Minisforum V3 3-in-1 tablet review

Minisforum V3: 30-second review

The Minisforum V3 AMD Tablet instantly stands out with its high-end specifications, which are more typically found in gaming mini PCs. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor delivers exceptional performance, making it suitable for demanding tasks like 4K video editing and photo editing in applications such as DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, and Lightroom Classic. This power is complemented by a vibrant 14-inch display that supports a wide P3 colour gamut and 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, again making it ideal for creative professionals and a challenge to the excellent Wacom Screens, even with that lower range of sensitivity. The tablet's ability to switch seamlessly between laptop and tablet modes, thanks to its optional keyboard cover, is another advantage.

Despite its impressive performance - a hybrid of the best mini PCs and the best business tablets - the V3 has a couple of drawbacks. The battery life is shorter when gaming or video editing, and the device tends to get hot under pressure. The optional keyboard, while functional, feels a bit flimsy compared to the premium build of the tablet itself. This generally isn't an issue; however, when using it on your lap, it starts to feel a little disjointed due to the cover-style connection between the keyboard and tablet.

When it comes to the design and build quality, the V3's magnesium alloy body makes it relatively lightweight at 946 grams and exceptionally thin at 9.8mm thick. Hence, it tucks neatly into a backpack slot. The overall design is sleek and modern, with the front mostly covered by the screen, which includes a front-facing camera with Windows Hello facial recognition.

When it comes to value for money, the V3 is competitive, especially when compared to similar devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro. It offers superb performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen processor and high-quality display. However, the Surface Pro may have an edge when it comes to the quality of the optional keyboard.

Minisforum V3: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $1,199
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available now

The Minisforum V3 AMD Tablet features specifications more commonly found in Mini PCs, with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor for tasks like 4K video editing and photo editing. Its 14-inch 2.5K display supports a wide P3 colour gamut and 4096 pressure sensitivity levels, perfect for creatives. 

The V3, priced at $1,199 in the US and approximately £999 in the UK, is competitive with devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro.

• Value: 4 / 5

Minisforum V3: Design & build

The Minisforum V3 AMD Tablet features a sleek design with flat edges and rounded corners. It is constructed from a magnesium alloy that feels both durable and relatively lightweight. The tablet weighs 946 grams and measures 311.7 x 220.8 x 9.8 mm, making it easy to carry around at home, in the office, or out on-site. After using the tablet extensively, it's obvious that the build quality is very high.

During the test, the V3 was coupled with the cover, keyboard, and touch-sensitive pen, which helped protect it and added to its versatility. The keyboard, while good, doesn't quite meet the quality of finish of the V3, and a slightly more solid version of the keyboard in a future release would be a welcome addition. The pen, in contrast, is superb, adding to the abilities of the tablet, especially incompatible applications.

One issue that a tablet with this amount of power will have is heat, and across the top of the tablet, there are two sectioned vent slots. Inside is a dual fan system and four heat-conducting copper pipes, all helping to ensure the inner workings remain as cool as possible.

The V3 also incorporates some other nifty features, including a dual-function power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor and Windows Hello facial recognition. 

When it comes to battery life, inside is a high-capacity 50.82Wh battery that enables over eight hours of normal use on a single charge; gaming and high-demand apps will, of course, dramatically reduce this time. As well as running on the battery, there is, of course, main support, and the V3 utilises a 65W PD for fast charging.

An interesting feature is the Minisforum Space application, which enables you to monitor the computer and its performance. It also enables you to switch modes, so if you prefer battery life over performance, you can switch to the Power Save mode in the system manager; if you need more power for video editing or gaming, you can use the Power Premium mode, and for more general use, you can use Power Balance.

Optional extras include a 4096-level pressure stylus and a detachable keyboard cover. The stylus is perfect for drawing, note-taking, and enhancing photos, while the keyboard is a great addition if you want the tablet to double up as a laptop.

• Design: 4.5/5

Minisforum V3: Features

The Minisforum V3 AMD Tablet is packed with features that will appeal to power users and creatives, especially photographers and videographers looking for a sleek computing solution. At the heart of the V3 is the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. The CPU is partnered with 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and an AMD Radeon 780M GPU.

The tablet's large 14-inch display fronts it, offering a 2.5K resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a 165Hz refresh rate. Its support for a wide P3 colour gamut and 500 nits of brightness makes it ideal for video and photography and enables it to be calibrated for professional use.

Other additions include AI features made possible through AMD Ryzen AI, which enable functionalities like eye contact correction and automatic framing. Again, in the software is the Minisforum space, which enables you to access a range of impressive software features that tune the machine to the way you use it and also enable you to monitor its health.

When it comes to connectivity, the V3 has dual USB4 ports, a USB-C port, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, alongside Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support.

Enhanced security features are always important, especially for any portable devices, and here, the V3 includes Windows Hello facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor, all helping to ensure quick access once you register your details. Beyond the tablet, there are a series of accessories, including a 4096-level pressure stylus and a keyboard cover.

• Features: 4/5

Minisforum V3: Performance

Through the test, the Minisforum V3's performance has impressed for a variety of different uses and applications, proving that it is a solid tool for professionals who need a powerful tablet device. This power, coupled with the outstanding screen, makes it a perfect solution for creatives who need to run the Adobe suite of apps such as Photoshop, Premiere, and Illustrator. The powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor not only enables these apps to run as if they were on a far larger desktop machine but this performance is also reflected in the benchmark scores.

During the test, the machine was mainly used on the Power Balance setting, which gave the best of both power and performance for a range of tasks, including creative, office, and gaming. When testing the gaming features, the performance was increased to Power Premium, which gave the machine a slight yet noticeable boost in graphics smoothness.

In terms of general productivity, the V3 handles Microsoft Office applications with ease, with the 14-inch screen providing a decent amount of real estate to the interface for both Word and Excel. For everyday use, when you switch between apps and countless browser tabs, the GeekBench CPU Single score of 10290 and PC Mark score of 6525 reinforce this performance.

When it comes to use for creative professionals, the graphics and processing capabilities powered by the AMD Radeon 780M GPU enable the apps to work quickly with multi-layer images in Photoshop, handling high-resolution images from the Canon EOS R5 C well. The GeekBench Compute score of 27288 is a good indicator of the performance in Adobe Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve. Tasks such as photo editing, applying filters, rendering videos, and real-time previews are all handled well - it might not replace the best laptops for photo editing or the best video editing laptops, but performance is better than you might expect. Backing up the power of the CPU and GPU is the 1TB internal SSD, which, when tested, produced impressive scores from CrystalDiskMark: read and write speeds of 4805.85MB/s and 3894.29MB/s, respectively. This is at the top end for mini PCs and tablets.

One thing to watch when using more demanding applications is the heat. The frame of the tablet becomes hot to the touch after a couple of hours of intensive video editing with external accessories such as hard drives connected. When switched to the Power Premium mode, the fans really start to kick in to help keep things cool under demanding processing

3D applications and CAD software also benefit from the V3's capabilities. The CineBench CPU Multi score of 9052 and CPU Single score of 730, combined with the Fire Strike Overall score of 6819 and Time Spy CPU score of 7843, show the ability to handle 3D modelling, rendering, and simulation tasks well, although not quite with the ease of larger desktop machines. This would make the V3 a great choice if you are an architect, engineer, or designer looking for a portable solution for work.

Although not in the professional remit of use, if you did want to dive into a little gaming after some graphics-intensive work, the Fire Strike Graphics score of 7328 and Wild Life score of 15011 reflect the tablet's ability to provide a smooth gaming experience and high frame rates in less demanding titles. Higher-demand games such as Red Dead Redemption and Cyberpunk 2077 will also run well, although the heat does rise through extended play. Plugging into a power source is a good idea, as you'll only get a couple of hours of gameplay on a single charge.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Minisforum V3?

If you are a creative professional or are looking for a portable device that offers close to desktop-level performance, the Minisforum V3 is an excellent choice. The AMD Ryzen 7 processor, high-resolution display, and connectivity options make it a great choice for a range of demanding applications.

However, if you prioritise long battery life for creative applications, then a full-blown laptop might be a better option. 

As Windows tablets go, the power, function and features of the V3 are impressive considering the price, making it a great all-around option if you need a tablet with the power of a PC. 

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