The highly anticipated Zotac Zone handheld gaming PC is set to be unveiled at Computex 2024, bringing a new competitor to the already thriving market.
This exciting device will join the ranks of established players like the Steam Deck OLED, the upcoming Asus ROG Ally X, and the Lenovo Legion Go. While Zotac only previously teased the Zone with a glimpse of its design, recent leaks have shed light on its complete technical specifications, giving gamers a clearer picture of what to expect.
Under the Hood: A Ryzen Powerhouse
Leaked information suggests the Zotac Zone packs a serious punch under the hood. It will reportedly feature an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U APU, boasting 8 cores of the latest Zen 4 architecture. These cores can clock between 3.3 GHz and 5.1 GHz, further enhanced by Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) technology, resulting in a total of 16 processing threads for smooth performance.
Notably, Zotac has confirmed the CPU details, clarifying that it’s the newer Hawkpoint variant instead of the previously speculated Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip.
Graphics are handled by the integrated Radeon 780M graphics card, featuring 12 RDNA3 Compute Units. This translates to efficient performance for modern games at default settings.
The graphics card operates at 15 watts by default, but for those seeking even higher performance, it can be pushed to 28 watts. This increased power, however, will likely come at the cost of reduced battery life and potentially higher heat generation.
Display and Memory: A Sharp and Responsive Experience in Zotac Zone
The Zotac Zone boasts a 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate ensures smooth visuals and minimizes motion blur, especially crucial for fast-paced games. The display resolution is reported to be 1080p, offering a sharp and vibrant experience.
Additionally, the screen can reach a peak brightness of 800 nits, making it suitable for various lighting conditions, even outdoors on a sunny day.
Moving on to memory, the Zotac Zone is equipped with a generous 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, likely clocked at a fast 7500MT/s. This sufficient RAM ensures smooth multitasking and allows for keeping multiple games running in the background without performance hiccups.
Storage and Battery: A Trade-Off for Power?
The Zotac Zone comes with 512GB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage by default. This provides more space for installing a good library of games. Additionally, the device supports M.2 2280 SSDs, allowing users to upgrade storage capacity in the future if needed.
However, battery life might be a concern for the Zotac Zone. Leaks suggest a 48.5-watt hour Li-ion battery, which translates to an estimated runtime of 1.25 hours. This falls short compared to competitors like the Asus ROG Ally X, which boasts an 80-watt-hour battery. It’s important to note that the demo unit showcased at Computex might be a prototype, and the final version could potentially offer improved battery life.
Early Verdict: A Promising Newcomer
The Zotac Zone shapes up to be a compelling contender in the handheld gaming PC market. With its powerful Ryzen 7 processor, high-refresh-rate display, and sufficient RAM, it appears well-equipped to handle modern games. However, the potential battery life limitation might be a concern for gamers seeking extended play sessions on the go.
With the official unveiling happening at Computex 2024, it’s still early to deliver a definitive verdict. However, the leaked specifications paint a picture of a powerful and versatile handheld gaming PC. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Zotac for any further announcements and final details about the Zotac Zone, including its pricing and release date.
