BMAX B1Plus Mini PC Review: Fanless, Dual Display, and Honest Limitations

The mini PC market has exploded over the last few years, and honestly, it can be a bit of a minefield. You've got dozens of brands, overlapping spec sheets, and prices that range from suspiciously cheap to "why not just buy a proper laptop?" territory. The BMAX B1Plus sits in an interesting spot: it's not the cheapest thing on the market, but it's not pretending to be a powerhouse either. The question worth asking before you hand over your money is whether the hardware inside actually matches what the use case demands, or whether you're paying for a tidy chassis and not much else.

I've been running the BMAX B1Plus as a secondary machine in my home office for about a month now. That means real-world tasks: web browsing, document editing, light media playback, and a bit of remote desktop work. Not gaming, not video rendering, not anything that would embarrass a Celeron processor. The point is to find out whether this machine does what it's actually sold for, and whether the 6GB RAM and 128GB eMMC storage hold up under daily use or start to creak after the first week.

The Intel Celeron J3355 is a chip that deserves some honest context before we go further. It's an Apollo Lake-generation processor, dual-core, with a base clock of 1.5 GHz and a burst up to 2.5 GHz. That's not a typo. This is not a 2024 chip. It's a processor that Intel launched back in 2016, and while BMAX has dressed it up in a modern chassis with Windows 11 and Bluetooth 5.0, the silicon underneath is firmly last decade. That context matters enormously when you're evaluating whether this machine is right for you.

Storage is 128GB eMMC, which is soldered to the board. eMMC is slower than a proper NVMe SSD, and that matters in practice. Sequential read speeds on typical eMMC storage hover around 250 to 300 MB/s, compared to 3,000 MB/s or more on a mid-range NVMe drive. The saving grace here is the m2" class="vae-glossary-link" data-term="m2">M.2 2242 expansion slot, which supports up to 2TB and makes a meaningful difference to the machine's usability if you're willing to invest in an upgrade. RAM is 6GB LPDDR4, which is a slightly unusual configuration (most machines ship with 4GB or 8GB), and it's soldered, so there's no upgrading it.

Display output is where the spec sheet looks more impressive than the internals. The B1Plus supports dual 4K UHD output via HDMI and a second display port, which sounds great until you remember that the Intel HD Graphics 500 is doing the driving. You can absolutely run two 4K monitors at 30Hz, but don't expect smooth video playback or any kind of graphically intensive work. For static productivity tasks across two screens, it works. For anything more demanding, it doesn't.

The M.2 expansion slot is probably the most practically important feature on the spec sheet. The 128GB eMMC base storage fills up quickly once Windows 11 is installed and updated (you're looking at 30 to 40GB consumed before you've installed a single application), so the ability to drop in an M.2 2242 SATA SSD is less of a bonus and more of a necessity for most users. notably, that this slot is SATA, not NVMe, so you won't get the full speed of a modern NVMe drive, but a SATA SSD will still be significantly faster than the eMMC for application loading and file access. Budget around an extra £20 to £30 for a 256GB or 512GB M.2 2242 SATA drive if you buy this machine.

The fanless design is a feature I genuinely appreciate after a month of use. There is absolutely no noise from this machine under normal operation. None. For a home office, a school environment, or a living room media setup, that silence is worth something. The 10W TDP of the J3355 means the chassis can dissipate heat passively without throttling under typical loads. I did notice the top of the chassis getting warm (not hot, but noticeably warm) during extended use, which is expected and by design. The Bluetooth 5.0 implementation is solid too, pairing quickly with keyboards, mice, and headphones without any of the dropout issues I've seen on cheaper mini PCs.

Windows 11 ships pre-installed, which is both a feature and a point of concern. On the positive side, you're getting a licensed copy of the OS out of the box. The concern is that Windows 11 has minimum hardware requirements that the J3355 technically doesn't meet (it's not on Microsoft's official supported processor list), which means BMAX has used a workaround to install it. This isn't unusual in the budget mini PC space, but it's worth knowing that future major Windows updates may or may not install cleanly. For day-to-day use during my testing period, Windows 11 ran without issues, but it's a consideration for long-term ownership.

Web browsing is acceptable with a caveat. Eight to ten tabs in Chrome is manageable, but you'll notice the machine starting to slow down as you push past that. The 6GB RAM helps compared to the 4GB configurations you see on some competitors, but the eMMC storage creates a bottleneck when Chrome starts swapping to disk. Switching between tabs can introduce a half-second to one-second delay when the machine is under load. It's not catastrophic, but if you're someone who habitually keeps 20 or 30 tabs open, you'll find it frustrating. Microsoft Edge performs noticeably better than Chrome on this hardware, presumably because it's more optimised for lower-end Windows machines.

Office productivity is where the B1Plus earns its keep. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all run without meaningful lag for typical document sizes. I worked through a 50-page Word document, a moderately complex Excel spreadsheet with around 5,000 rows of data, and a 30-slide PowerPoint presentation, and none of them caused the machine to struggle. This is the use case BMAX is targeting, and the hardware is genuinely adequate for it. PDF handling in Adobe Acrobat Reader is similarly fine for reading and basic annotation, though rendering large, image-heavy PDFs takes a moment longer than you'd expect on a modern machine.

Video playback deserves a specific mention because the results are mixed. 1080p YouTube playback in a browser is smooth. 4K YouTube playback is not, with dropped frames and stuttering that makes it unwatchable. Locally stored 1080p video files play back cleanly in VLC, and even some 4K files play acceptably if they're encoded in H.264. H.265 (HEVC) 4K content is a different story: the J3355 doesn't have hardware decode support for HEVC, so the CPU has to handle it in software, and it simply can't keep up. If 4K media playback is important to you, this machine will disappoint. For 1080p content, it's fine.

I also tested the machine's thermal behaviour under sustained load. Running a CPU stress test for 30 minutes, the chassis top reached around 45 to 48 degrees Celsius, which is warm but well within safe operating parameters. Crucially, I didn't observe any thermal throttling during the test, which suggests the passive cooling solution is properly matched to the chip's TDP. That's reassuring for longevity.

The port layout is sensible. USB ports are distributed across the front and rear of the unit, which means you can plug in frequently used peripherals at the front without reaching around the back. The power button has a satisfying click to it, and the power LED indicator is bright enough to see across a room without being obnoxiously glaring. The HDMI port feels secure when a cable is inserted, which isn't always the case on budget hardware where the port housing can be a bit loose.

Personally, I'd have preferred a full aluminium chassis at this price point. The plastic body does the job, but it doesn't inspire confidence in the same way that machines from brands like Beelink (which uses more metal in their construction) do. That said, the plastic used here doesn't feel brittle, and after a month of daily handling, there are no scratches, scuffs, or signs of wear. For a machine that's going to sit on a desk or behind a monitor and not be moved much, the build quality is entirely adequate. It's not a machine you'd want to carry around in a bag, but that's not what it's designed for.

The fanless design has implications for internal build quality too. Without a fan to move air, the thermal management relies entirely on the chassis acting as a heat sink. BMAX has used a thermal pad between the processor and the chassis to facilitate this heat transfer, which is standard practice for fanless designs. The fact that the machine runs cool under normal loads and doesn't throttle under stress suggests the thermal engineering is competent. It's not something you'd notice in day-to-day use, but it's worth knowing the internals are properly thought through.

Day-to-day operation is largely friction-free for the tasks this machine is designed for. The fanless design means there's no noise to remind you the computer is running, which creates a pleasant working environment. Sleep and wake behaviour is reliable: I didn't experience any failed wake-from-sleep events during the testing period, which is a common complaint with budget mini PCs that use lower-quality power management implementations. The machine wakes from sleep in around 3 to 4 seconds, which is acceptable.

The one area of friction is storage management. With 128GB eMMC and Windows 11 consuming a significant chunk of it, you'll need to be disciplined about where you install applications and store files. I'd strongly recommend adding an M.2 SSD during initial setup rather than waiting until the drive fills up. Reorganising storage after the fact on a machine like this is more annoying than doing it right from the start. If you're setting this up for a less technically confident user (a parent, a child for school use, a small business employee), brief them on storage management or install the M.2 SSD yourself before handing it over.

Bluetooth pairing worked reliably throughout testing. I used a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combination for most of the testing period, and the connection was stable with no dropouts or pairing failures. The Wi-Fi 5 connection maintained consistent speeds on a standard home broadband connection, and I didn't experience any disconnections or range issues within a typical home environment. The wireless implementation is solid, which matters for a machine that's likely to be used without a wired Ethernet connection in many setups.

The dual display output supports HDMI and a secondary connection, allowing two monitors to run simultaneously. Both outputs support 4K resolution at 30Hz, or 1080p at 60Hz. For productivity use across two screens, 1080p at 60Hz is the more practical choice: it's smoother for scrolling and cursor movement, and the GPU isn't being pushed as hard. The HDMI 2.0 specification supports 4K at 60Hz, but the Intel HD Graphics 500 limits you to 30Hz at 4K regardless of the cable or monitor you use.

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is the wireless standard here, which is a step behind the Wi-Fi 6 you'll find on more recent hardware. In practice, for the tasks this machine handles, Wi-Fi 5 is entirely sufficient. You're not transferring large files wirelessly or streaming 4K content (which the machine can't handle anyway), so the bandwidth ceiling of Wi-Fi 5 won't be a limiting factor. The Bluetooth 5.0 implementation supports the standard's extended range and improved connection stability compared to older Bluetooth versions.

Compatibility with external storage is good. I tested USB 3.0 flash drives and an external SSD, both of which were recognised immediately and performed at expected speeds. The machine also worked without issue with a USB hub, which is useful given the limited port count. Network printing via Wi-Fi worked correctly with a standard home printer. One thing to note: the machine doesn't have an SD card slot, which some users in the home and school market might miss. If you regularly work with SD cards from cameras or other devices, you'll need a USB card reader.

School use is another strong fit. For a child doing homework, browsing educational websites, writing essays in Word, and using web-based learning platforms, the B1Plus is more than capable. The fanless design means it's quiet in a bedroom or study environment, and the compact size means it doesn't dominate a desk. The 128GB storage is tight for a school machine over several years, so I'd still recommend adding an M.2 SSD, but for basic school use the base configuration is workable. The fact that it runs Windows 11 means compatibility with school-issued software is generally not an issue.

Digital signage and kiosk applications are a use case that doesn't get mentioned enough for machines like this. A fanless, low-power mini PC running a single application on a loop (a menu display in a cafe, a reception screen in an office, an information board in a public space) is exactly what the B1Plus is well-suited for. The low power consumption keeps running costs down, the fanless design means no maintenance for fan cleaning, and the dual display output means you can drive two screens from a single unit. For this kind of deployment, the age of the processor is irrelevant.

What the B1Plus is not suited for: gaming (even casual browser-based games push the GPU hard), video editing (even 1080p timeline scrubbing is sluggish), running multiple virtual machines, or any kind of development work involving compilation or data processing. If any of those are on your list, you need a different machine entirely. The B1Plus knows what it is, and within those boundaries it performs honestly.

The hidden cost worth factoring in is the M.2 SSD upgrade. The 128GB eMMC base storage is genuinely limiting, and most users will want to add an M.2 2242 SATA SSD within the first few weeks of ownership. A 256GB M.2 2242 SATA drive costs around £20 to £25 from reputable brands, and a 512GB option is typically £35 to £45. Add that to the purchase price and you're looking at a more complete machine, but also a higher total cost of ownership than the headline price suggests.

The 4.5-star rating from 165 reviews on Amazon is broadly consistent with my experience. Users who buy this for light productivity tasks tend to be satisfied. The complaints in the review pool cluster around storage limitations and performance expectations that weren't calibrated to the hardware, which is a purchasing decision issue rather than a product failure. If you go in knowing what the J3355 can and can't do, you're unlikely to be disappointed.

For context on whether to wait for a sale: the mini PC market sees fairly regular promotional pricing, and BMAX in particular tends to discount during Amazon sale events. If the price is within £10 to £15 of the current listing, buy it. If you see it drop significantly below the current price, that's a strong buy signal. I wouldn't wait indefinitely, but checking back during Prime Day or Black Friday could save you a meaningful amount.

The Beelink Mini S12 Pro uses an Intel N100 processor, which is a 2023 Alder Lake-N chip that's significantly more capable than the J3355. The N100 is a quad-core chip with Intel UHD Graphics (which handles 4K H.265 decode in hardware), and it runs Windows 11 on officially supported hardware. It typically costs a bit more than the B1Plus, but the performance gap is substantial. If your budget can stretch to the Mini S12 Pro, it's the more future-proof choice.

The GMKtec NucBox M2 is another N100-based machine that competes directly with the Beelink at a similar price. It offers 8GB RAM and 256GB NVMe SSD in its standard configuration, which is a meaningfully better storage setup than the B1Plus's eMMC. The NucBox M2 is louder (it has a fan) but faster, and it handles 4K video playback and more demanding web applications without the limitations you encounter on the J3355.

Where the BMAX B1Plus has a genuine advantage is in its fanless operation. If absolute silence is a priority (and for some use cases it genuinely is), the B1Plus is the quietest option in this comparison. It also tends to be the most affordable of the three, which matters if budget is the primary constraint.

The complaints are equally consistent and worth taking seriously. Storage is the most common frustration: buyers who didn't read the spec sheet carefully are surprised by how quickly the 128GB fills up after Windows 11 and a handful of applications are installed. A subset of reviewers report that Windows 11 performance is sluggish, which is accurate if you're comparing it to a modern machine but unfair if you calibrate expectations to the hardware. A few reviews mention that the machine struggles with video calls when screen sharing simultaneously, which aligns with my own testing observations: Teams or Zoom alone is fine, but screen sharing while on a call pushes the CPU noticeably.

There's a smaller cluster of negative reviews relating to longevity concerns. A handful of buyers report units failing after 6 to 12 months of use, which is harder to evaluate from a month of testing. BMAX is a Chinese brand without the same service infrastructure as established names like Intel NUC or Beelink, so warranty support if something goes wrong is a legitimate consideration. Buying through Amazon does provide some consumer protection, but it's worth factoring in that the after-sales support experience may not be as smooth as it would be with a more established brand.

The value case for the B1Plus is strongest in three scenarios. First, if absolute silence is non-negotiable and you're willing to accept the performance trade-off. Second, if you're buying for a very specific, limited use case (digital signage, a dedicated kiosk, a basic school machine) where the J3355's limitations don't matter. Third, if the B1Plus is meaningfully cheaper than the N100-based alternatives at the time you're buying, which does happen during promotional periods.

The value case weakens if you're buying this as a general-purpose home computer that needs to handle a variety of tasks over several years. The J3355 was already an entry-level chip when it launched in 2016, and the gap between it and current-generation low-power processors has only grown. For long-term daily use, the extra investment in an N100-based machine is likely to pay off in a better experience and a longer useful life. The B1Plus is a machine for specific needs, not a general-purpose recommendation.

But the Intel Celeron J3355 is old silicon, and that age shows in the performance ceiling. Web browsing with many tabs, 4K video playback, H.265 content, and anything more demanding than basic productivity will expose the chip's limitations. The 128GB eMMC storage is tight and the M.2 expansion slot is effectively a necessity rather than a bonus. And the unofficial Windows 11 installation is a minor but real concern for long-term software support.

So who should buy this? Someone who needs a silent, compact machine for email, documents, and web browsing. A school setup where budget is tight and the tasks are well-defined. A digital signage or kiosk deployment where silence and low power consumption matter more than raw performance. Someone who specifically needs dual display output at a low price point and won't be pushing the GPU hard.

Who should skip it? Anyone who wants a general-purpose home computer that will remain capable for the next three to five years. Anyone who watches a lot of video content, especially 4K or H.265. Anyone who does any kind of creative work, development, or data processing. For those users, the Beelink Mini S12 Pro or GMKtec NucBox M2 are better investments, even at a slightly higher price.

The B1Plus earns a solid 6.5 out of 10 from me. It's not a bad machine. It's a machine with a specific, narrow use case that it fulfils competently. Buy it for the right reasons and you'll be satisfied. Buy it expecting more than the hardware can deliver and you'll be disappointed. The spec sheet tells you everything you need to know if you read it carefully.

Tested by the Vivid Repairs editorial team. Testing conducted over approximately one month of daily use in a home office environment. The unit reviewed was purchased independently. This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.