It looks like there’s a new player in the mini-laptop space. Sort of.

The MAL-FWTVPCM1 is a tiny laptop with an 8 inch touchscreen display, a 360-degree hinge that lets you fold the screen back and hold the computer as a tablet, and a QWERTY keyboard that’s just big enough for touch typing.

It also looks virtually identical to the Chuwi MiniBook that I reviewed last year, so it’s likely that the computer is based on the same design. Some of the specs are different though.

The company behind the MAL-FWTVPCM1 says it will be available in Japan starting April 20th for 44,800 yen (about $410) during a launch promotion. The full retail price is expected to be  59,800 yen ($550). There’s no word on if or when this model will be available in other countries.

The little laptop is powered by a 6-watt Intel Pentium Silver N5000 quad-core Gemini Lake processor and features 4GB of LPDDR4-2133 memory (not upgradable) and 128GB of eMMC storage. But there’s also an M.2 2242 slot that you can use to add a SATA SSD).

It has an 8 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display with a 2MP webcam in the bezel. And the computer ships with Windows 10 Pro (Japanese edition).

It also has a decent selection of ports and connectivity/multimedia options:

  • USB 3.0 Type-C
  • USB 3.0 Type-A
  • USB 2.0 Type-A
  • Mini HDMI
  • 3.5mm audio
  • Stereo speakers
  • Built-in mic
  • microSD card reader
  • 802.11ac WiFi
  • Bluetooth 4.2

The computer has an  aluminum body and the system measures 7.9″ x 5.1″ x 0.7″ and weighs about 1.5 pounds. With just a 3,500 mAh battery, I wouldn’t expect more than a few hours of battery life.

But given that computers tend to carry higher prices in Japan than the US, the $410-$550 price doesn’t look bad at all.

By way of comparison, the best prices I could find for the Chuwi MiniBook at the moment run from $430 to $530, although that’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison because of some differences in specs:

via PC Watch

 

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10 replies on “Another 8 inch mini-laptop is coming April 20th (in Japan)”

  1. No LTE or mention or 5G. not a good look for mobility-centric computers today (unless it’s a dev board). Yes it’s got wi-fi… but this form factor suggests more connectivity.

  2. Only thing I do not understand is, why they make it more than 7 inch but less than 11 inch?

    Since 8 inch doesn’t fit into your pocket, you’ll be forced to carry a bag or something.

    Why would you than have an 8 inch laptop, if you can fit 11 inch into a bag?

    In other words, why make it so small, when you are still forced to carry a bag, plus you end up with much smaller screen and keyboard?!

    1. I guess it also depends on how small or how much extra space (if it’s not used primarily for electronics) a person’s bag is.

      1. I agree. That keyboard is too small. It would be difficult to type using more than 1 finger.

    2. I have to agree… 7 inch is the MAX size pocketable (gpd pocket owner)

    3. My favorite size would be 6.1″ x 4″ x 0.7″ . I could accept even 1″ brick, if battery life would be 10 hours or more. This is for 7″ screen.

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