News
News Categories

Zotac says its ZBOX PI225 is the world’s smallest mini PC

By Koh Wanzi - on 8 Sep 2017, 10:42am

Zotac says its ZBOX PI225 is the world’s smallest mini PC

Zotac ZBOX PI225

Zotac has announced a couple of new additions to its ZBOX M and P series mini PCs. The ZBOX PI225 is probably the more interesting of the two, given that it’s a super tiny machine that Zotac says is the world’s smallest and thinnest mini PC.

It measures just 95.4 x 63 x 8mm, making it thinner than most laptops out there and roughly the same size as a 2.5-inch SSD. Of course, those dimensions do come with a trade-off, and you’re limited to just a dual-core Intel Apollo Lake processor instead of a proper desktop chip.

That said, this looks to be an interesting choice for those looking for a tiny system for basic tasks. Here’s an overview of the specifications:

  • Intel Celeron N3350 processor (1.10GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
  • 4GB LPDDR3 memory
  • 32GB eMMC storage
  • Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

Zotac ZBOX PI225

The Apollo Lake processor has a TDP of just 6 watts, so Zotac went with a completely silent fanless design with no moving parts.

But despite its small size, you’ll still get support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, in addition to two USB 3.0 Type-C ports which support DisplayPort output.

However, if you want something more powerful, there’s the ZBOX MI553, a speedy machine that is still very compact. It measures 184.6 x 71.5 x 184.6mm, and is available in both barebones and fully configured models.

Zotac ZBOX MI553

The ZBOX MI553 Plus is the version that’s ready to go right out of the box. Here’s a look at what you’re getting:

  • Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor (2.50GHz, 6MB L3 cache)
  • 4GB DDR4 memory
  • 120GB M.2 SATA SSD
  • Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

 

There’s a decent selection of I/O ports, including four USB 3.0 and one Thunderbolt 3 port at the back, and one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port at the front. In addition, there are HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and 3-in-1 card reader.

Zotac says it worked to maximize the surface area available for ventilation, and the PC is kept cool by a pretty standard heatsink and fan setup. The innards are also easily accessible by a push-and-lift mechanism, so you can upgrade things like the RAM and storage.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.