Apcsilmic has begun sales of its Dot 1 Mini PC, among the first desktops centered on an Arm system-on-chip (SoC) and running Microsoft's Windows 11 OS. The machine can easily fit in your palm and is made for basic workloads and media streaming. One of many unit's main features is a built-in 4G modem on premium versions that'll be handy for anyone residing in the suburbs.
Apcsilmic's Dot 1 miniature desktop PC is founded on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c Gen 1 system-on-chip (SC7180, eight-core Kryo 468 complex, Adreno 618 graphics, X15 4G/LTE Cat15/Cat13 modem, 8 nm) paired with 4GB/6GB/8GB of LPDDR4X memory and 64GB/128GB/256GB of NAND storage. All Dot 1 desktops have an Ethernet port, a Wi-Fi 5 + Bluetooth 5.1 adapter, two display outputs (presumably HDMI 1.4), a microSD slot, three USB Type-A ports (two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0), and 3.5-mm audio in/out ports. Select Dot 1 versions also feature radios to connect to 4G/LTE networks.
Apcsilmic says that its Dot 1 Mini PC is sufficient for "your freelance work, watching your favorite movies, streaming, games or you name it." While we shall leave performance measurements to independent reviewers, it must be noted that the Snapdragon 7c can decode videos in H.264, H.265, VP8, and VP9 formats, however not in AV1, which is rapidly gaining popularity among content creators and streaming services.
Probably the most indisputable advantageous asset of the Dot 1 PC are its dimensions. Apcsilmic's system measures 111×108×20 mm and it fits in the palm of a hand, so we are looking at something that's as compact as a couple of higher-end smartphones.
Qualcomm has done much to market its Arm-based Snapdragon SoCs in the notebook world, extolling the benefits of long battery life, always-on connectivity, low power consumption and passive cooling. But with every seven laptops sold, you will find three desktops shipped, so to become significant player in the PC market, Qualcomm needs to handle desktops too. With desktops, the advantages and disadvantages of Snapdragon SoCs are generally the exact same: we do not expect performance ideal for demanding tasks or games, but we are able to get tiny dimensions, passive cooling, great connectivity, and an acceptable price.
The least expensive Dot 1 Mini PC without 4G/LTE connectivity costs $229, whereas the most advanced version with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 4G/LTE connectivity will come in at $309. There's a catch, though, as noted by Liliputing. While the machine comes with Windows 11 pre-installed, that version of the OS is not licensed, so proud owners of Apcsilmic's Dot 1 will need to pay around $100 to Microsoft or not as to various websites that sell license codes.