Next-gen Khadas Mind modular mini PC coming in September with Intel Core Ultra

by LaptopLightHouse.com
Liliputing


The Khadas Mind is an unusual mini PC that stuffs a processor, memory, storage, and a small battery into a pocket-sized device that can be used as a standalone computer. But what really sets the Khadas Mind apart from other mini PCs is the Mind Link interface that lets you connect an external graphics dock or other high-speed accessories.

A year after launching the original Khadas Mind mini PC (and just over a month after finally releasing the long-anticipated eGPU dock), Khadas has announced that a next-gen Khadas Mind is on the way. In some ways it will be a major upgrade. In others it shows the limits of modularity in this particular form factor.

The new Khadas Mind is the same size and shape as the original. And it should be compatible with any accessories designed for the first-gen model.

But while last year’s model featured a 13th-gen Intel Raptor Lake-P processor with Intel Iris integrated graphics, the new model will have “the latest Intel Core Ultra processor,” which could mean an Intel Meteor Lake or Lunar Lake chip, depending on how you want to interpret “latest” for a device that’s set to be available from the Khadas website starting September 6th and from Amazon on October 8.

Either way, you can expect a big boost in graphics and AI performance thanks to Intel Arc integrated graphics and an Intel AI Boost NPU. Khadas says other upgrades include an updated set of ports that now includes Thunderbolt 4 and an updated Mind Link interface with bandwidth up to 256 GT/s for higher-speed connections to an eGPU or other accessories.

Those all sound like decent upgrades. But they also mean that anyone who’s already bought into the Khadas Mind ecosystem will have to buy a whole new base unit if they want those upgrades because there’s no way to replace the processor or memory, storage, or most other aspects of the barely-a-year-old first-gen Khadas Mind. Just about the only thing that is user-upgradeable is storage: the first-gen Khadas Mind has an internal M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD and an accessible M.2 2230 PCIe 3.0 expansion slot for an optional second SSD.

You know what’s more modular than that? A traditional desktop tower PC that has user-replaceable memory, storage, and in many cases a replaceable motherboard and processor.

Anyway, odds are that Khadas isn’t really trying to convince most folks to upgrade from last year’s model. Instead the new version could make the whole platform a little more attractive for new customers. And I suppose upgrading the processor, adding Thunderbolt 4, and increasing the Mind Link speed could make this system a little more  attractive for the right customer.

One feature that’s not changing? The mini PC has a 5.55 Wh “standby battery” that’s designed to let you swap out modules or move from place to place without fully powering down the computer. Since there’s not enough juice in that battery to let you use the PC for any significant amount of time on battery power, the Khadas Mind is instead designed to automatically enter standby mode when disconnected from an expansion module and then resume from sleep once it’s plugged in again.

press release

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