Earlier this year a company called Azulle launched a tiny desktop computer called the Byte3. It’s a Windows computer with an Intel Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage stuffed into a small box that sells for under $200.
Now Azulle is expanding its mini PC lineup with three new models designed to go head-to-head with Intel’s NUC line of desktops.
The Azulle Inspire is a 4.9″ x 4.9″ x 1.9″ computer that’s available with Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 Kaby Lake processor options. Prices for a barebones model start at $270, making the Azulle Inspire a little cheaper than Intel’s latest NUC systems.
Each model features Intel HD 620 graphics and supports up to 32GB of RAM. The computers have M.2 slots for solid state storage, as well as room for a 2.5 inch hard drive or SSD and an SD card slot for up to 256GB of removable storage.
The systems support 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4,0, and Gigabit Ethernet, have three USB 3.0 ports and a USB Type-C port, and feature HDMI 2.0 and 3.5mm audio ports. There’s also a serial port and IR port for the included remote control.
You’ll need to supply your own memory, storage, and OS, but the CPU is included. Here are the prices for the models with 7th-gen Intel Core chips:
- Core i3-7100U for $270
- Core i5-7200U for $335
- Core i7-7500U for $450
Azulle also plans to offer a version with a Celeron J4205 Apollo Lake processor, but that models doesn’t appear to be up for order yet. That cheaper, lower-power version supports up to 8GB Of RAM and features Intel HD 505 graphics.
Great to see competition in this space for full Windows PCs. Now that we’re a step above Atom, we should see some real desktop replacements. Would have liked MS Windows to cooperate with this space though with like their Bing Windows 10 Home or whatever. I mean Android is free…
Just get an Asrock deskmini and add a g4560. Half the price of these and perform about the same.
When will mini pc makers start offering Thunderbolt? It would be a super useful feature for mini pcs.
“Cheap” here is used not as a compliment but a degarotory sense.
Tell me when they make one with the 8 gen quad core!
In one year
Looks like a great Linux box. It’s expandable to more than 4gb of RAM that’s NOT soldered to the motherboard. I also like the 2.5 inch SSD option instead of the lame non-expandable 32gb of eMMC storage soldered to the motherboard on most mini PCs. The 32gb of non-expandable storage is a dealbreaker!
I believe the Asus Chromebox with 2955u and 4GB ram from Amazon is a better browsing box for $175. 3 years old and still a good value. I don’t really see any progress by Intel or AMD on the low end.
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-CHROMEBOX-M004U-Deluxe-4Gb-Memory/dp/B00K048H7E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1509069003&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+chromebox+m004u
That’s what I have with linux mint for my TV.
I agree, this system is a little powerhouse, made a nice little stand in system running windows off a USB hard drive for a month when my main system went down. Even light gaming was possible with the inclusion of a fan. Impressive really. Wish it had Android apps on Chrome though.
Can’t tell if that’s a heatsink on top or vents.
Given the pictures of the completely begrilled sides, I’d say vents.