VOYO VBOOK V2, a netbook with an 11.6-inch screen and an N3450 processor

At the very beginning of the year, I posted a review of the Voyo mini PC, based on the new N4200 Apollo Lake processor. I was quite impressed with its specs, but I also mentioned that there was a lower-end version of this processor. Today, I’m reviewing a netbook built around it.

As usual, we’ll take a look at it, take it apart, run some tests, and compare the N4200 vs N3450—or Pentium vs Celeron—along the way.

I’ve already been asked about the differences between the N4200 and N3450, since these are the two processor models you’ll mostly find on the market. Ideally, I’d compare two devices with identical designs, but “who’s going to lend me those?”, so I’ll compare them as best I can.
Just in case, here’s a reminder of how they differ:
Pentium J4205: 4/4, 2 MB L2, 1.5/2.6 GHz, HD 505 graphics (18 EU, 250–800 MHz), TDP 10 W
Celeron J3455: 4/4, 2 MB L2, 1.5/2.3 GHz, HD 500 graphics (12 EU, 250–750 MHz), TDP 10 W
Celeron J3355: 2/2, 2 MB L2, 2.0/2.5 GHz, HD 500 graphics (12 EU, 250–700 MHz), TDP 10 W
Pentium N4200: 4/4, 2 MB L2, 1.1/2.5 GHz, HD 505 graphics (18 EU, 200–750 MHz), TDP 6 W
Celeron N3450: 4/4, 2 MB L2, 1.1/2.2 GHz, HD 500 graphics (12 EU, 200–700 MHz), TDP 6 W
Celeron N3350: 2/2, 2 MB L2, 1.1/2.4 GHz, HD 500 graphics (12 EU, 200–650 MHz), TDP 6 W


And, of course, the specs of the test subject.
Operating system: Windows 10
Processor: Intel Celeron N3450 1.1 GHz (2.2 GHz in turbo mode)
Graphics: Intel® Intel® HD Graphics 500
Memory: 4 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM + Type: M.2 slot
Slot for a microSD card up to 128 GB.
11.3-inch IPS display
Resolution: 1920 x 1800
Camera: Front-facing, 0.3 MP
Wireless: WiFi: 802.11b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0
3.5 mm headphone jack
1x USB 2.0 and 1x USB 3.0 port
Micro HDMI port
Battery: 12000 mAh
10-point multitouch
Dimensions and weight: length x width x height: 287 x 196 x 20 mm
Weight: about 1246 g

Now we can get to the review itself. The store lists this device as a laptop, but “netbook” would be more accurate: it’s noticeably smaller, has fewer expansion ports, and doesn’t have a CD/DVD drive.

The netbook comes in a large, sturdy box.


There’s very little information on the box, but I should point out how thoughtfully the packaging is designed: practically everything has its own “tray,” even the manual.


The package includes:
1. VOYO VBOOK V2 netbook
2. Power adapter
3. Stylus
4. Manual, warranty card, etc.


1. Warranty card, manual, and a quick-start guide
2. The only useful thing in the manual may be the diagram showing where the ports are.
3, 4. The power adapter is rated for 12 V and up to 3 A.
It barely gets warm during normal use. It gets hottest when the computer is running and the battery is charging at the same time, but even then I wouldn’t call it very hot—especially since this doesn’t take very long.
It’s also nice that the manufacturer didn’t go with the usual microUSB charging port and a 5 V power adapter, but instead fitted a separate 3.5 x 1.35 mm jack and included a proper power adapter.


The stylus is genuinely useful. It looks like an ordinary ballpoint pen, except it has a microUSB charging port on the end and a power button—and you can’t write with it :)
It looks like a regular stylus of the kind supplied with graphics tablets. Its “writing” tip is quite fine, so it works well for drawing. You can also use it for everyday computer tasks instead of poking the screen with your fingers.
There are some downsides, though: you could puncture the screen if you wanted to, since the tip is hard. And the manufacturer didn’t include a cable—how did they expect us to charge this thing? :)


At first glance, the computer looks much like most netbooks from other brands: small and flat. As far as I know, it’s only available in one color, called LUXURY GOLD. Personally, I’d have liked a gray/silver option too, but either way, it’s better than black because fingerprints are less visible.


I gave the case dimensions earlier, but here they are again just in case: 287 mm long, 196 mm wide, and 20 mm high. The length and width are slightly less than those of a standard A4 sheet, which measures 297 x 210 mm.


The netbook weighs 1286 g, although the specs list 1246 g.


On the bottom are four rubber feet, two speakers covered by grilles, and the model marking.
Speaking of the speakers. The sound is excellent, except for one thing: when the netbook is sitting on a table, the sound is directed into the table. If you turn it into tablet mode, the sound is directed into the space between the body and the display.
The speakers would work much better if they were positioned under the display, but hardly anyone does that.
Overall, I have no complaints about the sound itself, but the speaker placement isn't ideal.


On the right side of the case, from left to right, are:
1. Memory card slot
2. microHDMI port for connecting a monitor.
3. USB 3.0
4. Power connector
5. Power and charging indicator (blue/red)

I was a little surprised that the manufacturer used microHDMI instead of a standard HDMI port. There seems to be plenty of room, but apparently they think connecting a second monitor is unlikely. Still, I think they could at least have included some kind of adapter.


On the left are:
1. USB 2.0 port
2. Headphone output
3. An unidentified slot, with no markings anywhere. I'll come back to it later.
4. Volume buttons
5. Power button
6. Keyboard disable switch.

Yes, as you may have already guessed, there are only two USB ports. I think they could have added a third; the hardware supports it and there's room. But it is what it is.


When I opened the lid, it felt unusual to see a case without the usual promotional stickers telling you which processor, graphics card, Dolby Digital sound card, and so on it has.
The only thing worth noting is the unusually wide bezels around the screen.


Of course, with no promotional labels, there are no Russian letters on the keyboard either, so you'll have to buy them separately. Prices vary from place to place; here they're about a dollar for a fairly good-quality set.


In the middle of the case is the familiar touchpad, with two physical buttons below it.


The touchpad can be disabled using a dedicated button. This may be useful for people who do a lot of typing and find the touchpad gets in the way.
As for the keyboard, I liked it personally, though keep in mind that after many years I've gotten used to short-travel keys, and my main keyboard is the same. I know some users prefer keyboards with more key travel, but you hardly ever find those in laptops. In any case, this is a decent keyboard; I didn't notice any flex or discomfort. Actually, there is one thing: I miss having a numeric keypad, but those are rare on laptops, let alone netbooks.


There's a camera above the screen, but it serves more as a plug for the hole, since 0.3 MP is barely enough for Skype, and even then not always. In other words, it's mostly there for show.


The netbook can easily be folded into tablet mode. It's not a true tablet, of course, but it can be handy in some situations. It also supports all the positions in between, such as tent mode, for watching movies.


But it still doesn't fold all the way around to 360 degrees; a small gap remains.
As I mentioned above, you can disable the keyboard with a separate switch when using it this way.
The touchscreen supports 10-point touch, and there's also an accelerometer, so it really does work like a tablet.
On the one hand, a detachable design can sometimes be more convenient, with the tablet and keyboard separate and connected only when needed. But it depends on how you plan to use it: if it'll spend most of its time as a netbook, the design in this review is better; if you'll mostly use it as a tablet, a separate keyboard is preferable.


I had no complaints about the display panel either. It's not reference-grade, of course, but the picture is perfectly decent. There are no issues with the viewing angles.


I wanted to show how it displays shades of gray, but realized that it's quite difficult to capture, given how it turned out.


It also looks fine with the flash on; the image is perfectly visible, with no glare.


Just a couple of photos in different lighting conditions.



Next, I'll show you the internals, although disassembly, measuring the battery capacity, and a small modification were actually the final steps.
The netbook is very easy to take apart: first, remove the many small screws holding the bottom cover, then use something flat to release the clips around the perimeter. All the screws are the same length, which I appreciate.
The speaker openings are also covered with fine mesh.


The layout is quite compact, although the battery takes up far from the entire area.
By the way, the netbook sits steadily thanks to the battery inside, which isn't always the case with devices that have detachable keyboards.


Almost the entire main board is covered by a copper plate that serves as a heatsink.


The USB port and buttons are on a separate board.


The battery consists of four cells glued together with the controller board.


The speakers are small modules, but fairly large, which is why the sound is quite good. One speaker connects to the auxiliary board, the other to the main board, but the amplifier is on the main board. That's a pretty sensible design: I've come across a version where the amplifier was on the auxiliary board, and connecting a hard drive to the port on that same board caused severe interference.


There are two WiFi antennas: one is in the top cover, and the other inside the main chassis.
That's also a pretty sensible design—the farther apart the antennas are, the better.


The specs said there was an M.2 connector for an SSD inside, but it turned out there are actually two. I'll show you later how they differ.


The board also has:
1. A reset button that isn't accessible from the outside.
2. A footprint for a connector to attach a backup battery for the built-in real-time clock.
3. A connector for the front panel; apparently, the board was designed to be quite versatile.
4. An unidentified CAMCON connector. The name suggests a camera, but it has rather a lot of pins.


I was also pleasantly surprised by the well-designed heatsink mounting against the processor, but as it turned out later, things aren't as good as they look at first glance.


Remove the four screws and bend back the heatsink plate. It's quite thin, about 0.5 mm, though it could have been made twice as thick, which would have noticeably improved cooling.


A very brief look at the components.
1. N3450 SoC.
2. RAM: 8 Samsung chips, a pretty good choice.
3. SK hynix flash memory, also good. I'm glad they didn't use the dubious Foresee brand.
4. Dual-band WiFi module from Intel; I recently came across exactly the same module in a Beelink mini PC.


1, 2. I was initially a little surprised to find two flash memory chips. No, having flash memory and an EEPROM makes sense: one stores the BIOS firmware, the other the network card firmware. But there's no network card here, so after looking further, I found that one chip is used to store the firmware for the embedded controller.
3. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC269 codec.
4. Multiphase power controller.


1. Presumably audio amplifiers, but I'm not 100% sure.
2. A chip I don't recognize.
3. IT8987E embedded controller. This chip is very rarely found in small Chinese netbooks, so its presence was somewhat unexpected.
3. BQ24715, the battery charging controller.


The section of the board near the power connector. You can see the power converters themselves, the charging circuit, as well as the protection components for the HDMI port and the fuse for the USB port.


The area around the M.2 slots. Judging by the number of identical chips (two) and their location near the audio codec, I assumed they were power amplifiers. I mentioned this above.


After removing the heatsink, I could see the markings near the M.2 connectors. As I understand it, one connector is universal and marked WWAN_SSD_CON1, while the other is for SSDs only and marked SSD_CON1.
Unfortunately, I can't test their compatibility yet, but an M.2 SSD is already on its way to me.


A little about cooling and a small modification.
Originally, a thin rubber pad sits between the processor die and the heatsink. I didn't measure its thickness, but compared with 1 mm rubber, it looks about half as thick.
For an experiment, I applied a dab of thermal paste and tried fitting the heatsink without the rubber pad, simply pressing it down with the stock screws. The result was pleasantly surprising: the paste spread evenly across the die.


I also planned to increase the plate's thickness by pressing a second, thicker plate against it with thermal paste in between. There is even some clearance between the case and the heatsink. But I couldn't find a suitable plate, so I changed my mind. While I'm at it, I can also say that the middle screw on the back cover presses it down so firmly that there's probably almost no clearance left, but I'll come back to that during the retest at the end of the review.


The battery connects via seven wires: the outer ones are power leads; the middle or right one is probably for balancing or protection, and the third is most likely a temperature sensor.


For the test, I used an electronic load that has stood the test of time, but ran the test a little differently.
The thing is, I didn't know the cutoff voltage for these batteries, so I first fully charged it using the netbook itself. After disconnecting the charger, the voltage was around 8.63–8.65 V.


I made a mistake here. The battery is rated at 12000 mAh, so I decided to discharge it at 0.2C, or 2.4 A. But I completely forgot that the battery is 7.4 V, not 3.7 V, and the correct current would have been 1.2 A, since the 12000 mAh figure here is the sum of the capacities of all the cells at 3.7 V.
In the grand scheme of things, it isn't a big deal; that's just how it turned out.
I discharged it in three stages, down to 3.2, 3.0, and 2.8 V. The battery delivered its rated 12000 mAh—or, more precisely, 6135 × 2 = 12270 mAh—when discharged to 3.2 V. At full discharge, it even delivered 12436 mAh, noticeably more than the rated 12000. Definitely a pass.


Above, I mentioned the mysterious gap in the case that looked like a memory card slot.
After unscrewing the side board, I found a SIM card slot there, but no radio module. That got me thinking: perhaps the second M.2 slot could be used for a GSM modem, with the SIM card connected to it. The netbook may well have been available in a configuration like that.
Why install a slot when there's no radio module? Just so they wouldn't have to make a blanking plate :) More seriously, as I understand it, you can simply add a modem and get a 3G or 4G connection.


The computer runs Windows 10. Of the 64 GB of preinstalled flash storage, more than 48 GB is free, which is quite good, especially considering that you can expand the capacity considerably by installing an SSD.


The drive is divided into the usual three partitions: the system partition, the main partition, and the recovery partition.


I think you noticed that English was selected by default. People sometimes ask me how to switch to Russian, so I'll try to explain.

Go to Control Panel and select - Region and Language.
Add Russian if it isn't listed (Add language), or select Set as default if it is.


After selecting it and restarting, most of the interface will switch to Russian, but you still need to change the settings for applications.
Go to - Control Panel - Clock, Language, and Region - Region.


Then click - Copy settings.


Check both boxes at the bottom and click OK. The computer will ask you to restart, and that's it.


Activation was no problem at all; it happened automatically as soon as I connected to the internet.


Device Manager. I didn't expand everything; this is just for general information.


By and large, the N4200 and N3450 processors differ in Turbo frequency and graphics, with the N4200's graphics being slightly more powerful. Otherwise, the processors are practically identical, although Pentium and Celeron used to differ in cache size.


The first tests and comparisons, as promised.
When I wrote my review of the Voyo mini PC based on the N4200, I only ran the CPU-Z version 15 test.
Below are two screenshots, from versions 17 and 15. I'll compare against the second one.
The N4200 scored 764/2450, while the N3450 scored 670/2471. So the N4200 is faster in single-threaded mode, while they're about the same in multithreaded mode.


AIDA memory test



Next up is Cinebench.
First, the N4200:
10.30/1.69 in version 11 and 11.86/132 in version 15.

Now the N3450:
7.45/1.75 in version 11 and 11.91/140 in version 15.

The results were a little surprising, but it turned out to be test variance. In any case, I'll put everything together in a table at the end of the review, including two computers based on the N4200.


3DMark—what would a review be without it? :)
In version 2006, the computer with the N4200 scored 3487, while the N3450 scored 3383. I wouldn't call that a significant difference.


There's a difference in the newer version too: N4200 - 317|329, and N3450 - 281.
The result was predictable, though—the N3450's graphics are weaker after all.


WinRAR, on the other hand, managed to surprise me. I don't know why, but I've tested at least two computers with the N4200, and they scored 1300 and 1478. This one started at 1841, then dropped to 1691, but that's still noticeably higher than the N4200.


I ran this test on a Voyo computer based on the N4200, but it didn't make it into the review because I'd done it at a reader's request. Still, this test will also help me compare which one is faster.
The N3450 scored 924 points, while the N4200 scored a bit higher at 1088.


The flash memory test was a pleasant surprise. Of course, it's no SSD, but 280 MB/s read and 82 MB/s write is a very good result for eMMC.
For a more accurate comparison, I ran the test with a 10 GB file, but didn't let it finish because speeds drop sharply when working with small files, making a full test take a very long time.


I continued testing with the more familiar CrystalDiskMark.
1. eMMC, 1 GB file
2. eMMC, 32 GB file
3. Built-in card reader
4. An external hard drive with sequential read speeds of 100–110 MB/s.


Since I use an old version of the benchmark for my statistics, I decided to stick with tradition this time too.
Below is a summary of the eMMC memory used in various mini PCs. Some screenshots are labeled, but I’ll list the information separately anyway.

Voyo Vbook V2
Beelink AP42
Voyo V1 (eMMC)
CHUWI HiBox
Beelink BT7
Pipo X10
Pipo X9
Pipo X7
Pipo X7S
MeeGoPad T02
Pocket P1
Vensmile W10
Teclast X98 Pro
MeeGoPad T03
Wintel Pro CX-W8

As you can see, the netbook under review delivered quite respectable speeds compared with the other devices tested, which is pretty good. And considering that it uses branded memory, it’s excellent.


I’ve saved the best for last: overheating tests. I think everyone knows the bane of most compact devices: high temperatures. This netbook was no exception, especially given its passive cooling system.
Incidentally, I came across a similar solution in my first laptop, a Compaq with a 486 processor. The keyboard’s metal backing plate served as the heatsink. I haven’t seen this approach anywhere else.

These tests aren’t particularly varied, since I chose just two: LinX and OCCT. I usually run them several times, though.
First up, LinX.
The first run started in Turbo mode, but the processor can’t run in this mode for long, so the difference compared with the other results isn’t very large.
I always keep an eye on two things: performance drop during the test and temperature. There was a drop, but it was small and occurred toward the end of the test. The temperature reached 89 degrees, and the test took 28 minutes 57 seconds.


I stopped running the intermediate stages of OCCT a long time ago and now launch it straight into its most demanding mode—the power supply test. In fact, this mode loads both the processor’s main and graphics cores at the same time, so it generates the most heat. This situation is extremely rare during normal use.


The temperature also reached 89 degrees here, but this is actually the result of the overheating protection kicking in, which is clearly present.


This netbook has a dual-band Intel Wi-Fi module installed.


As I mentioned above, the Beelink AP42 mini PC has exactly the same module, but with an external antenna. Interestingly, the test showed roughly similar range.
The netbook maintains a connection at the farthest point in my apartment. But it’s unlikely you could work under these conditions, since the connection is very unstable and only works on the 2.4 GHz band.
Move a little closer and the connection becomes more stable, but the speed is very low. Move even closer to the router, though, and the speed rises sharply.
The first graph shows 2.4 GHz, with 5 tests at distances ranging from 1 m with no obstacles to 12 m through reinforced concrete walls.
The second graph shows 5 GHz under the same conditions, except that the test at the maximum distance failed because there was no connection.


And, of course, battery life—after all, a netbook is a mobile device, and battery life is extremely important.
For the test, I used the same video file I use to test every device that comes my way. It’s a Full HD movie.
The first test used the MPC player. It started at 10:15 and ended at 15:02, falling just short of 5 hours.


Well, I don’t think I’d be wrong in saying that many of you are thinking: 5 hours from a 12 Ah battery? That’s nonsense.
I thought the same, so I started the same movie again, this time in the media player included with Windows 10.
The test started at 19:15. At 3:47 I went to bed and left the computer running; at 4:20 it shut down (according to the system logs). That’s about 9 hours in total.
The test showed that battery life depends heavily on many factors. In this case, the processor handled video decoding in hardware, and CPU usage was around 6%. In the first test, decoding was done in software and CPU usage was 20–30%, which explains the difference.


As I mentioned in the section on the internals, I tried to improve the cooling system.
The modification was very basic: replacing the thermal pad with thermal paste. That’s when I got a “surprise.”
I applied the thermal paste, put the case back together, started the test, and was shocked by the result: 100 degrees and a severe drop in performance!


As I also mentioned while describing the internals, there’s a small gap between the case and the heatsink, but there’s no room to add anything there, since the central screw on the case cover presses it almost completely flat.
Anyway, I tried various modifications: thermal paste, a different thermal pad, and the original one. The result was always the same: 99–100 degrees.
At one point, I applied thermal paste again and not only reassembled the case, but also tightened the central screw that holds the bottom cover in place.
The temperature was 85 degrees instead of 89, even though it had gotten warmer outside and, consequently, indoors (summer had finally arrived).
What’s more, the test results improved: 28 minutes 36 seconds instead of 28 minutes 57 seconds.
To sum up, I don’t think there’s much point in modifying the cooling. At most, you could try adding another plate to increase the thermal mass of the cooling system. There’s nowhere for the heat to escape from the case anyway, so no thermal interface material is going to make a big difference.


I tried taking a thermal image during the process, but even though I hadn’t screwed the bottom cover on, it still took me a while to disassemble everything, so the temperature had time to drop. The photo shows the highest temperature I saw.


Right at the end, I decided to check whether the BIOS had any thermal settings, but unfortunately, it has very few settings, and those are only for boot options.


As promised above, here’s a summary table of the mini PCs I tested—or, more precisely, of the different processor models, since I tested quite a few more computers.


That’s it. I think I can now sum up the tests and inspection.
Pros
Quite neat-looking.
Decent build quality.
High-capacity battery.
Stylus included.
5 GHz Wi-Fi and fairly high connection speeds.
Fast flash storage.
Good performance.
Can connect to a monitor or TV.
Two M.2 slots.
Good sound.

Cons
Wi-Fi sensitivity isn’t very good.
It gets hot—or, more accurately, overheats under heavy load.
No Cyrillic characters on the keyboard.
Only two USB ports.

My take: this netbook is well suited to web browsing, less demanding games, watching videos, and office applications. The high-capacity battery really does allow it to run for a long time on battery power, but keep in mind (as with any device) that a rogue browser tab or lack of hardware video decoding support can significantly reduce that runtime.
Overheating is typical of most devices like this, although I’d say this one is far from the worst case. The lack of Cyrillic characters is easily fixed with stickers.
I was disappointed by the small number of USB ports and the use of microHDMI instead of full-size HDMI. On the other hand, it has two M.2 slots, which could come in handy, though I’d have preferred a couple of extra USB ports.


That’s all. I hope the information in this review was useful.