Beelink MINI-S12 Pro, a tiny but very competent PC

He Beelink MINI-S12 Pro It is a Mini PC that provides an entry-level computing experience with the advantages of taking up very little space and barely making noise. It is an option that easily costs less than 300 euros and takes up as much space as a TV Box in the style of the Beelink GS1, so we can install it anywhere, not to mention that it consumes very little power and is well equipped in terms of connectivity and video outputs. Today we will examine its proposal in detail, and by the time we finish, you will discover why it is a solid low-cost option for office automation and teleworking.

We can anticipate that the Beelink MINI-S12 Pro is powered by an Intel Alder Lake-N N100 (4C/4T) chip up to 3.4Ghz. From the factory it comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of storage (NVMe SSD), but nothing stops us from increasing those figures. Likewise, this little friend has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and two HDMI 2.0 outputs to cover the connectivity needs of most users.

Technical characteristics of the Beelink MINI-S12 Pro

Internal and external design

The Beelink MINI-S12 Pro has an elegant and compact look, which obviously borrows from the Intel NUC in terms of design. Going into details, the upper has a rough synthetic texture, giving it a modern and elegant look, as well as fingerprint resistant. However, the chassis itself is made of ABS plastic, so it’s clear that it’s not a premium product.

Be that as it may, it is a fairly small device that makes our lives easy when it comes to positioning it. For the curious, this PC measures 115x10x39mm (volume 0.45 L) and has VESA mounts. The combination of dark blue and black on the outside has its charm, in addition, when we look at the device from different angles, the light reflected by the top pattern exhibits a gradient color.

As you can see in the images, there is a power button, a status LED, a reset button, an audio input/output connector and two USB 3.2 type A ports (10 Gbps) on the front. The rest of the ports are on the back, but we will delve into them in the connectivity section.

Returning to the main topic, at the bottom we will get four rubber corners that prevent the equipment from sliding off the surfaces. Even more interesting, there are four screws here that provide easy access to the interior of the minicomputer. When we uncover it and look inside, we will witness that it has good workmanship and that all the components are carefully compacted.

The first thing we will see when we open it (from bottom to top) is a 2.5” solid/hard drive baythen the motherboard and, finally, the processor with its respective fan and heat sink.

Hardware and features

The Beelink MINI-S12 Pro isn’t the kind of Mini PC that breaks records in its niche, but it does provide a decent computing experience for the price, and we have the company to thank for that. Intel Alder Lake-N N100 4-core 3.4Ghz CPU, which is obviously backed by integrated Intel UHD graphics. Likewise, it has 16GB of RAM at 3200MHz at its disposal, although we must warn that it only has one DIMM slot, so if we want to increase that figure (maximum 64GB) we have no choice but to replace the entire stick.

When it comes to storage, this mini PC has a 500GB NVMe M.2 and, again, only one such slot. Fortunately, it also has an internal bay for a 2.5-inch SATA hard/solid drive, so there is a way to increase space.

In terms of performance, this Mini-PC does not shine in any Benchmark and demanding games and programs are ruled out, but moves any office application well and can also handle light content editing without problems. Likewise, it is totally recommended as an HTPC or home server.

Lastly, bring Windows 11 Home out of the box as the operating system.

Connectivity

In total, this unit has four USB type A ports and one type C, but we must note that the latter is incompatible with video output or ThunderBolt. Be that as it may, for the latter there is a pair of HDMI 2.0 outputs on the rear, which lends itself to a dual monitor setup. For headphones or speakers there is a 3.5mm audio jack on the front.

On the back we will also find a LAN port and a Kensington lock slot. When it comes to wireless connections, this PC has a Intel AX201 network card, which provides Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity to the equation.

The only thing missing is a SD card readerso if we want to add more storage it will have to be in the form of an SSD/HDD or by replacing the included NVMe M.2.

Those interested in the Beelink MINI-S12 Pro will be able to purchase it through the reliable Amazon.es store.