GPD P2 MAX Mini Laptop review

The GPD P2 MAX Ultrabook from DroiX is the latest product in a line of devices from their GPD XD to the more recent GPD Micro. What makes the P2 MAX unique is that it is their first UltraBook and aims to be the best Ultrabook of 2019 in this range.

The P2 MAX comes in two models. The lower priced silver model has an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD and the grey model has an Intel Core m3-8100Y processor with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, both using LPDDR3 and NGFF M.2 SATA respectively. With a cold start boot to the desktop in under 10 seconds, there is some fast hardware found inside this Windows 10 laptop.

Depending on your usage you may find the Celeron 3965Y is an ideal Mini laptop for average day to day work and entertainment. The Intel®️ Core m3-8100Y is better suited for those that want a bit more grunt for heavier photo editing and light video editing for example.

All this hardware is packed into a shell measuring just 6.02 x 4.44 x 0.92 inches and weighing less than 700 grams. Despite its size, it manages to add enough outputs to match and even beat some larger laptops. It has two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB 3.0 Type-C port, one Micro HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone & microphone socket.  There is a camera located in the display hinge, the quality is fine for video calls.

The display is an 8.9 Inch Retina H-IPS panel running at 2560×1600 resolution. The 16:10 format makes the screen look much larger than it actually is as most people will be used to 16:9 format. The display is touchscreen and feels responsive with no lag. The quality is good and due to the screen size, the high resolution on the 8.9 inch screen looks sharp and bright. Watching 4K videos on YouTube really shows off the quality and definition.

The keyboard is an important part of any mobile device, previous GPD devices such as the Win 2 had miniscule keyboard buttons which made it hard to type for any length of time. The Pocket 2 had larger keys but they still required some getting used to. The P2 MAX Mini Laptop keyboard is larger with better spacing between the keys to avoid accidental presses when typing.

The keyboard does not take a lot of getting used to type coming from a laptop or desktop keyboard, but the Function keys will take a little time to remember. After spending a while writing this review, my fingers still felt comfortable and not cramped like they did using the Pocket 2. On the subject of fingers, the fingerprint scanner is very responsive and requires just a short tap to be recognised.

Battery life is good with an advertised 12 hour maximum life, under normal usage you can expect around 6 to 8 hours which is reasonable for a days usage. The fan noise under normal usage is barely audible. When under heavy usage with the processor at maximum, the fan noise can be heard. This is much like any other laptop and is to be expected.

My day to day usage for a work ultrabook mainly consists of some browsing and replying to emails, work consisting of writing on-site reports which includes some light photo editing and watching a video or two on the commute home. Then after some Steam Game Streaming as a gaming Ultrabook if time permits.

The GPD P2 MAX handled my daily tasks very well and I was not found wishing I had a faster or larger sized laptop rather than a small laptop. Previously coming from a laptop which had to be carried around all day, the reduction in size and weight while still retaining the performance was exactly what I was looking for in an UltraBook. This is by far, GPDs best built and performing device to date.

Learn more about and buy the GPD P2 MAX. You can find our full range of Mini Laptops here.