android TV boxes can’t.
Performance
The Beelink AP34 Ultimate is powered by an Intel Celeron N3450 quad core Apollo Lake processor (1.1GHz – 2.2GHz) and 8GB RAM. It won’t match those powerhouse laptops and desktops PCs when it comes to horsepower, but it is very capable of handling those basic everyday tasks.
Like always, we ran some benchmarks on the device, and compared the points to the scores of similar products we have reviewed.
In the Antutu V6 Benchmark, the AP34 Ultimate scored 112,567, ranking behind the Core-i3 powered ASUS Vivomini UN62 and the Pentium N4200 powered Voyo VMAC-V1.
In the Cinebench R10 test, the Beelink AP34 Ultimate scored in 1,846 Single core, 5,470 in multi-core, and 2782CB in OpenGL.
In the Cinebench R15 test, the AP34 was returned in 119cb CPU performance and 11.50 fps in OpenGL.
The Fritz Chess benchmark returned a score of 3,411, which even beats the 3,177 snatched by the Pentium N4200 powered Voyo VMAC-V1.
In the PCMark 8 Work Accelerated 3.0 test, the AP34 scored 1,614.
Although the device is capable of outputting 4K resolution (3840*2160px), we won’t recommend people to set this resolution as default on the AP34. As there is no discrete graphics card under the hood, 4K will be too much for the integrated Intel HD 500 to handle sometimes, 1080P is still a more reliable choice on most occasions.
The AP34 Ultimate was capable of handling all the media files we threw at it, including some 4k clips. We also had no problem streaming full HD and 4K YouTube videos with Google Chrome. Thanks to the 8GB of RAM on board, the AP34 can even handle some serious multi-tasking. We did feel the heat coming out of the vents when the AP34 was under heavy loads, but it still didn't get loud, thanks to the fanless design, and the CPU temperature never got too high to trigger a warning from Ludashi.
We also did some gaming on the device, games installed from the Windows store generally worked fine, with decent frame rates and responsiveness. Lightweight desktop games such as Plant vs Zombies, Chicken Shoot and Stealth Bastard also ran smoothly on the AP34. However, the device is definitely not built for graphic-intense titles such as the Metro 2033, GTA 4 and StarCraft, as it took forever to load, and the frame rates were totally unacceptable during gameplay.
The good news is, the AP34 Ultimate is upgradable. Opening the device with a screwdriver is quite easy, inside the shell you will find A M.2 slot, which is available for up to 10Gbit/s data transfer rates with a maximum capacity of 320GB.
Connectivity
The AP34 Ultimate has dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 on board. Placed in our living room, the AP34 was able to find more hotspots than the Remix Mini and Remix IO could. Wi-Fi connection was pretty solid as well. We put the both AP34 and Remix Mini on the TV cabinet (the WiFi router was positioned in another room), the AP34 was able to download files at the speed of 6MB/s, but the Remix Mini’s download speed was only around 300KB/s.
The AP34 can be connected to a mouse, a keyboard or external sound systems (headphones or speakers) wirelessly via Bluetooth. We connected the AP34 with my Bang & Olufsen S3 speakers and enjoyed a lot of music and movies, the connection remained uninterrupted most of the time. Unfortunately, the AP34’s Bluetooth doesn’t support AptX, listening to lossless music with wireless headphones and you will notice the difference.
There are 3 full USB 3.0 ports on board, but one thing I need to mention is that, when we plugged in a mobile drive and a mouse at the same time, the AP34 sometimes failed to output enough power supply to the receiver of the mouse, and there were lags and delays while we were moving the mouse on the screen. This is one of the few issues that have been constantly bothering us, and we really hope that it can be solved with some software patches.
The SD card reader on the right side is also a nice touch, as you can browse photos and videos taken by your digital camera easily. And if you want to get access to files in a micro SD card, all you need is just an adapter.
Verdict
Beelink has done a pretty good job with the AP34 Ultimate. We really like its size and overall look, which make it well suited for any situation. The hardware is also pretty up-to-date and you can expect to get lots of things done - that is to say office productivity, media playback, surfing the Web, and playing light games. With a wireless keyboard and mouse, this could be a very neat home theatre PC.
Priced at $269.00, the AP34 is affordable to the majority of consumers, and is certainly better investment than the ASUS VIVOPC-VM40B-04, which comes with a weaker processor (Intel Celeron 1007U Processor 1.5 GHz) but a higher price tag ($319.00).
Ubuntu runs well on this device as well
can you use steam streaming http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/ without issues too ?
Do you recommend it over Beelink S1 ?
Thanks
Although the device is capable of outputting 4K resolution (3840*2160px), we won’t recommend people to set this resolution as default on the AP34. As there is no discrete graphics card under the hood, 4K will be too much for the integrated Intel HD 500 to handle sometimes, 1080P is still a more reliable choice on most occasions.
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I have the 4GB version which is an excellent value - it is 'adequate' for most applications if you are not trying to use to multi-task.
I have upgraded to the latest Intel Drivers - Only 30Hz rate is available at the 4K resolution - this makes pretty much any video quite choppy if display adapter is set to output this resolution
It is indeed much happier set to 1080.
My understanding (please correct me if I''m wrong!) from searching is that the N3450/HD500 Graphics set is only capable of 60Hz refresh on Display Adapter Output and 30Hz on HDMI
But of course there is NO Display Adapter Output Connector on the AP34
Hello
how do you compare AP34 with AP42 Mini PC http://www.kodlix.com/349/ ? AP42 seems to be much better ? Am I wrong ?
Thanks
Difference is barely discernible - https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=n3450+vs+n4200&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
decosse said:
Difference is barely discernible - https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=n3450+vs+n4200&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok but It's something chepear
graziano68 said:
ok but It's something chepear
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
??
The Ap34 should be cheaper - make sure you are comparing 4GB RAM with 4GB RAM models
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When it comes to 2-in-1 convertibles, the Surface Pro lineup simply had no competition. Even the 2021 iPad Pro, with its incredible Apple M1 processor and an official keyboard, still doesn’t offer the same level of productivity as its Microsoft counterpart does. Many other big brands, including Samsung, Dell, and ASUS, have also released many hybrid models over the years, yet none of them really generated enough momentum to overtake Surface Pro’s Crowne. But that may change soon, as Lenovo just released the new YOGA Duet 7 (2021), which comes with a newer Tiger Lake CPU, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and some of the greatest features ever found on a detachable hybrid. It is bound to be a strong contender in the race.
Specs of the YOGA Duet 7 (2021)
ProcessorIntel Core i5-1135G7 (4 Cores/8 Threads, 2.4-4.2GHz)Display13.0" 16:10 2K (2160 x 1350), 450 nits, 100% sRGB, pen supportGraphicsIntel Iris Xe GraphicsStorage512GB NVMe PCI Express solid-state driveMemory16 GB LPDDR4x 3200MHz (soldered)Audio2 x Stereo Speakers (1W x 2) with Dolby Audio certificationCamerasFront-facing 5MP
Support Windows Hello with infra-red
Rear-facing 5MPNetworkingIntel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, 802.11ax 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.1Ports: Left1 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps (support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4)
1 x USB-C (support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0)
1 x Micro SD card slotPorts: Right1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo
1 x USB-C (3.2 Gen 1, support data transfer and Always On)Ports: BottomPogo pin magnetic dock port for the Detachable KeyboardPenIncluded Digital Pen with 4096 pressure levelsKeyboardDetachable Keyboard with magnetic docking hingeTouchpadBuilt into Detachable Keyboard, integrated buttonsBatteryIntegrated 2-Cell 42 Whr polymerWeight799g (tablet only); 380g (Keyboard)DimensionsTablet: 297.4 x 207.4 x 9.19 mm (11.7 x 8.16 x 0.36 inches)
Folio case: 297.4 x 221.2 x 6 mm (11.7 x 8.70 x 0.23 inches)Operating SystemWindows 10 Home EditionMicrosoft OfficeOffice 365 included, permanent license
Retail Package
The YOGA Duet 7 comes with very attractive packaging, the sand grey background color and accented letters give the retail box a premium look.
The YOGA Duet tablet and detachable keyboad cover are both nicely protected.
Inside the box we have also found a digital pen (even the AAA battery is included), a 65W power adapter, and some booklets.
Design and build
The YOGA Duet 7 has a magnesium alloy body that feels incredibly sturdy and high-quality in the hands. The slate grey finish of my unit is not only easy on the eyes, but it also has a lingering charm. I have never appreciated the look of a gadget for so long
We can see lots of cooling vents on the top side for hot air expulsion. The machine is actively cooled, and we can feel air wafting from the vents when it's under heavy workloads.
The front is dominated by a 13-inch IPS multi-touch display. The bezels are pretty thin all around, but the top and bottom are a little thicker than the left and right sides. That makes it possible to hold the Duet 7 as a tablet with minimal effort, without obscuring much of the screen.
The front-facing IR webcam also has a 5MP sensor that supports Windows Hello facial recognition and captures video at [email protected] That's a considerable upgrade from most consumer notebooks that get saddled with 720p sensors, and the difference was apparent in online video calls.
The left edge of the tablet sports a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, a Micro SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a multi-function USB-C port. Both of these USB-C ports support Power Delivery 3.0 and Video output, the Thunderbolt port even has DisplayPort 1.4 built in, thus is able to output [email protected] videos.
The right edge plays host to two physical keys: a power key and a volume rocker. There’s another USB-C port for data transfer and Always-On power output.
The YOGA Duet 7 includes a kickstand, which allows you to position its screen at nearly any angle from 0° to 160°. The hinge looks sophisticated and extremely durable, and is able to take a huge amount of pressure, you don’t have to worry about wearing it out in normal everyday use.
The device is also about as portable as you can get, the tablet weighs only 799 grams, while the ultra-thin keyboard, which also serves as a screen cover when closed, weighs only 380g– you’ll be able to throw the YOGA Duet 7 into your bag without worrying. The tablet has accompanied for more than a month now. I took it to the office and back every day, and even brought it with on a business trip for a week. It has survived a variety of interesting encounters. The most concerning was an accidental drop to the ground from a coffee table, which the machine survived unscathed.
I understand that Lenovo has designed the YOGA Duet 7 to be as travel-friendly as possible, but with prolonged use the device’s lack of a USB-A port becomes a serious issue. On too many occasions I found myself wanting – but unable – to carry out basic tasks such as connecting the Duet 7 to a mouse without Bluetooth, or pulling files from a USB stick. A hub would work just fine, but you just need to always remember carrying it with you.
There’s also no fingerprint reader on board. Windows Hello works fine, but I personally would still prefer using a fingerprint as it gives me a higher sense of security than the 2D face unlock does.
Keyboard and pen
The best news is that both the pen and the magnetic keyboard cover are already included in the retail package, you don’t need to pay extra for them. The keyboard cover here magnetically connects to the tablet and protects the screen when not in use. It won’t tilt up to a more comfortable typing angle like the Surface Type Cover does, but it has a built-in battery, and is able to serve as a Bluetooth keyboard even when detached.
The fabric on the back of the keyboard cover feels very nice in hand, and is more resistant to dust and color changing than the Alcantara fabric used for the Surface Type Cover. It looks better, as well.
The keys are not only physical, well-spaced and full-sized, but are also quiet and have decent travel. They are almost as tactile as how I would like them to be. In terms of its satisfying typing experience and high-quality haptic feel, the YOGA Duet 7’s keyboard is still inferior to a ThinkPad keyboard, which is, in my humble opinion, the industry best.
The touchpad has a decent size and a good feel to each click and accurately registered my input as I navigated the desktop, it is also quick to recognize two-finger and three-finger gestures.
The included pen, which supports 4096 levels of pressure, would be ideal for digital artwork. I am not blessed with the talent of painting, but I do take handwritten notes occasionally. The YOGA Duet’s pen is responsive enough for writing, although it can feel a little slippery at times. There’s a slight amount of latency, which is not really a big issue for average consumers like myself. But if you are a digital artist who have already gotten used to the Apple Pencil and Galaxy S-pen level of instantaneousness, you might find the pen here a little unsatisfying.
The two buttons on the pen are quite tactile and responsive, and there’s also a protruding part at one end to prevent the pen from rolling off the table. But unfortunately, there isn’t a dedicated place on the tablet or the keyboard to put the pen like there is on the Surface Pro 7.
Display and sound
One of the major differences between the YOGA Duet 7 and the Surface Pro has to be the 16:10 aspect ratio of its 13-inch, 2160*1350 IPS display. This display shows smaller black bars playing videos when compared to Surface Pro’s 3:2 screen, but shows more vertical real estate than similar 16:9 displays, which equates to more of a web page or more lines of code in a text editor.
The YOGA Duet 7’s display looks clear even from extreme side angles. At 196 PPI, the screen may not be the sharpest, yet it’s still difficult to pick out single pixels. Colors look vibrant and true to life, thanks to its 100% sRGB color gamut. The display can also emit up to 450 nits, which beats the Surface Pro 7 (395 nits) and the category average (386 nits), The Dell XPS 2-in-1 7390 has an even brighter display at 600 nits.
The stereo speakers (2*1W) are tuned by Dolby Audio out of the box. The EQ curve does its best, but the speakers are generally subpar, and won’t match Lenovo’s very own Tab P11 Pro, which comes with quad 1.5W JBL speakers. There’s enough volume for online chatting and occasional YouTube videos, but music, games and movies won't sound too good. Thankfully, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the side.
Performance
The YOGA Duet 7 is powered by the latest Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake CPU, coupled with 16GB Memory and 512GB NVMe SSD. Without a dedicated graphics card, the YOGA Duet is definitely not a powerhouse, but it should still offer more than enough oomph for normal everyday computing tasks such as office workloads, web surfing and high-res video playback.
As much as I dislike benchmarks, they are the easiest ways to measure the horsepower of a PC. To help you better understand the results, I’ve also listed the scores of some other 2-in-1s here for comparison.
First, we ran Maxon's latest CPU-crunching Cinebench R23 test, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. The YOGA Duet scored 1331 in single-core, and 4423 in multi-core. Although these scores wouldn’t match what the Apple M1 powered Macbook Air had achieved in the same test, but they did handily beat the numbers the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 had got.
In the cross-platform Geekbench 5.4.1 CPU test, the YOGA Duet’s 1411 CPU single-core score and 4742 multi-core score still lagged far behind the snatches of the new Apple Macbook Air, but they did beat the Dell XPS 2-in-1 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
PCMark simulates different real-world productivity and content-creation workflows. We use it to assess overall system performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and video conferencing. 4262 is the number the Duet 7 notched in the standard PCMark 10 test.
This machine is equipped with a fast 512GB PCle NVMe SSD, readings in the CrystalDiskMark tells the story. The storage is also expandable with a MicroSD card of up to 1TB, if you are not too concerned with the read and write speeds the TF card could bring.
One of the biggest complaints about of the YOGA Duet 7’s configurations is its 16GB single-channel memory. Don’t get me wrong, 16GB is quite plentiful for any 2-in-1. The real problem is that the 16GB memory offered here is a single stick, instead of two 8GB memory sticks. This results in lower overall bandwidth and throughput speed. 3D games such as Assassins’ Creed and Fallout 4 may suffer immensely in smoothness when running on a single-channel memory. But in other games and applications, the performance difference between single-channel and dual-channel RAM may vary from subtle to unnoticeable. In the AIDA64 cache & memory benchmark, the read, write and copy speeds of the 16GB memory are not impressive, but still solid. The 85.2ns latency isn’t too bad, either.
The integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphis may not rival dedicated graphics found in gaming laptops and mainstream PCs, but it is still a huge step up from UHD 6XX GPUs. In the 3DMark Sky Diver, Fire Strike and Time Spy tests, the Duet's graphics scores are 9129, 2515 and 875 respectively.
In the real world use, the Duet 7 provides ample oomph for normal everyday computing, light media editing, and even some 3D gaming. The system didn’t slow down when I was opening a dozen webpages in Chrome at the same time, and never really left me waiting for it to process a task or command.
Editing videos in Power Director is generally smooth, filters and animations don’t take long to get applied to all layers of clips. However, I did spend 30% more time converting a 4K video on the Duet 7 than on the Xiaoxin 15 (ideapd S), which is powered by the same processor, but has dual-channel memory and a dedicated MX450 GPU.
As for multimedia entertainment, the YOGA Duet has no problem streaming 4K YouTube videos in Microsoft Edge, or decoding different formats of 4K local video clips.
The Intel Iris Xe Graphics is definitely not designed for intense 3D gaming, but it is capable of running most AAA titles in moderate settings. Fortnite was generally smooth under 720P and low visual effects, with average frame rates well above 45 FPS. League of Legends was smooth both in 720P (60 FPS) and 1080P (40-50 FPS), with visual effects set at low to medium.
Conqueror’s Blade was a different story, though. Even at 720P and low settings, frame skips could happen in intense fighting scenes. Game PP reported an average frame rates of only 23 FPS, which means that the title is playable on the Duet 7, but not all that enjoyable.
These were all the games I played on the Duet 7.
There’s an active cooling system in Duet 7’s slim body, and it is audible when the computer is under heavy workloads. Fortunately, the noise won’t be a constant distraction from what you are working on as it never gets too loud for comfort.
Battery Life
There’s a 42Whr battery under the shell, which gives the tablet 5-6 hours of screen time in mixed use. Lenovo advertised 13 hours of video playback for this machine, but that number was probably achieved with some extreme settings.
In my very own test, I set the screen brightness to 40%, which is generally ideal for indoor use, and played a 1080P video on loop for 9 hours, the YOGA Duet was left with only 2% of battery, so I believe it would be really difficult to squeeze more than 10 hours of screen time out of the machine.
The included 65W charger fills up the battery rather quickly. A full charge takes only around 2 hours, and you are able to get a healthy amount of refill during a short lunch break.
Connectivity
The Duet 7 comes with the latest WiFi6 for fast internet access, and Bluetooth 5.0 for connecting with wireless input devices, headphones and speakers.
With 3 USB-C ports on board, you are able to hook the YOGA Duet up to quite a number of external drives. The two Type-C ports on the left both support video output, which means you are able to distribute your computing tasks to two external monitors at the same time.
Verdict
While the YOGA Duet 7 (2021) may be considered to be a Surface Pro 7 alternative, there are many things that it actually does better than its pricier Microsoft counterpart: 1) The new 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU is a lot faster. Even with the much-criticized single-channel memory, the YOGA Duet still beats the Surface Pro 7 (i5-1035G4) in almost every benchmark. 2) With a rechargeable battery inside, the magnetic keyboard cover also serves as a Bluetooth keyboard when detached. This means the Duet 7 will fit into more computing scenarios than other convertibles. 3) There is a Thunderbolt 4 port on the Duet 7 for high-speed data transfer (up to 40GB per second), [email protected] video output and fast charging. 4) The Duet 7 looks more stylish, although that may come down to personal preference.
However, there are also quite a few things that the Surface Pro 7 could do, but the YOGA Duet 7 falls short: 1) The keyboard cover won’t tilt up for a more comfortable typing angle. 2) There’s no dedicated place on the tablet or the keyboard for carrying the pen.
Still, for anyone looking for a travel-friendly 2-in-1 laptop, the YOGA Duet is the closest offering to a Surface Pro 7, and arguably one of the best choices out there.
Thanks for the very detailed review. This is a very interesting device. Can you confirm if this device has a TPM chip and eligible for windows 11 upgrade. I’m planning to pick one up soon but I read somewhere that it does not have the TPM chip.
akashsgpgi said:
Thanks for the very detailed review. This is a very interesting device. Can you confirm if this device has a TPM chip and eligible for windows 11 upgrade. I’m planning to pick one up soon but I read somewhere that it does not have the TPM chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately, the sad news it's does not have TPM, this new model no. is 13ITL6 which is not come with TPM and the wired thing the the previous model (named 13ML05) comes with TPM and for some reason lenovo decided to remove it in the new model !! now we should wait for Lenovo to bring it back to this model so we can put it as real alternative to Microsoft devices.
pillar.grace said:
unfortunately, the sad news it's does not have TPM, this new model no. is 13ITL6 which is not come with TPM and the wired thing the the previous model (named 13ML05) comes with TPM and for some reason lenovo decided to remove it in the new model !! now we should wait for Lenovo to bring it back to this model so we can put it as real alternative to Microsoft devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got this laptop couple of days ago. There is TPM 2.0 in this model and I'm already running Windows 11 Beta .
That's very strange. I got this day before yesterday. It's the same model - 13ITL6 with the exact same processor and ram (i5/8gb) and mine doesn't have TPM support. Can you please share your bios firmware and model number details? Mine is 82MA001VIN
suhaime said:
shiva.kakkar11 said:
That's very strange. I got this day before yesterday. It's the same model - 13ITL6 with the exact same processor and ram (i5/8gb) and mine doesn't have TPM support. Can you please share your bios firmware and model number details? Mine is 82MA001VIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got this laptop couple of days ago. There is TPM 2.0 in this model and I'm already running Windows 11 Beta .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shiva.kakkar11 said:
That's very strange. I got this day before yesterday. It's the same model - 13ITL6 with the exact same processor and ram (i5/8gb) and mine doesn't have TPM support. Can you please share your bios firmware and model number details? Mine is 82MA001VIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BIOS version: GPCN19WW
MTM: 82MA000XMJ
Could it be the PTT is disabled in your BIOS?
suhaime said:
BIOS version: GPCN19WW
MTM: 82MA000XMJ
Could it be the PTT is disabled in your BIOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the funny part. My BIOS does not have the option for Intel PTT. I have the same firmware GPCN19WW. This is ridiculous on part of Lenovo. Possibly they have used different motherboards for the two. Could you check your make? Details of mine are attached in the pic.
I am not sure if this will work to invoke the PTT but you can try to set the password for BIOS ...
shiva.kakkar11 said:
That's the funny part. My BIOS does not have the option for Intel PTT. I have the same firmware GPCN19WW. This is ridiculous on part of Lenovo. Possibly they have used different motherboards for the two. Could you check your make? Details of mine are attached in the pic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to be the same motherboard...
suhaime said:
Seems to be the same motherboard...
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Click to collapse
Thanks mate. I tried to set a password through device guard but that didn't invoke it either.
This is really jarring. I wonder what's the reason for this? I hope it's firmware related and not an uninformed hardware revision that Lenovo undertook. Thanks for all your efforts!
It looks like windows 11 is coming to this model. check the below link.
Lenovo devices supported for upgrade to Windows 11 - Lenovo Support IN
support.lenovo.com
.
I guess PTT will be enabled by bios update from Lenovo later
shiva.kakkar11 said:
Thanks mate. I tried to set a password through device guard but that didn't invoke it either.
This is really jarring. I wonder what's the reason for this? I hope it's firmware related and not an uninformed hardware revision that Lenovo undertook. Thanks for all your efforts!
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Click to collapse
I also have the same model and don't have TPM Chipset. Also the spec sheet says the same
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/Yoga/Yoga_Duet_7_13ITL6/Yoga_Duet_7_13ITL6_Spec.pdf
And good news is we are getting windows 11 for this model. check the link below. Yoga duet 7i(13, 06) has been listed under ideapad.
Lenovo devices supported for upgrade to Windows 11 - Lenovo Support IN
support.lenovo.com
I guess PTT will be enabled by Lenovo in Bios update later
thyagur said:
I also have the same model and don't have TPM Chipset. Also the spec sheet says the same
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/Yoga/Yoga_Duet_7_13ITL6/Yoga_Duet_7_13ITL6_Spec.pdf
And good news is we are getting windows 11 for this model. check the link below. Yoga duet 7i(13, 06) has been listed under ideapad.
Lenovo devices supported for upgrade to Windows 11 - Lenovo Support IN
support.lenovo.com
I guess PTT will be enabled by Lenovo in Bios update later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spoke to another user from Sweden who has the same issue and says that Lenovo CC there suggested they'd be releasing a firmware update once final release of W11 is near. What's strange is that they turned off firmware PTT in some markets and left it on for others. The LTE variant has it mentioned although its spec by spec similar barring the addition of an lte modem. Its really strange. They crippled an otherwise amazing machine through useless software restrictions.
shiva.kakkar11 said:
I spoke to another user from Sweden who has the same issue and says that Lenovo CC there suggested they'd be releasing a firmware update once final release of W11 is near. What's strange is that they turned off firmware PTT in some markets and left it on for others. The LTE variant has it mentioned although its spec by spec similar barring the addition of an lte modem. Its really strange. They crippled an otherwise amazing machine through useless software restrictions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true.. Even I was wondering why would lenovo turn off the PTT.. i was searching for answers everywhere and after seeing official lenovo list for w11 upgrade I stopped searching. It's literally waste of time. Even Indian lenovo cc said this machine is eligible for w11. So let's wait for it.. Did u try registering in insider program?
thyagur said:
Very true.. Even I was wondering why would lenovo turn off the PTT.. i was searching for answers everywhere and after seeing official lenovo list for w11 upgrade I stopped searching. It's literally waste of time. Even Indian lenovo cc said this machine is eligible for w11. So let's wait for it.. Did u try registering in insider program?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I did. It says that the system doesn't meet the requirements for Windows 11. The new health checker shows TPM 2.0 is missing. Btw, check your DM. Have sent you a message.
thyagur said:
Very true.. Even I was wondering why would lenovo turn off the PTT.. i was searching for answers everywhere and after seeing official lenovo list for w11 upgrade I stopped searching. It's literally waste of time. Even Indian lenovo cc said this machine is eligible for w11. So let's wait for it.. Did u try registering in insider program?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lenovo has a new bios update GPCN20WW. Download it manually, install and in bios - press f9 to load defaults. You'll get PTT. Just got it on mine.
shiva.kakkar11 said:
Lenovo has a new bios update GPCN20WW. Download it manually, install and in bios - press f9 to load defaults. You'll get PTT. Just got it on mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah ..I manually did it.. looks like lot of options opened up now in bios. Interestingly windows 11 insider program isn't appearing for me. How about you?
Hey all, I just got the yoga duet 7i 1135g7 8 Gb and quite rapidly I noticed that it would hang or freeze briefly at random times.
I did a quick cinebench while checking temps cpu clock and temp and noticed that my device is very quickly thermal throttling with clock speed going to 1.9 Ghz (lowest noticed during the run was 1.6 Ghz) and my score was only of around 3350, anyone else having a similar experience?
I have the feeling I suffer from a bad paste application
The good:
Beautiful, neat and compact design.
Licensed Windows 11 Pro
Dual-channel memory
Decent performance.
Full of connectivity options.
The bad:
No SD or MicroSD card slot.
The top side easily attracts scratches and figerprints.
Beelink’s mini PCs range from budget Atom-based models all the way up to the AMD Ryzen 7 and Intel Core i7 powerhouses. The all new Beelink U59 is a budget mini PC which comes with the latest Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095 processor, configurable RAM and SSD of up to 16GB/512GB, a neat and attractive new design, and a moderate price tag. It is designed for basic home and office use, and it works as designed.
Main specs of the Beelink U59
Processor: Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095
CPU: 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.0-2.9GHz
GPU Intel UHD Graphics
Process technique: 10nm
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit
RAM: 8/16GB DDR4 2400MHz (16GB in my review)
Storage: 256GB/512GB SSD (512GB in my review)
Network: WiFi5 + BT 4.0 / Ethernet Gigabit
Ports: 4x USB 3.0 / 1x USB-C / 2x HDMI 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
Accessories: 12V-3A DC adapter/ 2x HDMI Cable (1m & 0.2m) / User Manual
Packaging
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Finally, Beelink has redesigned the packaging of their products, we saw that on the SER, which we just reviewed last month, and now, the retail package of the U59 is also simple but attractive.
Inside the packaging you will find a U59 mini PC, a wall-mount bracket, a 36-watt power adapter, two HDMI cables, a bag of screws, and a user manual.
Design
The U59 is tiny. Measuring only 124*113*42mm, it is not much bigger than an average TV box, and takes up almost no room on your desk. You can even make it disappear by using the included bracket, which mounts the mini PC onto the back of a monitor.
The U59 has a simple, but elegant design. The material used on the top is acrylic plastic, which gives the PC’s top a glossy and reflective look. It may be easy on the eyes when it’s clean, but unfortunately, it is not only a fingerprint magnet, but also easily attracts scratches.
As a budget mini PC, the U59 has a plastic case, but thanks to the beautiful metal-like coating, it doesn’t look too plasticky or cheap.
The front of the mini PC sports a CMOS reset hole, two USB 3.0 ports, a multi-function USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack with mic support, as well as a red power button which has a status LED built in.
The rear side of the U59 plays host to two USB 3.0 ports, a full-size Ethernet, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a DC-in port.
The system is actively cooled, so there are plenty of vents on three sides of its case.
There are four rubber feet on the bottom side to elevate the U59 while it sits on the desk.
Getting access to the internals is quite easy, just remove the four screws on the bottom and you will be able to upgrade the RAM and SSD. There is also a slot for a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive of up to 1TB.
The U59 weighs only 330g, not much heavier than some of the latest smartphones. Moving it around in the house or taking it on a journey shouldn’t be much of an effort. The build quality is solid and definitely above average, as the mini PC feels robust and sturdy in my hands, and looks like it will survive a reasonable amount of office abuse, possibly even occasional falls.
Setting it up
Setting up the U59 is extremely easy. Plug in the power adapter, a mouse and a keyboard, then you are good to go.
During first-time start-up, you will need to go through some of the Microsoft Windows initialization protocols (choosing your region and language, connecting to the network, logging into your Microsoft account, etc), which is easy but does take some time.
Software & apps
The U59 ships with licensed Windows 10 Pro, but since it has the TPM2.0 chip and meets all the requirements of Windows 11, you can get the upgrade right after booting it up for the first time, at least that’s what I did. Average consumers may not know the difference between Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro. But for power users, Windows 11 Pro offers lots of extra features, such as being able to join a domain, Hyper-V for virtualization, and getting updates from Windows Update for Business.
Performance
This mini PC is powered by an Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095 quad core processor (2.0-2.9GHz). This 11th generation Celeron chip is not a powerhouse and won’t match the latest Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors found in mainstream laptops and desktop PCs in terms of performance, but it is more than capable for basic office tasks, media playback and light gaming. The U59 I received has 16GB LPDDR4 memory under the hood to take care of multi-tasking, that’s a hell lot of RAM for an entry-level PC.
First, I ran Maxon's latest CPU-crunching Cinebench R23 test, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor cores and threads. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. The U59 scored 629 in single core, 1544 in multi-core.
I also ran the Cinebench R20 test in order to compare the U59 to other budget mini PCs I had tested before, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was way ahead of the Beelink GK mini, which runs on a Gemini Lake Celeron J4125 processor, and even edged out the Intel NUC 7, which is powered by an Intel Kaby Lake Core i3-7100U SoC.
In the cross platform Geekbench 5 test, the U59 scored 608 in CPU single core, 2009 in multi-core, and 2125 in OpenCL.
The U59 also did quite well in the Fritz Chess Benchmark, achieving 7975 kilo nodes per second.
PCMark simulates different real-world productivity and content-creation workflows. We use it to assess overall system performance for office-centric tasks. The U59 scored 2358 in this test, a huge improvement from the score (1791) of the GK mini.
In the more graphics-focused 3DMark, the U59 scored 2495 in Sky Diver, 657 in Fire Strike, and 210 in Time Spy.
The U59 features an m.2 2280 SATA SSD, which obviously lags behind those NVMe drives in high-end models such as the Beelink SER and Lenovo ThinkCentre, but is still faster than the eMMc or HDD in older and more basic models.
In my daily use, the U59 was fairly efficient in all kinds of office workflows, web-browsing, and multi-media. The system didn’t slow down while loading a dozen image-heavy webpages in Microsoft Edge and running a few other apps at the same time.
Working on my presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint was also a smooth experience, there weren’t lags or delays while I was adding some relatively heavy content to the slides.
Editing videos in Power Director should be challenging for budget systems like the U59, but to my surprise, it held its own nicely. When I added filters to multiple clips simultaneously, I could notice that the U59 took more time to finish the task than, say, my Lenovo YOGA Duet or the Beelink SER, but there were never really system halts, or significant delays.
I played quite a number of 4K video clips on the U59, and enjoyed fairly smooth playback. And when it comes to online video playback, the U59 had no problem streaming 4K, 60FPS YouTube Videos in Chrome, but it did struggle with videos above that resolution and frame rate. Since the maximum output of the mini PC is [email protected], there is no point to try that anyway.
The Intel UHD Graphics in this mini PC is not designed for graphics-intense gaming, but the U59 can run older titles in moderate settings. LOL was generally smooth while I set the resolution to 1080P, and graphics to low. The average frame rate of this game is 41fps. I only experienced noticeable frame drops in some intense battle scenes.
You can also play any game installed from Microsoft Store without issues. “Asphalt 9”. “Angry Birds” and “Battle Tanks” (Microsoft Store Variant) are both quite smooth.
More demanding titles such as War Frame and Conqueror’s Blade are simply not suited for mini PCs like the U59, the average frame rates of both games were lower than 15FPS.
Power and stability
For a mini PC that sits on your desk or behind your monitor (where it's nearer to your ears), noise is also something you need take into consideration. Fortunately, the U59 is quiet most of the time. Although it's not a completely silent, fanless design, and you will hear it while it’s running heavy applications, yet the noise is not constantly in your ears, and will be easily drowned out by other sounds in the background.
With an active cooling system inside, the U59 is also amazingly stable, as it passed the 3DMark Sky Diver stress test with flying colors.
Connectivity
The U59 supports 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band WiFi 5, but not the latest WiFi6. It also has Bluetooth 4.0 on board, thus can connect wirelessly to input devices and audio systems. It would have been nice to see Bluetooth 5.0 instead of 4.0, but that’s not going to add much to your overall experience with the U59.
There are two HDMI 2.0 ports and a multi-function Type-C port, all of them support video output of up to [email protected] You can hook the U59 to as many as three monitors at the same time, this can be extremely useful if you have some complex productivity tasks at hand.
Verdict
Priced at $237.15 for the 8GB & 256GB version, and $296.65 for the 16GB & 512GB version on Amazon, the U59 is an affordable mini PC which checked a lot of the boxes. It has a compact and attractive design, decent internal hardware, plenty of I/Os, and licensed Windows 11 Pro. Besides basic office workflows and media playback, you can even use the U59 for some lightweight creativity tasks and a fair amount of gaming. For those who are looking for a decent but inexpensive mini PC, the U59 is worthy of your consideration.
It's worth noting that retail units don't seem to ship with Crucial memory as shown in reviews online, instead it's some no-name 2666MHz DDR4 with an AZW sticker. The 8GB model ships with one 8GB SODIMM, so it won't be operating in dual channel. I upgraded to 16GB with some Kingston Fury 2666MHz, the system supposedly supports up to 2933MHz memory but that's probably overkill for a device like this.
The fan isn't the quietest in the world, but even when benchmarking it wasn't too obnoxious, esp. if you're planning to use this as an HTPC.
XTCrefugee said:
It's worth noting that retail units don't seem to ship with Crucial memory as shown in reviews online, instead it's some no-name 2666MHz DDR4 with an AZW sticker. The 8GB model ships with one 8GB SODIMM, so it won't be operating in dual channel. I upgraded to 16GB with some Kingston Fury 2666MHz, the system supposedly supports up to 2933MHz memory but that's probably overkill for a device like this.
The fan isn't the quietest in the world, but even when benchmarking it wasn't too obnoxious, esp. if you're planning to use this as an HTPC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input.
XTCrefugee said:
It's worth noting that retail units don't seem to ship with Crucial memory as shown in reviews online, instead it's some no-name 2666MHz DDR4 with an AZW sticker. The 8GB model ships with one 8GB SODIMM, so it won't be operating in dual channel. I upgraded to 16GB with some Kingston Fury 2666MHz, the system supposedly supports up to 2933MHz memory but that's probably overkill for a device like this.
The fan isn't the quietest in the world, but even when benchmarking it wasn't too obnoxious, esp. if you're planning to use this as an HTPC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I consulted the marketing people in Beelink, and they told me that they didn't have 4GB memory sticks in stock, so the 8GB/256GB version of the U59 only has a single 8GB memory stick inside. Anyone planning to buy this PC should be aware of that.
Main specs of the Beelink U59
Processor: Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095
CPU: 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.0-2.9GHz
GPU Intel UHD Graphics
Process technique: 10nm
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit
RAM: 8/16GB DDR4 2400MHz (16GB in my review)
Storage: 256GB/512GB SSD (512GB in my review)
Network: WiFi5 + BT 4.0 / Ethernet Gigabit
Ports: 4x USB 3.0 / 1x USB-C / 2x HDMI 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
Accessories: 12V-3A DC adapter/ 2x HDMI Cable (1m & 0.2m) / User Manual
The Beelink U59 is powered by the latest Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095 processor and up to 16GB dual-channel memory. It is by far the best budget mini PC ever made.
Written review here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/beelink-u59-review-an-excellent-budget-mini-pc.4360359/
Very good Review. Thanks!
I bought it.
Excellent review!
nek4d said:
Excellent review!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
tombraga said:
Very good Review. Thanks!
I bought it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, hope you enjoy it.
I am very happyt with this Mini-Pc, already updated to Windows 11, all works fine and nice.
tombraga said:
I am very happyt with this Mini-Pc, already updated to Windows 11, all works fine and nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great!
This is really the best bang for the buck SFF PC I have ever tested.
Are you able to stream YouTube 4K HDR content without any stuttering or lost frames?
AlvinUT2001 said:
Are you able to stream YouTube 4K HDR content without any stuttering or lost frames?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Thanks for the feedback! @Jupit3r
Let me add that few people seems to have problem with faulty fans. Also Ubuntu 22.04 randomly froze for me after 8 to 13 days for no reason (seems to be temperature issue but not sure). And finally Bellink support is the worst think that exists in planet earth. Maybe it's better without it. They only answer for "Windows issues" and not for hardware/BIOS issues.
Kamui_ said:
Let me add that few people seems to have problem with faulty fans. Also Ubuntu 22.04 randomly froze for me after 8 to 13 days for no reason (seems to be temperature issue but not sure). And finally Bellink support is the worst think that exists in planet earth. Maybe it's better without it. They only answer for "Windows issues" and not for hardware/BIOS issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry for the bad experience, have you tested the temperature of the machine? Usually it doesn't freeze for no reason, maybe the machine temperature is too high or one program is taking up too many resources, you can check if there are these problems.
Beelink Official said:
I'm sorry for the bad experience, have you tested the temperature of the machine? Usually it doesn't freeze for no reason, maybe the machine temperature is too high or one program is taking up too many resources, you can check if there are these problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come on! Beelink does not reply in their own forums...but you monitor and reply in XDA devs forums with suggestions that don't even have a value? "one program is taking up too many resources" and what does this suppose to mean? If I start a calculator the device will froze? (Yeap, I am sarcastic) Next time come with suggestion about getting diagnostics and logs thaat will actually pinpoint and solve the problem rather than random speculations about resource hungry apps.
Ubuntu 22.04 distro with transmission torrent daemon, jdownloader daemon and 2 python script daemons that's all... The CPU is idle most of the time, although the HDDs (SSD + 2,5 HDD) and RAMs are working a lot. That's my workload.
P.S. every reply in beelink's forum needs to get approved first and in my case, one of my replies got deleted when I tried to help a fellow "patient". Censhorship is not tolerable, by me at least, and that's why I am now in XDA forums to help whoever needs help.
Regarding the "help" if any beelink owner has issues with temperatures in linux one thing that will ease but NOT fix the problem is enabling the Intel p-state. I am posting it here because it got "censored" in beelink forums.
Following the below guides one can enable that feature.
Prevent Your Laptop From Overheating With Thermald And Intel P-State [Updated]
Linux Thermal Daemon ( thermald ) is a tool developed by Intel's Open Source Technology Center which monitors and controls the CPU temperat...
www.webupd8.org
intel_pstate driver not being loaded when added to grub file
I have a Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700MQ CPU @ 2.40GHz Memory 16305MB (2531MB used) Machine Type Laptop Operating System Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS In my /etc/default/grub file I have the l...
askubuntu.com
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The good:
Neat and compact design.
Licensed Windows 11 Pro.
Upgradable memory and storage.
Decent performance.
Excellent power efficiency.
The bad:
The M.2 interface is only compatible with SATA3 SSDs.
Single-channel memory.
No SD card reader.
As mobile chips evolve, some form factor PCs are getting so good that they can even rival mainstream desktop PCs in terms of performance. However, only a small fraction of PC costumers are content creators or passionate gamers who need that much horsepower, most people’s daily computing only consists of a variety of simpler tasks, and that’s where budget mini PCs come in.
With an Intel Celeron N5095 quad-core processor, upgradable memory and storage, alongside the ability to drive three 4K displays, the Beelink U59 released last year is one of the best budget mini PCs I have ever tested, and now it has a younger brother: the Beelink Mini S. This new small computer packs identical specs in an even smaller chassis. It is bound to be a strong contender in the market.
Main specs of the Beelink Mini S
Processor: Intel Jasper Lake Celeron N5095
CPU: 4 cores, 4 threads, 2.0-2.9GHz
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
Process technique: 10nm
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit
RAM: 8GB/16GB DDR4 2400MHz
Storage: 256GB/512GB
Network: WiFi5 + BT 4.0 / Ethernet Gigabit
Ports: 4x USB 3.0 / 2x HDMI 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
Accessories: 12V-3A DC adapter/ 2x HDMI Cable (1m & 0.25m) / User Manual
Size: 115 mm x 102 mm x 41 mm
Weight: 280g
Retail Package
The packaging of the Mini S is nice and simple. Inside the box you will find a mini PC, a VESA Mount bracket, a 36-watt power adapter, two HDMI cables, a bag of screws, and a user manual.
Design
The Beelink Mini S employs a well-ventilated plastic chassis measuring 115 mm x 102 mm x 41 mm to house the Intel Celeron N5095 SoC. and other internal components. The matte dark blue finish on top isn’t anything new or refreshing, but it does give the machine a fairly professional look. You can find the “Beelink” branding in the center of the top panel, and an “Intel Inside” logo on the lower-right corner.
The front panel sports a Clear CMOS pinhole, two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack with mic support, a power button, and a status LED. The rear side plays host to two more USB 3.0 ports, a full-size Ethernet, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a DC-in port. Compared to the U59, the only difference here is the absence of a multi-function Type-C port. As a result, the Mini S won’t drive three 4K displays like the U59 does. But for most people, having two 4K displays for multi-tasking is good enough.
After removing the four screws on the bottom panel, you can get access to the internals of this mini PC. The good news is that the DDR4-2400 memory stick is not soldered on the motherboard, so it is upgradable, but the bad news is that there’s only one memory slot, so you won’t have dual-channel memory to boost the performance of this mini PC. You can find an M.2 2280 interface, as well as a 2.5-inch HDD/SSD interface on the motherboard, both support drives of up to 2TB, so you can have a maximum of 4TB internal storage under the hood. Unfortunately, the M.2 2280 interface is only compatible with SATA3 standard SSDs, faster NVMe SSDs won’t work here.
The Mini S weighs only 280g, lighter than an Apple iPad mini (293g), the inlcuded power adapter won't add much weight to your carry, either. Moving it around in the house or taking it on your daily commute shouldn’t be much of an effort. The Mini PC feels robust and sturdy in the hands, and looks like it will survive a fair amount of office abuse, and maybe even some occasional falls.
System & Apps
Most SFF PCs and laptops run on the Home Edition of Windows OS, but the Beelink Mini S ships with licensed Windows 11 Pro, which offers quite a few extra features for professionals. The Windows 11 here is completely clean, with no bloatware or 3rd-party applications. Besides Windows, you can also install any X86 compatible operating systems on the Mini S, including Ubuntu, Debian, Android and CentOS. You might even find ways to run MAC OS on it, although I would not encourage anyone to do so.
Performance
The Mini S rocks an Intel Celeron N5095 chip, which is built on 10nm process, with typical Thermal Design Power of 15 W. This chipset has 4 CPU cores, 4 processing threads working at 2 GHz (Turbo 2.9 GHz), and an integrated UHD GPU working at 650MHz. The N5095 SoC. is featured in lots of mini PCs and entry-level laptops. It is definitely not a powerhouse, but should be capable enough for most people’s everyday computing duties. My review unit comes with 8GB memory, as well as a 256GB SATA3 SSD, but Beelink does offer other configurations for you to choose from.
Benchmarks
In the cross-platform Geekbench 5, the Mini S scored 645 in CPU single core, 2017 in multi core, and 2117 in OpenCL. Those are typical numbers for the N5095 processor.
In the Cinebench R20 CPU-crunching test, the Mini S got 234 in single core, and 787 in multi-core.
Running it through PCMark10, my review unit got 2,339 points. This is actually on the higher end of the performance rating, compared to other budget mini PCs I’ve tested.
Beelink doesn’t sell the Mini S in barebone, so all units will come with an SSD. The speed of the 256GB SSD in my unit is pretty standard for an M.2 SATA3 SSD, nothing exciting here. Still, it is fast enough to guarantee that booting into Windows 11 takes only a few seconds.
Daily computing
The Mini S was fairly capable for dealing with mainstream daily computing tasks. I could open a dozen content-heavy webpages in Microsoft Edge, play a 4K video, and edit my presentation in PowerPoint at the same time, without noticing any hiccups or delays.
Obviously, there are occasions where the Mini S wouldn’t make sense, like editing 4K footages from your professional DSLR, or designing complex artwork, but for lightweight creativity tasks such as editing photos in Photoshop and making a short video in for your TikTok channel, this would work great.
HTPC
This mini PC could also make a perfect HTPC or media center. According to DXVA checker, the UHD Graphics GPU is able to decode most video formats up to 4K, some even up to 8K. I’ve played many UHD Blu-Ray movies on the Mini S and enjoyed perfectly smooth playback.
Streaming videos online was a similar story. When I was playing an 4K/60FPS YouTube video in Chrome, neither the CPU nor the GPU was stressed too much. Streaming 8K/60FPS videos could be challenging for the Mini S, as I noticed frequent frameskip during the playback, since this mini PC doesn't really support 8K output, there's no point in doing that anyway.
Gaming
One of the areas where the Mini S didn’t do very well was gaming, as the integrated Intel UHD GPU isn’t really designed for graphics-intensive duties, and single-channel memory sort of made things worse. In 3DMark, the Mini S scored 2356 in Sky Diver, 606 in Fire Strike and 206 in Time Spy, falling behind the Beelink’s very own U59, which features the same processor, but has dual-channel memory.
LOL, which was quite smooth on the Beelink U59 at 1080P and medium settings, was just playable on the Mini S. The average frame rate was 44 fps, and I noticed some frameskip in intense battle scenes. Turning the resolution down to 720P could improve the average frame rate to 79 fps, but some of the fine details could become just a little too blurry on a large desktop monitor.
If you only play simpler, more casual games like Angry Birds, Plant vs Zombies, or games installed from Microsoft Store, then you obviously have nothing to worry about.
Power consumption and noise
This mini PC is very energy-efficient, as power consumption is at only 10 watts idle and 24 watts on max load. The Mini S stayed quiet most of the time, I could watch online videos for hours without hearing any noise from it. The cooling fan did spin up when the Mini S was under heavy workloads, but it was neither too loud nor too annoying.
The Mini S was also very stable. In the AIDA64 stability test, the temperature of the four CPU cores stayed below 90 degrees in 1 hour of running at full load.
Verdict
The Beelink Mini S is priced at $199 for the 8GB/256GB configuration on Beelink’s official website. Given the performance and expandability, alongside its very affordable price tag, if you’re looking for a small form factor desktop PC that is adequate for basic home or business computing tasks, you can’t go wrong here. If you want to bring better performance out of the N5095 chipset and don’t mind the slightly larger footprint, then I would still recommend that you go with the Beelink U59 instead.
Benchmark scores here:
If it is booting quick without need to connect any hardware like monitor then its a perfect and cheapest choice for HTPC/PlexMediaServer etc. Much stable and powerfull than Pi4 or any other NAS or Router for the job and cold last 10y easily.