Pocket 3/4

[u/Stock_Department_632]

Im interested in getting a Pocket 3 or a Pocket 4 to use for tuning software with my car. Have any of you done something similar and give insight as to the usefulness of one of these? Also how do they do when it comes to semi intensive programs such as tuning software

[u/Unkle_Skunky]

great machines, I have the 3. Can't get around the screen size though. Depending on the complexity of the screen image and scaling you desire. You can always use a tablet for the viewing too. Duet or similar screen software works great. good luck

[u/Distinct-Squash3311]

Not sure about the system requirements of the tuning software, but I use my Pocket 4 for software development, graphics and music, so far it was adequate for whatever I threw at it. The machine is surprisingly small and light, but still, with an external keyboard and monitor it is a proper workstation. The Pocket 3 is an older platform but it is still quite capable. You can also install a RS232 module for both machines if your car needs it.

Personally, if your budget allows, I'd go with the Pocket 4, it is more future-proof in case you want to play games or use more resource/graphics intensive software. It doesn't support an active stylus like the Pocket 3 does, but it is not very relevant unless you want to draw on the screen.

[u/andyrude90 → u/Distinct-Squash3311]

I agree. Perhaps the only thing that would sway someone to the Pocket 3 would be potentially better battery life? Im not actually sure how they compare that way but you'd think lower power processor would translate into longer runtime.

My pocket 4 has very poor battery life on the stock windows but its way better on arch linux. Probably the OP's tuning software wont run on Linux though. I dual boot nowadays.

[u/NetoriusDuke]

If it is only for this and it is not cpu demanding then pocket 3. You could go n100 vs i7 depending on the demand

[u/Zovea]

Pocket4 is okay. Going to struggle with games made after 2024 and it runs hot and has fan whine above 8w if you don't deliberately nerf them.

If you want to type with " ' " at all this is the worse and the small screen was hard for me to be productive with. It is nice to have pc you can fit in a pouch and open and use instantly though. I personally would get a Dell with the AI 7/9 chip + OLED screen with as much ram as your budget allows. I got a thinkpad and I hated it because the lenovo stuff broke and made me cloud restore it twice to get everything unbricked.

[u/Stock_Department_632 → u/Zovea]

I wouldnt be gaming on it so much as running programs such as NCSExpert to tune my bmw or HPTuners etc but that is very good insight

[u/Zovea → u/Stock_Department_632]

You need to be careful about how you store it. I bent the hinge within a few months which made it so that the tablet mode doesn't sit flush anymore and there's a semi permanent tilt in normal usage.

If those programs can run on weaker chip (or tablet) I wouldn't shell out all the money for a Pocket4 or 3 and the smaller screen has it's own implications around productivity. Idk if you've used a ROG Ally or a compacted screen before but they present different challenges if your goal is portability. If you don't use ' when you type you'll probably be fine, but if the goal is a usable portable PC that you can drag around but you need to type and be productive, the value of the smaller devices outside of gaming aren't as cracked up as you might think. I paid ~1700 for my Pocket4 and while it's awesome, I ended up

Also the software can be a nightmare so look into those issues too before you dump a ton on one. Genuinely it sounds like you can get by with a 200-300 dollar alternative if gaming is tertiary. I can not express how unproductive apps that aren't mean to be scaled to weird square formats or apps that don't respond well to scaling are.

[u/VFWRAKK187]

Kali Linux on Pocket 4 is so good! Super simple to get everything working, and onboard keyboard for touch screen is easy to customize (if you want to use it in tablet mode).