I mentioned in a previous article that 2017 could be the year when UMPC's are coming back and it looks like more proof is under way.

Looks like there's one more tablet/Mini PC combo on the works and this one is looking quite good on paper, with an Intel Apollo Lake SoC (14nm,Quad-cores/4 threads,1MB L2, N3350/N3450/N4200,Up to 2.6GHz) and Intel Gen 9 Graphics(DX 12, OpenGL 4.3, OpenCL 2.0, 4K Full HD Decode/Encode with HW acceleration).
This new UMPC will have (up to) 8GB of RAM, (up to) 128 GB eMMC and an M.2 slot for another 128GB, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in battery up to 10000 mAh, USB 3.0, 2.0 and Type-C, and the list goes on.

Shenzhen EC Technology Co.,Ltd will launch this device in about a month under their brand ECDREAM and most likely the SoC will be an N3450 for the main version.

ECDREAM EC-V26 Mini PC full specs

• CPU: (up to) Intel® Pentium® Processor N4200 (quad core, 2M Cache, up to 2.5 GHz)
• GPU: Intel® HD Graphics 505
• RAM: 8GB DDR3
• ROM: 128GB eMMC, up to 128 GB M.2 SSD
• LAN: 10/100/1000
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4G) or 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac(2.4G and 5G)
• USB: 2 x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB type C
• Screen: IPS, 8 inch, 800x1280
• Audio/Video: mini-HDMI 1.4, VGA, Headphone Jack
• Other: front camera, Bluetooth 4.0, several upgrade options
• OS: Windows 10, Ubuntu

ECDREAM EC-V26 details

It's interesting that folks at ECDREAM included an VGA port instead of a DisplayPort, which will make those old LCD monitors be usable with the new device, along with any TV and monitor with HDMI.
The specs mention that there might be an SO-DIMM slot(DDR3, Up to 8GB), which could mean that you could get a device with 4GB soldered on the board and add 4GB later.
The M.2 SSD slot is a nice touch also.

The VGA and HDMI ports can be used to get a dual-monitor setup... but just with the built-in screen (not VGA+HDMI at the same time).

Here's how the PCB for the Intel Apollo Lake mini PC looks like (yes, not the best photo ever done).

There's even a video of a prototype - see below:

ECDREAM EC-V26 vs. Ockel Sirius A Pro

The ECDREAM device is clearly positioned as a competitor to the Ockel Sirius A Mini PC that raised around $500.000 on IndieGogo, so let's take a quick side-by-side look at their best versions:

TL;DR : the best version of the ECDREAM V26 device will have a better (and newer) SoC, better ROM options, better battery, more USB ports for less money, while the Ockel device retains a better screen, DisplayPort and also has additional features (like the "keyboard mode").

You might have noticed that there are a lot of "up to"'s on the specs - the device seems to have several variations and we might see a slighthly different version when it will get on the shelves as the one from the article, but, as usual, we will keep you informed with follow-ups when new details will surface.

The retail price? I believe it to be somewhere between $350 and $450, which will be a fair price (the CPU alone is ~$160...) - we might even see this one on crowdfunding websites soon.