New mini PC from Gole - Meet Gole2, Cherry-Trail Z8350/Allwinner A64 Mini PC
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32GB
ROM
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4GB
RAM
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GPU
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4
CPU
Higole Gole2
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OS
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Wi-Fi
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LAN
100M -
CHIPSET
Intel Atom Z8350
Gole had a successful campaign a while ago for their Gole1 mini PC (which we will be reviewing soon) and they were working since June on their next model.
And here it is, Gole2 was just announced on ... IndieGogo, of course.
Just as it's predecessor, Gole2 is not boring: comes in two versions, one with an Intel Cherry Trail Z8350 processor, 4GB of RAM and Windows 10 and a second version with an Allwinner A64 (quad core, Cortex A63) that runs Phoenix OS (Android) ans 2GB of RAM.
The mini PC comes in 3 colors : Black and White are Intel-powered, and the Gold one is with the Allwinner SoC.
Both versions have a built-in 90-degree wide angle camera (5 megapixel, full HD) and an 2.5'' HDD slot for an HDD or SSD (up to 1TB).
Gole Gole2 Mini PC full specs
- CPU: Intel® Atom™ x5-Z8350(2M Cache, up to 1.92 GHz)
- GPU: Intel® HD Graphics (200 MHz base, 500Mhz max)
- RAM: 4GB DDR3
- ROM: 32GB eMMC
- WiFi: 802.11ac/n/g/b (Dual Band, external antenna)
- LAN: 10/100
- USB: 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0
- Audio/Video: HDMI, speaker, Microphone, built-in camera, Headphone Jack, SD card (128Gb max)
- Other: Bluetooth 4.0, 2.5'' HDD tray
- OS: Windows 10 32-bit (licensed)
Gole Gole2
Gole is heavily promoting the camera that comes with the Gole2, which can be used for Full HD video conference (Skype) and it pairs well with the built-in speaker and microphone and comes with a hardware shutter, which is a nice touch.
I couldn't find a reference on Gigabit Ethernet, so it's likely to assume the wired connection is just 10/100. But Gole 2 promises dual-band wi-fi 802.11ac/n/g/b and it does have an USB 3.0 port for fast transfers, making it quite capable.
The Phoenix OS version promises desktop-like experience (as in mouse & keyboard) in an Android-based OS, with access to Google Play store and the apps that come with it.
Gole2's design looks polished and it might get enough attention to raise the $50k flexible goal they have on their IndieGogo campaign, but I don't think that really matters, as I suspect the device will be launched no matter the outcome of the campaign, and Gole is just using IndieGogo as a marketing media - which is not a bad idea, after all. In fact, accorrding to their timeline the mass production for Gole2 should start this month and all backers should get their Gole2 Mini PC by Christmas.
Gole2 is priced from $69 (plus shipping) for the Phoenix OS 2GB version to $144 for the Windows 10 version with 4GB of RAM ($114 for the first 50 backers).
Since the Windows 10 license is priced separately at $25, I would have liked personally a version with a bigger internal memory, which could pop up later as a perk.