GPD Win Mini 2024 8840u Review

After reviewing the GPD Win 4, I thought: why don’t I look at the GPD Win Mini as well? And here we are.

The GPD Win Mini is not a laptop, and it’s not quite a traditional handheld either. It’s a hybrid that combines the benefits of a clamshell and a small form factor with enough power to run modern PC games using the Ryzen 8840U processor.

And I do mean small.

This is one of the most unique handhelds I’ve had a chance to review.

GPD Win Mini 2024 Specs

The GPD Win Mini 2024, also known as the 8840U edition, is the newest version of GPD’s tiny laptop/handheld hybrid. GPD releases updated versions each year, so it’s important to specify which chipset you’re getting.

Special thanks to WhatGeek for sending this device over for review. As usual, they have no input on what I say and haven’t seen this review ahead of time.

The GPD Win Mini starts at $1,099 US with free worldwide shipping, free returns and different payment options.

So what do you get for that price?

The Win Mini uses AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840U processor with a Radeon 780M GPU. If you’re familiar with the performance of the ASUS ROG Ally X and its Z1 Extreme processor, you’re looking at roughly the same level of performance here, except GPD has managed to fit it into a much smaller form factor.

There’s also 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, while this particular model has a 512GB 2230 SSD. GPD also sells a 2TB version, or you can replace the SSD yourself with another 2230 M.2 drive.

The screen is a 7-inch 1080p display running at 120Hz with variable refresh rate. It’s great to see VRR here, especially since the GPD Win 4 doesn’t have it. It’s also a native landscape display rather than a portrait panel, so you don’t get the weirdness that can come with devices like the Lenovo Legion Go.

There’s also a backlit keyboard, Hall effect sticks, a USB4 port, a 44Wh battery and plenty more.

This year’s version removed the OCuLink port in favor of a USB-A port. Personally, that’s actually more useful for me since I have a USB4 eGPU and nothing that uses OCuLink.

For such a small device, GPD has packed an absurd amount of hardware into it.

A Laptop and Handheld Hybrid

The biggest selling point of the Win Mini is the potential to have one device for both productivity and gaming.

You get the controls of a handheld along with a keyboard and touchpad for using Windows.

GPD is the only company I know of making this type of laptop/handheld hybrid in such a small form factor. They also make a larger version with the Win Max, which I’d love to try at some point.

The keyboard is definitely easier to use than the one on the Win 4. It’s always accessible, so you don’t need to slide anything open, and it’s useful for quick hotkeys, the Windows key and other shortcuts.

I do use it quite a bit for those purposes, but I wouldn’t say I had a particularly good time using it for actual productivity.

If I wanted to make changes to my website, edit an article or write something substantial, the keyboard isn’t comfortable enough for full sentences and paragraphs. Quick emails and replies are fine, but anything beyond that becomes difficult.

The touchpad is a much better addition. Having a mouse cursor and touchpad right there makes general Windows navigation considerably easier.

Controls

The controls are where things get interesting.

The Hall effect sticks are recessed quite deeply into the device, while the D-pad is one of the standout features. GPD uses a design that mimics the PlayStation Vita D-pad, and I’ve generally been very happy with it.

The face buttons are on the smaller side, and I still wish GPD had made them larger, but they feel perfectly fine.

The triggers are linear analog triggers, which makes them useful for both first-person shooters and racing games. They felt good in both types of games.

One feature that I was surprised to see missing is fingerprint unlock.

The Win 4 has a fingerprint reader, so you’d expect the more laptop-like Win Mini to have one as well. Instead, the more handheld-focused Win 4 gets the feature while the Win Mini doesn’t.

There are also two programmable buttons that can be configured through GPD’s software, along with a menu button that acts as an Xbox Guide button.

Comfort

One of my biggest questions before using the Win Mini was how comfortable it would actually be to hold.

The recessed sticks look strange, and the entire device is so small that it’s not immediately obvious how you’d even hold it comfortably.

Surprisingly, it’s not nearly as bad as you’d expect.

I actually got used to it very quickly. It’s not at the top end of comfortable handhelds, but I didn’t really have an issue holding it for extended periods. It felt surprisingly natural once I got used to it.

The biggest problem with comfort is actually the heat.

The device gets warm to hot, particularly around the areas where your fingers naturally sit. Your hands are essentially wrapped around a powerful PC, and that heat eventually makes the controls and back of the device uncomfortable.

Windows and Software

The Win Mini comes with Windows 11, although you can install something like Bazzite if you prefer Linux. I didn’t test Bazzite, so everything here is based on Windows.

Having a keyboard and touchpad makes navigating Windows considerably easier than it is on a traditional handheld.

Unfortunately, GPD’s documentation continues to be one of my biggest complaints.

Like the Win 4, the Win Mini doesn’t do a particularly good job of explaining what you should do out of the box. It would be difficult for a normal user to understand what all of the included tools and drivers are for.

This is the type of device where you’re probably going to end up joining the GPD community, installing Discord, looking at recommended tools and drivers and figuring things out yourself.

GPD essentially throws you into the deep end and expects you to know how to swim.

Handheld Companion

One piece of software I recommend over GPD’s own software is Handheld Companion.

It gives you Auto TDP, allowing you to adjust the TDP depending on the game or program you’re using. You can also map functions to the programmable buttons, create per-game profiles, use on-screen overlays and much more.

I’d consider Handheld Companion almost a necessity on the Win Mini. It’s the kind of software I’d basically assume was installed from the factory because it makes managing the device so much easier.

Speakers

Like the other GPD products I’ve used, the speakers aren’t particularly impressive.

They’re serviceable, but there’s a program called FXSound that can make them considerably better. Installing it and setting it to Gaming mode makes a noticeable difference.

This also continues the larger theme with the Win Mini: you’re going to spend some time fixing and improving things yourself.

Depending on the type of person you are, that may or may not be something you want.

Heat and Fan Noise

The Win Mini has a problem with heat management, and unfortunately there’s no perfect solution.

Because of the power available and the amount of heat generated in such a small chassis, anything above 15W starts to become noticeable.

The heat is concentrated around your hands on the back of the device, as well as around the controls, D-pad and face buttons.

For that reason, I basically consider 15W the maximum TDP I want to use on the Win Mini.

Even at 15W, the controls area still gets warm.

The fan helps combat the heat, but then you have to deal with fan noise. There’s really no winning here: you either get heat, fan noise or reduced performance.

Like the Win 4, the fan noise is simply too much for my liking.

For me, 15W and below is the sweet spot for the Win Mini.

Battery Life

Battery life is another limitation.

There’s a 44Wh battery inside the Win Mini, which is fairly small compared to some of the newest Windows handhelds. The device is capped at 18W by default, although GPD can provide a special BIOS that unlocks it to 28W.

Given the heat situation, I don’t think running at 28W makes much sense for my use case.

Using Handheld Companion’s Auto TDP with a 15W cap, modern games can drain the battery very quickly.

Final Fantasy XVI, for example, gave me just under two hours of battery life at 15W. Performance was around 40 FPS at 900p with Low settings, FSR 3 set to Balanced and frame generation enabled.

That’s likely close to the worst-case scenario for both battery life and performance.

If you allowed the Win Mini to run at 25W or 30W like an ROG Ally X, you’d get similar performance between the two devices, but the 15W limit does leave some performance on the table.

At the other end of the spectrum, running something lightweight like Super Mario World through emulation gave me around five hours of battery life.

For light browsing and general productivity, I’d expect something closer to four to five hours.

It’s not a great number, but it’s also a limitation shared by most Windows handhelds.

Emulation Performance

The good news is that there’s plenty of power available for emulation.

GameCube and Wii are essentially 1080p machines on the Win Mini. You can upscale games, add HD textures and play through the vast majority of the library without the processor being the main limitation.

At 15W, you’re looking at roughly three to four hours of battery life depending on the game.

Wii U is similar, although you’ll generally want a little more power and closer to three hours of battery life.

There aren’t many Wii U exclusives left that make this a necessity, but there are still some games worth playing.

PS3 is where emulator progress becomes more of a limiting factor.

Even at 15W, you’re looking at roughly two to three hours of battery life, and the hardware itself is capable of running PS3 games. When something doesn’t work properly, it’s often more about emulator development than a lack of performance from the Win Mini.

Xbox 360 is similar.

Some games can benefit from more than 15W, especially compared to something like the ROG Ally X, so you may run into occasional dips. For the most part, though, Xbox 360 emulation is perfectly usable at 15W.

Switch emulation also runs well, including Pokémon Luminescent Platinum.

At 1080p in docked mode, you’re looking at roughly two hours of battery life.

PC Gaming Performance

The Ryzen 8840U gives the Win Mini enough power to run modern PC games surprisingly well for something this small.

Black Myth: Wukong runs at 900p with FSR, frame generation and Low settings. It’s playable, although I’d still rather experience a game like this on a larger desktop display.

Destiny 2 performs particularly well, running at 900p on Medium settings and generally sitting around 50 FPS or higher.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also runs well at 900p with the Balanced graphics preset and FSR 3.0 set to Balanced. Performance stays above the VRR range, although the device gets extremely hot.

Overall, you’re giving up some performance by limiting the Win Mini to 15W compared to something like the ROG Ally or Ally X at 25W or 30W.

I wouldn’t say that difference is massive, though. In most games, going from 15W to 30W doesn’t take you from unplayable to playable. You’re mostly gaining additional performance on games that were already playable.

Final Thoughts

The GPD Win Mini is an extremely interesting niche device.

It’s not quite a laptop and not quite a handheld. It doesn’t necessarily succeed at being either one individually, but as a combination, it works.

The fact that GPD continues to release yearly revisions also suggests that there is an audience for this type of device.

The biggest advantage is the incredibly small footprint. This is a clamshell device that I can throw into a small sling bag without worrying about damaging the controls.

You also get USB4 eGPU support, enough performance for modern PC games and high-end emulation, decent controls, a touchpad and a keyboard.

The biggest negatives are heat, fan noise, the lack of good documentation and, probably most importantly, battery life.

We’re now seeing Windows handhelds start to ship with much larger batteries, including 80Wh devices like the ROG Ally X and upcoming revisions from other manufacturers.

I have no idea whether a battery that large could realistically fit into the Win Mini’s chassis, but imagining this device with the Ally X’s battery life would be a game changer.

At this price point, you’re also paying a few hundred dollars more than something like the Legion Go, Steam Deck or ROG Ally.

Just like with the GPD Win 4, you have to specifically want this form factor.

I don’t think the GPD Win Mini will appeal to everyone, and I’d consider it an extremely niche product. But if you’ve been looking for a laptop/handheld hybrid with a lot of power that can fit into a small bag or large pocket, there’s nothing else quite like it.

Honestly, I really like the Win Mini.

If it wasn’t for the heat and battery life, I’d be hard pressed not to use it daily right now. It’s surprising how much I actually enjoy the Win Mini, especially considering I never expected that coming into this review.