We are used to a standardized design based on the Intel NUC in the compact computer market. Although there are models that differ in formats and configuration, most are practically copies, until now. The British company Planet Computers has presented a new Mini PC based on ARM processors that has a compact design and a touch front panel.
Compact computers or Mini PCs have become popular due to their great quality/price ratio. These systems will obviously always be less powerful (in most cases) than tower or laptop computers. An optimal solution for a large number of users that gives many possibilities.
They create a Mini PC with a very attractive touch front
Surely, Planet Computers does not sound like anything to you, and it is normal. This British company, above all, has stood out for offering unusual products. They have launched a smartphone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard similar to the Nokia N97 and even a clamshell type. Now, they are making the leap to compact computers with a different proposal.
The PlanetPC XR1 and XR2 have been announced, which in design are really very similar. Both models have a front touch screen with a resolution of 1424 x 280 pixels. These computers are based on ARM architecture processors manufactured by Rockchip and come with the Ubuntu operating system installed natively.
The XR1 model is based on a quad-core RK3566 processor. This processor is complemented by 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage . On the other hand, the XR2 is based on the eight-core RK3588, with the same amount of RAM and storage as the XR1.
Note that the XR1 has a version with an SSD of up to 2 TB or an HDD of up to 4 TB. On the other hand, the XR2 has up to 32 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of flash memory or up to 2 TB of SSD.
Something that draws attention is the connectivity of these systems. The XR1 has one HDMI , two Ethernet, two USB 3.2, three USB 2.0, and one USB 2.0 Type-C . While the XR2 has two HDMI , one VGA, two Ethernet, four USB 3.0, one USB 3.0 Type-C , one USB 2.0 Type-C, and two USB 2.0. Both have WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
They’re not budget systems, with the XR1 going for $610 and the XR2 going for $769 . Of course, the touch screen makes the final product quite expensive.
Quite a booming market indeed
We can find many Mini PCs on the market for different types of use. These products sell quite well because they are cheap, powerful, and very compact. Not only use them to work, study or navigate, they have become popular to create retro console systems in the living room.
We have, for example, the BMAX B2S which is based on an Intel N4020, has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. A perfect system to create a retro console for the living room or for work. We can even opt for the Minix J51-C8 that costs 349 euros and is based on the Intel Celeron N5105. The latter is perfect as it has external WiFi antennas, something that guarantees better connectivity.
