LarkBox: The world’s smallest usable PC has been developed

It’s called the LarkBox and Chuwi claims it is the world’s smallest 4K mini PC.

As you may or may not already know, the smallest computer in the world has actually been identified as the Michigan Micro Mote (M3). This technical feat was achieved at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Measuring in at only half a centimetre, 150 of these computers are said to be able to fit inside a single thimble.

Although, because of its size its capabilities are quite limited. These capabilities include: data storage, wireless communication with the device and sensing modalities, which have piqued the interest of the oil and medical industries to name a few.

The specs of the LarkBox

The LarkBox might not be as small in comparison (being the size of an apple), but its capabilities far exceed those of the Michigan Micro Mote (M3) in the way of practical every day usage.

The LarkBox, which goes live on Indiegogo towards the second half of May 2020, will have a starting price of $199 or roughly R3670.

According to the makers of the LarkBox it is only 61*61*43mm in diameter and weighs in at only 127g. On their website they describe it as being “almost the size of an apple and lighter than most phones on the market”.

It can reportedly be used as a daily mini PC as it can be placed anywhere and carried around conveniently.

The LarkBox features the Intel N4100 processor, built-in UHD graphics 600 graphics card, 6GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GBSSD. It supports an additional 128GB MicroSD extension.

It can decode 4K video relatively smoothly but has a low power processor having standby power of only 5W. It has an active cooling fan design which lets the model generate no significant heat under a high load.

Its processor is about three times faster than the Atom Z8350 (based on CPU Benchmark numbers) that powers most PC sticks.

When it comes to sheer connectivity, PC sticks are no match for the LarkBox. Chuwi’s device has two USB Type-A connectors, one Type-C (for power only, but you’ll probably be able to use it with a docking station or portable battery charger), an HDMI port, a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack – plus, 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0 are both supported.

All in all, a very impressive little device and the price is not outrageous for what you will be getting.

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