Top 5 Windows PC Sticks

Like mobile phones, the world of PC has its own evolution. From netbooks to large yet powerful rigs. There are even mini PCs and all-in-ones that stretches the choices of owning your own. Now, we are at the stage of putting a full functioning computer on our pocket with PC sticks. They might be a bit under-powered but they are not meant to be replacements but rather secondary computers that you could take anywhere, and plug it in where available.

Here are our five picks:

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Lenovo IdeaCentre Stick 300

Aside from bending Yoga notebooks and built-for-business ThinkPads, Lenovo is also a part of the PC stick revolution with the IdeaCentre Stick 300. It’s a pretty standard PC stick with similar specifications with others but at least you know it’s a Lenovo and it’s available in PH for PHP 6,999USD 119INR 10,111EUR 114CNY 869.

Lenovo IdeaCentre Stick 300 specifications:
1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F Processor
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3L-RS 1333 MHz
32GB eMMC
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
1 x HDMI-out
1 x USB 2.0
1 x MicroSD Slot
1 x Micro-USB
100mm x 38.1mm x 15mm

Intel Compute Stick

The reason why PC sticks are starting to become popular is the Intel Compute Stick. It’s the base model of stick devices that’s why most of them have similar specifications. It’s still on Windows 8.1 but it should be upgradable to Windows 10. You can have the device for just PHP 6,498USD 111INR 9,387EUR 105CNY 806. Read our review about it here.

Intel Compute Stick specifications:
Intel Atom Processor Z3735F (2M Cache, up to 1.83 GHz)
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3L
32GB eMMC w/ microSD slot
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
1x HDMI-out
1x USB 2.0
1x MicroSD slot
1x Micro-USB
103mm x 37mm x 12mm

Qube Colonia Stick

Frequent Gilmore shoppers might be familiar with Qube, a local brand that produces quality PCs and computer solutions. And they also offer their own PC stick dubbed as the Colonia Stick. It has a familiar specifications and a design similar to a broadband stick. It’s the cheapest among the locally available PC sticks at PHP 5,990USD 102INR 8,653EUR 97CNY 743 and comes with a free USB hub.

Qube Colonia Stick specifications:
Intel Atom Processor Z3735F (2M Cache, up to 1.83 GHz)
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3L
32GB eMMC
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
1x HDMI-out
1x USB 2.0
1x MicroSD slot
1x Micro-USB slot
125mm x 37.6mm x 14.5mm

ASUS VivoStick PC TS10

Probably the best looking among PC sticks is the ASUS VivoStick. Not only that, it also has two USB 2.0 ports while others only have one and an audio jack. You can plug-in more USB devices and have a speaker connected directly to it but ASUS sacrifices the microSD card slot. It’s also long at 138mm. While availability in PH is still unknown, you can grab one where it is on sale for just USD 129PHP 7,570INR 10,933EUR 123CNY 939 or roughly PHP 6,100USD 104INR 8,812EUR 99CNY 757.

ASUS VivoStick PC specifications:
Intel Cherry Trail
Intel HD Graphics
2GB DDR3L
32GB eMMC storage
100GB ASUS Webstorage for 1 year free usage
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
1x HDMI-out
2x USB 2.0
1x Audio jack
1x Micro-USB slot
138mm x 34mm x 15mm

Archos PC Stick

If seven thousand bucks might be a bit high for a PC stick, Archos is offering their own for just USD 99PHP 5,810INR 8,390EUR 94CNY 721 or around PHP 4,700USD 80INR 6,790EUR 76CNY 583. Again, its specifications is similar to Intel’s but it has a youthful design that could attract students and young-at-heart. Unfortunately, there’s no official local availability.

Archos PC Stick specifications:
1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F Processor
Intel HD Graphics
2GB RAM
32GB eMMC storage
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
1 x HDMI-out
1 x USB 2.0
1 x MicroSD Slot
1 x Micro-USB
113mm x 37.6mm x 14mm

And there goes our top 5 picks for the fast growing PC sticks. It may not sell like hotcakes for now but trendy consumers can take the first bite. We expect more powerful stick this 2016, so stay tuned.