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Windows on a Pocket PC Reminds Us of Windows Phone
Do you miss the days when Microsoft PDAs roamed the Earth, or the more recent Windows Phone era? Then Japan’s Gloture might be able to tempt you with its new NanoPC (h/t PC Watch). This new product is a highly compact PC with a full-cover 5.5-inch touchscreen on one side, built in battery, and Windows 11 Pro.
Compared to smartphones in 2023, the NanoPC doesn’t look very ergonomic with large bezels, sharp-looking edges, and a thick build. On the positive side, you get Windows 11 in your pocket, and this device bristles with connectivity options and ports including Gigabit Ethernet.
(Image credit: Gloture)
With our description above, and the various images shared in this article, some of you might be thinking ‘wow’, but we are sure another sizable contingent will have responded with a ‘why?’ So, let’s look into the specs:
Intel Celeron J4125 ‘Gemini Lake’ 4C / 4T up to 2.70 GHz, UHD Graphics 600
Memory
8GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB eMMC storage
Ports
USB 3.0 x4, USB Type-C power, Gigabit Ethernet, Mini HDMI 2.0 x2, microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, no SIM
Battery
2,500 mAh
Physical
142 x 91.2 x 17.76 mm
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Price
84,700 Japanese Yen ($590)
(Image credit: Gloture)
One of the standout features of the Gloture NanoPC is how much connectivity it packs in. In the promotional imagery for its NanoPC, Gloture shows this device used as a pocket desktop with two extra large screens attached. Users get a decent array of (mostly) full-sized industry standard ports in a world where smartphone makers are starting to be tease devices with fewer and fewer ports.
(Image credit: Gloture)
We feel that the Gloture NanoPC, in this iteration, isn’t looking to tread on the toes of phone makers, due to some major design decisions. Firstly, this new pocketable PC device doesn’t have a SIM card slot (or eSIM). Moreover, it has a built in mic, but no camera of any kind. Lastly, even on such a small device with a 10 W Celeron, and a small 5.5-inch screen, we don’t think 2,500 mAh is meant to provide more than a couple of hours portability away from a wall socket.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
Seems nice for some use cases, especially work related. I just wish there were more devices with AMD processors, since they are more energy efficient and work better in power and thermal restricted scenarios.
Also, my phone is a lot smaller and has a 7000 mAh battery. Maybe a custom design could reduce the size of the components and give it better battery?
This looks extremely similar to the HIGOLEPC Mini PC that was launched last year, except that the HIGOLE sells for $200 on Amazon.com, while this thing seems to sell for $590 (!). It comes with the same thick form factor, same SOC, same screen size, same resolution, same RAM, same eMMC storage, same connectivity (HIGOLE also made a WiFI5 version for the original fundraising, but it looks like they're selling only the WiFi6 model on Amazon) and same port choice (including Ethernet one, which might make sense if you consider this thing more like a movable PC with a small battery and monitor, rather than a real handheld). I'm tempted to call it a rebranded HIGOLE sold for nearly thrice the price...
I miss Windows phones and always wanted a real Windows phone, but this one doesn't have a sim card. That and that Gemini Lake refresh isn't the greatest.
If they made this with a 7-9w Meteor Lake and mobile connectivity I would be all over it. Even with the small 2500 mAh battery. Even with the clunky form factor. And like the above post mentioned, it basically is for sale for ~$200 so hopefully a MTL version wouldn't be over $600.
