Skip to main content

A desktop PC for ants? Zotac’s latest Zbox is smaller than an iPhone 6 Plus

zotac unveils pocketable powerful zbox pico mini pc
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Macau-based computer hardware manufacturer Zotac has been designing tiny, inexpensive PCs for years now. This time, the company’s engineers have really outdone themselves. After going with a bizarre (yet awesome) Star Wars-ish theme in recent PCs, Zotac invested resources and energy in coming up with a tiny PC that’s among the smallest we’ve ever seen.

The result of the company’s efforts is called the Zbox PI320 pico, and it’s so petite that you could literally hook it up to a display, plug in peripherals, and forget it’s there. It measures 4.6 x 2.6 x 0.8-inches, so it can fit right into your shirt or pants pockets.

Recommended Videos

To get a better grasp on those numbers, the iPhone 6 Plus measures 6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28-inches. How often are the devices that we’re supposed to carry around less compact than a contraption made specifically for desktop use?

Food for thought, and while you ponder an answer, here are some other fun facts about the Zotac Zbox pico. Unlike most mini PCs, this box comes with Windows 8.1 with Bing pre-installed, so it’s work-ready out of the box.

Decently punchy for a PC of this size, it packs a quad-core Intel Atom Z3735F processor clocked at 1.33GHz, Intel HD graphics, 2GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. Passively cooled, and VESA mountable to third-party monitors, this PC amazingly makes the most of its cramped footprint by including a slew of ports and connectivity options.

Three USB 2.0 connectors, a microSD card slot, Ethernet, and an HDMI port are somehow squeezed on the outside of Zotac’s newest mini-desktop. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 also offered as well.

Listed at various online retailers like CompSource and MacMall, the Zbox PI320 is “temporarily out of stock”, but it should become widely available soon. It can be had for as little as $200.

Minuscule, relatively powerful, and affordable? What more could you want?

Adrian Diaconescu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…
The next Snapdragon X chip will be even more powerful than we thought
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus

As part of Qualcomm's latest Investor Day, the company confirmed that its next PC chip, the Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2, will use the Oryon v3 CPU. This comes as a surprise to many, as the Oryon v2 was just announced last month alongside plans to use it with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for smartphones.

Since the current Snapdragon X Elite chip uses an Oryon v1 CPU, many assumed that the 2nd-gen chip would use the 2nd-gen CPU -- but it seems the PC chips will be skipping over this generation entirely.

Read more
The Windows 11 24H2 update is causing even more problems
Windows 11 logo on a laptop.

The Windows 11 24H2 update had already been giving users a real headache with problems such as bugs for visual layouts and flaws for certain wallpaper apps. And now, as Microsoft confirms in a support document, some people without administrative privileges can't change the time zone in the Date & Time view, among myriad other issues related to the important Windows 11 update.

A Feedback Hub post also reports a time issue after exiting Sleep Mode, specifically after about one out of every five overnight sleep cycles. There is also a report that the time is not syncing correctly following daylight saving time. Put differently, the update doesn't break the time zone, but only affects the toggle or makes it very difficult to modify it.

Read more
The 10 best monitors for 2024: tested and reviewed
OLED demo on the Asus ROG PG27AQDM.

Editor’s note: You should expect to see tons of great monitor deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. It's pretty much a guarantee that you'll find something that suits your needs at a discounted price, so long as you keep an eye out and pay close attention to what you're buying. Whether you're looking for a killer gaming monitor deal, a high-end 5K monitor deal, or even an OLED monitor deal, or something more on the budget side, we've got your covered. Make sure to check out our other Black Friday deals for even more bargains on TV, headphones, and more.

For those seeking a superior computer setup, a cutting-edge monitor is non-negotiable. As we move into 2024, the monitor market offers a wide range of options tailored to various needs, from immersive gaming displays to high-resolution panels for creative professionals. Whether you're looking for top-tier gaming performance with fast refresh rates, crisp visuals for productivity, or a versatile all-rounder, this year’s monitors bring cutting-edge features like OLED panels, high refresh rates, and enhanced connectivity. In this guide, we'll explore the best monitors you can buy in 2024, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your setup.

Read more