MAG1 8.9-inch business mini-notebook up for pre-orders in China

If GPD’s mini-laptops seem too small, but you need something more portable than a Chromebook, the MAG1 could be the solution for you. This new device comes in an unusual 8-inch form-factor and is only available in China, but its specs are largely on par with what we would expect from an ultraportable these days.

Weighing only 1.5 pounds, the MAG1 features an aluminum alloy chassis that measures 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches. It includes an 8.9-inch IPS touchscreen that comes in a 16:10 aspect ratio and has a native resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. For a device this compact, only an Amber Lake CPU could fit the bill, so the MAG1 is powered by Intel’s Core m3-8100Y dual-core / quad-thread processor. Users can choose to equip the mini-laptop with 8 or 16 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and the storage options include 256 GB and 512 GB NVMe SSDs.

Unlike GPD’s mini-laptops, the MAG1 integrates a backlit keyboard with bigger keys, but the trackpad is quite smaller, crammed under the spacebar and the lower edge. A fingerprint sensor is also included in the upper right part of the keyboard; however, the webcam solution was dropped.

The port selection includes a USB-C port for charging and video output, USB-A connector, microSD (TF) card reader, microHDMI out, and an audio jack. To round the specs out, the MAG1 supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 and includes an 8.600 mAh battery.

Pre-orders for the MAG1 are already up on the JD.com site, with the 8 GB RAM / 256 GB storage version going for ~US$590, and the 16 GB RAM / 512 GB storage model upping the price to ~US$735.