Ninkear L20 Mini-PC review: Small, fast and modern – is that enough to compete?

The Ninkear L20 makes a good overall impression in our review. With the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V and 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM running at 8,533 MT/s, the compact mini PC offers good performance for office work, multimedia and everyday productivity tasks. Other positives include its modern connectivity with USB4, HDMI and DisplayPort, low DPC latencies and largely consistent performance under sustained load. The integrated NPU and Intel Arc Graphics 130V also make the L20 an up-to-date platform for AI applications and multimedia.

Compromises include the soldered RAM and the SSD's comparatively slow connection, which operates only over PCIe 3.0 x2. Idle power consumption is also relatively high. Under load, however, power consumption remains at a reasonable level. While noise levels of 41.4 to a maximum of 45.6 dB(A) under load are not excessively high, the L20 is not among the quietest models in its class.

Those who need more graphics and multithreaded performance will find more powerful alternatives in mini PCs based on current Ryzen processors, such as the Minisforum AI X1. The Ninkear L20, on the other hand, is primarily aimed at users looking for a compact all-rounder with a modern Intel platform, good connectivity, and solid everyday performance. In this segment, the L20 offers a well-rounded overall package, but its SSD and idle power consumption leave room for criticism.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V delivers solid performance in combination with the Ninkear L20 for typical office applications as well as multitasking and other everyday tasks. Even more demanding applications can be handled without any problems. Thanks to the efficient platform, performance remains largely stable over extended periods under load. In multithreaded benchmarks, however, the Core Ultra 5 226V cannot keep up with more powerful Ryzen APUs.