The GPD Pocket line of computers have earned a cult following in recent years thanks to their compact size and decent performance. With 7 inch displays and QWERTY keys, they’re some of the smallest laptop-style computers that you could be reasonably expected to touch type on.

But typing can still be a bit of a pain.

Enter the GPD Pocket 2 Max. With an 8.9 inch display, it’s still tiny by modern laptop standards. But there’s room for a larger, more comfortable keyboard and touchpad.

GPD has also bumped the screen resolution and equipped the computer with the most powerful processor of any GPD device to date.

The GPD Pocket 2 Max sports an Intel Core m3-8100Y Amber Lake processor, 8GB to 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a PCIe NVMe solid state drive with storage options ranging from 256GB to 1TB.

The computer features a 2560 x 1600 pixel display and it should ship with Windows 10 Home 64-bit software… although it’s interesting to see that the company’s promotional pictures show the Ubuntu MATE desktop. The folks behind that GNU/Linux-based operating system have made a habit of offering releases customized to support GPD Pocket computers.

GPD says the laptop has a magnesium alloy unibody chassis, a fan for active cooling, a 9200 mAh battery, and a 2MP camera, making this the first GPD Pocket device to have a webcam. It’s also expected to have a fingerprint sensor

The computer measures 8.1″ x 5.8″ x 0.7″ and weighs about 1.5 pounds. It’s small… but not exactly pocket-sized, which makes me wonder if GPD might be better off choosing a different name for this model.

As has become customary over the last year or two, GPD’s new computer will likely face some competition. Rival Chinese device maker One Netbook is already beta testing a new mini laptop called the One Mix 3, and it’s expected to have an 8.4 inch display, and like the GPD Pocket 2 Max, it’s expected to feature an Intel Core m3 Amber Lake processor, a PCIe SSD, and a fingerprint sensor.

Unlike the Pocket 2 Max, the One Mix 3 is also expected to have a backlit keyboard, a 360-degree hinge (for converting to tablet mode) and stylus support.

GPD says the Pocket 2 Max should launch in the second or third quarter of the year, but it’s unclear how much it’ll cost. Pricing and release info for the One Mix 3 is unclear at the moment.

Menwhile Chinese PC maker Chuwi is also planning to launch a 8 inch laptop soon, but the upcoming Chuwi Minibook will likely be a cheaper device thanks to its cheaper, lower-performance Intel Celeron N4100 Gemini Lake processor.

via /r/gpdwin and imgur (1)(2)

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20 replies on “GPD Pocket 2 Max is an 8.9 inch laptop with Core m3-8100Y”

  1. It’s not meant for your pocket, Brad. It’s for Max’s pocket. He still wears those ridiculous cargos with the oversized pockets.

  2. Judging by the silhouette, the 9200mAh battery is at 3.7V, clocking ~34 Wh, slightly more than One Mix 2, however the increased size of the display will probably lead to it having a slightly shorter battery life.
    Looks like it will have the standard compliment of ports for modern 8″ mini-laptops: type-c (also for charging), mini-HDMI and two type-a (one of them probably 2.0).
    It’s elegant; the keyboard seems unremarkable, but, probably, you can type on it somewhat efficiently; reminds me of my old trusty Toshiba AC100.

    Yep, looks like proper UMPCs are back. I know quite a lot of non-techy people who’ll be delighted by the news.

  3. It’s history repeating itself. But 15 yrs. have passed, and you get 4gb more of RAM, a 4x bigger HDD, a faster processor I’m sure, and better screen resolution (nothing extravagant by any means). And I paid $299 back in 2006 for my netbook. Considering my phone today demolishes its specs by and large & is now not that much more than my Netbook was ~15yrs ago – I admit, I didn’t look for MSRP – then price point considered, the closer it gets to $299, it starts to become just an overpriced keyboard…imo……

    1. Yeah, history is repeating itself. As UMPCs of 2006-2008 tended to have launch prices of 800 USD and upwards, the same continues nowadays. The netbooks of today are chromebooks which indeed tend to retail sub-300 USD and some of 4Gb RAM models are even sub-200 USD.

  4. Awww looking for good pocket 1 replacement and dissapointed with this pocket 2 max… no usb c thunderbolt (for external gpu), outdated and weak m processor, NO BACKLIT keyboard? I love what they did with pocket 2 mouse and buttons. Hope they continue to develop pocket 2 better.

  5. Why not use the AMD SOC like the WIN MAX will use, it would have been perfect.

    1. It’s kinda hard to fit a 12W TDP CPU into a chassis designed for 5W.
      4/8 of V1605B is great, but you need to ensure good thermals, double up the battery size, accommodate it all in the case… and you’ll get Win Max without gamepad paraphernalia.

  6. A bit disappointed this device is not AMD based. I am still thinking of giving my Xiaomi Air 12 to my parents and buying newer, faster stuff, but this is not that appealing as a replacement.
    Newer Xiaomi Air 12 uses the same SOC, it’s not that much heavier and passively cooled …

  7. Aside from the fact that I’d rather get the Win Max and won’t have much interest in this, I DO like the fact that GPD has been getting better and better at engineering their machines. Despite having a 8.9 inch screen with thin-ish bezels, they’ve still managed to get it thin enough where it can qualify as an “Ultra-book” as well as a Netbook.
    Of course it’s just using a Core M, however there are plenty of Ultrabooks that have used Core Ms in the past and all of them are a good amount bigger than the Pocket Max. While I do like how my Win 2 is built and feels (mostly because mine has been devoid of all hardware defects), I really would love to see how much better GPD gets at engineering these things.

  8. I agree that “Pocket” is a misnomer — they should’ve called this the GPD Purse ;).

    Speaking of UMPCs, my Fujitsu U810 is still in mint condition ^^.

    1. I totally remember those! I almost bought one. But I ended up getting a Sony SRX-99 instead. That size of computer was awesome when I was in school.

  9. I’m actually very interested in this. However, based on existing GPD pricing, I’m concerned this is going to cost above $700.

    If I could change one thing on this device is that I would have used a 9.7″ 4:3 panel. It wouldn’t be any wider, the 9.7″ iPad panel is the same width as a 16:10 8.9″ panel. It would make more screen space, and also more body-space for battery, or other components.

    1. I guess the price will depend on the RAM/SSD option you choose.
      I imagine the lower end 8GB/256GB would be a round the $700 mark as a guess

  10. As a fan of old netbooks, it’s nice to see a new one being made that’s not a 2-in-1. The popularity of tablet devices is understandable, but I prefer the rigidity of proper hinges.

    1. Yes, but this netbook is still half the size and weight of a macbook air, with a better screen and comparable CPU and RAM. If the problem with the netbooks was the weak Atom CPU, then this is the remedy. I do love my GPD Win 1 dearly, but it’s a bit hard to work on without docking.

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