GPD Win 4 Review

PC gamers can now get their fix on the go, thanks to the handheld gaming revolution that offers them a horde of options to choose from. An interesting option to check out is the GPD Win 4, as its design is quite similar to PS Vita and has a hidden slide-out keyboard.

Design and features

The reason the GDP Win 4 will look familiar is because of its striking resemblance to the PlayStation Vita introduced back in 2012. While the look of the buttons and shape might be similar, the dimensions are certainly bigger. GDP has also opted to use offset joysticks, rather than the side-by-side that Sony went for.

Nonetheless, the Win 4 is not the PS Vita because it is a full-fledged gaming PC. It boasts a Ryzen 7 6800U processor, 1TB NVMe storage and 16GB of DDR5 memory. The combination is proven and powerful enough for running all modern games. Windows 11 is also available on it and it is completely bloat-free. This is great because it means that every app or game compatible with your Windows PC will work on the GDP Win 4.

In fact, it is possible to use it as your daily computer, if you get a monitor, proper docking station and other peripherals. It has a 6-inch screen and sliding it upwards will reveal a full keyboard beneath, making the GPD Win 4 a laptop in handheld form. As there is a built-in keyboard, other controls are dedicated to navigation and mouse control.

You will also find a tiny trackpad below the right joystick. You also have the option of touch control and while the face buttons might be a bit small, they are easy to press and tactile. There is also a fingerprint reader that allows you to log in via Windows Hello.

The ports

When it comes to the inputs and outputs, you will find that the Win 4 is very generous in this regard. The top and bottom of the device boast a pair of USB Type-C ports that can be used for charging, but the top one uses the USB4 standard. The top also has a USB Type-A port that can be used for connecting a number of peripherals, along with a volume rocker, power button and headphone jack.

Screen and speakers

The screen of the GPD Win 4boasts a resolution of 1920 x 1080, but you can get the best performance when you set the games to 720p. At 400-nits, the screen is bright and nice and can deliver crisp visuals. Refresh rates of both 45Hz and 60Hz are supported and the IPS panel also looks decent.

As far as speakers are concerned, you will find that they are surprisingly loud and outperform most budget laptops in terms of sound. But, there might be some distortion in sound when you increase the volume above 60%. Nevertheless, they are fine for gaming purposes and you can use headphones if you want more clarity.