GPD Pocket -

Introducing the GPD Pocket, currently the smallest laptop on the planet in 2017. To be honest, I was initially skeptical when I saw the crowd funding campaign for this little gadget earlier this year. Do you remember the introduction of the 8 inch netbook just under a decade ago back in 2008? Netbooks were the next best thing since sliced bread back in those days because of there small size and full sized keyboards, making them ideal machines for the road warrior who needed a basic ultra portable laptop for running simple applications like Microsoft Office. Unfortunately however, that was all that they were good for, simple tasks.

Based on the available processing technology and battery life back in those days netbooks were not designed to run resource hungry applications, nor could they play graphic intensive video games well and when it came to battery life, that was also deplorable. None the less the reign of the netbook was short lived only after a couple of years when the tablet era began with the launch of the Apple iPad in 2010. So now we fast forward all the way to the present day were the computer technology has continued to evolve to the point were ultra portable laptops can now be powerful enough to run more power applications like video editing programs as well as handle even more complex video games. That is where the GPD Pocket comes into the picture.

Let’s look at some of the specifications of possibly the world’s smallest laptop in more detail.

Operating System Options On The GPD Pocket

The GPD Pocket comes in two flavors: Ubuntu and Windows 10.

GPD Pocket Screen

Do not be fooled by the size of the screen. Yes, it is a mere 7 inches when measured diagonally but when you look at pictures and video on this screen you will be surprised that the viewing quality is up there with those Retina Displays on the Apple MacBooks and iPads. The screen of the GPD Pocket is a full HD 1900 by 1200 pixels and it also doubles as a touch screen as well. There are 323 pixels per inch on this thing which far surpasses that on the Apple MacBook Air which has 127 ppi and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 which has 214 pixels per inch (ppi).

GPD Pocket Processor and Memory

The GPD Pocket has a small but powerful Intel Atom X7-Z8750 processor which has a total of four cores. This CPU is rated at a clock speed of 1.6GHz. When it comes to on board memory there is not 4 but a whopping 8GB which makes it perfect for running large applications and medium sized games which require quite a bit of RAM to function properly. The good folks at GPD were also nice enough to include 128GB of storage in the form of integrated eMMC memory which is more than enough to hold your key applications, maybe a couple of games as well as other media like videos and music. On the downside, however there is no memory expansion slot for a microSD card.

Ports

The GPD Pocket has a number of ports along its right side. There you find a 3.5 mm audio jack, a USB 3.0 Type C port which is a great plus, a USB 3.0 Type A port and a micro HDMI port which provides connectivity to a second screen like your favourite 70 inch flat screen TV for example.

GPD Pocket Battery

Portability is nothing is you have to charge your laptop ever so often. That being said, that problem does not exist when it comes to the GPD Pocket which has a 7000 mAh battery tucked in under the hood. I have personally been able to use the device for around an average of 10 to 12 hours between charges.

Other features that are worth mentioning are Bluetooth version 4.1, WiFi capability (802.11ac) as well as a built in heat extraction fan that is designed to keep the innards of the GPD Pocket as cool as possible during operation and avoid overheating when cranking through those processing tasks.

GPD Pocket Aesthetics

The GPD Pocket does not look or feel cheap. In fact it looks like a miniature version of the ever popular Apple MacBook Pro. It has a magnesium alloy unibody design just like the Apple MacBook and the keys on the keyboard have that Chiclet style look an feel like the Apple Macbook as well.

On the downside however the keys on the GPD Pocket are not backlit. Looking at the layout of the keys on the keyboard, seeing that there is not a lot of real estate to play with, some of the keys have been placed in different locations to what is normally seen on regular sized keyboards like the Caps Lock and Tab buttons for example.

The space bar is actually broken into two parts which may initially be a bit of a hindrance if you are used to a full space bar and there is a small rubber nub that acts as a mouse pointer control seeing that there is no room for a touch pad. The GPD Pocket does have a touch screen, however, which makes the absence of a track pad not much of an issue.

In summary, the GPD Pocket is a solid device which is so portable that it can literally fit in your pocket. It has enough battery and processing capacity that it can be a useful computing platform for the road warrior who needs access to their productivity apps without having to lug around a large laptop and power supply. IT professionals and engineers come to mind when I think of target markets for this platform.

As they say, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”, the GPD Pocket is also a great portable gaming device that can play your favourite Windows games and emulated games as well. Thanks to the available Bluetooth radio you can use an external wireless game pad of your choice.