This tiny PC punches way above its weight, and it’s cheaper than you think

Nano PCs are an important piece of the technology puzzle. There may be a table with limited space. Or maybe you want to make a kiosk where you need to hide the computer from view. You may even want to have a “community” PC in your home (or maybe your Airbnb), where guests can go online and do what they need to do.

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Whatever the need, these small PCs are here to serve. I use a lot of small form factor PCs and most of the ones I use pale in comparison Xulu XR1 Pro. This device is not only the smallest of the small PCs I have tested, but it is also the most powerful.

The device itself measures a tiny 3.5 x 3.5 inches and is only 2.5 inches tall, making it the smallest AMD Ryzen 7-powered PC ever made. Yes, it’s small. But it also offers six USB ports, one USB Type C port, two HDMI ports, and a headphone jack.

The specs

Of course, you might be wondering what the full specs are. Here is the list:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8 cores/16 threads.
• GPU: Radeon 8.
• Speak/mic jack combo with built-in dual mics.
• RAM: Up to 64 GB (mine has 16 GB), upgradeable.
• Storage: Up to 2 TB M.2 SSD (mine has 512 GB), which is also upgradeable.
• Large volume turbine fan.
• OLED status display.
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6e, gigabit ethernet, and Bluetooth 5.2.
• HDMI cable and power cable are included.

My Xulu XR1 shipped with Windows 7, but the hardware also supports Linux, so you can install any distribution you want. My normal inclination is to install Linux right away, but I chose to see how well the machine power works with a resource hog like Windows 11.

I was surprised. I expected the Xulu XR1 Pro to struggle under the weight of Windows 11, but it turns out the machine has plenty of power to do just that. Although I am not a fan of Windows OS, I am impressed with the performance of the OS in the small unit. I’m used to how well Linux runs on small form factor PCs, but my experience with Windows on these machines tends to turn to disappointing.

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So, imagine how well the XR1 can run on Ubuntu or Linux Mint. My goal was to test that theory, so I inserted a USB drive into Ubuntu Budgie, entered the boot menu, selected the USB drive as the primary boot device, and booted into Ubuntu Budgie. The result is that the Xulu XR1 Pro performs almost as well as my regular desktop PC, a System76 Thelio. My main desktop has the advantage of 32 GB of RAM, so it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. However, the XR1 Pro did an amazing job running a live version of Linux.

This little machine is great for work, fun, school, or even some games. The best thing about these small form factor PCs is that they can be installed anywhere. And even though the XR1 Pro has a large volume fan, I never heard it running. I could hear the air spinning and moving, but the sound was so low I had to be close enough to hear the fan.

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As far as price goes, the Xulu XR1 Pro starts at around $299 and tops out at $399. So not only is this little machine punching above its weight, but it’s also at a price point that makes it very attractive. Having an AMD Ryzen 7 desktop machine at that price is a bargain…regardless of size.

Although I don’t expect small form factor PCs to take over the basic desktop or laptop market, these small devices certainly serve many purposes and are very good.