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Ainol Quadcore Windows Mini PC $101 USD Inc Shipping (~A $134) @ GearBest

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Ainol Quadcore Windows Mini PC $101 USD Inc Shipping (~A $134) @ GearBest
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Darkscythe on 28/04/2015 - 14:14 gearbest.com (5660 clicks)
Last edited 04/05/2015 - 10:57
AinolMPGB

I've reviewed the Ainol Mini PC on Home Theatre Life and managed to secure a great coupon for my readers from GearBest so figured some people may be interested given the interest in these devices.

Key features are an all-metal case and a 7000mAh battery. The device is tiny, only slightly bigger than a 2.5" HDD, and is ideal for web browsing, using it as a HTPC (i.e. with Kodi) and some gaming. The battery can also be used to charge devices such as phones, etc.

It has the most impressive temperature profile I've seen. After running it through Prime95 for over an hour, temps never exceeded 58°C.

If you want more info, check out my detailed review on Home Theatre Life. I've put up video codec tests, benchmarks, demos, etc.

Ainol Mini PC Technical Specs

  • Chipset: Intel Baytrail quad core processor with Intel HD graphics (Z3735D Z3735F)
  • RAM: 2 GB DDR3
  • Storage: 32GB eMMC + microSD slot up to 128GB
  • Video & Audio Output: mini HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm Audio
  • Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
  • USB: 1x USB 3.0 port 1x USB 2.0 OTG port, 2x USB 2.0 port
  • OS: Windows 8.1 with Bing (32-bit)
  • Other Features: 7000mAh Internal Battery

Update: Some commenters alerted me that Ainol have changed the CPU to the Z3735F mid-production. Whilst the specs are essentially the same, it will no longer have USB 3.0 but the port will be USB 2.0 instead. This is frustrating so if you need USB 3.0, please take this into consideration.

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closed Comments

        • ezza on 14/05/2015 - 18:55

          why is the rep confirming there is stock… when they haven't even shipped orders out - eg. i ordered when i saw this deal on 28/05

  • ezza on 14/05/2015 - 19:30

    i just emailed and received a response around dispatch:

    Dear xxx,

    Thank you very much for your recent message.

    Unfortunately, this order is not ready yet. The item Ainol Mini PC Windows 8.1 Intel Quad Core Z3735E TV Box 7000mAh Power Bank
    It is a hot sale and there have been significant supply issues with the manufacturer. It is out of stock now.

    And this item will come back to our warehouse in 3-4 weeks. Would you please wait or change to other items?

    We wish to take this opportunity to apologize to you for any inconvenience caused.

    Thank you so much for your kind understanding and patience.

    Best Regards
    Caden

    • aaronaldo on 15/05/2015 - 21:12

      Similar reply for me:

      Dear Aaron,

      Thank you very much for your recent message.

      Unfortunately, we are very sorry to inform you that the item can't meet demands.

      Would you mind
      1- choosing suitable replacement(s) on our website? Please let us know the link of product if you would like to exchange.
      or
      2- accepting a refund?

      Once again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused and we look forward to hearing from you.

      Thank you so much for your continued patience and kind understanding.

      Best Regards
      Jacky

  • Umpani on 17/05/2015 - 21:01

    15th has come and gone. Order is still parked at processing. What a shemozzle. Ainol. Gearbest. Preorder. Online shopping. Can't see this thing shipping at all. What a joke. Any update OP?

    • dead5pur on 18/05/2015 - 08:36

      Mines just cleared customs in Sydney. So should receive today or tomorrow hopefully. One of the lucky ones I guess..

    • aaronaldo on 18/05/2015 - 08:40

      I don't understand how our orders are still in "processing" while at the same time they are advertising the item as in stock and ready for dispatch.

      • andy19363 on 18/05/2015 - 09:16

        Here's what I got…..

        Thank you very much for your recent message.
        We are very sorry for delay because we do not have goods.
        The products that you ordered are hot sales, the stocking availability is shortage.
        Unfortunately, we are very sorry to inform you that the item you bought is not in stock at the moment.
        The products will be in stock at the end of May.
        We hope that this is acceptable.
        If you're in a hurry, you can visit our website again and choose suitable replacements, then offer us the link of replacement.
        If you want a refund, we can refund the money to your GB wallet, then you can use it in your next order.
        I look forward to hearing from you.
        We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused.
        Thank you again for being patient and understanding.
        Best Regards
        Duni

        Obviously I didn't find this acceptable….

  • Umpani on 17/05/2015 - 21:12
    +1

    After weighing all this up. There is no deal here.

  • draistlin on 18/05/2015 - 09:34
    +1

    Was told by a rep that it would be shipped out on the 15th too, guess that's not going to be happening. Good thing I paid via paypal.

  • AirJordan6s on 18/05/2015 - 13:26

    Why would people continue to buy from Gearbest? Check their history - reputation is terrible! Avoid.

  • DaiShan on 19/05/2015 - 12:45

    Just received mine. It's completely covered in scratches. Is this refurb product? Why do I have a second hand good? REP?!??!

    • dead5pur on 19/05/2015 - 12:53

      Seriously? That is terrible, this whole thing seems to have really turned to shambles. I'm hoping mine arrives today or tomorrow. Now I'm hoping it's not covered in scratches!

      • DaiShan on 19/05/2015 - 13:00
        +2

        Yeah I'm spewing. Hopefully your one is brand new

  • andy19363 on 19/05/2015 - 13:07
    +1

    Anyone bought from here?

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/192034?page=2#comment-2748…

  • ezza on 19/05/2015 - 13:57

    After a number of humorous emails back and fro with GearBest I got this email.

    Dear Customer,

    Thanks for shopping with GearBest.com.

    Your order number is XXXX and we have shipped your order out today.

    By humorous emails, these are me questioning why my order was in 'processing' with responses stating its not available and there is a long wait, whilst I questioned why they re-listed this item on their site with delivery 3-5 dates. Finally they seem to have given up and sent me the item today.

    I guess now its a waiting game of whether I get what I paid for you… sometimes you gotta thank the lord that services like Paypal exist.

  • Umpani on 19/05/2015 - 17:17

    That's borked sabregas. Probably a return. I sent the jokers at gearbust a ticket yesterday. The reply implies the product has been posted without actually confirming it. All a bit weird. The order is still processing. I think they are having a lend of me. Has anyone actually received one of these that is new?

    • CYMA on 19/05/2015 - 20:59

      Mine changed to "Shipped out" earlier this afternoon, it was on "Processing" previously even after I was told it was already shipped out.
      When I go on the site and open the order details they have a photograph of the package with my shipping details.

  • CYMA on 19/05/2015 - 20:55
    +1

    I raged it and requested a refund through their site on Sunday night. Also filed dispute via paypal at the same time.
    They responded today with similar to the person above:

    Thank you for placing an order with us.

    We are extremely sorry to inform you that your order has been already shipped today.So that I can't cancel your order.

    We can offer you 2 options:
    1.After the parcel arrived renturn it to us ,we will refund you.
    2.Not return,we will offer you 200 GB points.If you want to know how to use the GB points,check out this link:http://www.gearbest.com/about/about-points.html

    Again,we are so sorry for the inconvenience that has been caused.
    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Best regards
    Jonathan

    I am pretty skeptical about it all. I wouldn't be so mad if they had just attempted some communication with their customers. A simple email detailing the issues such as stock availability, model/specs changes would have gone a long way. Instead I was in the dark for the past 3 weeks (almost forgot about my purchase).

    Will probably never buy from gearbest again, regardless of the outcome.

    • ezza on 20/05/2015 - 09:41

      Agreed.. i'm kind of in the same boat

      On the otherhand what is 200 GB points worth?

      • aaronaldo on 20/05/2015 - 09:48

        USD4

        50 points = 1 US dollar. You can use points for up to 30% of the final item value.

        • ezza on 20/05/2015 - 13:11

          Lmao… thats poor

    • drspin on 21/05/2015 - 02:20
      +1

      I just sent GearBest a refund request today, also sending a screengrab showing that at the time of my request they still had the item marked as "processing". I received a message through their website ticket system saying that they had the item in stock, then later I received an email saying they sent it despite my explicit request for a refund. (They even included a photo of the package with my address.) To add insult to injury though, they're selling it cheaper at the moment. (http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_166769.html)

      Going from my own experience and what others have said here, this bunch has a modus operandi of taking your money and doing nothing until you chase them up. If you forget about it, that's just too bad. In the meantime they already have your money.

      So the message is plain: avoid GearBest like the plague. This trick of sending the product after you ask for a refund, just forces you to accept the product after they have utterly cheesed you off with disreputable behaviour or pay to send it back. Are there any other alternatives?

  • aaronaldo on 20/05/2015 - 12:26

    deleted

  • CYMA on 20/05/2015 - 13:11

    Heh, got another message from them today in response to the paypal dispute:

    Thank you for placing your order with GearBest.
    We are extremely sorry that you have not received your order until now.
    Your order has been shipped out. It normally takes 7-25 business days to arrive you after dispatch. But sometimes it may takes more than a month to arrive. The actual delivery time may be affected by peak shipping periods, public holidays, bad weather and other reasons.
    You can track it using the tracking number that we sent to you on the following website: http://www.17track.net/IndexEn.html. Please wait patiently.
    Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused.
    Your support in canceling and resolving the dispute would be highly appreciated.
    Thank you in advance!

    What's weird is they have given me two different website/companies to track my package
    http://www.17track.net/IndexEn.html
    and
    http://www.eretaillogistics.com.au/tracking.php

    Neither of which provides any information about the package when I submit my tracking code.

    But sometimes it may takes more than a month to arrive.

    …

  • az4u on 20/05/2015 - 17:27

    Where are the drivers for it? Got it at work and tried it….not bad at all and it's the new model with 2x USB 2.0's and the D chip than the F

    How can I completely turn it in English? I removed Chinese and only kept US English in the "minipc" local admin account. When I tried to add my outlook one it was all in Chinese again?

    • draistlin on 21/05/2015 - 10:05

      How did you get it? Was it from Gearbest?

      • az4u on 21/05/2015 - 20:49

        From gearbest…they made me wait 2 weeks extra and then they shipped on 16th and got it on 19th.

        Anyway I recommend downloading this

        http://stascorp.com/load/1-1-0-63

        There is no RDP option in bing but using the wrapper above fixes the problem.

  • dead5pur on 21/05/2015 - 14:26
    +2

    Just received mine. Looks new so I think all good.

  • bargaino on 22/05/2015 - 14:04

    I thought the free windows with bing was only for small tablets. So is this effectively a pirated version? Or unactivated trial?

    • Darkscythe on 22/05/2015 - 15:26

      There is a special licence for devices that essentially have tablet internals but no screen that costs a nominal fee. The Windows version that this comes with is licenced.

      • bargaino on 01/06/2015 - 20:47

        Can you link? I find no info on free/cheap mini-pc licenses (just tablet & netbook). And lots of reports of mini-pcs with hacked or tablet licenses.
        Did you get a product key that passes microsoft's checks?

        • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 21:11

          The licences are legit - It will be exactly the same licence that Intel has used on their compute stick but I don't think there is an official name for it.

        • bargaino on 02/06/2015 - 00:20

          @Darkscythe:
          How do you know this? Did you actually get the sticker with product key and check it was the correct type and unique?
          The Intel stick costs us$149 with Windows and $89 without.

        • Darkscythe on 02/06/2015 - 16:44

          @manic: Intel won't be using a normal Windows licence. Their premium is the most likely explanation behind the price gap.

        • bargaino on 02/06/2015 - 17:45

          @Darkscythe:
          Eh? What about the $60 gap between the two Intel models?
          You keep asserting, against all reports, that the licenses are legit, while offering no evidence why you might reasonably believe this.
          Almost all Windows sold in China is not legit.

  • Umpani on 28/05/2015 - 17:02

    dead5pur

    What's for opinion of it? Still waiting for mine…snooze.

  • scupper on 28/05/2015 - 17:29

    How long do you expect the battery to last if it will be constantly plugged in?

  • CYMA on 28/05/2015 - 18:32

    I received mine from gearbest today. Wifi is pretty shitty, connection keeps dropping, don't know if just my unit. Which is a disappointment as I was hoping to use it as another media center for the TV.
    Mobile phone and other wifi devices work fine where I tried to have it set up.

    • Darkscythe on 28/05/2015 - 18:41

      Hmm. I didn't have any wifi issues. Maybe try downloading new wifi drivers?

      • CYMA on 28/05/2015 - 19:06

        I tried to update the drivers through Microsoft's driver software update (device manager). Also Googled "Realtek RTL8723BS Wireless driver" and tried installing the ones from Dell's website and the Microsoft answers one.

        The connection signal strength keeps fluctuating from full to 1 bars (sometimes fully disconnects). Tried the connection to both of my wireless routers with same results.

        How far away is your wireless router to yours? Mine is probably only 5-6m away.

        • Darkscythe on 28/05/2015 - 19:14

          Mine's about 4-5m through a wall but I've always got 4 bars consistently.

          I'd have a look at the driver settings if there is anything about power saving, etc.

        • CYMA on 28/05/2015 - 19:19

          @Darkscythe:
          Does yours stick on "96% available (plugged in, charging)"? Shouldn't it reach 99-100% and switch to direct power input rather than battery?

        • Darkscythe on 28/05/2015 - 19:31

          @CYMA: Yeah, generally stays at 96-98% but says "Fully Charged" - These are effectively tablets in a case so I'm not sure if I doubt it'll switch to direct power.

          I booted mine up again and the WiFi says its an RTL8723B, not BS - so that could make a difference.

          Any luck with your WiFi?

        • CYMA on 29/05/2015 - 20:38

          @Darkscythe:

          Couldn't find working driver for RTL8723B. Moved my 2nd wireless router closer (now like 2m away) as an AP and the wifi seems to be fine now.

        • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 16:46

          @CYMA: Glad to hear its working now.

        • CYMA on 01/06/2015 - 20:35

          @Darkscythe:
          Yeah everything is going alright now, just a bit disappointed at the limited wifi range. Thanks for the support.
          You wouldn't happen to know about getting windows 8.1 to recognise network samba shares? All my other machines can view my network shares but not this one (it can see other windows pcs on the network though).
          It's strange because my Pipo X7 should be pretty much the same thing and it never had any issues.

        • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 21:10

          @CYMA: Could it be configured with a different workgroup?

        • CYMA on 20/06/2015 - 22:53

          @Darkscythe:
          I know this might be late, but I finally resolved this issue…
          Turns out for some reason my network adapter was missing the "Client for Microsoft Networks" software. After installing and enabling it, and a system reboot. I was finally able to view my network SAMBA shares!

          See:
          https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/dcc373d2-0…
          http://serverfault.com/questions/169467/windows-2008-r2-how-…

        • bargaino on 21/06/2015 - 00:37

          @CYMA:
          Thats interesting, thanks. I had the same problem on the Unisurf tablet.
          Could see a Samba share only by manually putting in the URL, not show up browsing.

        • CYMA on 21/06/2015 - 13:25

          @manic:

          Heh, glad it helped someone (and surprised how quickly), I am really hating on win8 though.

  • Umpani on 28/05/2015 - 19:04

    Well looks like ppl have started receiving these things. Keep posting your experiences. Because I can't wait to put mine through its paces…if and when it arrives.

  • boozler on 28/05/2015 - 22:01

    Hi Darkscythe, I received the unit today but there is no instruction manual was it supposed to come in the box?. Anyway, do you know where I can download
    the instructions?

    Thanks

    • Darkscythe on 28/05/2015 - 22:18

      Not sure, but the instruction manual that came with mine is entirely in Chinese.

    • CYMA on 29/05/2015 - 20:42

      Mine came with an English "MINI PC User manual". It gives a very brief overview of the unit and the ports. The rest of the booklet covers some basic Windows 8.1 features and functionality. Like setting up the mail app and adding to contacts.

  • aaronaldo on 01/06/2015 - 09:54

    For those who have received a unit, how do you find it?

  • Umpani on 01/06/2015 - 16:27

    Just opened mine. Scratched on front and rear of case. Boot up. Already login to someone called John. Computer is named 'adin' in the PC info section. It wants to activate windows. I thought these things were already windows activated. Something is dodgy here. F..k this gear best. Sent a refurb unit that someone else has logged into.
    Clearly not new b/c of the scratches on the case.

    • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 16:45

      Can't explain the rest of it, but are the scratches where the ports are? When I got mine, there was a plastic film that was hard to see but was fine underneath.

    • CYMA on 01/06/2015 - 20:22

      I thought the same, but it's actually just the protective layer (there is a thin plastic you can peel off) on the back and front. Had to activate windows after logging in but it went smoothly. Also had a John user.

  • Umpani on 01/06/2015 - 16:55

    Darkscythe. Plastic film on front where usb ports are. None on other end. So I stand corrected on half of it. I've had it with this whole purchase, so I couldn't be bothered emailing gearbest again and complaining. What is the procedure to reset these devices to a fresh install if you dont mind telling me. ta

    • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 17:04
      +2

      That's frustrating!
      You've got 2 options - Either create a new Admin account in Windows then delete the one that was already there.

      Otherwise, do a factory reset: Just go into Settings>Update and Recovery>Remove everything and reinstall Windows then select the option where you are keeping the PC. 1 thing I'll warn you about that happens on mine is that when it resets, everything is in Chinese. To help, Australia is "澳大利亚" and English is "英语". Basically, get through the setup in Chinese, then get to the Control Panel, choose Languages and, if you've already selected English, there should be a link that requires Admin access. Click that to install the English pack (You do need to be connected to wifi however). I'll try to put together a proper guide on my site with screenshots tonight and link here to help everyone.

    • Darkscythe on 03/06/2015 - 12:43
      +1

      Here's the guide I promised on how to factory reset Windows 8 and change the language to English

  • Umpani on 01/06/2015 - 17:11

    Mine logs straight into user "John". I do not trust this pc without a reset. I'll wait until you have the guide up on your site before proceeding. Anyone else got one with a user already installed?

  • Umpani on 01/06/2015 - 17:27

    Darkscythe,

    Unable to create new user account because it says I need to activate windows before I can personalize the PC? Geez.

    • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 18:01

      That's frustrating. I didn't have this issue at all. Have you tried to activate it via the PC info page?

  • Umpani on 01/06/2015 - 18:24

    Sorry about the multiple posts. Just checked the power adapter. Two sprong version. No Aust adapter provided. So, I now have to find an adapter to charge. At least the thing isnt DOA.

    • CYMA on 01/06/2015 - 20:31
      +2

      Did you check your package wrapping? Mine came with an adapter plug outside the box but in the package.

  • ezza on 01/06/2015 - 20:52

    So I finally got mine after numerous emails stating it was going to be delayed etc.
    Figured out you need to be online to activate windows which is all well and good.
    Only issue is the sound won't work on my TV with their provided mini HDMI to HDMI cable.
    Had a look online to play around with a few settings in Control Panel still no good.
    Is anyone else experiencing this?

    • Darkscythe on 01/06/2015 - 21:12
      +1

      Have a look under Sound Settings to make sure the default Audio device is set correctly.

      • ezza on 02/06/2015 - 08:44

        Yep it is (at work right now can't check it), however I saw the little audio bar go up/down as something from Youtube was playing in the background.
        After googling it did mention something may appear as HDMI for sound source - but I didn't see this in the settings.

        • ezza on 02/06/2015 - 20:44
          +1

          Tried a different mini HDMI to HDMI plug and got it working.

          SUCCESS! Foxtel Go is working on this thing… happy with my $101USD purchase… don't need it for anything else! Woot!

        • Darkscythe on 02/06/2015 - 22:36

          @ezza: Glad to hear!

  • Umpani on 09/06/2015 - 17:10

    All,

    Check the process 'system interrupts' via the task manager. Process was sucking 20% of the CPU. Install as provided. Read a bit on the web, seems common problem for various devices, various fixes suggested etc. For me, checking windows updates, installing whatever is available and rebooting gets rid of the 'system interrupts' hogging CPU cycles. This system interrupts issue does not happen with the three other laptops (one with windows 8.1 bing) I have in the house as well as a pendo pad 8 running 8.1. Seems a unique feature of the ainol in my household. Any suggestions to permanently fix the 'system interrupt' issue would be appreciated.

  • drspin on 10/06/2015 - 01:03

    GearBest is proving to be hopeless. I paid for the USB3 model back in April, they sent nothing till I asked for a refund, then they sent me the Z3735F with only USB2.

    Just asked them this time how I can activate Windows. There are no stickers to indicate the version is legit despite Darkscythe saying "Yes, Windows is activated and legit." GearBest's response?

    Thank you very much for your recent message.
    Here is Package Contents: 1 x Ainol Mini PC, 1 x Power Adapter, 1 x English Manual, 1 x HDMI Cable, please kindly check it.

    We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused.

    Please contact us at any time if you require further assistance.
    Thanks for your understanding and supporting!

    They seem to be out to lunch & I still don't know what's necessary to activate Windows. Don't I need some damned serial number?

    The Wifi in the box seems totally inadequate. I'm about 10m away from the wireless router & internet is worse than snail pace, unable to finish loading stuff. There must be some setting or other I'm unaware of, but it does have access to the net, just not reasonably. Thanks for any ideas.

    And while waiting for 64gb micro SD to augment the basic storage, I wonder what stuff can one delete/uninstall from the box? and can I do that without it Windows being activated?

    Thanks again.

    • Darkscythe on 10/06/2015 - 09:25

      The serial number is stored in the BIOS as it's Windows 8.1 with Bing so you just click "Activate" in the PC Info page under settings.

      With wifi, have a look at the driver settings and disable anything that refers to power saving. I haven't had any issues with WiFi (about 5m away through a wall).

      You shouldn't have any issues uninstalling stuff but the default image is pretty bare. It should leave you with around 20Gb to play with.

      • drspin on 10/06/2015 - 23:38

        Thanks for the response, Darkscythe. I now have the system telling that its OS is activated, so that's progress!

        Spent hours on the Wifi without progress. Having other network related problems which may be due to the fact that the network till now is comprised of XP boxes. The Ainol Win 8.1 won't recognise the home group and drops any network mapped HD I set up when it's switched off. I then have to disconnect & reconnected after startup. But this sort of problem shouldn't impact on the WiFi throughput. Internet still unfinished page loads & network won't allow the Ainol to play mp3s from another computer HD. (It goes to get the file & then thinks for minutes without coming back.) It's even sluggish getting a MIDI file to play off a network disk.

        The only thing I saw regarding power was in Power Settings & it regarded sleep mode, which I set to "never" while on current.

        Back to it.

  • Umpani on 10/06/2015 - 16:15

    Can ppl check the system interrupt process on their units? Anyone else having said issue as outlined a few posts above? dr spin re the wireless - hearing you on this. Thankfully I'm 6 feet from my router.

  • drspin on 16/06/2015 - 00:05

    Just checking in…

    Got a new monitor, so I could set the box up in the same room as the WiFi modem router, ie ~1 metre away, and I have a more reasonable network throughput. This suggests that the WiFi is, is set up to be, crappy on my box. Maybe these babies vary from person to person.

    This Windows update business is a hazardous affair, requiring a lot of time to download the many updates. I'm sitting at #20 of #40 updates, so yawn, I won't be using it any time soon.

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