Comment by Shank | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Shank | Hacker News Reader

The allure of small PCs has been very, very strong for me these days. I think the problem is that we used to have this as a market by default, but size keeps creeping up. There used to be a 11.6" MacBook Air, which was a lovely little machine. The difference between 11.6" and 13" is astounding when you're looking at things like carrying it around or sitting on the couch. Smaller devices are even more portable just enabling.

It's an itch that's almost scratched by tablets, but not quite. I have an iPad Mini, but the prospect of using it as an ultra-portable is dashed by the fact that keyboard cases and the like are just not great experiences. iPadOS isn't as strong as a normal desktop OS, particularly when it comes to something like SSH.

The only thing that's stopping me from grabbing a GPD Micro is the fact that multiple people here have expressed doubts about the hinge's longevity. There's also a pretty prominent Amazon review where a user said that the hinge snapped after just 10 open/close cycles per day. Ouch.

Are there any other prominent small form factor laptops like this?

The MBA 11 was a nearly perfect form factor. It's a shame it got discontinued.

Plus it ran Linux like almost no other computer. It was a plain Intel machine, indistinguishable from other PCs.

With a slightly better screen and narrower bezels and M1 fanless CPUs it'd be amazing.

The M2 mba doesn’t seem that much bigger than the 11 inch. When I compare my old 11 inch and my m1 they feel of a similar size and weight class, and the m2 is smaller and lighter than the m1.

11 inch mba: Dimensions: .11-.68 x 11.8 x 7.56 (0.3 cm-1.7 cm, 30 cm, 19.2 cm) Avg. Weight: 2.38 lbs (1.08 kg)

M2 macbook air: Dimensions: 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 (1.13 cm x 30.41 cm x 21.5 cm) Avg. Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24 kg)

...and recently announced Fujitsu Lifebook WU-X/G2 (13.3") is 0.634 kg, half the weight. Macbooks are made of metal, quote sturdy, but not lightweight by any means

Thanks for sharing that Fujitsu. At 634g it looks amazing and it's a proper laptop from a reputable brand with a full size keyboard, not some discount bin Chromebook or low spec pocket PC full of compromises and cramped keyboards.

>The only thing that's stopping me from grabbing a GPD Micro is the fact that multiple people here have expressed doubts about the hinge's longevity

I would advise not to let that stop you. For one, my hinge has yet to break after well over a year of constant daily use, and until this thread it not occur to me to worry about it; for another, I have every confidence that if it did break, I could fix it. The device is extremely hackable, being screwed together like a laptop instead of sealed like a phone. Indeed, a commenter in this very thread did a DIY fix on their hinge, and according to them it's better than the original.

Don't miss out on a unique computing experience!

If you’re missing MBA 11” and MB 12”, or ThinkPad X41s/60s chassis, X1 Nano might be for you. Fits like a glove for ultraportable B5 laptop enthusiasts.

Vaio SX12

A bit less IO than years prior, but still somewhat loaded.

surface go?

I recently put Ubuntu one one. A nice little device!

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