PC makers have been stuffing the guts of computers inside cases with built-in keyboards for decades. The Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum were both released in 1982, and the trend has continued into recent years: the Raspberry Pi 400 PC-in-a-keyboard launched in 2020 and it looks like there may be a successor on the way.
But the Lunar 2-in-1 foldable keyboard & mini PC takes things to a whole new level. First introduced for the Chinese market earlier this year, at first glance this little device looks just like a foldable portable keyboard. But it features an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor, support for up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, a built-in battery and it can be used with wired or wireless displays. Chinese PC maker Linglong has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Lunar PC, with devices expected to start shipping to backers in January, 2025.
Super Early Bird reward levels start at about $579 for a Lunar PC with 16GB of LPDDR5x-6400 RAM and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. Linglong says that represents a 17% discount off the retail price of $699.
The little computer has a metal body that weighs 800 grams (1.76 pounds). It measures 153 x 110 x 30mm (6″ x 4.3″ x 1.2″) when folded, or 290 x 110 x 15mm (11.4″ x 4.3″ x 0.6″) when unfolded.
Its keyboard features 1.2mm scissor-switch key switches and there’s a mini touchpad positioned between the space bar and arrow keys. And while the most obvious function for the keyboard is use as an input device for the computer itself, according to the Kickstarter description, you should be able to use the Lunar PC’s keyboard as a Bluetooth keyboard for other devices as well.
There’s a 59.2 Wh battery inside, allowing you to use the computer for 6 to 10 hours without plugging it into a wall jack or battery pack, which could theoretically make it a portable solution that you can take to and from the office, easily move from one room of the house to another, or take with you on vacation without worrying that you’ll always need to plug in a power source before doing some web browsing, document editing, showing presentations, or playing games.
Of course, you’ll need to connect a display to actually use this little computer – but with USB4 and USB 3.2 Type-C ports as well as support for wireless displays, you should be able to plug into any TV, desktop display, or portable monitor that supports those forms of input (or use a USB to HDMI or DisplayPort adapter).
The system also has a USB 3.0 Type-A port and support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The Kickstarter campaign also mentions a Gigabit Ethernet port, but I haven’t seen any photos or videos yet that confirm the existence of a wired LAN port.
Linglong says it’s global crowdfunding campaign for the Lunar 2-in-1 mini PC & keyboard comes after the company produced 400 units and sent them to beta testers for feedback and suggestions.
