AliExpress 8" Mini Laptop: Where to get drivers, and other questions answered.

[@dmitrymoiseyew8338]

Warning. After receiving your laptop, you need to perform a clean reinstall of windows because the factory did changes and injected software invisible to antivirus which sending all your info and typing to creator. Use preinstalled windows with you fear and risk.

[@-throat-]

I was gonna install Linux on it anyway

[@alexanderwhite8320]

So the factory basically installed stock Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 because it is what a clean windows10 and newer does

[@dmitrymoiseyew8338]

@@-throat- you will not make rotating screen working on it

[@onewhoanimates9016]

@@dmitrymoiseyew8338 xrandr

[@Burnt-ve8bv]

Dirty pool.

[@static137]

Purchased this machine off of Amazon Canada for $430CAN and it came with a 512GB NVMe and Win11 Pro. I have been running wireshark from a second machine in my network watching this device and so far i can say there isn't anything shady going on in the Win11 image installed. I may wipe it anyway as I like specific things in my setups but I will watch it longer. Also for those who want to obtain better CPU performance there are some BIOS tweaks you can perform that will allow the CPU to ramp up to 3.4Ghz on 1 core and 3Ghz on the other 3... use at own risk Advanced->CPU power management control: Platform pl1 enable: disabled Platform pl2 enable: disabled Power limit 4 override: disabled Advanced->CPU power management control->View/Configure turbo options: Power limit 1 override: enabled Power limit 1: 15000 Power limit 2 override: enabled Power limit 2: 30000 Energy efficient turbo: disabled

[@ravensep]

I bought one at 403 cdn on a whim. I wanted a small laptop with pressure sensitive stylus to use OneNote as a planner (mobile version of onenote sucks). I'm going back and forth between trying it out or just sending it back unopened. I am not a techy person to do properly clean install of windows ...and I cant tell if connecting it to the online would compromise my data or some other devices on the router.

[@static137]

@ravensep just type reset in the start menu, choose the option when resetting to not keep any programs or documents... The system does everything itself including downloading a fresh copy of windows. It installed all drivers successfully too. This video is now outdated since windows can now automatically install all drivers.

[@ravensep]

​@@static137 i sent it back....my life is now filled with regrets 😔 maybe I will save up for gpd pocket 3. Same deal but since they have been around for a while probably would be a little bit safer

[@emmaccode]

would be nice to try it out with linux and see how this goes with the drivers, I could see this being the application for many, potentially. Thanks for the review.

[@bultvidxxxix9973]

This can run Linux. Kind of... First of all you need a very recent kernel, 6.5 didn't work for me. Arch works (and Gentoo too probably). Make sure you boot with fbcon=rotate:1 if you use the console for installation. Careful if you use a distro like Garuda with a live environment. The kernel on the iso is too old, so you have to install with nomodeset and for the first boot to do updates too. With that you can't rotate the screen. But after updating the packages it works fine. Kind of... When you boot up you just see a black screen and have to press the power button to go to standby and wake it up again, then you get the login screen, but it is sideways. To get it in the correct orientation tilting it forwards works (I have no idea why). You can change the orientation while in laptop mode once and that setting sticks, no matter how you move it around, even though iio-sensor-proxy detects the orientation changes. But when you switch to tablet mode there must be some kind of switch that gets activated when the lid is almost closed (maybe the same sensor as the lid closing sensor, but it doesn't trigger any acpi event when the screen is flipped). That will change the orientation to how you are currently holding it once. Whenever you want to turn it you have to open it up a little bit and close it again to update it. This might be some kind of configuration thing, so far I have only tested normal Arch and Garuda both with Gnome. If you use a different DE or XOrg instead of Wayland your experience might be different. I am not that experienced with Arch and desktop environments and just did a few hours trial and error. Apart from that everything seems to be working perfectly fine. You can even put the wifi in monitor mode.

[@emmaccode]

@@bultvidxxxix9973 I use fedora generally, so I imagine it will work -- if not, I have no problem with Arch if it has to be that recent. I just love RPM fusion and I like yum, so it would be preferred but not required. Thanks for the in-depth response. I guess these things have been selling pretty well, I better hurry up and get mine !

[@pinkipromise]

ubuntu is supproted

[@StandupGuy55]

@@pinkipromise By supported, do you mean everything works except fixing the orientation mentioned in the previous comment?

[@alexeyzemskov6642]

Does everything work fine?

[@Stefan_Wouters]

Question: Did you buy an NVME or a SATA M.2 drive? Do you know which of those it supports? Thank you for your in depth video. Edit: I have upgraded to a 2TB NVMe SSD. It works flawlessly. Windows did not activate so I had to use a spare license. The screen rotation doesn't work. As a workaround, install the Intel Arc drivers... it allows you to set hotkeys for screen rotation. Alternatively you could make an Autohotkey script. I have 4 missing drivers. Contacted the seller waiting about this. The best thing I have discovered about this laptop: The USB-C port supports PD charging, while passing HDMI and USB through a hub. I can use the same hub to connect this laptop, another laptop, and my Steam Deck. One at a time of course... but only one cable required.

[@NahyaAmizan]

Untuk linux pada laptop ini saya menggunakan Fedora 40 dan berjalan dengan baik. Rotasi Layar, Touchscreen, Koneksi Wifi, Bluetooth dan Audio berjalan dengan baik.

[@nana-chan4550]

Thanks for the review and the driver files. I installed them and everything works, including the accelerometer so you probably have a faulty one. I also ordered it without SSD and surprisingly it had a Windows 11 Pro license embedded in the BIOS. The BIOS itself is also very weird, appears to be a debug build with lots of features not meant for consumers...

[@miridorable]

Is there a link to this item on AliExpress so we could get one ourselves?

[@Zoyx]

I can't find a replacement charging "wall wart" for this thing. I thought I could buy any ol' 30-watt USB charger, but apparently not.

[@Frank-vo9xo]

No, this is not a KB n system. It would have a second HDMI slot, but that slot would not be to bring info in. It would be to bring info out and then you would be on the system. You could see what they see on the screen, but you can control their screen their mouse and keyboard and go and told their files in control everything it's for networking

[@Frank-vo9xo]

The game pad digital pocket 3 has the the KB M but you have to pay an extra $107. I think to buy it as an ad on and it clicks in and has 2 screws and next to USB type 3. It comes with a just a regular type 3. But that slot can pull out that cabin can slip in or a monitor port original serial ports. One of those can be slipped in and there's a few other things. They can slip in modules, but of course, that system is $1250 plus additional $100 for each module.

[@M0NkEyP0o]

Hello! Thank you for very good reviews on this device. Can you please try installing zoom meeting on it and tell me if it's possible. my wife already bought some asus mini laptop and we've returned it to the store because it's don't allow to install or run zoom on it and it's painfully slow. we really want to order this mini laptop but don't want to take chance ordering ot from ali waiting for long time to discover that zoom don't run on it. I'll be very thankful if you try and reply for me 🙏 the zoom is a deal breaker for us. thank you very much

[@davidpeach-hill2388]

Some good details. I have installed windows 10 on a NVME, and all after installing the driver pack, all is working correctly. I do have a few issues though, which appears that the CPU is running at around 60% capacity when fully loaded (geekbench and cinebench) compared to other N100 devices , can you confirm you are seeing this as well? I have had a good look through bios, and changings settings does not appear to make any difference . Its a decent little well built laptop, but would love to have full N100 performance. Maybe bios updates?

[@misterb9786]

Thx for the deep dive vid! I am curious though of a comparison w/ ur 2012 mbp. On paper, the n100 should smoke the Ivy bridge i5. Neither machine has dedicated graphics & while the apple can have 16gb ram, it's slower ddr. I googled comparisons of the cpu's & all tests showed the N100 leading by at least 20+%. I'm just curious what you mean by the i5-3210m mbp is better "bar none". Do u just mean screen-wise/trackpad/ports? Thanx 4 ur time.

[@temp7350]

Your point about video editing being worse than a 10+ year old laptop seems wrong. I returned it from Amazon due to the trackpad being uncomfortable, but it ran and rendered videos on Premiere just fine. Not too terrible, not great, just fine for a modern mid rage laptop. I don't believe you even tested it with a video editing software.

[@pauldeutsch2044]

Still unable to get bluetooth to work. I can plug in a usb mouse but there is only one usb port and I don't want to use it for a mouse receiver. I might want to connect a thumb drive.

[@TheNatural1981]

What is the battery life just doing browsing and light video watching in balanced power mode? If you run it in battery saver mode constantly is it slow and what is the battery life then with just casual use? Thanks.

[@Timie81]

Hello and thank you for these well detailed vids ! I hope I'm not repeating an already posed question, but does the computer come with Windows ? Or do we have to install the OS ourselves ?

[@misterb9786]

Not the OP but I can answer: Most sellers have it on the hard drive or they will email u the license# & link to the drivers if u order w/no hd. Ask ahead & screenshot their listing j.i.c. It's always smart to reinstall the OS from ANY chinese manufacturer regardless before using. Good luck.

[@KayakKiwi_Peter]

I would like to ask a question about running the P8 off a power pack. It's supposed to run off 15 volt / 2 amp, but all the power banks that do 15 volts output 3 amp. From the reading that I have done, because it has Power Delivery, this doesn't matter and as long as the power bank delivers 15 volts and 2 amps or more then the laptop will charge the battery just fine. Is that correct or will the laptop get damaged by a power bank outputting 15 vots / 3 amps?

[@pinkipromise]

your power bank will supply as much as laptop asks

[@albertofantinato5026]

Please somebody can tell me which SSD buy for this device? I can't find clearly what type of disk o have tò buy. Thankyou

[@AICvideo]

A 2242 nvme ssd: amzn.to/491JKqw

[@BuddyS95]

I've got a Dell Precision M4600, and a Precision M4700 (much better) that I bought on eBay for around $25 each (originally $4,000+). They're FANTASTIC for the price, work great for Art, Gaming, and 3D Design, still have a DVD drive, SD card slots, and you won't find more USB ports on any other laptop - these have 5 of them! As long as these are still functional for what I need them for, I'm never buying anything else... except for maybe something little like this to play around with on Linux, to see what they could do.

[@jordanbrookes9943]

Are these any good for video editing and what is the battery life like on them?

[@BuddyS95]

@@jordanbrookes9943 Yeah, they'd have no problem whatsoever with video editing. Battery life largely depends on how hard you make it work while on battery power. In Windows, it'll last for about 3 hours, while in Linux, it'll last up to 6. You've got to keep in mind that Precisions are high-powered laptops that are designed to be some of the strongest, and fastest on the market, so saving power isn't exactly something that they aim for.

[@KratsminschSkunk1]

I have one of these. I installed, or tried to install, Linux Mint, and Ubuntu, but the hardware in this is so odd I eventually gave up and went back to Windows. This one was the worst for trying to get Linux working on. Even in Windows, once installed you have to go to Display and make it landscape instead of portrait. At least it's not a paperweight anymore. Oh, I don't have all the drivers, like for WiFi, but using an external adaptor does the job if I absolutely think I need to connect to WiFi in a coffee shop.

[@AICvideo]

I have drivers that were provided to me here: aroundincircles.net/8-aliexpress-laptop-drivers/ I cannot make any promises about them, it's just what I was given.

[@KratsminschSkunk1]

@@AICvideo Thank you. I will take an abundance of care before trying to install them.

[@DeadMouseis]

what is the link to the laptop?

[@Davehillbo83]

Have you noticed that the N100 is not running at its full potential? CPU Benchmarks are showing it running at approx 60% compared to other N100 devices. Which is a bit of a downer. The bios has a shedload of options, but none seem to affect its performance. Any ideas?

[@pinkipromise]

advanced, cpu, power limit

[@GoncaloRijo]

Thank you for such an informative video. Mine is on the way!

[@shuginubi]

Great vid! Mate, could you tell us what is RAM speed?

[@AICvideo]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXnNdHx-nbt2brc that's the best I can give you is what CPU-Z shows.

[@girlyvoice3210]

How much does it weigh exactly?

[@axelcodr]

Great video!

[@bubbafett2700]

Can it run voicemod?

[@gdjaybee742]

Is it possible your screen orientation issue with being stuck with portraight has anything to do with the sensors that automatically senses tablet orientation being broken?

[@AICvideo]

I think so.

[@gdjaybee742]

@@AICvideo If this laptop didn't have the tablet feature, the linux you are using might actually have worked. Did you try Droid OS for PC? Worth a try. Maybe Chromebook OS. Traditional Linux OS such as Ubuntu etc may not have support for this feature.

[@mathiasschmidt9770]

did you find any malicious files on this laptop? Aliexpress Computers often come preinstalled with Viruses I am not sure but I think I found some on mine(I bought the same Laptop)

[@AICvideo]

I bought it with no drive, and no OS. So no software at all. The drivers supplied I only installed the bare minimum to get it working, and no viruses found from a scan. Whenever I buy a used computer, I always do a clean install of windows, regardless.

[@escapetherace1943]

@@AICvideo yeah they just have hardware level viruses hidden in blobs my guy

[@KisameSempai]

@@escapetherace1943 what does that mean? can't remove them?

[@escapetherace1943]

@@KisameSempai no we're talking about software embedded in chips soldered directly to the motherboard, which loads before your bios allows you to boot, in encrypted, unreadable files. You can have absolutely zero idea what these do. Some exist because it is mandatory like the intel IME and I forgot intel's name, but I wouldn't put it behind some sellers from China embedding their own viruses, etc

[@Mike-jn9pu]

What about installing ubuntu?

[@AICvideo]

it was the first OS I tried, and I couldn't get it to boot at all from USB.

[@Eddie-u9f]

Thinking to buy it. Does it run linux? If yes what? Touchscreen would work on linux?

[@AICvideo]

I have tried a few different versions of linux and my experience has been poor. No boot or if it does, no drivers for graphics, and such. that may change down the road.

[@Eddie-u9f]

@AICvideo I appreciate your answer Sir.

[@bultvidxxxix9973]

Linux does generally work, but you need at least 6.6 kernel. There is one issue though, if the display turns off to save power, it won't turn back on. The backlight does, but you get no image. Annoyingly turning the display off and on again seems to be part of the driver initialization, so that will happen every time you boot. You have to go to standby and wake up from that to get it working again. There is a bug report on i915 for that, so it may get fixed at some point. Other than that everything seems to be working. GNOME doesn't rotate the stylus input, but that is a a GNOME issue and is fixable, works fine out of the box with KDE.

[@jayjunior2023]

Hey bro is it a proper operating system windows or more chromebook style need proper PC operating system but laptop

[@AICvideo]

They sell it with windows, or no OS at all. I installed windows and I have posted on my blog the drivers I was provided. I did not have much luck with linux drivers.

[@jayjunior2023]

@@AICvideo thanks for response. Reason I ask is I'm having trouble finding a small laptop to connect to car audio Bluetooth to use youtube. Chromebook / hp laptops dont work for some reason it has be a laptop with proper operating system like PC identicle. Is it same as pc? My Android phone connects but chromebooks etc will connect but no audio will come through. Wierd as hell. Could be a audi bluetooth issue. But normal pc laptops seem to work

[@kesimozkaya]

BIOS menu key? Boot menu key?

[@xerxes299]

DEL, if you get a version running A.M.I.

[@mrnichols6177]

Would tails os work on this

[@AICvideo]

I'm not familiar with that OS at all. it meets/exceeds minimum system requirements so I don't know why it wouldn't. Looks like Tails OS works on Debian, so you might have issues with driver support, Ubuntu didn't work for me properly due to lack of drivers.

[@bultvidxxxix9973]

I don't think so, you need a very recent kernel. A distro with a 6.5 kernel didn't work for me (only with nomodeset). Tails 6.0 is built on Debian 12 which uses 6.1. Don't know where the cut-off point is, but Arch works (kind of).

[@bultvidxxxix9973]

Regarding chargers: Obviously those dumb 5V USB can't charge it. The device clearly says on the back that you can charge with 15V (and 2A) or 20V (and 1.5A). Nothing about 5V. You definitely need something with USB Power Delivery. However, it is more complicated than that. Even with a 65W USB PD charger, you may or may not be able to charge it (probably not). I don't know how PD works exactly, but it seems like the device is requesting 30W of power and a some charger will be like "ok, no problem, here are 10,3V, you can pull 3A, have fun" and the laptop can't charge because 10V is not supported. Even though the charger could also deliver 15V or 20V, it just doesn't do it. My impression is that chargers which are bundled with another product support less charging standards (because they only have to support that one product) and are more likely to work. If you buy a standalone charger or power bank they usually try to do as many standards as possible and are less likely to work. Thankfully I found a solution (mostly so you can use power banks which otherwise wouldn't work): USB Docks. I bought an Essager 8-in-1 (with SSD slot). If I connect my 65W power bank to the PD in of that dock it will provide 50W (20V and 2.5A) on the connection to the laptop and that one will charge it. Other docks may or may not work, that's the only I tested because it is the only one I have.

[@ToddAdams]

I am able to charge mine with an Anker 65W USB-C charger.

[@GoncaloRijo]

Are you able to pair Bluetooth devices with yours? Mine does not detect any while searching...

[@dmitrymoiseyew8338]

Yes mine pairing without any issues

[@irvanvir2564]

Dapatkah anda beritahu saya driver VGA yg cocok utk laptop ini ?

[@HelloVista-Droid]

Does This PC Has Some Viruses ?

[@AICvideo]

Mine came with no OS drive, so I installed my own OS, so mine didn't.

[@A_Tusami]

arch works on this

[@WendyArroyo-q7r]

Minilaptop para camila

[@jeremystanley9395]

It’s soooo cute 😂😂😂😂😂❤

[@velesmilk7493]

A charger is much bigger tnen a laptop

[@NahyaAmizan]

Untuk Linux saya menggunakan Fedora dan berjalan dengan baik Rotasi Layar, Layar sentuh, koneksi Wifi, Bluetooth dan Audio berjalan dengan baik.

[@joeyscleaninglady2877]

this is trash like the GDP type crappy chinese palmtops... might as well go with an ipad with a keyboard or any m1/m2 based unit which lasts a lot longer and is marginally bigger.

[@tyrgoossens]

That's a lot more expensive. It's a shame this doesn't run Linux properly, that would be a BIG plus.

[@IvanJankovicDC]

Spoken like a real trash

[@jiffonbuffo]

GPDs, especially the gaming ones, are loads better than your walled garden trash.