Elebao is a Chinese manufacturer that produces Android TV boxes and Windows PCs, among other things. As an ODM (original device manufacturer), Elebao doesn’t sell its products directly to consumers. Instead it produces hardware for clients that sell it under different names.
I happened across the company’s booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, and recognized a familiar design, so I decided to see what other new products the company is showing. Note that it’s not clear if or when you’ll see these on the market, or what they’ll be called if/when you do.
The GK3 is a low-power model with support for up to a 10 watt Intel Pentium J5005 processor. It’s also available with Celeron N4100 or J4105 chips.
The computer is about the same size and shape as an Intel NUC, but it has a copper-colored grille/vent along the top, and an Elebao representative says the system can be configured with an LED light that glows through the grating.
Other features include support up to 8GB of RAM, an M.2 2242 slot and a 2.5 inch drive bay for storage, 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1, and a decent range of ports including dual HDMI 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a few USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a microSD card reader, and a headset jack.
By default, the GK3 has a fan, but it can be configured without one for silent operation (although that may affect performance — I’m told the manufacturer recommends keeping the fan).
Elebao calls its CK2 model a “barebones gaming PC,” thanks to its higher-performance processor options. No, we’re not talking about 35 watt or higher chips here, and there’s no discrete graphics, so take that “gaming” label with a grain of salt.
But with support for up to an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and an M.2 2280 slot for PCIe NVMe storage (along with a 2.5 inch drive bay), there’s no doubt that this is a more powerful machine than the GK3.
It’s also a little larger and some additional ports: there are a total of four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, separate mic and headphone jacks, Ethernet, VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI 2.0 ports on this model.