XIDU PhilMac Review: Mini PC for Entertainment and Work

atb_teamOctober 11, 2020

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Product Details
First impressions, settings, overview of features
Operating system and components
PhilMac Video Tests
XIDU PhilMac Benchmarks
Conclusions

We had the opportunity to test the XIDU PhilMac Mini PC, so today we can show you the XIDU PhilMac review.

As you know, XIDU PhilMac is the first Mini PC in XIDU’s brand portfolio. Most devices are laptops. PhilMac Mini PC has a coherent design with other XIDU’s products, is aesthetically pleasing, and stylistic refers to the design of Apple.

How the first Mini PC from XIDU works and whether it is worth buying XIDU PhilMac, you will find out in our review.

Should XIDU expand its portfolio with more Mini PCs, we can tell you right now that yes, it should. In contrast, the XIDU brand should start building more efficient devices, and why? Check out our XIDU PhilMac review.

Availability and price

I want to say thanks to the XIDU brand (Shenzhen Baohuazhong Technology Co., Ltd. company) for sending us a XIDU PhilMac to review.

XIDU PhilMac Mini PC now is available for $199.99 at Official stores:

XIDU Store
Aliexpress Store
Amazon stores:
- UK
- DE
- US
- IT
- FR

Product Details

XIDU PhilMac Specifications:

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU: Intel Celeron J4115 “Gemini Lake” Quad-core (up to 2.5 GHz)
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4
Storage: 128GB eMMC
Expanded memory: 128GB SD Card ( the SD card not included)
WiFi: 2.4G+5.0G Dual WiFi 802.11ac
Ethernet: 1000Mbps LAN
Bluetooth: BT4.2
Ports: 1 x Power Button 1 x DC-in Port 3 x Standard USB 3.0 Port 1 x HDMI Port 1 x VGA Port 1 x RJ45 (1000Mbps network connection) 1 x Headphone microphone jack 1 x SD card slot 1 x Reset jack
Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 2.3 cm
Weight: 322 g

The box included:

XIDU PhilMac Mini PC
Power Adapter with EU plug
User Manual

The following video from our YouTube channel where you can take a look at more XIDU PhilMac Mini PC and bundled accessories.

XIDU PhilMac Review: First impressions, settings, overview of features

The XIDU PhilMac is a well-made Mini PC, with great attention to detail. The PhilMac design makes a great impression. This is one of the nicer Mini PCs that we’ve tested. As we mentioned at the beginning, the aesthetic design and color of the aluminum casing refer to other XIDU’s products and Apple style.

There is the XIDU logo on the top of the aluminum housing. There is a Power LED indicator on the front panel. On the right side there is an SD card slot, and 2x USB 3.0, and a Power button. There is a VGA port on the other side. On the back we find DC in, USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, 3.5mm Headset Jack, Reset hole. There are also openings on the sides of the case for better ventilation. It is worth mentioning that PhilMac has been equipped with a fan (active cooling), which is a big plus. The fan noise is not bothersome and you get used to it quickly. Pictures below.

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PhilMac Mini PC Overview

XIDU PhilMac Mini PC comes with Windows 10 Home (activated). The device downloads Microsoft Updates easily and correctly. There’s a single 114.04GB C:/ drive. During the tests, Windows 10 Home runs without problems and stable.

Mini PC runs at a resolution of FHD 1920×1080 (but if you connect a 4K monitor you get a resolution up to 4K 60fps). Philmac supports dual display via VGA port. Intel HD Graphics 600 GPU handles this without any problem. There were no problems with the Wifi and Ethernet connection to the Internet (Ethernet: Download 942.34Mbps, Upload 300.52Mbps, WiFi: Download 238.74Mbps, Upload 273.99Mbps). We launched a few games such as Beach Buggy Racing, Asphalt 9: Legends, and Moder Combat 5: eSports FPS. XIDU PhilMac is not a gaming PC, but it allows for entertainment.

When you enter the BIOS, you can see that the device has BIOS Version UEFI 2.7; PI 1.6, core version 5.13. To perform video tests we installed also a Kodi 18.8 “Leia”. Below you will find many screenshots, we encourage you to browse.

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Operating system and components: XIDU PhilMac review

As we wrote earlier, PhilMac Mini PC runs on Windows 10 Home Edition, the system is activated. Mini PC is equipped with an Intel Celeron J4115 “Gemini Lake” Quad-core (up to 2.5 GHz) and Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (up to 750 MHz). On the following screens, you can see components used (information is taken from the PerformanceTest 9.0, CPU-Z, and HWiNFO64). HWiNFO64 detects Intel Celeron J4115 as Intel Atom 1800 processor and its HD Graphics 600 GPU Gemini lake. Below screenshots.

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Video Tests

Video playback by Kodi 18.8 runs often not smooth. A liquidity problem for large files with 10-bit HEVC. The following table of video samples tested.

Typical 1080p	Kodi 18.8
MPEG2 / MP2 2.0 – 6.6Mbps	OK
MPEG4 / MP3 2.0 – 7.6Mbps	OK
H264 / AAC 2.0 – 7.2Mbps	OK
VC1 / WMA3 2.0 – 25Mbps	OK
VP8 / VORBIS 2.0 – 7.8Mbs	OK
Jellyfish 1080p HEVC 10bit – 90Mbps	OK
4K Video
Sintel – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 24fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 30fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 60fps	OK
Honey Bees – 96fps	OK
Skyfall – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 10Mbps	OK
Puppies Bath – h264/AAC 2.0	OK
Cinemartin H265/HEVC	OK
Tears of steel – 60fps	OK
HD Club Chimei – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 60Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 140Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 200/250/300/400Mbps	Not smooth
LG Demo – Istanbul 3840×2160 MP4/H264 8bit – 116Mbps	OK
Sony 4K – Camp HDR MP4/HEVC 10bit – 75.8Mbps	OK
Demo Samsung 2014 – USA Road Trip TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps	OK
Samsung UHD DUBAI TS/HEVC 10bit – 51Mbps	OK
H.265/VP9 Video
Tears of steel – H265-HVEC / AAC 2.0 – 15Mbps	OK
Youtube – VP9 / 1080p	OK
VP9 / 4k – Eye of the Storm 4K Ultra HD.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – 10 Incredible 4K (Ultra HD) Videos.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – Australia – Land Down Under in 4K.webmv	OK

We also tested playback via Youtube 4K on three browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. On all browsers, Youtube video playback in 4K (2160p) resolution was smooth. PhilMac supports also Netflix HD via Netflix app from Microsoft store.

XIDU PhilMac Benchmarks

Below you will find screenshots of the tests carried out.

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XIDU PhilMac Review: Conclusions

XIDU PhilMac is a beautifully made Mini PC that you can easily take with you to the office, on a trip, or put on your home desk (it looks very aesthetic). Unfortunately, its performance is not impressive. However, for browsing the Internet, games that do not require performance, video streaming, playing 4K video, working with documents, the XIDU PhilMac is sufficient. If you are looking for a universal Mini PC for entertainment and work, the XIDU PhilMac should satisfy you.