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ECS Quietly Adds PB01CF Ultra Compact PC to Lineup: a 5 Oz Apollo Lake Desktop
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ECS Quietly Adds PB01CF Ultra Compact PC to Lineup: a 5 Oz Apollo Lake Desktop

ECS has quietly added a new small x86 desktop computer into its lineup. The ECS PB01CF ultra-compact PC is powered by Intel’s Apollo Lake platform and uses an enclosure the size smaller than most wallets. The computer is clearly not a powerhouse, but it supports all the multimedia capabilities that Intel’s latest low-power chips have to offer.

The ECS PB01CF is based on Intel’s Celeron N3350 processor, a mobile SoC with two Goldmont cores clocked at 1.1-2.4 GHz, 2 MB cache and Intel’s HD Graphics 500 (Gen9) iGPU with 12 EUs. The SoC supports Intel’s new multimedia playback engine that supports hardware-accelerated playback of 4K video from HEVC and VP9-based sources. The system comes equipped with 2 GB of LPDDR4 memory, 32 GB eMMC storage (not a lot, if you want to store UHD videos locally without using an external hard drive, but enough for streaming) and runs Windows 10 Home. As for connectivity, everything looks fairly standard here: a 802.11ac Wi-Fi module, a GbE controller, a microSD card reader, two USB Type-A headers, and one 4Kp30-capable HDMI output to connect to displays or TVs (note that the system does not have any analog connectors for monitors or audio). The PB01CF measures 7×7×3.1 cm and is powered by an external 24 W adapter.

Brief Specifications of ECS 5-Ounce PC
  PB01CF
CPU Celeron N3350
2C/2T at 1.1 – 2.4 GHz frequency, 2 MB cache, iGPU
PCH integrated
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 500 (12 EUs) Gen9
Memory 2 GB LPDDR4
Storage 32 GB eMMC
Wi-Fi Intel 802.11ac
Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet with RJ45 connector
Display Outputs 1 × HDMI (up to 4Kp30)
Audio via HDMI
USB 1 × USB 3.0 Type-A (5 Gbps)
1 × USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps)
Dimensions 70 mm × 70 mm × 31 mm (0.15 liters, 5 ounces)
PSU External 24 W
VESA Mounts 75 mm/100 mm
OS Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit

From a performance and connectivity point of view, the ECS PB01CF is somewhat behind the company’s LIVA Z computers, which are positioned as universal systems for office and media-centric applications. By contrast, the PB01CF is considerably smaller while offering 4K hardware-accelerate video playback, which makes it a viable solution for content streaming or digital signage. In fact, the latter is one the primary applications that ECS positions the PB01CF for, apart from being a cheap office PC attached to the backside of the display, of course. Meanwhile, when compared to Compute Stick systems, the PB01CF has more USB ports, a card reader, GbE and active cooling.

ECS has not publicly announced pricing of the PB01CF and large retailers as well as price search engines do not list the product in their databases. Moreover, at press time ECS’ web site did not host any manuals or BIOS updates for the PB01CF, which may indicate that the manufacturer has not launched the device yet. Given the fact that the PB01CF does not seem to be designed for general public, it is possible that the PC is only going to be available via special channels with ECS as an OEM – a common avenue for ECS’ business. 

Related Reading:

ECS Quietly Adds PB01CF Ultra Compact PC to Lineup: a 5 Oz Apollo Lake Desktop
  • Comments are Closed

ECS Quietly Adds PB01CF Ultra Compact PC to Lineup: a 5 Oz Apollo Lake Desktop

ECS has quietly added a new small x86 desktop computer into its lineup. The ECS PB01CF ultra-compact PC is powered by Intel’s Apollo Lake platform and uses an enclosure the size smaller than most wallets. The computer is clearly not a powerhouse, but it supports all the multimedia capabilities that Intel’s latest low-power chips have to offer.

The ECS PB01CF is based on Intel’s Celeron N3350 processor, a mobile SoC with two Goldmont cores clocked at 1.1-2.4 GHz, 2 MB cache and Intel’s HD Graphics 500 (Gen9) iGPU with 12 EUs. The SoC supports Intel’s new multimedia playback engine that supports hardware-accelerated playback of 4K video from HEVC and VP9-based sources. The system comes equipped with 2 GB of LPDDR4 memory, 32 GB eMMC storage (not a lot, if you want to store UHD videos locally without using an external hard drive, but enough for streaming) and runs Windows 10 Home. As for connectivity, everything looks fairly standard here: a 802.11ac Wi-Fi module, a GbE controller, a microSD card reader, two USB Type-A headers, and one 4Kp30-capable HDMI output to connect to displays or TVs (note that the system does not have any analog connectors for monitors or audio). The PB01CF measures 7×7×3.1 cm and is powered by an external 24 W adapter.

Brief Specifications of ECS 5-Ounce PC
  PB01CF
CPU Celeron N3350
2C/2T at 1.1 – 2.4 GHz frequency, 2 MB cache, iGPU
PCH integrated
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 500 (12 EUs) Gen9
Memory 2 GB LPDDR4
Storage 32 GB eMMC
Wi-Fi Intel 802.11ac
Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet with RJ45 connector
Display Outputs 1 × HDMI (up to 4Kp30)
Audio via HDMI
USB 1 × USB 3.0 Type-A (5 Gbps)
1 × USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps)
Dimensions 70 mm × 70 mm × 31 mm (0.15 liters, 5 ounces)
PSU External 24 W
VESA Mounts 75 mm/100 mm
OS Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit

From a performance and connectivity point of view, the ECS PB01CF is somewhat behind the company’s LIVA Z computers, which are positioned as universal systems for office and media-centric applications. By contrast, the PB01CF is considerably smaller while offering 4K hardware-accelerate video playback, which makes it a viable solution for content streaming or digital signage. In fact, the latter is one the primary applications that ECS positions the PB01CF for, apart from being a cheap office PC attached to the backside of the display, of course. Meanwhile, when compared to Compute Stick systems, the PB01CF has more USB ports, a card reader, GbE and active cooling.

ECS has not publicly announced pricing of the PB01CF and large retailers as well as price search engines do not list the product in their databases. Moreover, at press time ECS’ web site did not host any manuals or BIOS updates for the PB01CF, which may indicate that the manufacturer has not launched the device yet. Given the fact that the PB01CF does not seem to be designed for general public, it is possible that the PC is only going to be available via special channels with ECS as an OEM – a common avenue for ECS’ business. 

Related Reading:

AT20 Giveaway Day 8: OnePlus Adds In Some 3T Phones
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AT20 Giveaway Day 8: OnePlus Adds In Some 3T Phones

Friday is my favorite day. Why? Because that means it’s day 8 of our 20 day giveaway celebration of AnandTech’s 20th anniversary, which means it’s time for two more lucky readers to win prizes.

Taking us into the weekend is OnePlus, who will be helping everyone stay connected. For their part of the At20 giveaway the unconventional smartphone manufacturer has sent over not just one, but two of their flagship 128GB OnePlus 3T Android smartphones.

  • OnePlus 3T 128GB (#1)
  • OnePlus 3T 128GB (#2)

The AnandTech 20th Anniversary Celebration – OnePlus Giveaway

OnePlus 3T

Released back in November of 2016 as a step-update of sorts for the original OnePlus 3, the OnePlus 3T is a 5.5-inch Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 based Android smartphone. OnePlus’s place in the market is an interesting one as the company has established itself as a reliable vendor of affordable high-end smartphones, and the OnePlus 3T follows in this trend. Paired up with the SD821 is 6GB of LPDDR4 memory, and for storage we’ve been sent the larger capacity model with 128GB of UFS 2.0 NAND.

  OnePlus 3T Specs
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
2 x 2.35GHz Kryo
2 x 1.6GHz Kryo
653MHz Adreno 530
RAM 6GB LPDDR4
Display 5.5″ 1920 x 1080 PenTile AMOLED
Size / Mass 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm, 158g
Battery 3400 mAh
Rear Camera 16MP 1.1 μm Sony IMX298, f/2.0, OIS
Front Camera 16MP 1.0 µm
Samsung S5K3P8, f/2.0
Storage 64/128GB UFS 2.0
I/O USB 2.0 Type-C connector, 3.5mm audio
Connectivity 1×1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.2, USB-C, GPS/GNSS
Launch Software Android 6.0.1
OxygenOS 3.5.1

On the visual side of matters, the OnePlus 3T comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p PenTile AMOLED display, which in proper sRGB mode we’ve found to have great color accuracy and reproduction. Meanwhile capturing the visual world is a 16MP camera with OIS, backed by Sony’s IMX298 sensor. Powering the whole phone is a larger-than-average 3400mAh battery, which gives the phone a bit of an extra kick in battery life. Rounding out the 3T, the phone’s body is built from a single piece of aluminum with a tapered back, giving the phone a seamless design. On which note in our review of the phone last year, Brandon Chester called out the design of the 3T as one of his favorite parts of the phone, noting he especially liked the phone’s design and button placement.

Finally, as with our other giveaways, this afternoon’s giveaway is only open for 48 hours, so be sure to enter soon. However please note that for legal reasons, we’re only able to open these giveaways to residents of the United States.

Good luck to everyone! And be sure to check in Monday for our next giveaway.

AT20 Giveaway Day 8: OnePlus Adds In Some 3T Phones
  • Comments are Closed

AT20 Giveaway Day 8: OnePlus Adds In Some 3T Phones

Friday is my favorite day. Why? Because that means it’s day 8 of our 20 day giveaway celebration of AnandTech’s 20th anniversary, which means it’s time for two more lucky readers to win prizes.

Taking us into the weekend is OnePlus, who will be helping everyone stay connected. For their part of the At20 giveaway the unconventional smartphone manufacturer has sent over not just one, but two of their flagship 128GB OnePlus 3T Android smartphones.

  • OnePlus 3T 128GB (#1)
  • OnePlus 3T 128GB (#2)

The AnandTech 20th Anniversary Celebration – OnePlus Giveaway

OnePlus 3T

Released back in November of 2016 as a step-update of sorts for the original OnePlus 3, the OnePlus 3T is a 5.5-inch Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 based Android smartphone. OnePlus’s place in the market is an interesting one as the company has established itself as a reliable vendor of affordable high-end smartphones, and the OnePlus 3T follows in this trend. Paired up with the SD821 is 6GB of LPDDR4 memory, and for storage we’ve been sent the larger capacity model with 128GB of UFS 2.0 NAND.

  OnePlus 3T Specs
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
2 x 2.35GHz Kryo
2 x 1.6GHz Kryo
653MHz Adreno 530
RAM 6GB LPDDR4
Display 5.5″ 1920 x 1080 PenTile AMOLED
Size / Mass 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm, 158g
Battery 3400 mAh
Rear Camera 16MP 1.1 μm Sony IMX298, f/2.0, OIS
Front Camera 16MP 1.0 µm
Samsung S5K3P8, f/2.0
Storage 64/128GB UFS 2.0
I/O USB 2.0 Type-C connector, 3.5mm audio
Connectivity 1×1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.2, USB-C, GPS/GNSS
Launch Software Android 6.0.1
OxygenOS 3.5.1

On the visual side of matters, the OnePlus 3T comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p PenTile AMOLED display, which in proper sRGB mode we’ve found to have great color accuracy and reproduction. Meanwhile capturing the visual world is a 16MP camera with OIS, backed by Sony’s IMX298 sensor. Powering the whole phone is a larger-than-average 3400mAh battery, which gives the phone a bit of an extra kick in battery life. Rounding out the 3T, the phone’s body is built from a single piece of aluminum with a tapered back, giving the phone a seamless design. On which note in our review of the phone last year, Brandon Chester called out the design of the 3T as one of his favorite parts of the phone, noting he especially liked the phone’s design and button placement.

Finally, as with our other giveaways, this afternoon’s giveaway is only open for 48 hours, so be sure to enter soon. However please note that for legal reasons, we’re only able to open these giveaways to residents of the United States.

Good luck to everyone! And be sure to check in Monday for our next giveaway.