Azulle Access fanless mini PC stick review

Azulle Access: 30-second review

Azulle makes specialist PCs with commercial use at the heart of the design. While this Mini PC sports Windows 11 Pro, the main focus here is on plug-and-play ease of use with a familiar operating system for video conferencing or digital signage. The majority of mini PCs are small and mighty, compact, and powerful enough to rival the abilities of many larger desktop PCs. 

This device, on the other hand, features just what it needs to do the job and a design to fit. As such, unlike many of the best mini PC options, this is a more oversized Fire Stick than a PC, with an HDMI connector on one end and a LAN port on the other. These are joined by a USB 3.0 port, a Type-C port, a Kensington lock, a 3.5mm audio port, and an aerial.

The slimline case is solidly built and designed to absorb the heat from the fanless design. As such, the casing has a warning not to touch after prolonged use. This gives you the general idea that once this Mini PC is mounted, it's designed to stay in position without the need for maintenance. While the HDMI connector can be directly inserted into any HDMI port, the company has included a short link cable in the box so the machine can be mounted more discreetly.

When it comes to intended use, while this could be used in the home as a more advanced home entertainment system snugly hidden behind the TV, there are far more practical uses that this machine has been designed for. The first is video conferencing, which is a PC that can be connected to TVs or monitors, microphones, and cameras and hidden away, ready for use in a board or meeting room. Alternatively, it's the ideal size and specification for digital signage, designed to switch on at the start of the day and play video or stills to passersby.

What this machine is not is a mini PC to be used for everyday office tasks such as extensive document updates, placing orders, updating images and video, and definitely not for gaming.

As such, the price reflects this, with a focus on being perfectly tuned to a couple of very distinct uses rather than a mini PC, which can be used for a bit of everything.

Azulle Access: Price and availability

• How much does it cost?  From $250
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from Azulle

The Azulle Access Fanless Mini PC Stick is available through the Azulle website for £248 for the N100 version reviewed here or £219 for the Gemini Lake 40 Series, with the price increasing depending on the accessories you select. Both versions come with Windows 11 Pro, Linux, or no operating system installed.

• Value: 4 / 5

Azulle Access: Specs

Azulle Access: Design

The Azulle Access fanless mini PC stick's design is very sleek. The casing aesthetics serve as part of the cooling process that enables its fanless construction. Aside from being functional, this also gives the mini PC quite a futuristic look, further enhanced by the fold-out antenna.

Like most TV sticks, there's an HDMI socket on one end that plugs directly into a computer monitor or TV. However, as the device is larger and heavier than most TV sticks at 581g, it's a little too bulky to leave suspended horizontally out of the back of the monitor. If the HDMI port is tucked inside the body of the monitor, as is more common for commercial rather than consumer units, then the small PC will sit perfectly flush against the back of the monitor. If not, the company has had the foresight to include a short extension cable that can bridge the connection, enabling you to mount the mini PC in another way.

The design has been well thought through, so the mini PC can be attached to the back of the monitor. The company also sells a range of accessories that offer other discreet mounting options.

Connecting the mini PC is easy, with the USB 3.0 or Type-C ports offering plenty of connection options for mic and camera combos. Bluetooth 5.2 enables a wireless keyboard and mouse. If you want to connect a standard headset, it can be plugged directly into the standard 3.5mm audio port.

When the machine arrives, you can select to have it with Windows 11 Pro, Linux, or nothing pre-installed. In this review, we've chosen the standard Windows 11 Pro, which also comes with Zoom ready to go. Setup couldn't be more straightforward, and within minutes, you should be ready to start using the machine for video conferencing. If you want to use the machine for digital signage, setup is just as simple.

Simply store the files you need on the machine and run them as needed, or load them onto a MicroSD card and run them from there. It really couldn't be simpler.

• Design: 4 / 5

Azulle Access: Hardware

The Access Pro, unlike many Mini PCs, is designed to be something other than versatile. It is built with specific tasks in mind and has the physical and computing power to match. This Mini PC is tailored for video conferencing and digital signage, omitting many of the bigger headline features such as a powerful CPU and graphics. Instead, this computer is designed with simplicity at its heart, from mounting through to use.

The design features a compact and lightweight device that is akin to a TV stick, although on a slightly larger scale. It weighs 58g and measures 114.3 x 50.8 x 20.32 mm, making it incredibly portable and easy to mount behind a monitor or TV. The space-saving design helps reduce clutter, and although there will still be a power lead dropping down from the PC, everything else should be packed neatly behind the monitor it's attached to, making it an ideal solution for any office, conference room, or public display area.

Another key advantage of the Access Pro Alder Lake is its fanless design, which enables it to run completely silently. This is beneficial in quiet public locations such as libraries and museums, where displays are needed without the low hum of PC fans.

For video conferencing, the Access Pro Alder Lake enables dual monitor capabilities, supported through its USB-C port to complement the main HDMI. This feature allows you to expand the video conferencing and work displays, if needed, across multiple screens, which can often be useful in meetings. The HDMI connection supports 4K resolution to ensure high-quality playback both in calls and for playing back presentations.

When it comes to digital signage applications, the Access Pro Alder Lake's ability to output 4K at 60FPS via HDMI ensures that advertisements and informational displays are sharp and playback is smooth. One feature that will appeal to signage is the connectivity options, including AX201 WiFi 6 dual-band and Gigabit Ethernet, which help provide fast network connections if the data on the machine needs to be updated. This is especially important if it's streaming content or if real-time updates are needed for digital signage.

Despite its plastic build, the Access Pro Alder Lake is robust and durable, making it suitable for long-term use in various environments. The design and the materials used could be more flimsy. Its small size and light weight also enable easy mounting options so that it can be discreetly installed behind screens or integrated into kiosks. The flat back of the device means that industrial Velcro could be used as an easy mounting option.

The Access Pro Alder Lake N100 is an exceptionally well-designed machine for specific tasks like video conferencing and digital signage. Its compact, silent, and easy-to-install design makes it a great choice. While the features are perfect for the intended use, the features and performance will be very limited outside of video conferencing and signage.

• Features: 3 / 5

Azulle Access: Performance

While the Access Pro's benchmark scores are low, this compact machine excels for what it is designed to do, which is a machine to power video conferencing or digital signage and not as a standard desktop PC.

The CrystalDiskMark scores, with a read speed of 139.63MB/s and a write speed of 255.04MB/s, indicate a storage performance that is perfectly suited for holding files that can be used for playback. These speeds are low compared to today's ultra-fast SSDs; however, they are more than sufficient for the quick retrieval and storage of files necessary for video conferencing and used for digital signage. If the storage capacity is a little low, the MicroSD card slot will enable you to expand the storage capacity at minimal cost and with minimal technical skill. Again like the internal storage the data transfer rates from the MicroSD are relatively slow, but more than enough for the intended use.

In CPU performance tests, the GeekBench scores (Single: 1188, Multi: 931) and CineBench scores (Single: 623, Multi: 1291) show that the Alder Lake N100 processor, while not the most powerful, offers adequate performance for handling basic computing tasks including running Windows, albeit a little slowly and presentations. This level of performance ensures that videoconferencing applications such as Zoom, which comes pre-installed, run without lag. Additionally, the GeekBench Compute score of 2307 suggests that the integrated Intel UHD graphics can manage the graphical requirements of 4K video playback as well as video conferencing.

The PCMark score of 1925 and the Windows Experience Index of 5.9 further underline the Access Pro Alder Lake's capability to handle light tasks rather than anything more demanding. Video calls and presentations, word processing, and some Office applications will run smoothly, but don't expect too much.

Despite the absence of scores in more demanding graphics benchmarks like Fire Strike and Time Spy, the machine's real-world performance for its intended use is fine. The Access is able to support 4K output at 30FPS and 60FPS for digital signage and video, stills, and audio, all playback without issue. However, after 24 hours of non-stop playback, the Mini PC is physically hot to the touch, as the label warns.

This is to be expected, and with the fanless construction, you also get a machine that operates silently, something that is essential in many environments. Another point to note is that the Alder Lake N100 CPU has very low power requirements, so even when on for long durations, the power draw is very low. While the device does get hot, it's not overly so, just warmer than most. Critically, the performance doesn't seem to be affected, with playback continuing smoothly.

The Access Pro may have a lower benchmark score than most PCs; however, with its design targeted towards video conferencing and digital signage, it provides the power and features it needs to do the job. It also enables a compact, silent, and energy-efficient design that delivers reliable performance, making it a more practical and focused solution compared to larger, noisier mini PCs.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Azulle Access: Final verdict

The Azulle Access excels for its intended use and design: video conferencing and digital signage. If used for either, the design and features balance well, and at the price, everything is well-matched. This is a machine with a specific purpose, and Azulle specializes in making these focused machines that may not push the limits of performance but have design tweaks that make them better suited to certain situations and usage than more powerful and complex larger machines. 

However, outside of its intended use, this machine will seem decidedly underpowered. While you can use the machine for day-to-day office tasks and its form factor allows it to be neatly tucked away out of sight, in reality, something with a little more power would be needed for regular office tasks. As long as the Azulle Access Fanless Mini PC Stick is utilized for its intended use, its compact design, silent operation, and ease of use make it an excellent choice for focused applications.

Should I buy the Azulle Access mini PC?

If you need a compact and silent computing solution specifically for video conferencing or digital signage, the Azulle Access Fanless Mini PC Stick is a solid choice. However, if you require a more versatile device for everyday computing tasks, you might want to consider other options.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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