Jide Remix Mini — Long Term Review
Another company tries to craft the perfect mini-computer, this time using Android.
This has been updated since the initial 2015 review to reflect on the author’s current opinion.
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER BEING SOLD AND JIDE TECH IS NO LONGER PRODUCING COMPUTER PRODUCTS.
The Remix Mini stems from a fairly new idea- Android on PC. Is it a good idea? Absolutely, even if it’s technically just an extension of Linux. It’s a great idea, and I’m intrigued to try Remix OS 2.0 on a device that can capably run it. Why do I say that? Because the Remix Mini falls short both in performance and other areas.
It’s a shame the 2015 box doesn’t have enough “oomph” to it, because it was very successful on Kickstarter. In fact, that’s where I got my copy. And it does exactly what it promises- but what it promised contains some irritating secrets. Here’s your new rule… never expect much from a hardware product with an Allwinner processing chip.
It sounds promising (1.2GHz quad-core Cortex- A53 64 bit Allwinner) but struggles with multitasking, which is kind of the point. It also struggles with any browsing in the Chrome default browser and forgets the correct date/time every single time the device is turned on. This is worrying especially as there is a version with less RAM then the one I’m reviewing. Shudder.
Other odd points include that it forgets my Wi-Fi key every time the power goes out and it’s on, it doesn’t display notifications properly on occasion, and it requires a second screen for widgets. It begs the question… why? Why are features like widgets and live wallpapers standard on stock Android, but absent on Remix OS 2.0?
Heading back to the hardware, it’s a nice little box externally. It’s small, the ports work well, and it fits well under a monitor. Unfortunately, Jide Tech added a capacitive power button to the top, meaning I can’t move it as much as I’d like without accidentally turning it on.
If you want a cheap little computer for your room, consider it. Just don’t expect it to do too much. It played “Angry Birds” well, but struggled with “YouTube” on the browser. I’m personally mixed on the device. It’s competent, but it never excels. It’s not going to replace your PC or Mac, but the OS is worth trying out on PC now that it’s available for free. And since it is available for free on most desktop and some mobile devices, I can’t recommend this mini-computer. It feels like an experiment, and we’re the guinea pigs.
