The original One Netbook One Mix Yoga 7″ was the first real alternative to the GPD Pocket. It has now been surpassed by the GPD Pocket 2 and the One Netbook One Mix 1S, and a whole heap of 8″ UMPC’s, so how does the OneMix 2S fair in mid 2019 ?

The build quality of the both the OneMix and OneMix 2s is very very similar to the original GPD Pocket which it was no doubt modelled on, whereas the GPD Pocket 2 seems to have refined its build quality which seems more polished and is lighter and thinner (the One Mix 2s weighs in at 0.512Kg compares to the GPD Pocket 2 weighing in at 0.465Kg).

The keyboard on the original One Mix is backlit but this was been dropped on the One Mix Yoga 2s, which is a real shame as the backlit keyboard on the original was a real differentiator and actually useful (It is back on the One Mix 3s). The trick up the sleeve for the One Mix 2s is that it has a fingerprint sensor and I have to say that this works really really well, in fact it is flawless.

Both models feature an optical touch sensor for moving the mouse around which is OK but awkward if you are actually holding the device. The placement of the optical sensor on the GPD Pocket 2 (just below the screen) is actually much easier to use when holding the device with both hands.

Whilst we are on the subject of the keyboard the OneMix / OneMix 2S both have a ‘fuller keyboard’ than the Pocket 2 which is bizarrely missing the right shift. In a practical sense it makes the OneMix devices much easier to type on and to use for everyday use.

The original OneMix display is a 7″ IPS 1920×1200 touch screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Unlike the GPD Pocket both the One Mix Yoga and One Mix Yoga 2s display folds right back against the outer casing so that it can be used as a tablet. This is a big differentiator IMO. When in this mode the keyboard becomes inactive but be careful of hitting the power key, as for some inexplicable reason this is the sole key that is still active (on both models).

A (not included) stylus is also available for purchase and it provides 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. It is very easy to use and seems on a par with a similar pen enabled Windows Surface devices.

Both devices have a USB-C slot but unlike the new model the original OneMix Yoga is actually powered by a micro SD connector. Be careful not to accidentally connect a power supply to the USB-C port on the original One Mix Yoga. I did this on the first unit I tested and it fried the mother board !

One the subject of connectors and ports I did have an issue on the One Mix 2s that I was using for this review, the USB port seems to work with some USB devices and not others. I never really got to the bottom of this and you can get around it by attaching a convertor to the USB-C port in most cases but it was still a pain.

The battery is a 6500 mAh and provides a decent amount of time. For normal use and browsing I rarely ran out over the course of a day using it with Windows, and it ran for even longer when using it with one of the pre-prepared Ubuntu Mate Linux images.

The hard disk is a 256GB PCIe SSD is a great upgrade from the One Mix Model.

The Mix 2S also has an 8th generation Core M3 processor which maxes out at 3.4 GHz. Throw in the 8GB of DDR3 RAM and you have a decently spec’d (mini) machine.

There is a fan in the 2S and it can get loud, but there is a fan control which can take it down a notch (by throttling the CPU), and in general it is not that annoying or whiny. Speedfan does not work on the 2S but on the Ubuntu Mate images TLP does, and it does a good job of only firing up the fan when needed.

So how does it compare to a GDP Pocket 2 ? Well, the build quality is probably better in the Pocket 2, which is lighter, more refined and just feels that little bit slicker, but the keyboard placement is better in the OneMix2s, it is fully hinged so folds right back, has better storage, has an accelerometer, a decent pen that puts it on par with a surface. From a buying perspective I think I would go for the OneMix 2s over the Pocket purely on the keyboard, the folding screen, the Pen and the disk. Don’t get me wrong you wont be dissapointed if you got the Pocket but you definitely wont if you get the OneMix 2S either.