Chuwi LarkBox mini PC – $217.99/£166.68 from Gearbest (roughly AU$300)
GearBest is offering a steep 35 percent discount on the Chuwi LarkBox that ends in just two days. If you do decide to purchase this mini PC with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, dual band gigabyte WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and more, the device will ship at the end of September and could take up to 14 days to arrive. Use CHUWILARKBOX at checkout for the extra discount.
The Chuwi LarkBox was the first nano PC (a micro thin client or a pico business PC, your choice) to emerge quickly followed by the XCY X51 and the GMK NUCBox. The original 2.4-inch personal computer is the best known of the three, with a recognizable brand, but it didn’t offer the best value for money. Until now that is.
Gearbest is selling the LarkBox at a steep discount; you get the basic model with 6GB LPDDR4 memory and 128GB ROM (sadly, an eMMC version); there’s also an extra M.2 slot As a reminder, you get a device that’s 61 x 61 x 43mm in size and can easily fit in a bag.
It is powered by an Intel Celeron J4115 processor which is probably as fast as a Core i7-5500U CPU. It has a flurry of expansion interfaces: two USB ports, USB Type-C, HDMI, headphone jack and microSD card slot.
There’s even a VESA mount, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 courtesy of an Intel 9461 wireless chip. We said of it that it “is relatively speedy, extremely compact and surprisingly well designed. The only real issue is to find a use for it.”
Expect others to test the waters with this exciting, if not-groundbreaking design, which could potentially be transformed into a powerful supercomputer with some clever engineering. You could potentially fit hundreds of them into a 42U chassis and their weight – 128g without the PSU – means that they would not be as heavy as one would think.
Bear in mind
- If this product comes from mainland China, it will take at least a month to reach the UK or the US (and potentially more). You may be levied an additional tax either directly or through the courier.
- If you’ve managed to find a cheaper product with equivalent specifications, in stock and brand new, let us know and we’ll tip our hat to you.