Minisforum V3 test: our full opinion –

For three weeks, I had the opportunity to test one of the latest products from Minisforum, a Chinese brand specializing in minimachines. Although little known, this company offers an increasingly extensive range of PCs, interesting alternatives to traditional brands. Their main advantage is an excellent performance-price ratio, which makes them very versatile choices for various uses such as office automation, gaming, servers and NAS.

In this article we focus on one particular product from Minisforum, the Minisforum V3 tablet PC under Windows 11. This tablet is compatible with an MPP (Microsoft Pen Protocol) stylus, the same one used with the Surface Pen. We tested this machine for several reasons. First of all, it is announced as the first 3-in-1 tablet on the market, thanks to to its V-Link socket which allows the tablet to be used as a passive secondary screen by connecting it to a laptop, for example.

In addition, the Minisforum V3 is equipped with theAMD Hawk Point APU, with AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840U processor, which offers an excellent balance between power consumption and performance. Its iGPU, the AMD Radeon 780M, also offers impressive 3D performance on paper. The tablet is equipped with 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and our test model has 1 TB of storage space.

Technical sheet

The machine is on loan from Minisforum for this test.

Design

Let’s start by describing the machine: The Minisforum V3 is a massive tablet PC with a 14-inch screen and a matte coating to reduce glare. Although it is a little thick, it is made of magnesium alloy, which makes it very stable while remaining relatively light.

Ventilation is present at the back, sides and top of the machine to prevent overheating.

As for ports, the Minisforum V3 has three USB-C ports, one of which is a VLink port, which allows the tablet to be used as a second screen for a computer or laptop. However, it is important to note that this port cannot be used for other things, which can be a bit disappointing. You therefore have two really usable USB-C ports, in USB4.

The Minisforum V3 comes with a stand and a keyboard. The stand attaches magnetically to the back of the tablet and has a kickstand identical to that of the Surface (too bad the kickstand isn’t built in), making it easy to adjust the drawing angle. The keyboard attaches magnetically to the bottom of the tablet and folds to close. It is held in place by light magnets on the side to prevent it from moving too much. The tablet’s four stereo speakers deliver good quality sound, although they are a bit echoey.

The Minisforum V3’s detachable keyboard is just okay. The keys offer a noticeable pressure point, but they could have been a little firmer. Still, it’s easy to navigate and the most important functions are all available, including a four-level backlight.

The touchpad, measuring 11 x 6.5 centimeters, is perfectly integrated into the keyboard. Its very smooth surface can be a bit of a problem for sweaty fingers, but it responds quickly and recognizes inputs accurately. Inputs are registered with a quiet click, without requiring additional pressure in the lower third, allowing for smooth use across the entire surface.

Top performance

As a reminder, the Minisforum V3 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor. This processor, while very powerful, remains quite energy efficient, which is an important advantage for a tablet. In addition, the tablet integrates an AMD Radeon 780M iGPU. The iGPU benefits greatly from the 32 GB RAM.

So, what do you think? We found this PC efficient for its format, with very nice surprises in terms of graphics power. Not only are the benchmarks impressive, but the in-game performance is also solid. When plugged in, the system operates at 28 watts, and it maintains this performance consistently over time, with a smooth and responsive user experience.

It is also important to note that the Minisforum V3 tablet can be combined with external graphics cards via USB4. This feature can significantly increase the tablet’s graphics capabilities, although we have not tested this configuration. This opens the door to future improvements for those looking to maximize their device’s performance.

From a subjective point of view, the performance of Minisforum V3 is excellent. All tasks were completed without hesitation. The combination of a modern SoC, fast DDR5 RAM and PCIe SSD performs optimally, which is reflected in the tablet’s performance results. It is particularly well suited to intensive tasks.

However, in battery mode, at 18 watts, performance is significantly worse. Processing power and graphics capabilities are reduced, limiting the tablet’s effectiveness for more demanding tasks when unplugged. This reduction in performance can be problematic for those who need mobility while maintaining high capabilities.

To connect, the Minisforum V3 is equipped with the Wi-Fi 6E module (AX210), capable of operating on the 6 GHz frequency band. This allows for much better data rates than the 5 GHz band. The performances obtained with this configuration are satisfactory.

In terms of maintenance and modularity, LPDDR5 RAM is soldered and cannot be replaced. Only the SSD can technically be replaced.

A screen not without defects

And the screen then? This Minisforum V3 has a 14-inch IPS screen with a definition of 2560 x 1600 pixels, and a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz. This screen supports VRR (variable refresh rate) or FreeSync… this which is good given that we have an AMD chip. With a native format of 16:10, it is practical for most uses. Additionally, this display offers a maximum brightness of 500 nits and covers 100% of the P3 color gamut.

In practice, the definition and size of the screen provide a good balance, this provides a pleasant visual experience. However, several design flaws tarnish this initial impression. In particular, we observe a phenomenon of clouding or “mura” effect. This phenomenon results in irregularities in brightness, giving the impression that it is wrinkled. This can be particularly annoying when viewing uniform content, such as web pages with white backgrounds or dark videos, where these anomalies become more visible.

Furthermore, the matte coating of the screen, although effective in reducing annoying reflections, has a notable impact on color quality and viewing angles. Colors may appear less vibrant and viewing angles may become narrower, affecting user experience.

In addition, the brightness of the screen, which we measured at 500 cd/m² in SDR, seems a little “fair” for use outdoors or in very bright environments, which may limit its use in certain environments. terms. Likewise for the Delta-E-2000, the color differences seem too significant for professional graphic content. These weak points are important to consider, especially for those looking for impeccable display quality. Despite everything, the definition is well adapted and the P3 color space is well covered, which is worth noting.

VLink not reliable

We obviously tested VLink, a feature allowing the tablet to be used as a secondary screen of another PC. Unfortunately, the results are disappointing.

This feature does not work at all with a Mac and is not very efficient with an iPhone or iPad. Even on Windows, compatibility varies between PCs, making the usage experience unreliable and frustrating.

Not great autonomy and heating

Another annoying subject? The autonomy of the tablet leaves something to be desired. For video playback at 15 W, it lasts around 6 hours, while for web browsing, the autonomy is reduced to 4 hours. In heavy use, such as gaming, the battery only lasts about 1 hour and 30 minutes at 15 W. This performance may prove insufficient for prolonged use without access to a power source, which really limits the mobile use.

However, the tablet has a 65W fast charging system, allowing a full charge in 1 hour 45 minutes. This partly alleviates the problem of limited autonomy. Despite this, battery life remains a notable weak point, especially for those who need a tablet that can run reliably for long periods of time without interruption. When we see the new Copilot Plus machines equipped with Snapdragon

The final weak point of the Minisforum V3 is its tendency to heat up (peaks at 50 degrees) and make noise when used at full power. Although the AMD APU offers good performance, there are logical counterparts in terms of autonomy, heating and noise. During heavy testing, the machine can get quite hot and the fan can become noisy (on high frequencies), which can be annoying for some users. This can also affect battery life, which is already quite limited due to the power of the APU. So, it is important to consider these factors before purchasing this machine, especially if you plan to use it for demanding tasks.

Cameras

The V3 has a 2.0-megapixel webcam on the front and a 5.0-megapixel module on the back. Unfortunately, the quality of these cameras leaves something to be desired, with poor performance in terms of clarity and detail.

Price and availability

The Minisforum V3 is available at 1099 euros with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD, and 1359 euros with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD.