GPD Win Max 2 Review

Reviewing my new purchase of the GPD Win Max 2

[@DannyWelch]

Been using the GPD WM2 for just over a month now to replace both my gaming PC and work laptop. It's such an incredible device. Keyboard and display are amazing, powerful, quiet, tons of ports, and excellent battery life. No idea how they crammed so much into such a tiny package, but I'm sure glad they do what they do. I'm using a Sonnet eGPU enclosure with a 2070Super when docked and that's working very well. My electronics bag for travel is so small now, it's almost comical. No way anyone would believe I'm carrying a full-powered laptop, chargers, battery pack, cables, mouse, etc in a tiny sling. Can't wait to see what they do with the Win Max 3! =)

[@jasonbarham1980]

I don't travel besides the commute from my home to my worksite. This laptop though is perfect for that I've found. I did use a eGPU for my Win Max 2020 (HP Omen with a 2080ti and upgraded PSU) and it worked very well. I ended up purchasing a full size desktop and ended up getting rid of the Omen enclosure so I can't speak to how well my Win Max 2 would work with that particular enclosure but it sounds like most users have had good results with their eGPUs for the most part.

[@citizenterra]

Hey, thanks for the review; it's precisely the reason I want this device. You're the only person who covered this side of it!
What I'm worried about is how easy or hard it would be to read and write on this thing, or to use some graphic design software on it, considering the screen size. 🤔 I write books and edit them, and I do some graphical work like designing book covers and brochures.
I'm torn between getting this and a 14.5-inch Lenovo at the same price; the Lenovo has a 4060, though. But honestly, I have a gaming rig already. I want this for on-the-go work and sometimes a game or two. So I am leaning more towards this but I'm not sure how the screen size will be with me.

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

Great to hear about the keyboard improvement. Recently picked up a Pomera 250 DM exclusively for writing, and while I love the device it does cut into my workflow just a bit. A fully fledged PC like this has been tempting me, but anecdotal quality control issues posted about on the web in tandem with the cost have kept me from pulling the trigger.

[@MrChangeordie]

😎👍
Where did u purchase the 4g module? Im assuming they dont add it with the win max 2

[@doomboy1721]

Please let us know how are the GPD products quality and reliable wise. Like do they last well over the years?. Any build issues?

[@jasonbarham1980]

The quality is overall good, similar to what I would expect from other larger manufacturers (Dell, HP, Lenovo). If you look online (particularly at their Indiegogo campaign site) you will see a lot of users complaining about issues, I can't really speak to that but I have been pleased with all 3 GPD products that I have purchased.

[@meinal22]

Great review!

[@N.i.l]

Thank you for this great review. I have it as well, it is such a powerful little device and very useful on the go. I have the same issue with the pen: the precision is good but the delay is too much to use it normally so it is useless. too bad.

[@markaznar1979]

I'll be using the device to replace my Steam Deck as I primarily play newly released turn-based RPGs and the texts are just unreadable.
Should I pick the winmax2, an Asus 13S, or another laptop?
An added bonus if it can play FF14 and WoW.

[@bobbieluij]

Thanks for this review👍

[@Time4rpgs]

Thank you for taking the time to put this review together. I've been doing research on buying a new mini laptop pc similar to this to replace my old lenovo thinkpad from like 2012 lol. I almost pulled the trigger on the razer stealth or the asus rog flow z13. Problem with the stealth is you have to use razer's stupid synapse drivers, and the flow's battery life is abysmal.
My main use would be for work, travel, and gaming so this will probably end up being perfect if I can find the 2tb/32gb version like you did.
Quick question: does the screen only fold to 180 degrees (laying flat), or can you move it all the way back to kind of turn it into a tablet if I were to say buy the pen for drawing?

[@jasonbarham1980]

It only opens to about 180 degrees (it's probably more like 178 or so)

[@Time4rpgs]

@@jasonbarham1980 Alrighty, thank you for the extra info!

[@doctorpd1959]

I have the same spec Win Max 2 as yours but when I put in my sim card from my phone, I cannot get any internet service even though I can see that it has detected my T-mobile sim card. Maybe I have to go to T-mobile dealer and sign up and get the sim card specifically for data service only instead of using my phone sim card.

[@jasonbarham1980]

I had to activate the sim in a Verizon ready iPad then move it over to the Win Max.

[@markomarko2499]

What is the refresh rate ?

[@DiogoBolinhas]

How's the text size when reading articles in a browser? By increasing windows default zoom to 125% and also increasing text size, and considering the high resolution, I would assume I could match the text size on my 14" laptop. But by increasing text too much, it might be a UI mess on a small screen. Could you share me your experience on this aspect? I work on a 14" monitor and seeing smaller images on the 10.1" screen of the max 2 wouldn't be a problem but the text I would like to keep the same size. On my monitor I have Windows at 1080p, 125% zoom and I also further increased text size accross the system by 5%.In the end I have text I can confortably read for many hours in a day. Can I match it on the max 2 without creating a UI mess?

[@6kbps]

Have you found the answer you were looking for?

[@SteamFi]

11th Sub

[@wankedah]

Hi does it run photoshop ok? Thanks

[@citizenterra]

Hey, thanks for the review; it's precisely the reason I want this device. You're the only person who covered this side of it!
What I'm worried about is how easy or hard it would be to read and write on this thing, or to use some graphic design software on it, considering the screen size. 🤔 I write books and edit them, and I do some graphical work like designing book covers and brochures.
I'm torn between getting this and a 14.5-inch Lenovo at the same price; the Lenovo has a 4060, though. But honestly, I have a gaming rig already. I want this for on-the-go work and sometimes a game or two. I'm leaning more towards this one but I'm not sure how the screen size will be with me.