The latest mini laptop from GPD is designed for folks that want a portable gaming PC, but the upcoming GPD Win MAX also the most powerful device from GPD to date, which could make it attractive for fans of tiny computers who don’t care about gaming.

We already had a pretty good idea of what the little computer would look like. But now GPD has released detailed specs so we can confirm that it has an 8 inch touchscreen display, an Intel Ice Lake processor with Iris Plus graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a backlit keyboard with a touchpad and game controller buttons and sticks above it.

The GPD Win Max will go up for pre-order through a crowdfunding campaign later this year.

Update 5/18/2020: Check out Liliputing’s in-depth GPD Win Max Preview for more details, performance notes, benchmark results, and lots of photos and videos:

GPD Win Max mini gaming laptop review

Update: GPD’s product page for the Win Max is live, which means more pictures and more details on the specs (see the table below for a complete run-down on the specs). 

The GPD Win Max will go up for pre-order for $779 and up through a crowdfunding campaign set to begin on May 18th, 2020. It should begin shipping as soon as the campaign ends on June 30th. 

This post is also being regularly updated. Scroll down for the latest updates. 

Update 2: GPD sent me a pre-production demo unit for testing. Scroll down for links to recent articles showcasing the little computer’s build quality and performance. 

Here’s a run-down of the key specs for the GPD Win Max:

Display8 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel capacitive touchscreen (500 nits and 90% DCI-P3 color gamut)
CPUIntel Core i5-1035G7 (4-cores/8-threads)
GPUIntel Iris Plus 940 64EU
TDP15/20/25 watts (adjustable in BIOS)
RAM16GB LPDDR4X-3733
Storage512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 2280
Connectivity802.11ax/Bluetooth 5.0/Gigabit Ethernet
USB Ports1 x TB3, 1 x USB- 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A
Other portsHDMI 2.0b (4K60fps), RJ45, microSDXC, 3.5mm audio
Battery57 Wh (3 x 5000 mAh)
Power supply65W Gallium Nitride power adapter (75mm x 36mm)
Cooling2 x fans and 2 x heat pipes
Dimensions205mm x 140mm x 24.5mm (8.1″ x 5.5″ x 1″)
Weight800 grams (1.8 pounds)
Price (China) 4,999 – 5,799 CNY during Chinese pre-order phase ($705 – $820)
Price (US) $779 during crowdfunding

While the screen resolution may seem a bit low by modern standards, it’s worth keeping in mind that this is a mini laptop meant for gaming — it takes more graphics horsepower (and battery power) to drive a higher resolution display. And while the Core i7-1035G7 processor has one of the best integrated GPUs Intel has made to date, it’s still no match for a discrete graphics card. So keeping the screen resolution down will help with gaming performance while using the screen’s native resolution.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that we’re talking about an 8 inch display rather than a 13.3 inch laptop screen. That means the GPD Win Max will have about 189 pixels per inch. That’s kind of low by modern smartphone standards, but still pretty good for a laptop.

Here are a few comparison points:

  • 13.3 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel screen = 114 ppi
  • 13.3 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel screen = 118 ppi
  • 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel screen = 166 ppi
  • 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1280 pixel screen = 174 ppi
  • 13.3 inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel screen = 193 ppi
  • 13.3 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel screen = 221 ppi

As for the game controllers, GPD says the Win Max will have official ALPS dual 3D sticks, clickable L3 and R3 buttons, separate direction buttons, L1/L2 and R1/R2 buttons, and Panasonic switches.

With the game controllers positioned above the keyboard, the Win Max may be a little awkward to hold compared with some other gaming handhelds like the Nintendo Switch or DS, or even smaller GPD gaming handhelds like the GPD Win and Win 2.

But the added horsepower, support for most Windows PC games, backlit keyboard large enough for touch-typing, and generally compact design still make the GPD Win Max a pretty much one-of-a-kind computer at the moment.

There’s still no word on the exact launch date or the pricing — but the similarly-sized GPD P2 Max currently sells for $740, and that laptop has a less powerful processor and lacks game controllers or backlit keys. So it’s likely that the GPD Win Max will cost a bit more (although GPD does tend to offer discounts to early backers of its crowdfunding campaigns for folks quick enough to snap up the early adopter rewards).

Update 3/05/2020: GPD has released a few new images, including the first hands-on photos showing the GPD Win Max in use. I’ve been told that the keyboard latino t shown on this prototype is not the same as the final design though:

Update 2: And a video too:

Update 3: In a series of tweets, GPD has provided more details about the display, keyboard, and game controller buttons:

  • The display is an IPS screen with 500-nits of brightness, 90-percent DCI-P3 color gamut, DC dimming without flickering, and Corning Gorilla Glass.
  • The keyboard has an “X structure membrane” on the back, and backlit keys.
  • Game controller features include shoulder buttons with Panasonic micro switches and dual 3D joysticks which are clickable to function as L3 and R3 buttons.

Update 4: On April 14, 2020 GPD shared images of the first batch of GPD Win Max motherboards, including an image showing that the little laptop will have two cooling fans under the hood.

 

Update 5: More images were released on April 17, 2020 when the official GPD Win product page went live. They’ve been added to the image gallery below.

Update 6: A promotional image suggests that GPD Win Max will go up for pre-order in China on May 20th with a starting price of 4,999 CNY ($705) for early birds and 5,799 CNY ($820) for folks who miss out on that deal. International pricing will likely be higher.

GPD has also shared more real-world photos, which are included in the gallery below.

Update 7: The GPD Win Max can be powered by a USB battery pack as long as it supports USB Power Delivery version 3.0.

Image gallery

The GPD Win Max isn’t the only tiny gaming laptop on the way this year. Rival mini PC maker One Netbook is also building one — although we don’t know as much about the upcoming One Netbook One GX as we do about the Win Max at this point.

One GX mini gaming laptop: Everything we know so far

Liliputing’s hands-on GPD Win Max coverage:

GPD Win Max mini gaming laptop – unboxing and first impressions

GPD Win Max keyboard, buttons, and touchpad preview

 

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15 replies on “GPD Win Max handheld gaming PC: Everything we know so far”

  1. I’m mostly impressed that they are using electronic components produced by ALPS. They are one of the highest-end companies in the electronic component industry.

    Having said that, I’m still not thrilled with the gamepad layout. Also, I really don’t see myself holding something this big. Its too compromised between the balance of keyboard and gamepad space.

    I’d sooner buy a Surface-style tablet with these specs, and carry an Xbox controller with it.

    1. Switch is junk compared to this, hardware wise especially the most important part the screen. Definitely way better hardware than switch. So $800 is good.

    2. Intel’s recommended price for the CPU is $320, so it is unlikely to ever be priced similarly to a switch.

  2. So, does anyone know? When you are not playing games, can you use the game controls for moving the mouse and doing other controls of the Windows environment by default?

    1. Yes, it says the switch was moved to the side from on top as in the Win 2. I personally bought the Win 2 because I can hold in and thumb type. With a screen that small, I don’t see sitting it on the table and looking at that small a screen. I have bad eyes and wear glasses already.

      I use the left analog stick to move the cursor. The right and left click are obvious, the shoulder buttons on the respective side.

      They sound like in the end they didn’t change very much other than the size and an 8 inch screen maybe I could manage looking at if it were sat on a table.

      I actually don’t play PC games. Because the added effort of setting them up in Linux make it NOT WORTH it for me personally. I wanted a palmtop and the Win 2 fit it well. (Plus my personal pet peeve, Mobile Toys suck. The OS is too limited and you will always end up turning to a computer to do any work. Plus at what they cost and the total unusableness of them. I would rather buy these than a stupid Mobile Toy spying hardware with a sealed in battery and limits on how you use external storage media. Yeah, root, I won’t use one I can’t but it just becomes more effort yearly. I would rather carry one of these. My tablet is getting old and I am looking at something like this. No more tablets for moi’)

      I would likely get this. Having a large PS2 library I just run the iso’s in the PCSX emulator which is fine on the Win 2. If I want more screen realestate I have a 15in portable monitor. Usually this is done at home.

      Same thing looking at this one. In the end I prefer it to the Pockte Max because of the lack of ports on the Pocket Max. Also, i5 power? Better for a ultra portable. I couldn’t comment on the gaming but for a portable PC with decent power. This looks great to me. Also it has that odd touch pad there at the top for when you sit it down.

      I will wait for a hands on review to see how people feel about holding it though the Win 2 is fine. This is a bit bigger so see how that mass effects holding it. It doesn’t look too different than the Win 2 though and I have had no discomfort navigating with the thumb stick and shoulder buttons.

      Don’t think my hands are big enough to thumb type on this though. Haha

  3. “later this year”

    I swear GPD is some of the slowest companies out there.

      1. It’s too bad there’s no competing AMD Ryzen SoC.
        I mean there is the 16nm Zen1 with GCN SoC, that we saw in the Udoo Bolt V8 and the Smach Z. But that’s really rough around the edges, and clearly needs more work on the software/drivers side. It was a decent start, and better than the old 14nm Intel Atom X7 (Z8750) SoC. In fact, an Intel competing 5W 2-Core (M/Y) or a 15W 4-Core (i7/U) is overall better, which is why GPD chose that for the GPD Win 2.

        What I was hoping for was 7nm Zen2 with RDNA SoC for 2019. That didn’t happen. And it’s confirmed to not be happening for 2020 either. So a GPD Win 3 is definitely going to rely on an 10nm Intel SoC. But I don’t think the company is in any hurry, since they’re pretty much the best and only provider in this field.

        Maybe we can be lucky and get at the end of 2021, a +7nm Zen3 with RDNA2 SoC. Maybe they can scale it from 5W (4-Core) to 15W (6-Core) for these ultra-low-voltage products in Mini-SBC or handheld devices. That could be a good candidate for a GPD Win 4. But I doubt it, maybe in 2022 which feels like a lifetime away.

  4. My fingers hurt looking at the position of the controls. I had the Moto Mod for a phone with similar controls and my thumbs were in pain after just a minute of using it.

    1. The GPD Win 2 has a pretty good control layout. I don’t get uncomfortable playing it for long periods. I doubt the win max will feel much different.

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