The GPD Win Mini is a tiny laptop computer built for gaming. It has a 7 inch FHD, 120 Hz display, a QWERTY keyboard, and a touchpad and game controllers placed above the touchpad, allowing you to hold the device in two hands for gaming sessions.

There are also detachable grips that can make the system easier to hold when attached, or make it look more like a laptop when removed.

Powered by an AMD Ryzen 7040U series processor with Radeon 700M series integrated graphics, it should offer better-than-Steam Deck performance (if not battery life). And thanks to an Oculink connector, you get a 63 Gbps connection that can be used for a graphics dock like the GPD G1.

While the company hasn’t revealed pricing or availability details for the Win Mini yet, GPD has begun sharing pictures and other info about the upcoming handheld gaming PC. Update: GPD has announced that the Win Mini will sell for $699 and up during crowdfunding or $820 and up when it hits retail channels.

If the Win Mini looks familiar, that’s because it’s basically a smaller version of the GPD Win Max 2, with many of the same features as that 10.1 inch mini-laptop stuffed into a more compact body.

While there are so many handheld gaming PCs these days that I had to create a massive table to keep track of them all, GPD is arguably the company that launched the modern iteration of this space with the introduction of the GPD Win in 2016. A (nearly) pocket-sized computer with an x86 processor, Windows software, a keyboard for thumb typing and built-in controllers for gaming, it was unlike anything else on the market at the time.

A few years later the company launched the slightly bigger, significantly faster GPD Win 2. GPD continued to make handhelds, but most of the company’s recent models have either featured slide-up displays rather than clamshell designs (like the Win 3 and Win 4), or larger screens and keyboards like the GPD Win Max line of mini-laptops.

The upcoming Win Mini feels more like a true successor to the GPD Win 2. It’s a nearly pocket-sized handheld with a powerful processor and a clamshell design.

Details about the handheld, tentatively known as the GPD Win Mini, have been leaking for months, and earlier this year GPD began communicating some of its plans to a handful of insiders who have been sharing details on Chinese social media (1) (2), in the gpd_devices Discord, and on YouTube.

Most recently, GPD sent a shell of the mini-laptop to YouTuber The Phawx. While it’s not a fully functional computer, it shows the size, shape, keyboard, game controllers, and other features.

The Phawx notes that the system will be available with up to 32GB of RAM, features hall sensor joysticks, and is overall small enough to fit into some pants pockets.

The Win Mini’s keyboard features keys that are slightly larger than those on the GPD Win 2, which should make thumb typing at least as easy on the new model as it is on GPD’s last pocket-sized clamshell PC.

I wouldn’t expect the Win Mini to be as good for touch-typing as a larger device like the GPD Win Max or Win Max 2 though. Keys are still rather small and there’s not much travel. So if you’re looking for a device that’s a laptop first and a game system second, then you may want to consider the larger model.

As for specs, the Win Mini should pack hardware that will make it competitive with some of the best handheld gaming PCs around:

  • Display: 7 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel (16:9) display with a 120 Hz refresh rate
  • Processor options: AMD Ryzen 7 7840U and Ryzen 5 7640U
  • Memory: 16 GB LPDDR5-7500
  • Storage: 512 GB or 1 TB M.2 2230 SSD, microSD card reader
  • Graphics dock connector: OcuLink-2 port for 16GB/s PCIe connection to the GPD G1 graphics dock with a Radeon 7600M XT GPU (or other supported devices)
  • Other ports include: Thunderbolt 4, 3.5mm audio jack
  • Text input: Backlit keyboard
  • Gaming input: Game controllers and a touchpad above the keyboard, with:
    • Dual analog sticks
    • D-Pad
    • A, B, X, Y buttons
    • H1 and H2 programmable buttons
    • Start, Select, and Menu buttons
    • Analog shoulder trigger buttons
  • Sensors: Gyroscope for motion controls
  • Motors: Rumble motors
  • Battery: 45 Wh battery
  • Dimensions: 167 x 108 x 25mm (may be a little thicker)
  • Crowdfunding: Indiegogo campaign expected to launch this summer
  • Availability: Could ship by October or November, 2023
  • Starting price: Could start at $700 during crowdfunding

The system also has a removable bottom cover, allowing you to swap covers depending on your needs. Prefer a handheld gaming device with handle grips? There’s a base that has them built in. But if you’d prefer a smooth bottom for a lower-profile, more pocketable design, then you can put a plain base on the bottom.

More details should be available closer to launch.

 

via @softwincn (1)(2)(3)(4) and The Phawx (1)(2)(3)

This article was first published March 28, 2023 and most recently updated July 26, 2023.

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  1. Oh GPD, why did you choose the 2230? We need to place a 2280 SSD drive instead. If it’s not to late, please reconsider this move. Thanks you.

  2. Next year, expect to see a flood of Intel i5-1435U handhelds with third gen Iris Xe integrated graphics that will offer 1080p gaming at about 45 fps for esports titles – meaning better than the current AMD 780M iGPUs in the Ryzen 9 7940HS and similar – but will be a lot better with heat and power due to only 2 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores. Before anyone questions the horsepower … these will be 2nd gen efficiency cores that will perform similar to the 8th gen Intel Core i3 performance cores. Meaning that the single core and multicore performance of 14th gen Core i5 will be better than 12th gen Core i7.
    Now it is possible that the chips that AMD will put out in 2024 will outperform 14th gen Intel. The problem, as usual, will be availability. Manufacturers will actually be able to buy the Intel i5-1435U. Meanwhile the AMD Ryzen 5 7540U has basically been vaporware. TSMC’s 4nm processors is mostly making mobile chips for Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek, forcing TSMC to focus on the more lucrative Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 chips, but those are going to make the handhelds a lot more expensive. The 14th gen Intel i5 handhelds should cost about as much as a Steam Deck.

    1. Doesn’t matter, intel could be on par with a 4090 for all I care. Their gfx drivers suck ass, which is why they Will keep losing

  3. Will this have an LTE option like their other Win devices? I don’t want to use a hotspot nor tether/hotspot my phone.

    1. I hope there’s an LTE option too.

      I use the 4G module for the Win 4 a lot. Don’t like tethering/hotspots.

  4. GPD better make a modern Sony Vaio P/Vaio Z before Ayo makes their Neo Flip clamshell. Ah heck, we all know Ayo probably won’t make it right either. It will probably have bad keyboard placement and won’t shut so the screen will hit the keys etc. Sorry ot be so hopeless, but 15 years is a long time to wait since they made good mini laptops.

  5. Ah, that’s too bad, they decided to go with the tiny keyboard rather than fill the entire base with the big keyboard(the same excellent one from the Win Max 2), and then have the removeable game controllers on the sides and the mouse nub in the middle of the keyboard.

    I swear, laptop makers just can’t get the design right if their lives depended on it since 2008, when Sony stopped making mini laptops like the Vaio P and the almost perfect Vaio Z.
    Strange, I wonder why laptop makers don’t get it, when it used to be done right?
    With the 15 years of miniaturization, it is totally possible to make a good keyboard and mouse, and make it for a large pocket with a 7-9 inch screen, but laptop makers just don’t get it.
    Too bad for all of us.
    And too bad for the makers, it would sell like hotcakes!

    Well, at least GPD figured out how to make good keyboard placement on the Win Max 2–FINALLY! Now put a mouse in the middle of it and make the screen the same size as the keyboard. Also make an extra battery that can click across the whole bottom for a second battery. Make a rear camera(like the Sony Z), worthy of scanning documents.
    And, at least GPD made the Win Max 2’s bod of metal with a lid that does not allow the screen to touch the keys when closed etc. Well, I guess it is a slow and miserable progress back to 2008 standards.
    I hope it does not take another 15 years. Why would it? It is not hard to do!

    1. I was also a huge fan of the Vaio P-series. I owned 2 of them, and I’d buy another one in a heartbeat if someone made something similar.

      I think the reason why they don’t try to make one again is that because today there is already a more widely accepted compromise to having a proper full-size keyboard. It’s the tablet.

      These days, I’m not so keen on the ultra-wide screen ratio used in the Vaio P. If someone was going to make a spiritual successor in 2023, I think it should be 4:3 or 3:2. Considering the DPI-scaling needed to make small screens livable, most operating systems are better viewed on small screens that are more square in shape.

      I have a 21:9 monitor on my PC, and I often remote desktop to it using a 21:9 7″ smartphone, and it is impossible to use at any DPI scaling setting. But I’ve also used Windows on a 7.9″ 4:3 tablet (Xiaomi Mipad 2), and it was wonderful to use at that size.

  6. I hope they fix the keyboard layout for thumb only use. At least the ctrl, fn, Windows and alt order and the brightness keys position.

    I’ve seen several feedback about them in several places but it seems GPD is just ignoring it and sticking with a layout that’s more useful for a regular keyboard typing with 10 fingers.

  7. Folks it has been confirmed that the GPD Win 4 can run your Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest VR.

    I connected my Oculus Rift S and what do you know, it works. However, if you are going to connect an Oculus Rift S to your GPD Win 4 you will need to purchase a mini DVI to USB-C adapter.

    I bet the GPD Win 4 will support other VR goggles.

    Can a Steam Deck VR? Nope

  8. If the price is halfway reasonable (and it’s physically sound i.e. build quality and such), I’ll seriously consider this. The Steam Deck is fantastic, but WAY beyond my personal preference in regards to overall hardware size.

    Then again i’m a borderline romantic who maintains hope for the DragonBox Pyra (my dream device) to emerge from mass-production purgatory, LOL.

    1. I finally said screw it and got a refund. With the refund I was able to buy both a Toposh mini computer from aliexpress which runs Arch very well (the sound card is kinda a pain essx8336 but you can get it working with some amixer commands and a startup script) AND a hackrf with portapack and have some left over.

      The Pyra would have been great even 5 years ago, but it just isnt worth it now, especially with all the driver issues it has.

  9. Looks good overall but I may have enough small issues with it that I might pass. At the very least, I’ll skip the IGG.

  10. Yes! I’ve been wanting this for a while!

    I’m a little bit bummed that it’s going to be even bigger than the wind too, I was hoping they would shrink the size a little bit. Also, at least one USB-A port would be really nice to have.

  11. I hope GPD:

    Fixes the keyboard layout for better thumb use. Especially for keyboard shortcuts and Fn system keys.
    Adds a USB-A port. They can remove the Oculink port.
    Uses gray/black color and not that ugly purple gray look of the Win Max 2.
    Somehow shrink the height for better pocketability. The increase in this dimension from the Win 2 made it just outside what I’d personally consider pocketable.

    There’s another post with more photos.

  12. I’m hearing the Mini won’t have a USB-A port.

    I hope GPD ditches the OCulink port and put back a USB-A port.

    1. I hope the G1 flops so GPD won’t put OCulink ports on their devices after one device instead of other more useful ports.

      1. I’m actually considering to get the Win Max 2 2023 refresh (over my current 2022 version) partly because of that built-in oculink port (which would allow me to use two internal ssds, while still enabling use of there fast oculink connection for my next egpu)

    1. Yes, please replace the touchpad with a 4G chip inside!

      The touchpad is pretty useless for this device.

    2. That’s a great idea! There’s already the joystick mouse.

      If GPD needs space for a 4G modem, then the trackpad is the perfect thing to get rid of.

    3. If I had to choose between having a redundant + awkwardly placed touchpad vs. built-in 4G, then I’d take built-in 4G.

    4. why people always want a crappy 4g/5g module, dont have already a phone to share its connection? later will trash about bands, compatibility and other shit.

  13. Just a clarification Brad but it’s the 7640U not the 7440U. There are also additional details recently pinned in the Discord chat that you might like to update your article with.

  14. They should remove the redundant and awkwardly placed touchpad and use that internal space for a 4G modem.

    1. No one within the scope of a multipolar trap is above the behaviors enforced by said multipolar trap.

  15. Will it have 4G? I’d convince myself to buy it and compromise on the no longer comfortably pocketable for me size increase.

  16. I hope it has built-in 4G like the Win Max 2 (maybe faster one though) or even 5G.

    I need some other reasons to get it since it’s no longer pocketable. The Win 2 is the limit for me after it got larger from the Win 1. It’s one of the main reasons I wanted a Win 2 successor.

  17. I see a lot of comments about the pocketability of this device — I agree with them — 7 inches is too much to fit in a typical pocket comfortably at that aspect ratio — but for me, the size is perfect. I wear a fanny pack pretty much all the time (women’s pants regularly don’t even have pockets big enough for phones), and the larger compartment is where I keep my switch lite, which fits perfectly, with a bit of extra room. A gaming device like this would be a good replacement for that, and let me access my PC library easily. I don’t get a whole lotta use outta my steam deck right now since I need to carry it in my messenger bag — that and the lack of a clamshell design means I need to keep it in its own case.

  18. The person who created this keyboard layout didn’t consider that it’s a thumb keyboard.

    It’s clearly designed as if it’s a regular keyboard used with multiple fingers which it’s not.

  19. When Phawx gets a review unit and shows it in his pocket, it won’t mean anything for those who already have a Win 2 and consider it as the max size as what’s comfortable to pocket to them.

    There was already debates on whether the Win 2 was comfortable to pocket. Now with the size increase again, it’s not pocketable for even more people. For these people, once you need a bag, more options are on the table at that point.

  20. Since it’s larger than the Win 2 and no longer comfortably pocketable to me, then I also have larger performance expectations:

    7840U with a 20 W TDP default limit. No hard cap in the BIOS/FW for those want to push/mod things.

  21. GPD dropped the ball on this so hard the ball popped.

    I wonder how long my Win 2 I got in 2020 will last. I had to replace some parts but it’s hard to find parts nowadays.

  22. Interesting. So, to compare 167 x 108 x 25mm with analogues…

    Win 1 is 155 x 97 x 22 mm.
    Win 2 is 162 x 99 x 25 mm
    GPD MicroPC is 153 x 113 x 23.5 mm
    And OneGx1 Pro is 173 x 136 x 21 mm

    So, it will be somewhere Win2 and MicroPC. Longer than both, but in between by width. I get used to carry MicroPC in jacket pocket, so, I guess, dimensions will be fine for me… though I as well would prefer if they’ll stay on 6 inches screen and <100mm width.

    And even more comparisons to get the picture:
    Samsung Galaxy S23+ is 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm
    iPhone 14 Pro Max is 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm
    Redmi Note 12 is 161.11 x 74.95 x 7.9 mm

    Astro Slide is 172.4 x 76.5 x 18.7mm
    PinePhone Pro with keyboard is 161 x 95 x 21.5mm
    And DragonBox Pyra is 139 x 87 x 32 mm.

    So Win 1 is still remains to be the most compact modern-software x86 UMPC and pars only with Pyra.

    As for keyboard layout, while it is defiantly can be improved, it is nice to see full symbols rows implemented here: it is very, almost essentially useful for many non-Latin alphabets. One if most problematic cases with MicroPC was that non-letter buttons from the right of keyboard was “Fn-ed”, which seriously affects non-English typing.

  23. The only GPD devices I’ve had were an original Win 1 (Which I sold like 6 years ago) and a Win Max 2 that I currently own. I’m a fairly tall and not-thin person so this would probably fit in my pockets, but it would look incredibly stupid. The original Win was an amazing size, which is definitely a sentiment I’ve seen echoed by a bunch of people. With this, I may as well just carry a small bag with my Win Max 2 lol.

    Also, why couldn’t a device like this use a Psion 5/Planet Computers/PinePhone style keyboard? Instead, we get a thumb board on a device too wide to comfortably use it, all while mimicking the layout of a normal full size laptop keyboard; which doesn’t take into consideration the different ways traditional keyboards vs. thumbboards are used. I’m not pressing ctrl, alt, and del with two thumbs.

    I think an ideal scenario would be for Windows on ARM to actually become good. That would, at least in my eyes, have the potential to cascade down into thin laptops and gaming handhelds. Also, better small keyboards.

    1. Is it to avoid your hands brushing the trackpad whilst typing and triggering a click away from the text input field?

    1. Yeah, should have stayed with a 6″ screen and kept it comfortably pocketable for more people.

      I’m a lot less excited for this now.

    1. Looks like they copied a lot from the Dragonbox Pandora and Pyra so they might as well copy the long-debated keyboard layout from the Pyra…

      The one thing they don’t seem to have copied is customer support.

    2. Imagine trying to type a 7 or 8 and your computer stops whatever it’s doing and tries to sleep. It’s a small detail, but it can vastly affect how annoying it is to use. They should really put the power button somewhere else, like the space to the top right of the touch pad.
      And actually, they could save a lot of space by having a switch (next to h1/h2) to set the controller to “desktop mode”, and doing something like the following for desktop mode:
      lb=FN.
      rb=other alternate functions.
      face buttons: shift, ctrl, alt.
      lt/rt=ctrl, alt.
      d-pad=arrow keys.
      start=windows key.
      lb+dpad=pgup, pgdown, home, end.
      rb+d-pad, face buttons, h1/h2/select/start=function keys.
      lb/FN+a stick=brightness and volume control.
      It’s a bit complicated but I think I could get used to it on a device that has to make a lot of compromises as is. And it could leave room for a non-thumb keyboard.

      1. I leave all of my GPDs in gamepad mode almost all the time, and use Controller Companion to map that to the mouse and other keys of my choosing when in the Windows desktop.

        I think it could do everything on your list except the function keys.

        Oh, and I think you’d need GPD’s configuration app to customize the h1/h2 buttons, because they don’t get their own key codes, they just mimic other keys/buttons.

  24. That’s not comfortably pocketable anymore for me. It’ll fit but I wouldn’t do it. Not much reason for me to get this if I’ll be putting it in a bag anyway.

  25. Yeah, the Win 2 was at the limit of what’s comfortably pocketable for me. To me, this isn’t pocketable based on those dimensions. I’ll need some other justifications to buy this.

    Will this have built-in 4G/5G?

  26. With those dimensions, it went from comfortably pocketable to “I’d rather put it in a bag”. At that point, I don’t have much reason to buy the Win Mini.

  27. I liked the very pocketable Win 1 size. I tolerated the size increase for the Win 2. Now with yet another size increase, GPD has lost me with the Win Mini.

    With the 3rd party cooler mod, the Win 2 was able to do 15 W TDP fine and the battery life was still decent. I was hoping they’d keep the size of the Win 2 and cap the TDP at 15 W (maybe a bit higher given GPD’s improved cooling designs).

  28. Why are the shift, ctrl and alt keys not grouped together? Does the designer not use keyboard shortcuts?

    That touchpad placement is bad. You’d need to adjust your grip to accurately use it with your thumb. They should just get rid of it. Maybe remove that odd right column of keys and put an optical thumbpad there instead.

    1. Uh, maybe because that is actually how the keys are laid out on a regular American keyboard? The left Shift has always been next to the Z-key, and right Shift is immediately after the slash (/). While Ctrl and Alt keys are in the next row below. This layout has been like that for more than 40 years, so why are people bringing that up now? Touch typists would expect the keys to be in those positions at this point.

      As for the touchpad, the intent is probably more of a game controller like the joy sticks, d-pad, etc for certain games and gamers who like that type of interface. For mouse usage with thumb typing at this small size it would be better to replace that power key at the top center with a ThinkPad trackpoint nub or mini trackball. There are plenty of other places to move the power button, like to the left of the H1 and H2 buttons.

      1. It’s a thumb keyboard. The layout needs to keep that in mind.

        For example, how are you going to use keyboard shortcuts that require some combination of shift, ctrl and alt with one thumb and another key with the other thumb?

  29. That keyboard layout needs a lot of work. It’s worse than the Win 2’s layout.

    Also this went from a pocketable Win 2 to a not pocketable Win Mini. Or at least it wouldn’t comfortable. Those millimeters matter at this size.

    Too bad GPD decided to ditch one of the biggest features of the Win 2 for me.

  30. Too bad it’s bigger. Going to pass on it.

    The Win 2 was already teetering between pocketable and not pockeatable by many. So a “little bit bigger just pushed it into not pocketable for a lot of people.

  31. Finally, they are bringing this form factor again, I really wish Aya Neo could give more details about their Flip and slide for comparison. More options are always better for the consumers.

  32. It was a great video, and this article summarises it nicely. My only concern is that the GPD Win-1 was barely pocketable, some say it wasn’t. The GPD Win-2 was slightly larger, also skirting on the border of what fits and what doesn’t. And lastly this, GPD Win-Mini is even slightly larger than that.

    So it may not be pocketable.
    Definitely not for formal pants, business pants or even buttoned shirts. Questionable for denim jeans. Maybe for chinos. Probably will fit for baggy pants, cargo pants and baggy jumpers or inside jacket/coat pockets.

    Maybe it’s the modern smartphones, for instance the Samsung Note-1, which has spoiled our perception of pocketable. I definitely think the PSP Slim, DS Lite and new3DS were pocketable. I think the PS Vita Slim was pushing it, as is the likes of the Retroid Pocket 3+. Whilst anything larger like the AYN Odin and Nintendo Switch Lite are not pocketable devices. I guess my preferred dimensions are:
    177 x 77 x 17mm (height, width, depth)

    1. Yeah, I was looking for a place to throw in a “if you have big pockets” without sounding snarky. Let me see if I can find a way to do that 🙂

    2. To be honest, I never had any trouble pocketing GPD Win 1 or 2 into any jeans pants. Most smart casual pants I wear have deep enough pockets to fit either as well. I have since moved to carrying a small man-bag which holds a few stuff including the WIN2, a micro-HDMI cable, a couple of SSDs, a power brick, a couple of USB-C cables for charging and data and a Bluetooth mouse and mini keyboard. That way, I can use it as a desktop anywhere I get a monitor or as a laptop any other time.