
Pinebook Pro, First Impressions - TekMol
https://bentsukun.ch/posts/pinebook-pro/
======
Ardon
This is pretty much my experience as well. The trackpad is my only complaint
about the machine. There is some ongoing work to reverse-engineer the trackpad
firmware (which is apparently behaving badly) from this guy:
[https://github.com/akirakyle/pinebook-pro-keyboard-
updater/t...](https://github.com/akirakyle/pinebook-pro-keyboard-
updater/tree/master/firmware/disassembly)

There's also apparently a bounty:
[https://www.bountysource.com/issues/88375235-reverse-
enginee...](https://www.bountysource.com/issues/88375235-reverse-engineer-
touchpad-firmware)

If there _is_ a firmware solution, then I think I'll have no complaints left
for the pinebook pro :)

~~~
itsspring
Are you able to use bluetooth trackpads, like Apple's Magic Trackpad, with it?
Asking for myself before I buy..

~~~
kevincox
I use a Wacom Intuos (USB) as as a trackpad which works out of the box. It is
nice and big and you can always pick up the pen when it is convenient.

------
hestefisk
Such an inexpensive machine and reviewer complains about lack of 4K... :)
1080p is pretty decent in a little laptop like this.

~~~
TylerE
I mean, a $35 RaspPI does 4k...

~~~
cushychicken
It also doesn't include a monitor.

~~~
ferzul
but it would be nice to pay a bit more and get 4k.

~~~
zamadatix
I don't think it makes much sense to "pay a bit more and get 4k" on a device
which costs $199. If people are looking to "pay a bit more" to get 4k then
they should probably look at a device which can actually handle 4k decently
not expect it as an upgrade option on one of the cheapest laptops available.

------
JonathanBeuys
Since Linux can be installed on pretty much every laptop, I am not sure what
is special about this one. Maybe the HN gang can enlighten me?

What fascinates me about Pine64 is that we might _finally_ see Linux on phones
and tablets.

I ordered a PinePhone a few days ago. Can't wait to try it. I wonder when they
will ship it. I got an email "Your order has been received and is now being
processed." but no info when they will send it out. Any idea how fast they
will ship?

~~~
f00_
Maybe I'm a retard but isn't Android linux?

~~~
__MatrixMan__
Technically, but have you ever worked at a shell on an Android device? It
feels alien, and all the interesting stuff is wrapped up in the JVM so the
fact that it's wrapped in Linux doesn't gain you much.

~~~
h4waii
You should give Termux a try. It's an honest to goodness "Linux environment"
with a full package manager for many many popular tools and utilities,
including the build essentials if you want to compile software directly on
your device.

~~~
inportb
I like Termux too, but... even that stuff is going away
[https://github.com/termux/termux-
app/issues/1072](https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/1072)

So it makes sense to use Linux if that's what you prioritize.

------
candiddevmike
I wish they had options with more RAM. 4GB is just not enough for serious work
these days.

~~~
metta2uall
Yes, I would expect much more from a "Pro" model, at least 8GB, preferably
16-32GB personally.. Running VMs and containers is quite necessary for high
security & software development work..

~~~
whereistimbo
The RK3399 doesn't support more than 8GB RAM CMIIW. Also RK3399 seems very
underpowered for software development work, you might want to wait for
snapdragon Chromebook or Google's custom Exynos Chromebook.

------
amock
I've had a PineBook Pro for a few months. I added an NVMe drive for extra
storage and overall I'm happy with it as a secondary machine since I usually
use my desktop.

The one thing that I think is much worse than it should be is the trackpad and
my view is much more negative than in this review. For me, it's terrible and
often borders on unusable for anything that doesn't have a large clickable
area. It is such a contrast to the keyboard that is much better than I
expected and probably the best laptop keyboard I've used in a long time.

~~~
pahool
Did you take much of a battery life hit with the addition of the NVMe drive?

~~~
amock
I haven't done much testing, but the battery life is still very good.

------
type-2
> The display resolution is 1920x1080, equivalent to about 100 dpi

Maybe a typo? Should be around 157dpi for a 14 inch screen. Though I
absolutely agree with the general idea, high dpi screens (over 200 dpi) do
make the experience much much better.

------
seoirsewalker
I received pinebook pro last week and initially I was really disappointed with
the trackpad, double tap was only working 30% of the time, laggy movement,
urgh.

After some experimentation and someone on the forums pointing me to
[https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pinebook_Pro#X-Windows_.26...](https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/Pinebook_Pro#X-Windows_.26_trackpad_settings)
I am getting decent performance.

------
arprocter
I wish the author expanded on how Midori is "really testing my patience" \-
kind of a showstopper if you can't browse with what is a very lightweight
browser

------
eeereerews
> a barrel connector power supply

What's wrong with this?

~~~
cushychicken
Absolutely nothing.

USB-C seems superior because it comes with a data link, and negotiates higher
power ratings.

The tradeoff is that this comes with complexity. The Pinebook team, sensibly,
decided they didn't want to fuck with building and verifying USB-C power
negotiation subsystems.

Guarantee that everyone complaining about it here has never had to implement,
or be accountable for the BOM cost of, a USB-C power negotiation system.

~~~
wlesieutre
USB-C seems superior because every desk that I ever sit at already has a USB-C
charger, plus another in my backpack, and compatibility with portable power
banks.

Granted I haven’t ever had to implement it, but I think you’re underselling
its benefits.

~~~
popped
Haha my other comment was both down voted and flagged.

Think about the chronology then reinterpret my question.

When I was 12 I was very active. To only ever have seen USB-C this person
might well be a prodigy.

Again, honest question. Calm down with the hate boys and girls, try not to
assume everyone is malicious

~~~
dang
"Are you 12" is an internet insult trope. The comment clearly broke the site
guidelines. If you wouldn't mind reviewing
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)
and sticking to the rules when posting here, we'd be grateful.

See also
[https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=wlesieutre](https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=wlesieutre).
To have joined HN at the age of 3 would be quite the prodigy.

------
seba_dos1
I have one. It seems to be a pretty nice machine with a good performance for
buck ratio. However, the touchpad and keyboard make it completely unusable for
me. The keyboard doesn't register some key combos at all, and I've never used
a touchpad this bad...

~~~
bufferoverflow
Get a bluetooth mouse?

~~~
seba_dos1
In situations where I'd be comfortable using a Bluetooth mouse, I'd probably
have my much more powerful amd64 laptop with me. But well, I don't even need a
mouse to comfortably use that one :P

------
neurostimulant
> There are upgrade kits available, for example an adapter to add an NVMe disk
> instead of the eMMC. For the original Pinebook, there has been an upgrade
> kit with a better processor even.

I didn't know you could add nvme disk to the pinebook pro. The emmc storage
was turning me off, but with this the machine seem to be more attractive to
me. If it has upgradable cpu as well I would seriously consider using this
laptop, just need to figure out shipping as international shipping is usually
handled by the awful state-owned postal company here, which for some reason
can't successfully deliver anything to my address.

------
sam_lowry_
> The keyboard is an absolute joy to use.

The keyboard is a cheap no-name, far worse than a Thinkpad keyboard or an
Apple keyboard. I had trouble with the button S since the beginning.

But this is fine for such a cheap laptop.

