Incredibly tiny mini PC: Aaeon launches new Intel Core Ultra 5 125U-powered system with minuscule footprint

A brand new mini PC from Aaeon has hit the scene, dubbed the PICO-MTU4-SEMI. Awkward naming aside, the mini PC is impressively compact, which appears to be its primary selling point. Mainly targeted at the industrial crowd, the Meteor Lake-powered system offers a plethora of connectivity options.

At its core, the Aaeon PICO-MTU4-SEMI is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor with 12 cores and 14 threads. The 12-core setup consists of only 2 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 2 more efficiency cores in the low power island. As indicated by reliable CPU benchmarks, the 125U is roughly in the same league as the Apple M2 in multi-core performance. 

Of course, the tiny 108 x 95 x 43 mm chassis has no physical room for any kind of discrete graphics, which is unlikely to be a major hindrance considering the target audience. Unsurprisingly, the mini PC is passively cooled, which allows for silent operation. Whether or not this comes at the cost of sustained performance can only be established with independent testing.

The PICO-MTU4-SEMI mini PC sports an M.2 2280 slot for storage requirements, and up to 32 GB of single-channel LPDDR5 memory. Connectivity is taken care of by the following I/O:

• Dual LAN ports (2.5G, 1G)
• Optional GPIO connector
• Dual COM ports (RS-232/422/485)
• HDMI 1.4
• Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports

Wireless connectivity, on the other hand, can be taken care of via the M.2 2230 slot. Pricing and availability details, however, remain unclear as of this writing.

Consumer alternative: Minisforum M1 Pro with Core Ultra 5 125H (currently $383.90 on Amazon)