Pinebook Pro Initial Impressions

[secristr]

Well, it's finally here. And, it was well worth the wait.

I received notification via SMS on yesterday morning that DHL had a package for me that was going to require a signature. Every few hours I would receive an update on its current status as it made its way through customs and to my local DHL office. It was delivered today just before noon, no signature required... and no customs fees. ( I'm in the US )

The laptop was packaged inside a foam sleeve, inside a cardboard box, inside another cardboard box, inside a padded envelope, inside a DHL plastic bag. None of it was branded Pine64 in any way. The only thing included besides the laptop itself is a small wall-wart style AC adapter with a barrel plug for power. I have not yet tried charging via USB-C.

The laptop feels sturdy, has clean lines, and the keyboard feels great; aside from it being ISO.

The screen is crisp and easy to read, with no dead pixels or faults of any kind.

My initial opinion of the software was a little concerning, as I couldn't get audio to work and the key mappings seemed to be wrong. Both of these issues were corrected once I used the rock/rock credentials instead of root/root. The root/root user has a base MATE configuration, while the rock/rock user has been customized somewhat in ways that I personally find preferable. For example, the panel has been moved to the bottom and it includes a launcher which works with the Pine64 branded super key.

I've been using the laptop off and on for the last 6 hours on WiFi, and I'm currently sitting at 56% battery. It came to me at 100%.

Video playback is smooth, and the audio isn't bad for such a small/inexpensive device. One thing that really stands out to me is the keyboard. The keys feel just firm enough with no sponginess. It really is a pleasure to type on. Though, I might have to give in and buy the ANSI keyboard once it becomes available.

I didn't purchase the SSD adapter, as I assumed that I would be getting the ANSI keyboard at a later date anyhow. Even with the EMMC, the boot times are better than other laptops I have which contain SSDs. The stock image is consuming just under 5GB.

I'm happy to answer any questions, and will continue to provide updates as time goes by. So far, it's worth every penny of that $199.

K

Thank you for sharing your detailed and comprehensive experience to date!

If you try to go with an ANSI keyboard later it would also be very interesting to hear about that experience.

Cheers!