BEST TINY Handheld Gaming PC - 2025 GPD Win Mini

[@brobocop8293]

man this takes me back , I've been watching you since you convinced me to pull the trigger on the very first GPD win ... back in what was that ... 2016/17 ? Before you came in front of the camera . Nice to know there is some constants in the world.

[@ekinteko]

I remember him from the old forums for the OpenPandora. Man is a certified geek 😆

[@cloudycolacorp]

@@ekinteko oh shit, didn't realise he was from all the way back then. Still have my pandora

[@Danroku78]

He convinced me to get gpd win 1 there was no turning back

[@Danroku78]

Damn that take me back​@@ekinteko

[@ekinteko]

@@Danroku78 Me too, coming from the Nokia N900 it was exciting but OpenPandora was always doomed to fail. It was meant to be a cutting edge gadget that used the latest mobile processor, had an open source Linux OS, also had a sturdy design, keyboard and game controls. And made at a fair price. Besides the price increases, OS issues, processor ageing, and massive delays... I would not call it a success even as an early adopter. You literally were better served having two separate devices instead (eg Small Netbook + Hacked PSP). In terms of successors, the original Nvidia Handheld was okay, the GPD XD was better-ish, and the GPD Win-1 was a proper (spiritual) successor to the OpenPandora. And the GPD Win-2 was even better. And now the best spiritual successor is the Valve SteamDeck. Very interesting gadgets, all stemming back to the Sharp Zaurus days, or the OQO X1 "pocketable Windows Xp" devices.

[@Mr._A685]

Your videos sold me on buying the first GPD win handheld, which came in super handy as I had major surgery and was bed ridden for many months, luckily I had that device to use, it was perfect. By god did it get warm! and loud! Thank you for the many years of content

[@ExeOnInfinite]

The effect at the beginning of the video is gold! Loved it.

[@ThePhawx]

Thanks! :)

[@Autotrope]

Once you notice it once, you start to notice on all his videos :)

[@ronin8959]

I just purchased the 2024 8840U + 32gb Ram version and I literally can not wait! arrives tomorrow

[@stephen1347]

Congrats, how long did shipping take?

[@willchamberlayne]

I’m going for Tht 2025 modal

[@rzxd1]

@@willchamberlayneIm either going for the 2025 model or a 5090

[@Yoko.Kurama]

Where did you buy it from?

[@rzxd1]

@@Yoko.Kurama third party sellers sell it for 800-1200

[@Odinspark7033]

If GPD wants to push into the more main stream, they need some custom software to handle performance rather than relying on Motion Assist. Motion Assist is great at all it can do but, it just isn't something that the average user will be able to utilize to its potential. They also need to incorporate some sort of battery charge limiter for when the device is being used plugged in a lot. So far, I think onexplayer is the only non main stream manufacturer that is utilizing this option. And with sourcing replacement batteries on these boutique manufacturers being a pain, its a welcome feature.

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

It doesn’t have battery charge limits? Lol, even the cheapest laptops have that option in the bios and have for like 20 years

[@Alex-gv4rv]

Honestly what I've read about the batteries these things have (battery life, replacing them etc) is what's keeping me from buying one. Which is a shame because I love the idea and look

[@snorttroll4379]

@@Alex-gv4rv yah. they neeed to auto throttle juice when out and about and allow the juice to flow when docking

[@RolandDobbins]

This testing confirms that there’s no compelling reason to upgrade from the 2024 8840U/32GB model. Very helpful to those of us who recently purchased one!

[@Sanuske4]

Except for 2280 SSD. Depending on what you use it for that is a massive upgrade.

[@RolandDobbins]

@@Sanuske4- I just added a 2TB MicroSD. 64GB of RAM would allow 16GB of VRAM, but 8GB VRAM suffices, for the present.

[@RanEncounter]

​@@RolandDobbins MicroSD read and write speeds are garbage compared to Nvme SSD...

[@RolandDobbins]

@ - yes, but it seems to work well enough for reading game program files, for now.

[@Sanuske4]

@@RolandDobbins As stated read/write for microSD is quite slow by comparison. Plus again it depends on what you use it for. My main/only computer is an Ayaneo Slide connected to a 4070TI EGPU. I do a lot of unity/blender/substance painter work as well as video projects and currently have a 4 TB 2280 (a size smaller NVMEs do not reach) + a 2TB MicroSD and still use external drives when the computer is docked. Honestly I hope these smaller drive sizes die. Most systems that use a 2245/30 have the size to fit a 2280. They're cheaper. They come in a bigger size. They don't run as hot. Aside of the marginal size difference there is no advantage to the smaller sizes.

[@BarelyAverageDude]

2280 SSD is a huge upgrade! Win Mini remains king of the small Handheld. 👑

[@samsungfan1982]

You getting it?

[@BarelyAverageDude]

@ I’m thinking about it. Trying to be more conservative this year 😅🤷🏽‍♂️

[@X862go]

Agreed 👍🏼

[@elirantuil5003]

Win 4 has occulink though...

[@BarelyAverageDude]

@@elirantuil5003 that’s true, but win mini has a larger screen that’s 120hz VRR, and it’s still more portable because you can put it into your pocket. I have a win 4, but I’d be crazy to put it directly in my pocket. Win mini Portability is unmatched.

[@nlchicken1565]

But I am a little confused, wich of the two versions is better? The 8840u or the 370?

[@jar768jake]

Definitely right about the speakers, I wish they would've taken that space on either side of the installed battery and put in an ever so slightly larger battery.

[@kelvinchewjw]

love the 6800u HX370 comparisons there actually held on the first win4 for a long while now been doing repairs here and there and the win mini is getting more and more attractive, just kinda want a low power comparison between the two like at 3-5w how wopuld the hx compared cause I recall the 6800u was the last one that have s3 sleep edit: oh yeah biggest upgrade, there's a white one now

[@Bushidounohana]

That white is pretty slick! Great overview!

[@nfriedly]

I have an 8840u win mini that I love. I was thinking about selling it for the 2025, but now I think I might just hang onto it. It seems like some nice overall improvements, but I was hoping for significantly better performance also.

[@naoseiquela00]

Look for more videos making performance tests, i dont know why but he took some especific games/resolution that can make you have wrong conclusions. Watch some 1080 tests. Look for some frame gen comparisons too.

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

These things are overpriced junk made made by a no name company who can’t even properly translate their home page into English. Seriously, spend your money and time on anything else. Anyone who this this hard up about gaming needs to take a hard look at their life

[@johnmclain250]

@@JohnSmith-op7ls Only two companies on the planet currently make these mini clamshell gaming pcs. The options are VERY limited. And only GPD has one that can fit into a large cargo pants pocket.

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

@ So don’t get one, the form factor makes no sense anyhow. Overpriced and full of compromises. The “I’m going to game on it but also do real work” crowd are full of it. You’re going to do real work on a tiny screen and thumbs only keyboard? Lol

[@nfriedly]

@@JohnSmith-op7ls oh, I have no pretense of doing work on these things. I have a real laptop for that. This is exclusively a gaming device. I did sell my other one already, it went surprisingly quick and I got $980 for it. So I could buy the 8840u 2025 model and come out ahead. I can live with a few mm difference in size for the better cooling. And I don't think I actually use the extra 16 gigs of RAM that often.

[@DarrenPC]

I really wanted this years device but dropping oculink was a dealbreaker. Still, love GPD and cant wait to see what they do next

[@freddynzeiss]

Agree, would’ve upgraded from my 7840u version had this came with Oculink

[@sabith9152]

I've had nothing but problems with that warranty from that company what's two devices from them

[@davelaion91]

I want this one so bad, the 2024 version with 8840U is my favorite Windows Handled from 2024 and default travel companion. Hoping to see the igg campaign live soon!

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

You need to get out more

[@PomuLeafEveryday]

​@@JohnSmith-op7ls He just said the device is his travel companion, he does get out

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

@ Get out to game. Seems even more sad than just not getting out.

[@SomeGuyAgain]

Let's get this man to 100K subs

[@ThePhawx]

This is my year haha!

[@ctrl_x1770]

He deserves at least 500k...

[@kalark]

@@ThePhawx i honestly thought you had 500k at least! The quality of your content is superb

[@iamkailong]

it is so nice, so sad it doesn’t has oculink. Still tb4 is enough for most people, especially you would use external display when using egpu most of the time. (I was mistaken. It only got usb4, which is slightly different.)

[@prosetheus]

I really hope they offer an Oculink version as well. Perhaps the Phawx can communicate this to them? We could also try through twitter

[@jkwanness]

yes oculink really made my win wini a desktop replacement

[@ezg8448]

That's awesome they corrected the heat issue, but where is the fan noise testing? That's something that matters on a handheld but was left out in this video.

[@mop7188]

Probably loud, my 2023 mini is a screamer

[@ogRetroRambles]

This was an awesome breakdown, thank you!

[@MarkDell]

How would it be moving from a GPD Win Mini with Occulink to this higher end model without when using the G1? I figure some games will run a fair bit slower unless they can make use of the extra CPU power? Thanks dude, keep on phawxing

[@ThePhawx]

Wow thank you! It would be a pretty sizable downgrade going from OcuLink down to thunderbolt. CPU improvements are only found at very high framerates, so to compensate you'd have to lower resolutions going further. If you find yourself using OcuLink often and enjoying it, I would wager you would be disappointed going to thunderbolt on the newer model

[@MarkDell]

@@ThePhawx Thanks duder! I’ll have to give this some thought as I like the flexability

[@guirlache]

amazing as always, thank you!

[@ThePhawx]

❤Thank you too!

[@BarelyAverageDude]

Not sure how the win mini is configured, but on my F1 Pro with HX370 at 17 watts it is pulling 26 what total system power which is less than the Win Mini (similar to Ally X) 🤔 Maybe the OLED is helping 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@geise69]

This looks so good in white. I love the changes. I have a 6800U 32gb 2tb win4 but this might make me upgrade. I always wanted the clamshell design like my win 1 and 2 but win4 was only thing available at the time for what i wanted in small form factor. This might get me to upgrade.

[@GSBarlev]

I have the same Win4, and I'm curious to see the next iteration in their sidekick-style form factor. I would love a 7" screen / larger keyboard with a better pointer method (dedicated thumb trackball or-dare I hope-a trackball??).

[@Anna_Rae]

This thing looks like it would fit in my purse, that's exciting 💕

[@EzaneeGires]

With the right size pocket, it can even fit in some trousers!

[@BlackApathyy]

Beautiful device and very detailed review per usual

[@ThePhawx]

Thank you kindly

[@Pokephantom]

Got the Legion Go for my mobile handheld... Might just need to sell it to go all in for GPD finally.

[@KapilAiyer]

Oh the white version looks so good, I don’t know if I’d have preferred it be fully white though.

[@revaaron]

I got the 2024 GPDwinmini (8840) even though my GPDwinmax2 (6800)has never worked. The GPDwinmini 2024 is great. My #1 complaint is the 2230 over 2280. The 2230 ends up being a bottleneck for the processing I use it for. I'm glad they fix this in the 2025 model (not that I'm upgrading). My #2 complaint is no thumbprint reader.

[@eseltiti]

Damn that thumbnail to video transition is so smooth

[@peterc_dancestudio]

I’m confused about the comparison with 8840u. In all other reporting I recall the 370 is clearly the stronger performer at various TDPs, yet in virtually all tests you ran the 370 struggles to keep up. @ThePhawx

[@Groboman]

it was pretty surprising to see...

[@Deinorius]

It's rather a comparison for the performance in GPD Mini devices. He tests differently as everyone else does too. Look at the bazzite video he did. HX370 does even better. It would be interesting to see, how both GPD Win Mini devices would do with bazzite. Maybe the outcome changes.

[@LimitGTX]

Great review the device is best in class at its size. I personally prefer the usb/thunder bolt port over oculink. Maybe next year thunderbolt 5 added for gpu support.

[@FS-zt6tm]

thunderbolt 5 is intel....unless GPD goes back to intel, we won't be seeing TB5 on their devices

[@LimitGTX]

@@FS-zt6tm ah thanks for the clarification, if that's the case then USB4 version 2 80gbps is what I'll have to wait for since thunderbolt is intel specific.

[@Hellboy_109]

Im glad i waited buying the 2024 version, cause the white is absolutely gorgeous

[@rhoadeswr1]

I knew that was your reflection in the pic on reddit! 🤣

[@wintermintleaf]

im persuaded.. finally joining the win club again after selling my win 2 in 2023 for weed money

[@pkilljoy5797]

that white color is slick, tho the bigger bezel bothers me, will be sticking to the 2024 model they should make an 8" version of this design. I love it so much. Im definitely eying GPD's future devices

[@EzaneeGires]

At least the Pocket 4 is 8 inches

[@Vegan_Lifting]

I have an 8inch GPD of this design. It's perfect.

[@steveybiggunzgaming8118]

13:50 maybe its that new chip that is adding the extra 2 watts in that comparison?

[@roslolian11]

I bought the GPD Win 2 a few years ago and loved it a lot. I wanted to upgrade however I find out GPD keeps making new versions every year so I end up holding out every time.

[@aztrea8]

I've been waiting for a new gpd win max for the last year and this is making it really hard to stay patient

[@arunavamalo]

Happy with my 8840U/32G/2TB Win Mini which is only few months old and running great! I play Half Life games and Resident Evil reboots (7, Village etc) and all of them run like butter at 18-20W TDP at medium high settings (of course with Ray Tracing off). This is a piece of futuristic technology imo that I can keep tucked in my jacket pocket or bag and will not be replacing it for at least 5 years or more (provided spare batteries are made available to purchase and hardware doesn't fail).

[@tappersreviews4677]

Seems like a great Win Mini update. But, I’m holding out for OLED. I completely understand the advantages of the screen they are using, but after owning my SD OLED and Retroid Pocket 5, it’s hard to look at IPS screens and not miss the actual blacks, richer colors and faster pixel refresh that OLED offers. I’d personally give up VRR for that, and just lock games at 60 or 90 hz or whatever since these SOCs are capable doing so for most games.

[@thibaldus3]

Can't stand the PWM of Oled screens. Gives terrible headaches.

[@kalark]

great video! I've been looking for an upgrade from my z1e rog ally and this looks to be a great upgrade! Gonna pull the trigger on the HX370 32gb model!

[@kieranmandy9987]

As an owner of a 2025 gpd product im really looking forward to hearing your advice on tuning the 370 hx chip. Im finding it underperforming in some situations compared to what i would expect. Rpcs3 being a notable example

[@nitholx917]

I had the gpd win mini 2024, the battery was ok, but I would love to see a win mini 2025 with double battery.

[@Timilias]

Excellent video - thank you! QQ - I have seen few other videos that compared 8840U, AI 9 365 and AI 9 370 which showed a pretty linear FPS improvement. Specifically in OnexFly F1 Pro EVA. They tested slightly different games but is it possible that HX 370 will behave differently in different devices? To me its counter-intuitive, but cant wrap my head around the different results. Thanks!

[@VTVINO]

Does this model have the magnet covers for the gaming controls like the win 2?

[@ProfessorChaosx]

where do i buy?

[@TheBlitzsnake]

The form factor is godly. But it's a hard recommend over Rog Ally X otherwise. I think the Ally X will be the gold standard of PC handhelds for some years on, especially considering how disappointing HX 370 benchmarks are in comparisons. We are spoiled in that all these handhelds are just varying degrees of excellence.

[@LeftyPencil]

1:41 like the Win 4 5:49 weird they couldn't add a mouse point like on the win 4 near the left/right of the keyboard Guess I'm biased as this looks like a pain to use

[@DumpsterTurkey]

What I am dying to know is could I plug a mouse into this and use the left joystick as my wasd?

[@Thexxis]

You probably already saw this, but GPD also seems to have stealth upgraded the internals of the Win Max 2 with the same HX 370 chip as this. If I had the money I'd get it in a heartbeat since I like the form factor of the Win Max 2 more than the Mini.

[@BrianHallmond]

When are they shipping?

[@BarelyAverageDude]

Can the new Win Mini still use the old previous screw on grip? I ask because I only use the grip on one side.

[@bigulabot]

what’s the top W you can push it to when docked?

[@snorttroll4379]

when will windows come on phones? as in full windows on a dockable device

[@HiTechLoLife]

Hall Effects are awesome but I do hope we get TMR sticks in the future!

[@RaajChitnis-lp3sh]

can you connect it a monitor using hdmi? and use wireless mouse and keyboard?

[@samsquanch1382]

I just bought the ally x and now you make me want to pick this up

[@ninjason57]

I really wanted the GPD win mini to replace my handheld and laptop but it seems to just not be able to be a full laptop. The GPD win max 2 is a better laptop but seems to be too big as a handheld. We need a GPD win medium!

[@magfal]

What's the staining situation like with the white version?

[@Drebin2293]

Can I use a double sided 2280?

[@Groboman]

good question...

[@thehardyboys4227]

Where’s the link to purchase this thing?

[@keelpeel1296]

Where can I buy this reliably? When I search the 2025, there are several listings that say it’s the 2025 but it’s clearly not from the pictures, mouse/controller switch is still on top instead of the side

[@crow132]

can we undervolt the 370 in the win mini?

[@sparkz6381]

Can’t wait for the core parking video

[@jcarloz0]

How about noise of the new cooling solution?

[@Rob7911]

It looks it but will the grip fit the 2024 model?

[@thibaldus3]

I love this device. I just wish it was larger to fit a full keys keyboard (like the astroslide 5G)

[@GreatestGames777]

What's stopping you from 3D printing and extra back piece that holds an external battery with a tiny cord that directly connects to the input on the device giving it tons of extra battery power? And adding grips as well

[@tappersreviews4677]

Curious if they will be offering that white variant for sale, or is that just a prototype?

[@doctormadness6924]

Great video as always! Love my GPD Win Mini 2023. Do the new grips work on the older models? I would love to upgrade but my wallet is definitely saying no 😂😭

[@hermannaess]

Does the new grip fit the 2024 model? Considering the new model is slightly thicker

[@karlgreene2177]

How does this compare to the 2025 win max 2?

[@naoseiquela00]

You have to see the upgrade in tests with frame gen on

[@PInoyHenyoRito]

Pls review gpd win max 2 2025 hx 370

[@snorttroll4379]

is it the 2025 edition or like us car manufacturers calling the 2024 version the 2025 version?

[@PuddleBurger]

Yep, 2023 is still the best mini. This device needs occulink, better sticks, and better battery before I think about upgrading.

[@RolandDobbins]

Nobody uses Oculink. It’s niche, & I’m glad GPD have abandoned it in favor of more USB ports.

[@tomoprime217]

Yeah the sticks totally suck especially after a year of use. They feel like loose pegs with a physical dead zone.

[@insomaniac007]

The white looks so good. Quick question is it just this test unit that has the black keyboard/buttons/sticks or will the final model have them in white please?

[@Happyhaha9000]

Can the stick toppers be replaced with concave ones, like on the Odin 2? Personally I really hate convex sticks, it's kind of a dealbreaker for me :(

[@cdomin12]

Would love to see this running Bazzite for the sake of performance

[@BOKLUK_CHOVEK]

Can I instal win10 ? I hate 11🤮and can be conected to bigger screen?

[@quanglagom]

the heat was ok with 2024 edition. however, the fan noise profile was bad. does 2025 sound nicer?

[@L3NU2]

Is it likely that the 2025 version is released within these 2 weeks?

[@Rodlene]

When can we buy

[@RemTilak]

GPD really is cooking! 👏🥳

[@goq9757]

What do you think about Thunderbolt 5, and do you reckon it’ll make its way into gaming handhelds this year? Asus teased a powerful iGPU with an RTX 5090 and TB5.

[@ManeoROG]

how s the build,warranty and service.

[@FirebrandChris]

Glad to hear about the 2280

[@hatorihanzo3431]

howd you get it in white -.-

[@eazi23]

When will the 2025 version release?

[@waldeka.1518]

Will you review new gpd win max ??

[@ObinnaEke]

How does the HX370 compared to the new intel 258V?

[@Hodori-mf3ct]

Hi Phawx!

[@Chairmanmau]

Any security considerations? Do we have to reinstall the os with scanned files?

[@ryankwan1934]

They keep on cranking these out on an annual basis, but how is the reliability and repairability?

[@ibelieveinjesusinmyspareti2861]

Silicon graphen batteries should increase capacity by 15% while taking less space. Technically this means that while taking less space we should get a 52wh battery, i wonder if that would make the win mini more viable. But at that point other handhelds would do the same so i don't know of that form factor Is the right choice, maybe if the size was increase from 7 to 7.5 inches they could add another fan and have a much bigger battery. I know that It would compete more with the win max but personally with all the changes being made i don't think it's viable.

[@czarkowskipawelyt]

I miss the times when these were the size and thickness of a Nintendo 3DS XL. Especially since I'd have to run it at sub-10W anyway, making all this cooling and CPU power kinda wasted. Edit: the New Nintendo 3DS XL is 160x93.5x21.5 mm, GPD Win "mini" 2025 is 172x109x27. Over 25% thicker and over 1 cm longer and wider.

[@jar768jake]

I had both the Win 1 and 2 myself. I remember back then, the device getting warm to the touch was just part of the experience 😅

[@tappersreviews4677]

True. I’d rather have a truly pocket device like that again, but I think that ship has sailed. Win Mini is pretty nice though.

[@tomoprime217]

Noticed how you started with the 6800u instead of the 1st gen Win Mini 7840u. Were the 7840u's cpu zen cores that much better than strix point e/p cores for these benchmarks? It's not a good fit if I need to park cores to play games. No oculink here either. Wish GPD gave us at least 2 full speed usb4 ports. Perhaps a hx 365 is the ideal combo. Seems nuts to make the Mini fatter and not give us a bigger battery. Scrap the sound to extend that battery.

[@michelquintin4401]

Is the ssd cap rly 2tb? Since its a 4480 shouldnt it be 4tb or more?

[@michaelpaine8849]

You could have downclocked the GPU for the Z1e test to see if that affects the hx370 watts while keeping same fps.

[@danielrdotcom]

got a vid for the GPD winmax 2025 coming soon?

[@TheJimmydinh]

I just bought this version on indigogo! First ever GPD device. It says its suppose to ship in March. How are they when it comes to estimated ship times and actual ship times? I have a big trip in April so it would be awesome to get this before that.

[@Meepy289]

depends on production and where you live. but once they shipped it, it only took about a week for it to get to me