====== GPD Win Max 2 (2022) ====== The [[https://www.gpd.hk/gpdwinmax2|GPD Win Max 2]] (with various year editions) is a gaming handheld from GPD. I assume "Win" means "Windows" and "Max 2" distinguishes it from the first version, though subsequent revisions have simply been created with a different year number. I own the 2022 model, so this includes my thoughts on that version. My model is also the AMD 6800U with 32gb of memory + 2TB of main storage configuration, with the optional 4G modem. ===== Life 1 ===== I originally got the GPD Win Max 2 as a Steam Deck competitor. I owned a Steam Deck at the time, and thought that running Windows, with a better GPU and more RAM, would allow me to play more games on the go. I got the 4G modem with the goal of having a cellular connection as a "last resort" internet connection on the go too. The Steam Deck had basically informed me that having no internet at all when gaming was suboptimal, and even a small connection would be useful. In truth, I did not quite have a great experience when I got the initial handheld. It: * Came with Windows 11 preinstalled, which was fine, but it also came with malware, which was not fine. * Turns out that holding the handheld in "the gaming position" using it as a controller is extremely cumbersome for long periods of time. * Has a relatively bad fan, meaning that it is very loud. * Is very power hungry, which means as a gaming replacement for the Steam Deck it was about the same to me. * Had a strange default partition table with a bunch of unallocated space on it. * Has a very bad fingerprint reader. I also had what I considered to be odd issues from the factory, like the touch pad not being fully seated, and the fact that the spacebar didn't work 100% of the time. In the first life of my Win Max 2, I abandoned it in a closet and forgot about it until moving to Japan full time. ===== Life 2 ===== I started considering the use of the Win Max 2 again after my experience shoving the [[dm250|Pomera DM250]] into my daily carry bag at the tail end of 2025. Even though the DM250 is really nice in terms of keyboard feel, it is quite unfortunately very long. My daily carry bag is a MUJI shoulder bag that is just long enough to have a DM250, a Switch 2, or another piece of hardware about that exact length with me at all times. In truth, having any long device like this means it must be useful the majority of the time I'm carrying it, or I could be carrying something else. Compared to the DM250, the benefits of being a normal computer are quite obvious: it can just like, synchronize data in a useful and meaningful way. The DM250 is nice, but it does require a level of care in synchronizing data that is a bit difficult to reckon with. In-particular, writing on multiple devices or just remembering to pull data off is a mental load I simply don't want to deal with. With all of that context in mind, I decided to use the Win Max 2 again as a test. This time, I installed CachyOS and it "just worked" in a reasonable way. ==== Old School RuneScape ==== One of the things I've been doing lately is playing Old School RuneScape. I've waffled on RuneLite and HDOS, but my prior "daily personal laptop" was an M2 Macbook Air with 24gb of memory that I kept "semi-permanently docked" on my desk. In mobile mode, though, it cannot run RuneLite or HDOS at 60fps. Probably owing to the lack of a fan, it just isn't powerful enough to run these games. The Win Max 2, under Linux, with Bolt, can run both clients with ease. Incidentally, HDOS runs significantly better on the Win Max 2, which is very strange, but is quite nice. ==== Cellular ==== I currently have a Rakuten SIM card installed and use it in a mobile configuration on trains and in coffee shops around Tokyo. Cellular in Linux is rather complicated and annoying to setup, but it does work now. I think I would prefer to have a 5G modem these days, but it's fine. It's on the USB bus. Cellular connectivity on a laptop is, honestly, a complete game changer. Having the ability to always access at least a basic connection while mobile is amazing. Yes, it is possible to tether, but tethering itself is quite suboptimal. It drains the battery life of the source device, increases heat, and is fiddly to setup. Even on entirely Apple ecosystem devices, tethering is not fully automatic and does not work reliably without manual steps quite often. ==== Battery life ==== Excluding gaming, on the power saver profile as set by KDE, it can last a few days with light usage in my bag. It's not a power house, and it's quite power hungry. I yearn for the inevitable future of an ARM version of this device. ==== Speakers ==== The speakers are completely trash and outclassed by any mobile phone from the last 10 years. ==== Keyboard ==== My initial memory of the keyboard was that it was unusable as a general computing device. However, I've grown to think that this keyboard is actually quite usable and reasonable. The biggest problem is the space bar. I followed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_V7Rc5qjwo|this YouTube space bar removal guide]] and a Reddit repost of a Discord hack involving [[https://www.reddit.com/r/gpdwin/comments/z6bej3/comment/iy0uwvp/|adding tape to the center of the space bar]] (about 4 pieces of cello tape stacked up), but I haven't tested it yet. By far the biggest weakness of this setup is the keyboard being terrible. I've tested the spacebar mod and it seems to be improved! I think it's a good idea to apply this mod if yours isn't working, but there is still a tiny bit of the spacebar that doesn't activate (e.g., the very corner or edge). In practice, I think it's fine now, but the fundamental issue is that there is only one activation point in the middle. ==== Semi-final thoughts ==== This device is quite thick and heavy. I would love to have a smaller profile or a lighter profile. I think this device could really shine if it had more care in the portability department. I would personally advocate for just ditching the entire gaming feature set and just making this a good ultraportable small laptop, though. GPD makes a very similar laptop -- the GPD Pocket 4 -- [[https://youtu.be/POeAkLD3w08?t=598|but the typing experience has been critiqued as being worse than the Win Max 2]] due in part to the strange layout on the Pocket 4. Currently, this device lives in my bag as my daily travel laptop. Moreover, it, when combined with my gaming desktop running CachyOS, has completely supplanted my Macbook Air for everything but occasional PDF work in Preview.app. I don't think this device is for everyone though. The out-of-the-factory condition was suboptimal, particularly with the spacebar issue (again, I'm still testing mine with the tape hack). Coming with malware preinstalled should be a cardinal sin though, and GPD should be ashamed of shipping devices out like this.