Project: V | EVT Development Sample Hands-on

[Techmo]

Hey Eve Community, Techmo here.

I’ve been a long-time community member and purchased the first-gen V back in 2018; I’m using it right now to write this topic. I was offered the opportunity to be part of the team to help write posts as Eve Community Editor! Today, I’m excited to show you a preview of the new V EVT prototype! Grant from our China team got his hands on the development sample; through his camera, let’s take a look!

A look Around

This is the stage in development when a product goes from renders to a real, functional prototype you can hold in your hand for the first time. When a product undergoes Electronic Validation Testing, or EVT, the engineering team inspects the device to make sure all the electronics function properly from custom-designed cables and speaker assemblies to the motherboard.

We also have the chance to get our hands on a V sample to check out its color, material, finish (CMF), mechanics, and see how it functions after booting into the operating system. There will be many iterations of prototypes during this early testing phase to make improvements and adjustments. Some parts may not be fully functional yet.

The new V is made of smooth anodized aluminum with black polycarbonate on the rear near the top for the antennas. The display and the bezels are covered with a durable layer of Gorilla Glass Victus with cutouts for the speakers, cameras, and microphones.

Front View

Rear View

The Display

The new display is a larger 13.4" in a resolution of 3480 x 2400 (WQUXGA). It has an IGZO IPS panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It gets to a very bright 500cd/m², covers 90% of the DCI-P3 and 100% of the sRGB color gamut, has a 1500:1 contrast ratio, and supports HDR10. This will be great for media consumption and creative work.

The Antenna

There is a good match between the rear anodized aluminum housing and the built-in antenna on this prototype, but we will perfect the color and finish of the antenna area to be as close to a match as possible.

Rear Camera

Here is a shot straight from the rear camera, taken with the default Windows app. You can see details on the fabric. It’s a perfect fit for users who would like to snap pictures of documents. The EVT device uses the same camera module as the first-gen V but there will be improved cameras in future prototypes!

(Unedited)

There was a delay in supply for the new camera modules but since this is an off-the-shelf component, we can swap it out for another one, so the whole project wasn’t delayed because one component didn’t arrive on time. Which camera we use isn’t relevant to testing the motherboard or other critical electronics, so if that one works, a brand new one should as well but we will test it to make certain.

Card Reader

The SDUC card reader is now located on the left side, where it is more accessible than under the kickstand in the first-gen V. The tray also contains a SIM card slot for enabling LTE on selected models.

Guide Notch

Shape changes on the bottom complement the added keyboard guide notches, reinforcing the pogo pins to ensure that the tablet and keyboard are in proper alignment when attached, which is essential for the keyboard to function properly.

Ventilation

The device’s Intel 11th generation Core ‘Tiger Lake’ CPU requires an active cooling solution. The vents on top keep the device cool during heavy workloads. Tuning the device to find a balance between power draw, cooling, and performance will be done in later stages.

Air intake (left); air exhaust (right)

Speakers

There are four front-facing speakers on the V; two in the top bezel for the high and mid frequencies and two on the side bezels near the bottom for the low frequencies. As it is still a prototype, tuning will help in getting them to be loud and balanced.

Functionality

It was far easier to get this prototype running as opposed to Spectrum. It took a week to get a image to display and months to get the core features working because the unique combination of components required custom firmware for it all to work harmoniously.

The V, an x86 PC, already had parts from Intel and other manufacturers that were designed to work together. It didn’t work right after assembly, as it still needed an OS, but it was ready for testing in no time. As a functional prototype, it can already perform almost everything Windows enables it to do!

Volume Adjustment

Eve V 2021 | Volume Adjustment

Brightness Adjustment

Video Recording

HDR Playback

Data transfer through Type-C

Rotate Detection

Stepless Kickstand

Display Extension

Bluetooth Typing

WiFi Network

This has been our first look at the new V prototype, and I can’t wait to show you more! The team will be inspecting the prototypes in depth and report back our findings!

[cuebix]

I am so excite for both the new V and the Spectrum

I wasn’t a part of the original V launch but being a part of the Spectrum eve-olution has been a good experience so far.

I’m hopeful Eve will be delivering a quality monitor, and that bodes well for the new V.

[Ishan_Datey]

Hi! Very new to project V, have a couple questions regarding Eve V as a potential gaming device… ehem adjusts mic… do it game tho and do it game well?

[SimulatedScience]

It won’t have a dedicated GPU inside, so man more demndig games probably won’t run very well.
Zur since it supports thunderbolt 4 and eGPUs, you can play pretty much everything when one is connected.
For games were fps or extremely reasiltic graphics aren’t important, the internal graphics solution from Intel should be more than enough.

I wish I was in the market for a new laptop. The new V looks pretty amazing!

[icarrizal]

@Techmo

Data transfer through Type-C

I just wanted to point out that this is a potentially very significant point of failure, especially for use with a TB4 dock and eGPU.

If The contacts get the least bit wobbly, there can be blue-screens galore. I am beginning to have these issues on my Dell laptop that connects to a Razer EGPU through a Dell Docking Station. The USB-C ports on my Dell are flimsier and fussier than they ought to be.

How will the ports on the V stand up to this kind of use? Is this part of your testing regimen?

[Techmo]

We don’t have the exact testing methods yet, but on Spectrum, the ports were tested for thousands of inserts and removals. A similar testing regimen will be applied to the Eve V during development.

[Kenny_Lee]

I have the first gen V too and am still enjoy using it. But the only issue I found is that the V is too heavy when I hold it in my hand using as a tablet. Can we make the second gen V lighter?

[DavidC]

I am pleased to see on the new Eve that the edges are square not angled. The original Eve is a complete pain with the power lead constantly falling out because of the bevel.
I do hope that the on/off button has also been improved. It often take 5-10 minutes to persuade my Eve to turn on…and my friend’s Eve has the on/off switch so hot that it burned her finger tip before the whole computer burned (and no-one in customer support is the slightest bothered!)

[AMBRO]

I think that You should consider 100hz panel and usb 4.0 port.
However Intel cpu 12th gen

[Techmo]

According to Grant (@Lore_Wonder), the new Eve V is about 904.5 grams. Which is lighter than the first-gen V, which weighed 925 grams. However, the device is still an early prototype with components that haven’t been finalized. This weight is an estimate and not representative of the product’s final weight. It should be possible to make refinements and reduce the weight as it continues to be developed.

It would be a nice feature to run apps and games at 100Hz, but the specs and display have been locked in. I think there are only two tablets on the markets with high refresh rate displays, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and the Apple iPad Pro (2021).

[woku]

Yes, exciting period again! Hope V2021 pleases as many people as 70M!
900g is exciting light weight! Tiger Lake sounds good attractive! Simple(st) design is also nice! Speakers are doubled than V2017! Everything’s simply better.
It appears I again have to hang the cables high on both side, disturbing my cup of coffee. But it is OK because I understand that kickstand and the socket can not be installed together within that thinness. If V2021 is equipped with angled TB3/4 cable (never found ITW except magsafe with poor review) it will be the second best to me.
V in Ventilation part looks curved but the final product will be strate n flat, I know.
Hope V2021 in my hand safe and soon.
Good luck to V team and community members.

[Techmo]

Something like this?

I also think there should be more right-angled cables. They are hard to find and the adapters look flimsy and buggy. Thunderbolt 4 has a lot of potential for widespread adoption due its increased speed, security, and improvements with docked peripherals.

[woku]

Yes! Exactly! And 90 deg in different direction, too!
There are so many for USB-C, but no for TB3/4.
Please let me know how to add more than one . When I repeat pressing it, it just repeats on/off.