When I reviewed the Tronsmart Ara X5 mini desktop computer, I was impressed that this tiny box truly functioned as a full-fledged (albeit low-power) Windows 10 computer. But I noted that its eMMC storage wasn’t particularly speedy.
Now Tronsmart is offering an updated model which allegedly has storage with faster read/write speeds. The Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus also has faster WiFi, thanks to a new 802.11ac wireless card.
The new model is available from Geekbuying for $140, which is actually a few dollars less than the original… which no longer seems to be available.
I didn’t have any problems with wireless performance on the older model, but in addition to upgrading the wireless card from an 802.11n module, Tronsmart includes an adjustable, detachable antenna on the new Plus model.
Most of the computer’s specs remain unchanged: it still has an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 10/100 Ethernet, and Bluetooth 4.0.
There’s a single USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a headset jack, and a microSD card reader. The system comes with Windows 10 Home software, pre-installed.
The Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus measures about 4.7″ x 4.5″ x 1.1″ and the computer features passive cooling for a fanless design.
via CNX-Software and FreakTab