11-02-2019, 10:57 PM
So I've used the Pinebook Pro for about 6 hours now and I have generally enjoyed the experience. When I received the unit it would not turn on. After removing the back cover I noticed that the eMMC was not secured, I was able to get the unit to boot after securing the eMMC and pressing the reset button nearby.
Like others, I encountered a few issues but only one that is really a nuisance. The main nuisance being an issue with sound in the browser. I have disabled the HDMI sound output but still get issues with sound in YouTube videos. Sometimes that sound will play, sometimes it won't. Playing with pulse audio sometimes restores sound. The intermittent sound issues seem to occur more often with Firefox which is a shame because it seems to play video better than Chromium especially once the Iridium YouTube extension is installed. That brings me to the next issue, the PBP will not play 1080p60 content smoothly (seems to be a known issue) but does play 720p60 content with some screen tearing effects, almost like the screen refresh rate is ~45 FPSish instead of 60 FPS. The Iridium extension allows you to play most videos at 30 FPS which helps a lot. The size, weight, and excellent battery life make the PBP a great option for watching YouTube. Hopefully the sound issues can be worked out in the future.
Main Positives:
-Excellent build quality
-Super slim and light weight
-Great battery life
-Decent screen for the money
-Nice feeling keyboard, layout is a bit strange at first
Overall this is an excellent first effort and I can tell that a lot of work has been done by the development team to make the laptop very usable out of the box. The Pinebook Pro is excellent value and I think the experience will only get better with time.
Like others, I encountered a few issues but only one that is really a nuisance. The main nuisance being an issue with sound in the browser. I have disabled the HDMI sound output but still get issues with sound in YouTube videos. Sometimes that sound will play, sometimes it won't. Playing with pulse audio sometimes restores sound. The intermittent sound issues seem to occur more often with Firefox which is a shame because it seems to play video better than Chromium especially once the Iridium YouTube extension is installed. That brings me to the next issue, the PBP will not play 1080p60 content smoothly (seems to be a known issue) but does play 720p60 content with some screen tearing effects, almost like the screen refresh rate is ~45 FPSish instead of 60 FPS. The Iridium extension allows you to play most videos at 30 FPS which helps a lot. The size, weight, and excellent battery life make the PBP a great option for watching YouTube. Hopefully the sound issues can be worked out in the future.
Main Positives:
-Excellent build quality
-Super slim and light weight
-Great battery life
-Decent screen for the money
-Nice feeling keyboard, layout is a bit strange at first
Overall this is an excellent first effort and I can tell that a lot of work has been done by the development team to make the laptop very usable out of the box. The Pinebook Pro is excellent value and I think the experience will only get better with time.
