The GPD Win 2 receives a Core m3-8100Y refresh; redesigned motherboard, improved speakers and costs US$775

GPD is not done with releasing new products this year. It may be about to seek crowdfunding for its upcoming P2 Max, but it has just announced a refresh of the Win 2, its 6-inch handheld games console. The Win 2 proved incredibly popular on crowdfunding website Indiegogo last year, raising US$2,809,665 in funding from 4,361 backers. GPD has seemingly fulfilled all orders too, unlike some competitors like Smach and its belated Smach Z.

The 2019 Win 2 looks set to be a minor refresh on paper, with GPD upgrading the original's Intel Core m3-7Y30 processor to the newer Core m3-8100Y. This change brings a 100 MHz higher base clock, along with an 800 MHz higher Turbo Boost clock speed. Moreover, the Core m3-8100Y has a 0.5 W higher thermal design power (TDP) at 5W, but OEMs can configure it up to 8 W, a 1 W boost over the Core m3-7Y30. Incidentally, both SoCs feature an identically clocked Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU.

GPD also claims that it has redesigned the motherboard to allow for better heat dissipation, with the original Win 2 thermal throttling during AAA games according to the company. Additionally, it has made the system A2 TF compatible, which theoretically means a 60 MB/s boost in read speeds and 10 MB/s improved write speeds. Elsewhere, the 2019 Win 2 will support 5V charging, with all none USB Power Delivery (PD) and power bank chargers being compatible. GPD still recommends using the default charger as the system will not charge with a generic 5 V/2 A or 3 A charger. Finally, the company has upgraded the storage to 256 GB from 128 GB and has added an "independent power amplifier IC", which should deliver higher fidelity sound than the current Win 2 can manage.

Overall, the 2019 Win 2 seems like a modest but practical upgrade that should deliver an all-around better gaming experience than its predecessor. The device is available to order from AliExpress now via this link for US$775, although the retailer is offering up to US$13 in coupons, bringing the price down to US$764. The 2019 Win 2 should start shipping from AliExpress on July 27.