GPD Pocket Palmtop first impressions

This little machine just came out of the box and I’m using it to type up my first impressions.

The GPD pocket is like a little tiny laptop. Remember palmtop computers?

This is like that, but brand new and funded through an indiegogo campaign. As a fan of tiny retro technology this one looked like it was worth supporting.

GPD has made a tiny gaming computer before and succesfully delivered, so the crowdfunding aspect of this little machine wasn’t as risky as some similar gadgets.  Not only did it show up as promised, it showed up on time, which is kind of unheard of for a crowdfunded device.

Size-wise its slightly bigger than an Amazon Fire HD 6. Its a bit thicker than a macbook air, but pocket size, so that makes it look quite a bit thicker.

As you’d expect on a device this size, the keyboard is tiny. Initially I found it almost impossible to type on, but after about 10 minutes I feel like I’ve hit my stride.  There are few shifts to squeeze the keys into this format that are frustrating. I like to use the apostraphe when typing, but on this keyboard the enter key is in that location, meaning I keep spliltting lines.

Charging takes place through a USB  C port and a charger and cable is included. Also on the side is a full size USB port, headphone/mic jack and a display port.

Build quality seems decent with a magnesium alloy body and a tight screen hinge.  My main complaint about the design is that the hinge goes below the feet when the screen folded back at a steep angle. Fortunately it’s flat so it doesn’t seem to interfere when typing on a flat surface or when using on a lap.

The screen itself is decent, a 1920 x 1200 touchscreen which is higher res than the MacBook Air. The size compromise means everything shows up as pretty small, I imediately increases font sizes to make evertyhing a bit more comfortable.

The GPD Pocket is available with either Windows 10 or Linux. Because of they way Microsoft licenses the OS for tiny screens, Windows is free for this device.

The CPU is a quad core Atom and it comes with 4GB ram and 128GB ssd. Most every feature you’d expect in a basic laptop is present including AC Wifi, bluetooth, stereo speakers and a claimed 12 hour battery life, which I’m currently putting to the test.

So far this device seems pretty capable for a very portable laptop, although you’d need fairly large pockets to hold it. After about 20 minutes of use the keyboard isn’t too bad to type on considering its size, but definitely not as comfortable as a full size keyboard like the Alphasmart Dana.  Of course the GPD pocket can do a lot more than the Dana can.

If youre looking for a semi-pocketable palmtop the GPD pocket’s not a bad choice at all, in fact its really one of your only choices in this form factor. Its probably not ideal for mining bitcoin or doing graphically intensive work, but if you want a tiny machine with full windows OS the GPD pocket is the little machine that can.

GPD is selling them via indiegogo.