MeeGoPad T02, almost the smallest computer running Windows 8.1

Many people are already used to computers constantly getting smaller. So when I saw this tiny computer, I immediately wanted to review it. Especially since people had already asked me whether I’d tried one. Now I can confidently say that I have—and not only did I try it, I also took it apart and modified it, because this computer turned out to have a mind of its own.
Anyway, if you’re interested in my saga, read on.

I first saw a computer in this form factor back in the spring, in an Intel version. I mean computers running Windows, since Android computers had been around long before that.
But a little later I came across an alternative and got interested.

This review unexpectedly took me a lot more time than I’d planned, though it was interesting in its own way. In some places I’ll praise this mini PC, and in others I’ll criticize it—but I have good reasons for both.
I know some people have been waiting for this review, but technical issues meant I couldn’t publish it sooner.

First, the advertised specifications:
System: Windows 8.1
Processor: Intel Bay Trail Z3735F
Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics (7th generation)
Memory: 2GB RAM (DDR3L-1333) + 32GB ROM
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n WiFi 2.4GHz
Bluetooth: BT 4.0
Display: HDMI output, 1080P
External interfaces: 2x USB 2.0, 1x microUSB
Memory card support: 1 microSD slot, up to 64GB
Audio: 3.5mm audio output.
Dimensions: 110 x 43 x 9.9 mm
Weight: 48g

Now on to the review itself. As usual, I’ll start with the packaging. In this case, I don’t see any point in hiding it behind a spoiler.
The mini PC comes in a small, neat box in the familiar “two-story” style: the computer is on top, with the rest of the accessories underneath.


The complete package includes:
Mini PC
5 V, 2 A power supply
USB-to-microUSB cable
Manual
Warranty card.


First, a brief description of what’s included.
1. A warranty card and a small, concise manual.
2. USB-to-microUSB power cable. It’s a standard cable of reasonably good quality, about 1 m long.
3. The power supply is small and fairly standard, too. It’s the type included with most mini PCs and tablets. Credit to the manufacturer for using a standard plug that doesn’t need an adapter here.
4. The power supply is marked with an input voltage range of 100–240 V and an output of 5 V, 2 A. It also lists the model number, XL520LA, but I couldn’t find anything about it.


The first thing that strikes you when you see this device is its size. It really is compact, although the manufacturer stretched the truth a little by listing its dimensions as 110 x 43 x 9.9 mm. In reality, it measures 117 x 43 x 10.3 mm, but I don’t think that’s a big deal.
The size of this device is both an advantage and a stumbling block—and quite a big one at that. More on the downsides later.
The case has a soft-touch finish that feels very pleasant. The construction is solid; it feels like one piece in your hand.


To give you a better sense of its size, I took a couple of photos: one in my daughter’s hand, and another next to a small mobile phone.




The connectors and controls are located along the two long sides.
One side has:
A full-size USB 2.0 port
A 3.5 mm jack for headphones, a headset, or speakers.
A microUSB power connector. Judging by the circuit board and its markings, this is a fully functional port, but you'll need a Y-splitter to use it.
A power button.


The other long side has a microSD card slot and a second full-size USB port.


One of the short sides has an HDMI connector. This time it's a male plug rather than a female port, since the idea is to plug the device directly into the HDMI port on a TV or monitor. For my experiments, I used a female-to-female adapter and a cable.
I think a standard connector with a short cable included would have been more convenient, but the manufacturer knows best.
I also noticed a hole on one corner for attaching a wrist or neck strap, but no strap is included.
There are ventilation openings on the sides, as well as on the top and bottom.
The top has an opening for the power indicator.


The device weighs a little more than the stated 48 grams—in reality, it's 50 :)


First startup. The OS is a clean install, so you have to go through all the usual steps: choosing a language, reading the license, and so on.
At one point, you'll be prompted to connect to Wi-Fi. If you don't have a Microsoft account, don't do it.


If you choose to connect to the network, you'll eventually be asked to enter your account username and password, and you won't be able to start the OS without them. That's why I don't recommend connecting to the network during the initial setup if you don't have an account.


Once the initial setup is complete, you get the standard tiled Windows 8.1 interface.


After startup, the first thing I usually check is how much free space is available on the flash drive, since updates, software installations, and so on will take up space later.
There are 21.2 GB free. That's almost the most I've seen; the only device with more so far was the Vensmile, with 21.5 GB free.
There's no unnecessary software installed on the computer, and there's no office suite either. I prefer it this way.


After that, I connect to my home network. We do need to Russify this little box after all :)
The Wi-Fi was a pleasant surprise, immediately showing a connection speed of 90 Mbps. The device was 12 meters from the router, with three concrete interior walls in between and no direct line of sight. Its sensitivity is about on par with an average tablet or the Beelink I reviewed earlier.


I immediately checked the actual speed from this spot. It is of course a bit worse here, but still roughly at the same level as I mentioned above. The high upload speed surprised me—or rather, the difference between the speeds did.


Next, I'll digress from the main topic for a bit. I've seen requests on forums several times asking how to Russify an English-language Windows installation.
The thing is, even if you select Russian during the initial setup, the interface will still be in English if you don't connect to the network. But you can't connect to the network because you can't finish the initial setup without an account. A real catch-22.
Since most readers probably know how to do this, I'll hide the instructions under a spoiler.


Windows activated automatically when connected to the internet (if it doesn't, check that the date is set correctly).
I won't be providing any new information, since this computer has 95% the same hardware as its larger siblings.


The flash drive is divided into three partitions by default: an additional partition, the operating system, and a recovery partition.


The built-in Wi-Fi supports connection speeds of up to 150 Mbps. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to check whether the 5 GHz band works, but according to this information, it only supports 2.4 GHz.


The settings menu is pretty bare-bones; the Vensmile had a lot more options :(


One more speed test.
Connection speed: 120 Mbps; distance: 7 m; two interior concrete walls; no line of sight.


Since this computer is built around the already familiar Atom Z3735F processor, Aida64 and CPU-Z didn't show me anything new :)
Although these screenshots helped me a lot while I was modifying it.

My readers are used to me moving on to performance tests at this point, and only then taking the device apart.
This time I did things a little differently, and for good reason.
I did run the performance tests before opening it, to keep the experiment fair, but the results were such that I thought it would be better to show them after the modifications, alongside the modified version.


And now, the slides testing.
Or, more precisely, part of the testing that prompted the modifications.

After gathering some information about how hot the device gets and choosing a suitable heatsink, I got started on the modification.

Now let's take a look at the test results and compare them before and after the modification.

And a little about what I've used it for so far :)

And, as usual, here's the verdict.
Pros
Small size.
Good build quality
Comes with a power supply with a European plug.
Good performance after modification
Decent Wi-Fi reception

Cons
Gets extremely hot.
Because it gets so hot, performance is poor without modification.

My opinion: it's an interesting device, mainly because of its small size, but the excessive heat wipes out all its advantages. Of course, you can modify it, but not everyone can do that. After the modification, though, it really is a small and snappy computer.
I've also seen forum posts mentioning freezes and reboots due to overheating. That may well be true, but during my testing the device got hot and slowed down, yet it never froze or rebooted.
I don't want to be too harsh, but the engineers who designed this mini PC got it very wrong by giving it such inadequate cooling. That's probably its only drawback. What's more, it would have been entirely possible to achieve both a small size and passive, effective cooling in production. My experiment proves it.

I hope you found my review interesting and useful.
I wasn't sure whether to put this review in the “Made by Hand” category, and decided against it.

Update: there's an identical mini PC, but with Ubuntu, priced at $78.


The product was provided by the store for review.