The “M1 Pocket Mini Soft Router” is a tiny Intel Alder Lake-N OEM mini PC with four 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports that is powered by a Processor N100, Processor N200, or Core i3-N305 CPU and sold by various brands such as Kingnovy or Tuofudun Topton.
The pocket-sized computer comes with up to 16GB DDR5 memory, up to 1TB NVMe SSD, and features HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort USB-C video outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, as well as a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack.
M1 mini PC specifications:
- Alder Lake-N SoC
- Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W
- Intel Processor N200 quad-core processor @ up to 3.7 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 6W
- Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 15W
- System Memory – 8GB or 16GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz
- Storage
- 1x M.2 M-key 2242 socket for NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x2) or SATA 3.0 SSD
- MicroSD card slot
- Video Output
- 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60
- 1x USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt. mode up to 4Kp60
- Networking – 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel i226V 2.5GbE controllers
- USB – 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port with DisplayPort Alt. mode, 1x USB-C port for power
- Misc
- 1x Power button
- 1x Reset pinhole
- Heatsink+fan for cooling
- AMI BIOS/UEFI with support for auto power on, Wake-on-LAN (WoL) and PXE
- Power Supply – 12V to 19V DC via USB Type-C port (12V/55W power supply provided); Note: this looks like another “non-standard” USB port without USB-PD support
- Dimensions – 75.4 x 75.4 x 52.5 mm
- Weight – 300 grams
- Temperature Range – -10°C to +75°C
- Humidity – 10%-90% non-condensing
The M1 mini PC is said to support Windows 11, Ubuntu, and other Linux distributions. The design looks very similar to the Jasper Lake-powered iKOOLCORE R1 (tested with Windows 11, Ubuntu 22.04, Proxmox) and XCY-X66 mini PCs with basically the same features – including the four 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports – and about the same dimensions (less than 1mm difference), but equipped with a newer 12th generation Alder Lake-N processor, LPDRR5 memory, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Note there’s still no wireless support, so you’d need to use one of the USB ports if that’s a requirement.
Prices vary a lot depending on the Aliexpress shop you purchase it from, and Kingnovy currently offers the best deals starting at $238 for a barebone model with an Intel N100, 8GB RAM, and no storage, and up to $477 with an Intel Core i3-N305, 16GB LPDDR5, and a 1TB SSD preloaded with Windows 11 Pro (OEM). Note that returning the product due to operating system compatibility issues may prove difficult, if not impossible, as the company states:
Intel i226-V is a new network card, suggest to install newest version of following systems with supportable kernel: pfSense-CE 2.7, OPNsense 23.x, pfSense Plus, OpenWrt, ESXi, Proxmox, CentOS etc. Please make clear before buying, DO NOT open dispute because of system issue.
Via Liliputing
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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It’s amazing how much can be packed into such a small space. However, in this case, when I read that operating system compatibility issues may impact returns, on one hand, I admire the up front honesty but on the other, it is bound to cause some hesitancy.
I’ve been told the iKOOLCORE R2 is coming soon with Processor N95/Core-i3-N300 and similar specs as the one above.