Chuwi LarkBox Celeron J4115 Review: A 4K Mini PC So Small, It's Lighter Than Its Own AC Adapter

Smaller than a baseball. Chuwi's latest product is one of the tiniest mini PCs you can find that doesn't run on a passively-cooled processor. Fan noise, however, is louder than expected. See what we think about this $160 USD crowdfunded project.

Allen Ngo 👁, Published 07/23/2020 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 ...

Desktop Chinese Tech

Chuwi LarkBox (left) next to the Intel NUC 10 (right)

The Chuwi LarkBox is a miniature HTPC that could fit just about anywhere from the same creators as the GBox mini PC or AeroBook laptop series. Aside from its miniature dimensions, the system is notable for running on the uncommon Intel Celeron J4115 CPU for 4K video playback and for utilizing an active fan inside.

Additional details on the LarkBox can be found on its official Indiegogo page here. The manufacturer offers either Windows or Linux operating systems.

More Chuwi reviews:

Chuwi LarkBox specifications (Source: Chuwi)

Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC

Processor

Intel Celeron J4115 4 x 1.8 - 2.5 GHz, Gemini Lake

Graphics adapter

Intel UHD Graphics 600, 26.20.100.7262

Memory

6 GB

, Soldered, 1200 MHz, Dual-Channel

Storage

128 GB eMMC Flash, 128 GB

Soundcard

Intel Gemini Lake SoC - High Definition Audio Controller

Networking

Wireless AC-9461 (ac = Wi-Fi 5/)

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 43 x 61 x 61 ( = 1.69 x 2.4 x 2.4 in)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Additional features

12 Months Warranty

Weight

129 g ( = 4.55 oz / 0.28 pounds), Power Supply: 200 g ( = 7.05 oz / 0.44 pounds)

Links

Chuwi homepage

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

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» Compare devices

Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
07/2020	Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600	129 g	43 mm		x
12/2019	Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620	499 g	22 mm	0.00"	x
09/2018	Chuwi GBox CWI560 Celeron N4100, UHD Graphics 600	558 g	37.3 mm		x
06/2018	Intel NUC7CJYH Celeron J4005, UHD Graphics 600	577 g	51 mm	0.00"	0x0
09/2018	Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620	1.1 kg	68 mm		x

Case

Like the GBox, the LarkBox uses a similar metal material for its chassis for a solid feel and first impression. We can't notice any manufacturing defects on our pre-production test unit whereas we can't say the same for some Chuwi laptops we've seen.

The mini PC is downright tiny at just 61 x 61 x 43 cm

Make sure your HDMI or USB cables aren't too thick or else they may block access to adjacent ports

The screws on the bottom have rubber feet for a better grip when placed on a table

Very light at just 129 g according to our own kitchen scale

Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano Chuwi GBox CWI560 Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano Intel NUC10i5FNK Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC DIN A4 ❌

Connectivity

The four main ports are packed tightly together on the back side of the cube. The sole USB-C port appears to be for power only as our IOGEAR USB-C passthrough adapter would not work at all.

HDMI 2.0 is supported for 4K60 output.

Right: MicroSD reader, 3.5 mm earphones (no mic)

SD Card Reader

The spring-loaded MicroSD reader is faster than we expected at about 85 MB/s. Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 15 seconds. A fully inserted MicroSD card sits flush against the edge and can be difficult to eject.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	81 MB/s ∼100% +21%
Intel NUC8i7BE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	69 MB/s ∼85% +3%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	66.9 MB/s ∼83%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	35 MB/s ∼43% -48%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	18.7 MB/s ∼23% -72%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	88.3 MB/s ∼100% +3%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	85.4 MB/s ∼97%
Intel NUC8i7BE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	85 MB/s ∼96% 0%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	37.73 MB/s ∼43% -56%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	20.8 MB/s ∼24% -76%

Communication

A non-removable 1x1 Intel 9461 comes standard for Wi-Fi 5 (or 802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. Theoretical transfer rates are up to 433 Mbps with our own real-world tests averaging around 350 Mbps when connected to our Netgear RAX200 router.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano Intel Wireless-AC 9560	604 MBit/s ∼100% +78%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Wireless-AC 9560	553 MBit/s ∼92% +63%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	545 (414^min - 604^max) MBit/s ∼90% +61%
Chuwi UBook CWI509 Wireless AC-9461	355 MBit/s ∼59% +5%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Wireless AC-9461	339 (302^min - 361^max) MBit/s ∼56%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	281 MBit/s ∼47% -17%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	248 MBit/s ∼41% -27%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	227 MBit/s ∼38% -33%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	218 MBit/s ∼36% -36%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano Intel Wireless-AC 9560	643 MBit/s ∼100% +83%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	641 (554^min - 678^max) MBit/s ∼100% +82%
Intel NUC8i7BE Intel Wireless-AC 9560	602 MBit/s ∼94% +71%
Chuwi UBook CWI509 Wireless AC-9461	391 MBit/s ∼61% +11%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Wireless AC-9461	352 (344^min - 357^max) MBit/s ∼55%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	330 MBit/s ∼51% -6%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	326 MBit/s ∼51% -7%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	316 MBit/s ∼49% -10%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165	301 MBit/s ∼47% -14%

Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø352 (344-357)

Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø339 (302-361)

Maintenance

Removing the bottom panel with a Philips screwdriver reveals the M.2 2242 SATA SSD expansion slot. A second panel beneath that can also be removed, but no more expansions are available as the RAM and WLAN are integrated.

It's surprising to see an empty M.2 slot on such a small mini PC

Further disassembly yields no other expandable options

Accessories and Warranty

A mounting bracket compatible with 75 mm and 100 mm mounts are included alongside the necessary screws.

Chuwi promises a one-year manufacturer warranty, but buyers may need to pay for overseas shipping and handling.

Performance

Processor

Raw multi-thread performance is about 40 percent and 80 percent faster than the Celeron N4100 and Celeron J4005, respectively, while single-thread performance remains essentially the same. This comes at the cost of a slightly higher TDP (10 W vs. 6 W), but the performance gains are well worth it.

See our dedicated page on the Celeron J4115 for more technical information and benchmarks. Performance is essentially identical to its immediate predecessor the Celeron J4105.

Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø253 (207.57-262.65)

Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø185.6 (184.81-188.15)

Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø145.7 (143.42-146.64)

Chuwi UBook CWI509 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, Netac SSD 256GB; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø174 (172.96-175.02)

Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.4: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean

Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT Intel Core i3-8145U	353 Points ∼100% +34%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	333 (293^min - 333^max) Points ∼94% +27%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Intel Core i3-8121U	317.6 (304.79^min - 319.39^max) Points ∼90% +21%
Asrock J4105-ITX Intel Celeron J4105	270 Points ∼76% +3%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	263 (207.57^min - 262.65^max) Points ∼75%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	188 Points ∼53% -29%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel Celeron N3450	167 Points ∼47% -37%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	144.1 (131.27^min - 145.38^max) Points ∼41% -45%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel Celeron J4005	144 Points ∼41% -45%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	125 Points ∼35% -52%
Chuwi Hi10 Air Intel Atom x5-Z8350	97 Points ∼27% -63%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	90 (89.56^min - 90.33^max) Points ∼25% -66%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	82.3 (81.02^min - 82.28^max) Points ∼23% -69%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	141 Points ∼100% +98%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT Intel Core i3-8145U	139 Points ∼99% +95%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Intel Core i3-8121U	133 Points ∼94% +87%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	78.9 Points ∼56% +11%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel Celeron J4005	77 Points ∼55% +8%
Asrock J4105-ITX Intel Celeron J4105	73 Points ∼52% +3%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	71.1 Points ∼50%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	68 Points ∼48% -4%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	47.6 Points ∼34% -33%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel Celeron N3450	44 Points ∼31% -38%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	43.4 Points ∼31% -39%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	41 Points ∼29% -42%
Chuwi Hi10 Air Intel Atom x5-Z8350	30 Points ∼21% -58%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	590 Points ∼100%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	587 Points ∼99% -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	316 Points ∼54% -46%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	272 Points ∼46% -54%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	200 Points ∼34% -66%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	190 Points ∼32% -68%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	348 Points ∼100% +123%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	175 Points ∼50% +12%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	156 Points ∼45%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	106 Points ∼30% -32%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	100 Points ∼29% -36%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	93 Points ∼27% -40%

Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	6277 Seconds * ∼100% -164%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	5811 Seconds * ∼93% -144%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	4564 Seconds * ∼73% -92%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel Celeron J4005	4124 Seconds * ∼66% -73%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	4064 Seconds * ∼65% -71%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	3527 Seconds * ∼56% -48%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	2380 Seconds * ∼38%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	1814 Seconds * ∼29% +24%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	3438 MIPS ∼100% +55%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	2459 MIPS ∼72% +11%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	2456 MIPS ∼71% +11%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	2215 MIPS ∼64%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	1825 MIPS ∼53% -18%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	1653 MIPS ∼48% -25%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	1454 MIPS ∼42% -34%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	8098 MIPS ∼100%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	7921 MIPS ∼98% -2%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	6608 MIPS ∼82% -18%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	4569 MIPS ∼56% -44%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	4498 MIPS ∼56% -44%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	3541 MIPS ∼44% -56%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	3267 MIPS ∼40% -60%

Geekbench 5.4 / Single-Core
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	1096 Points ∼100% +182%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	475 Points ∼43% +22%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	388 Points ∼35%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	310 Points ∼28% -20%

Geekbench 5.4 / Multi-Core
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	2028 Points ∼100% +44%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	1410 Points ∼70%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	858 Points ∼42% -39%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	591 Points ∼29% -58%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	2.23 fps ∼100% +50%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	1.49 fps ∼67%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel Atom x7-E3950	0.98 fps ∼44% -34%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel Celeron N4100	0.974 fps ∼44% -35%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	0.92 fps ∼41% -38%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel Celeron J4005	0.88 fps ∼39% -41%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel Celeron J3355	0.7 fps ∼31% -53%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	0.65 fps ∼29% -56%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	281 s * ∼100% -87%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel Celeron J4115	150 s * ∼53%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	139 s * ∼49% +7%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	97.8 s * ∼35% +35%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel Celeron N3350	2.21 sec * ∼100%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel Celeron N4020	1.511 sec * ∼68%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Core i3-1000NG4	0.918 sec * ∼42%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit

7426

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit

3259

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit

2087

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit

3.2 Points

Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit

10.44 fps

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit

0.83 Points

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

71.1 Points

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

97.8 %

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

17.4 fps

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

263 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

PCMark results are higher than most other inexpensive Celeron or Atom-based systems but still much lower than the latest Core i3 solutions. Subjectively, the system still chugs when browsing the net especially when visiting larger web pages.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	4580 Points ∼45% +154%
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	4019 Points ∼40% +123%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	3876 Points ∼38% +115%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX120G	3837 Points ∼38% +113%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U, Seagate ST1000VT001	3161 Points ∼31% +75%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ	3042 Points ∼30% +69%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4, Apple SSD AP0256	2229 Points ∼22% +24%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	1803 Points ∼18%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064	1658 Points ∼16% -8%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	1269 (1261^min - 1270^max) Points ∼12% -30%
Jumper EZbook X3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3350, 64 GB eMMC Flash	1179 Points ∼12% -35%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	1136 Points ∼11% -37%
Essentials
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	8994 Points ∼69% +86%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	8551 Points ∼66% +77%
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	8235 Points ∼63% +70%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX120G	8051 Points ∼62% +66%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ	7625 Points ∼59% +58%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U, Seagate ST1000VT001	5576 Points ∼43% +15%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4, Apple SSD AP0256	5464 Points ∼42% +13%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	4837 Points ∼37%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064	4418 Points ∼34% -9%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	4188 Points ∼32% -13%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	3486 (3484^min - 3505^max) Points ∼27% -28%
Jumper EZbook X3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3350, 64 GB eMMC Flash	2833 Points ∼22% -41%
Productivity
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	7236 Points ∼57% +144%
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	6494 Points ∼52% +119%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX120G	6481 Points ∼51% +118%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	6337 Points ∼50% +113%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ	5689 Points ∼45% +92%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U, Seagate ST1000VT001	5302 Points ∼42% +79%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4, Apple SSD AP0256	3620 Points ∼29% +22%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	3289 Points ∼26% +11%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	2969 Points ∼24%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064	2883 Points ∼23% -3%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	2012 (1995^min - 2022^max) Points ∼16% -32%
Jumper EZbook X3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3350, 64 GB eMMC Flash	1885 Points ∼15% -37%
Digital Content Creation
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	4007 Points ∼20% +261%
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	3296 Points ∼16% +197%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX120G	2939 Points ∼15% +165%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	2917 Points ∼15% +163%
Intel NUC8i3CYSM Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U, Seagate ST1000VT001	2902 Points ∼15% +161%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ	1762 Points ∼9% +59%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4, Apple SSD AP0256	1521 Points ∼8% +37%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	1110 Points ∼6%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	990 Points ∼5% -11%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064	972 Points ∼5% -12%
Jumper EZbook X3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3350, 64 GB eMMC Flash	835 Points ∼4% -25%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	787 (784^min - 789^max) Points ∼4% -29%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	4674 Points ∼70% +130%
Zotac ZBOX-CI660 Nano UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX120G	3594 Points ∼54% +77%
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	3526 Points ∼53% +73%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4, Apple SSD AP0256	2701 Points ∼41% +33%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz HD Graphics 515, 6Y30, Apple SSD AP0256	2550 Points ∼38% +25%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	2084 Points ∼31% +2%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100, SanDisk DA4064	2062 Points ∼31% +1%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	2036 Points ∼31%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	1461 (1450^min - 1461^max) Points ∼22% -28%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Intel NUC10i5FNK UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	4286 Points ∼60% +34%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz HD Graphics 515, 6Y30, Apple SSD AP0256	3550 Points ∼50% +11%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	3191 Points ∼45%
Intel NUC7CJYH UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005, SanDisk Ultra II	3188 Points ∼45% 0%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450, 64 GB eMMC Flash	2152 (2150^min - 2152^max) Points ∼30% -33%

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		2036 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		3191 points
PCMark 10 Score		1803 points
Help

DPC Latency

The LarkBox is marketed as a 4K mini PC and so we're glad to report that the system is able to play 4K video at 60 FPS without any dropped frame during our YouTube test. GPU acceleration appears to be working as intended at 46 percent GPU utilization and only 17 percent CPU utilization. However, DPC latency issues may exist related to dxgkrnl.sys.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4020, SanDisk DA4064	2421 μs * ∼100% -216%
Honor MagicBook 15 Vega 8, R5 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ	1343 μs * ∼55% -75%
Huawei MateBook 13 2020 AMD Vega 8, R5 3500U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G	993 μs * ∼41% -30%
Dell Latitude 7310 UHD Graphics 620, i7-10610U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	767 μs * ∼32% -0%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	766 μs * ∼32%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

The primary 128 GB eMMC performs more similarly to smartphones than other classic mini PCs or subnotebooks. The maximum sequential write rate of only about 106 MB/s is slow but adequate considering the intended workloads. In this case, capacity is generally more important than transfer rates. Users can expand storage via M.2 2242 or MicroSD.

	Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC 128 GB eMMC Flash	Intel NUC10i5FNK Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1	Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ	Chuwi GBox CWI560 SanDisk DA4064	Intel NUC7CJYH SanDisk Ultra II
AS SSD		930%	1586%		416%
Seq Read	286	1318 361%	1668 483%		480 68%
Seq Write	106.9	616 476%	1150 976%		464.8 335%
4K Read	15.22	26.44 74%	48.46 218%		26.98 77%
4K Write	21.59	61.3 184%	116.5 440%		47.43 120%
4K-64 Read	16.8	650 3769%	726 4221%		420.5 2403%
4K-64 Write	20.03	642 3105%	1074 5262%		174.6 772%
Access Time Read *	0.254	0.11 57%	0.039 85%		0.115 55%
Access Time Write *	0.406	0.07 83%	0.032 92%		0.089 78%
Score Read	61	808 1225%	942 1444%		498 716%
Score Write	52	765 1371%	1305 2410%		268 415%
Score Total	142	1955 1277%	2716 1813%		1025 622%
Copy ISO MB/s	107.3	576 437%			197 84%
Copy Program MB/s	92.6	328.9 255%			102 10%
Copy Game MB/s	104.7	471.2 350%			175.5 68%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		826%	1692%	69%	286%
Write 4K	26.02	58.4 124%	130 400%	38 46%	61.1 135%
Read 4K	16.33	30.24 85%	45.61 179%	23.84 46%	31.99 96%
Write Seq	109.5	773 606%		226.7 107%	421.7 285%
Read Seq	334.3	712 113%		271.8 -19%	427.4 28%
Write 4K Q32T1	28.76	448.5 1459%	365.3 1170%	44.74 56%	97 237%
Read 4K Q32T1	17.41	391.4 2148%	350.2 1911%	53.2 206%	121.9 600%
Write Seq Q32T1	59	914 1449%	2986 4961%	129.4 119%	504 754%
Read Seq Q32T1	218.8	1583 623%	3565 1529%	189.4 -13%	551 152%
Write 4K Q8T8		402.3	368.7		183.1
Read 4K Q8T8		680	790		221.3
Total Average (Program / Settings)		878% / 892%	1639% / 1623%	69% / 69%	351% / 369%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

128 GB eMMC Flash

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 218.8 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 59 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 17.41 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 28.76 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 334.3 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 109.5 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 16.33 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 26.02 MB/s

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance

The integrated UHD Graphics 600 hasn't changed from the last generation J4105 or J4005 series. Users can still expect about 50 to 60 percent slower graphics performance than the common UHD Graphics 620 as a result.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Intel NUC8i3CYSM AMD Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U	18704 Points ∼100% +382%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (6205 - 16400, n=225)	9262 Points ∼50% +139%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT Intel UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U	6971 Points ∼37% +80%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel HD Graphics 505, x7-E3950	3997 Points ∼21% +3%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115	3882 Points ∼21%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005	3513 Points ∼19% -10%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450	2651 (2630^min - 2661^max) Points ∼14% -32%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Intel NUC8i3CYSM AMD Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U	3242 Points ∼100% +616%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (557 - 2608, n=213)	1161 Points ∼36% +156%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4	922 Points ∼28% +104%
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano IoT Intel UHD Graphics 620, i3-8145U	863 Points ∼27% +91%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115	453 Points ∼14%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005	448 Points ∼14% -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4020	372 Points ∼11% -18%
Jumper EZbook X3 Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3350	364 Points ∼11% -20%
XIDU PhilBook Max Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron J3355	311 Points ∼10% -31%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450	310 (307^min - 317^max) Points ∼10% -32%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (26409 - 59483, n=71)	42924 Points ∼100% +159%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel HD Graphics 505, x7-E3950	17895 Points ∼42% +8%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005	16594 Points ∼39% 0%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115	16551 Points ∼39%

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel NUC8i3CYSM AMD Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U	4458 Points ∼100% +637%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4	1941 Points ∼44% +221%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (1144 - 3432, n=244)	1749 Points ∼39% +189%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel HD Graphics 505, x7-E3950	765 Points ∼17% +26%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115	605 Points ∼14%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450	584 Points ∼13% -3%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005	579 Points ∼13% -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4020	532 Points ∼12% -12%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100	484 Points ∼11% -20%
Chuwi Hi10 Air Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8350	278 Points ∼6% -54%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Intel NUC8i3CYSM AMD Radeon RX 540, i3-8121U	4334 Points ∼100% +608%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (927 - 2505, n=244)	1578 Points ∼36% +158%
Apple MacBook Air 2020 i3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i3-1000NG4	1352 Points ∼31% +121%
Chuwi LapBook Plus Intel HD Graphics 505, x7-E3950	754 Points ∼17% +23%
Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115	612 Points ∼14%
Intel NUC7CJYH Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4005	593 Points ∼14% -3%
Chuwi Lapbook 12.3 Intel HD Graphics 500, Celeron N3450	570 Points ∼13% -7%
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 11IGL05 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4020	501 Points ∼12% -18%
Chuwi GBox CWI560 Intel UHD Graphics 600, Celeron N4100	445 Points ∼10% -27%
Chuwi Hi10 Air Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), Z8350	318 Points ∼7% -48%

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark 06 Standard Score		4434 points
3DMark 11 Performance		687 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		3516 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		420 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		140 points
Help

... in comparison

	low	med.	high	ultra
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	42.9	19.5	8.6	7.7
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	7.17	4.93	4.55

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise is the one aspect where the LarkBox could use some more attention. The internal fan pulses frequently between silent (26 dB(A)) and loud (43.3 dB(A)) with nothing in between. The change is very sudden and undesirable. Simple actions like web browsing or video streaming will be enough to induce the loud fan and pulsing behavior.

Thankfully, users tend to position their PCs further away than their laptops and so the loud fan may be less noticeable depending on your setup. Even so, don't expect a silent mini PC here.

	Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC UHD Graphics 600, Celeron J4115, 128 GB eMMC Flash	Intel NUC8i7BE Iris Plus Graphics 655, i7-8559U	Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	Dell XPS 13 9300 i5 FHD UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU), i5-1035G1, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G	Intel Hades Canyon NUC8i7HVK Vega M GH, i7-8809G, Intel Optane 120 GB SSDPEK1W120GA
Noise		2%	-5%	8%	0%
off / environment *	26	28.7 -10%	29.5 -13%	29.3 -13%	28.7 -10%
Idle Minimum *	26	28.7 -10%	31.6 -22%	29.3 -13%	29 -12%
Idle Average *	26	29.3 -13%	32.2 -24%	29.3 -13%	29 -12%
Idle Maximum *	43.3	31.8 27%	32.3 25%	29.3 32%	29 33%
Load Average *	43.3	39 10%	43 1%	30 31%	36 17%
Load Maximum *	43.5	41.4 5%	43.2 1%	32.4 26%	49.4 -14%
Witcher 3 ultra *		39			42

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle		26 / 26 / 43.3 dB(A)
Load		43.3 / 43.5 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 26 dB(A)

Temperature

AC adapter after running high loads for almost an hour

Surface temperatures are warm at about 36 C even when idling on desktop without any running applications. Hot spots can become warmer than 50 C when under high loads.

It should be safe to run the mini PC on its side, but we don't recommend placing it upside-down since there are ventilation grilles on top. There is a fan inside, after all.

Stress Test

When running Prime95, clock rates would boost to 2.4 GHz and remain at 100 C for about a minute before deciding to cycle between 900 MHz to 2.4 GHz and 68 C to 98 C, respectively, as shown by our screenshots below. Interestingly, clock rates and temperature become more stable when running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously.

	CPU Clock (GHz)	GPU Clock (MHz)	Average CPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle	--	--	56
Prime95 Stress	0.9 - 2.4	--	68 - 98
Prime95 + FurMark Stress	1.7	350	88

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The mini PC is very power efficient as one would expect. Idling on desktop would draw just 2 W to 3 W even when the wireless is enabled. Demanding loads like 3DMark 06 would raise consumption to 13 W to be about half that of the Core i5-powered Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n. Results are very close to the Intel NUC7CJYH powered by the older Celeron J4005 while offering significantly faster multi-thread performance.

AC adapter is approximately 9.6 x 4.4 x 3 cm. You can power the LarkBox with any third-party USB-C AC adapter as long as it can output 24 W (12 V, 2 A)

AC adapter is almost as big as the mini PC itself!

Constant consumption when running 3DMark 06

CineBench R15 Multi-Thread initiated at 10s mark. The benchmark takes about 2 minutes and 37 seconds to complete

Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption would fluctuate between 7 W and 16 W in a manner similar to our Stress Test clock rate observations above

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.04 / 0.1 Watt
Idle	2.2 / 2.6 / 3 Watt
Load	13.1 / 21.9 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

	Chuwi LarkBox 4K Mini PC Celeron J4115, UHD Graphics 600, 128 GB eMMC Flash, , x,	Intel NUC10i5FNK i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1, , 0x0, 0.00	Lenovo ThinkCentre M90n-1 Nano i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, , x, 0.00	Chuwi GBox CWI560 Celeron N4100, UHD Graphics 600, SanDisk DA4064, , x,	Intel NUC7CJYH Celeron J4005, UHD Graphics 600, SanDisk Ultra II, , 0x0, 0.00
Power Consumption		-336%	-93%	26%	-64%
Idle Minimum *	2.2		4.4 -100%	1.9 14%	3.9 -77%
Idle Average *	2.6	15.7 -504%	4.4 -69%	2 23%	4.5 -73%
Idle Maximum *	3		4.7 -57%	2.9 3%	8.4 -180%
Load Average *	13.1		27.7 -111%	8.6 34%	12.3 6%
Load Maximum *	21.9	58.6 -168%	49.9 -128%	9.5 57%	21.4 2%

* ... smaller is better

Pros

+ MicroSD and M.2 2242 expansion slots

+ 75 mm and 100 mm mountable

+ 6 GB of dual-channel RAM

+ solid chassis design

+ very power efficient

+ inexpensive

+ tiny

Cons

- USB-C is for power only and not other devices

- AC adapter is comparatively large

- fan noise is loud and noticeable

- no faster CPU options

- DPC latency issues

- no IR receiver

Verdict

In review: Chuwi LarkBox. Test unit provided by Chuwi

For $150+ USD, the LarkBox has surprised us with its pragmatic design, 4K video playback, and multiple storage options especially considering the small size. However, there are several ways we would improve the device.

Firstly, fan behavior could be better as its tendency to pulse is noticeable at best and annoying at worst. Secondly, the AC adapter is somewhat large even though it pushes just 24 W maximum. Integrating the AC adapter onto the LarkBox itself or making it smaller would be great to see. And lastly, we're not opposed to having faster processor options even if it meant paying a little bit more. Workloads like 4K playback may be smooth, but attempting to multi-task will feel like moving in molasses. The miniature design is attractive and useful enough that higher-end Core i3 or Ryzen 3 options would certainly attract more eyes.

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Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S. - 5075 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Chuwi LarkBox Celeron J4115 Review: A 4K Mini PC So Small, It's Lighter Than Its Own AC Adapter

Allen Ngo, 2020-07-23 (Update: 2020-07-31)

Chuwi LarkBox Celeron J4115 Review: A 4K Mini PC So Small, It's Lighter Than Its Own AC Adapter

Case

Connectivity

SD Card Reader

Communication

Maintenance

Accessories and Warranty

Performance

Processor

System Performance

DPC Latency

Storage Devices

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

GPU Performance

Emissions

System Noise

Temperature

Stress Test

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Pros

Cons

Verdict

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