I Put Linux On This 8-inch Mini Laptop, And It's Filled A Niche Role For Me

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Piccolo N150 netbook is connected waste now for $389.
• This eight-inch laptop has a bully display, capable powerfulness for astir usage cases, and moreover runs Linux well.
• The keyboard connected nan N150 is simply a situation to get utilized to.

If fixed nan opportunity, I would overmuch alternatively usage a desktop complete a laptop aliases phone. Don't get maine wrong, I'm gladsome I person my Android, but typing connected phones has ne'er been easy for me. I for illustration touch typing and I'm very bully astatine it (I should be, fixed really overmuch I write). 

Also: I yet recovered a mini PC pinch a striking creation (and nan powerfulness to backmost it up)

On nan fewer occasions I person had to really constitute and edit connected a phone, it was horrible, truthful I debar it astatine each costs. But what do I do erstwhile I'm connected nan spell and I don't person room successful my container for a full-sized laptop?

I spell mini. Or, shall I say, tiny.

The Piccolo N150 Netbook is an eight-inch "mini laptop" that looks benignant of for illustration a tablet aliases 1 of those old-school electronic organizers from nan '90s. When I first received this instrumentality to review, I was giddy upon handling it. I ever loved miniaturized things arsenic a kid, and nan Piccolo speaks to thing nostalgic. 

This eight-inch laptop isn't a toy, however. Upon picking it up, you tin consciousness nan metallic chassis has a astonishing magnitude of weight to it. When I turned nan N150 on, I was greeted by Windows 11. It should travel arsenic nary astonishment that I dislike Windows. So what did I do? Obviously, I installed Linux.

To beryllium much specific, I installed KDE Neon. I knew I'd for illustration nan KDE Plasma UI because I felt it would beryllium nan easiest to usage connected nan mini touch screen. The installation was arsenic easy arsenic installing immoderate Linux distribution (which is to say… very) and location was only 1 rumor pinch nan audio. 

Also: This Linux distro combines nan champion parts of Windows and MacOS - and it's gorgeous

After a afloat KDE Neon upgrade, nan onboard sound paper was detected and everything was fine. I could usage nan Piccolo N150 arsenic good connected Linux arsenic I could connected Windows and I was a happy lil' penguin.

The first point I realized, however, was that it would return maine a while to get utilized to nan keyboard. The Piccolo's layout is strange, and my fingers needed a infinitesimal to get utilized to it. 

I've knowledgeable this before, truthful cognize that it's very communal for specified mini devices. You simply cannot cram a full-sized keyboard onto an eight-inch frame. Because of that, I spot nan layout arsenic a clever work-around to support nan mostly of nan keys afloat size. If nan keys themselves were bite-sized, it would beryllium acold worse.

As acold arsenic nan remainder of nan hardware, nan show is overmuch nicer than I would person imagined for this shape factor, and it has a coagulated build contempt its miniature stature. The only point (and this is to beryllium expected) is that nan sound is very mini and tinny -- but astatine slightest it's clear. 

Also: ExTiX's caller merchandise is an moreover amended Windows 11-like Linux desktop

During my testing, I installed nan Ollama/Msty combo to spot really nan N150 would grip section AI and I was amazed it performed beautiful well. It wasn't astir arsenic accelerated arsenic my System76 Thelio, but that's comparing apples to oranges. Even so, queries were answered quickly and I only heard nan instrumentality footwear connected briefly.

I didn't benchmark this mini laptop but that's not really of interest for specified a mini device. You don't bargain a laptop of this size for its performance, you bargain it for its portability and convenience. That nan N150 was capable to tally Linux to perfection was a awesome prize for me.

ZDNET's buying advice

Laptops of this size aren't for everyone. If your fingers tin accommodate to nan keyboard layout, it would beryllium a awesome instrumentality to transportation pinch you successful your purse aliases bag, truthful you could constitute your caller while walking connected nan autobus aliases moreover activity connected immoderate code.

The Piccolo N150 netbook isn't a artifact but it's besides not thing you'd usage for thing excessively serious. If you're okay pinch nan shape facet and you tin get utilized to nan cramped keyboard, this mini laptop would beryllium a awesome summation to nan tech you use. That being said, it's not an perfect gaming laptop, though I ideate 1 could instal Steam and play immoderate that aren't excessively graphically-intensive. 

Piccolo N150 netbook specs

• CPU - Intel Alder Lake N100 pinch 4 cores, 4 threads, and a max turbo wave of 3.6 GHz
• GPU - Intel Graphics 24EUs 1000 MHz
• Size - 7.9" x 5.142" x .70"
• Weight - 1.45 pounds
• Display - IPS LCD astatine 1920 X 1200 pinch a 16:10 ratio
• Battery  Polymer 7.4 v/300 mAh pinch a 6-hour life connected a afloat charge
• RAM - 12GB connected board.
• Storage - 512 GB
• Camera (front only) 2.0 MP
• Speaker - 1 W x 2.
• Connectivity - Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6
• Fingerprint publication built into nan powerfulness button
• Ports - MicroSD, 1 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1 mini HDMI
• Price $389 connected nan X-Plus site