GK802 – Quad Core Android Mini PC

One of the more novel and popular device for 2012 was the Android Mini PC, it started with the MK802 and there have been many many clones since. Development have been very active and now the quad-core Android Mini PC (GK802 or HI802) is now available.

Highlights

Freescale i.MX6 Quad Core CPU&GPU 1.2GHZ
GPU Vivante GC2000
1GB RAM + 8GB Flash
Android 4.0 OS (Android 4.1/4.2 upgradeable)
Support Full HD 1080P resolution play
True 1080P HD decoding the perfect hardware solution
Built in WiFi module 802.11b/g/n,max speed 150Mbs
Built-in Bluetooth makes you transport music ,data and listen to music freely

The original quad core mini PC is the GK802 but there’s a clone Hi802 which are the same specifications. Both are equipped with The Freescale’s i.MX6 Quad processor, a 1.2 GHz quad-core chip, and also equipped with the Vivante GC2000 graphics engine. There are a number of popular benchmarking utilities for Google Android. Some of the best look at overall CPU and graphics performance. While they don’t always tell you much about how a tablet will perform in day-to-day usage, they do at least help you get an idea of the processors. They are priced at about US$100 each, not too cheap and you can buy them from DX.com or AliExpress.com (DHL shipping for about US$5).

For this comparison, it was the Freescale iMX6 processor against a Google Nexus 7 (with a 1.2 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor), and the B&N NOOK Tablet (with a 1 GHz TI OMAP 4430 CPU). While the iMX6 clearly loses out to the Nexus 7, it’s actually not by much and overall, the GK802 is certainly not a bad option.

The internal storage of the GK802 is actually a 8GB micro SD card that it boots from, along with another microSD card slot that allows you to add in another card up to 32GB in size. You can also replace the other card with something larger too if you know what you’re doing and create a backup SD card if you attempt at rooting or hacking the GK802. It also comes with Bluetooth, so you could dpair audio and control devices, a much wanted introduction since the original Android Mini PCs weren’t equipped with Bluetooth. Unlike the rockchip based sticks this one actually switches resolutions properly. I haven’t had any wifi signal drops, or lowered speed while using this stick.

On to the not so good parts. The GK802 is still not equipped with a power switch. So the only way to stop it is to yank it from the plug, not the best means to handle such devices. Apparently, one key issue that plagued the GK802 is that it uses a special data cable (same deal w/ the 5V power adapter). It seems that is a requirement to use their cable and power adapter to power the GK802 and have the USB host work as well. I haven’t tried other micro USB cables or power adapters to see if this is true, but I hope not. I don’t know what that accomplishes on their end.

The GK802 is also often packaged with the RC11 Air Mouse. The Air Mouse has received pretty good reviews and while I haven’t tried it in any games yet, it does work pretty well for basic input. Switching between mouse and keyboard is as easy as either holding down the green android button or by double tapping the button, to permanently switch between modes. Available for about US$20

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