Foxconn Kangaroo Intel Atom x5-Z8500 mini PC Includes a Fingerprint Scanner, Sells for $99

Most Cherry Trail mini PCs launched on the market are powered by Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processor, and few have been announced with x5-Z8500 or x7-X8700 processors which are more powerful, and do not cost that much more based on Intel’s recommended customer price. Foxconn Kangaroo is one of these mini PCs with an Atom x5-Z8500, 2GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC, which has a bonus includes a fingerprint scanner, and sells for $99 on Newegg.

Foxconn_Kangaroo

Foxconn Kangaroo specifications:

  • Processor – Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Processor @ 1.44 GHz (up to 2.24 GHz) with 2M Cache and Intel Gen8 Graphics
  • System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3
  • Storage – 32GB eMMC + micro SD slot
  • Video & Audio Output – HDMI
  • Connectivity –  Wi-Fi 802.11ac & Bluetooth 4.0
  • USB – 1x micro USB port (for charging only), 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
  • Misc –  Fingerprint reader, 40-pin proprietary Kangaroo adapter, power button
  • Battery Life – 4 hours
  • Power Supply – 12V/3A
  • Dimensions – 80.5 x 157.7 x 12.9 mm (Including dock: 80.5 x 46.9 x 12.9mm)
  • Weight – 200g (without adapter & power cord) / 470g (including adapter & power cord)

The mini PC is pre-loaded with Windows 10 64-bit Home, and since it sells on Newegg, it’s probably a safe bet to assume it’s an activated version. The computer will ship with the 100V~220V power adapter and cable, and the “Kangaroo dock.

Kangaroo Dock
Kangaroo Dock

I don’t really see the purpose of this separate dock (Please somebody enlightened me! So they plan to offer different versions of the dock, and you could have one at home and one at the office) , but without it, you would not have HDMI, USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports nor DC input, and have a headless system without useful connectors except the micro SD slot. Kangaroo can also be used as a power bank and external USB storage, and the company also provides OSLinx app in order to use an iPad as an external display via a USB to Lightning cable.

If you are interested in the difference between x5-Z8300 and x5-Z8500 processor, check out the comparison on Intel website, with the key differences being a higher burst frequency for the CPU (2.24GHz vs 1.84GHz) and the GPU (600MHz vs 500MHz) and Intel Wireless Display support. Other noticeable differences such as memory support up to 8GB, and more PCI Express lanes are also interesting, but not relevant to this product.

I could not find Foxconn Kangaroo on Aliexpress, nor eBay, so it’s likely only available in the US right now. More details may be available on Kangaroo.cc, and if you plan on getting an extra dock it will sell for $39 (currently out of stock).

Via Ian Morrison on Google+ Mini PCs community

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18 Replies to “Foxconn Kangaroo Intel Atom x5-Z8500 mini PC Includes a Fingerprint Scanner, Sells for $99”

  1. So Foxconn does these or “InFocus 🙂 ?
    Docking: they plan to offer several other docking stations, with various ports.
    And with two of these you could just carry the “computing unit” with you and connect it to you “dock at home” or “dock at the office” – combined with the internal battery you could open a document at home and finish it at the office.

  2. What about Linux support? These days i’m looking for the perfect thin client to be used with remote-viewer to connect to SPICE VM as part of my desktop VDI project.

  3. @cnxsoft
    It’s a more complicated relationship … InFocus uses Foxconn exclusively to develop their tablets, smartphones and whatever but it seems they’re different entities.
    I have an InFocus M810 smartphone for which I’m trying to get the source according to the GPL and InFocus informed me they’ll contact the manufacturer ( Foxconn ).

  4. There may be multiple companies called InFocus, but in this case, it’s a company that’s been around for 30 years and is known for making digital whiteboards and projectors.
    You can see a link to the Kangaroo mini-site linked from here:
    http://www.infocus.com

  5. The big advantage I see for the Z8500 vs. the Z8300 is dual-channel RAM which (I hope) would make a big difference for the on-chip video and graphics. Has anyone seen any benchmarks?

  6. Kangaroo mini PC review @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ftwY6s4WQ8

    The YouTube description reads as:

    The Kangaroo is powered by an Atom X5 Cherry Trail z8500 giving it faster burst speeds compared to the other slightly more expensive Cherry Trail PC’s we’ve looked at. It also has a battery built in that can power the device for about four hours or so. It has 2 gigs of RAM and 32 gigabytes of storage along with a fully licensed version of Windows 10 Home Edition.

    The most interesting component is the included docking station. It currently supports most of the ports on the system, including HDMI, two USB ports (one 3.0 and one 2.0), as well as power. Kangaroo says they plan to make additional docks that will add other functionality. Interesting concept.

    It also has a feature that allows an iPad to act as a second screen. The software is unique to the Kangaroo but there are other applications that work the same way, namely Duet that I use quite a bit.

    Gaming performance is where other Cherry Trail devices are. Adequate for casual stuff and Minecraft, not so much on the more demanding titles.

    I don’t recommend this for home theater users as it does not pass through the higher end audio formats. It will do Dolby Digital and DTS as other mini PCs too. It was able to play back Blu Ray MKVs via its built in AC wireless adapter without trouble.

    You won’t find a better value for a mini desktop pc. If you’re looking for one this is currently the one to get.

  7. I own this thing. Can confirm that it is using the memory in a dual-channel configuration. If you are buying this you have to understand that it will not do much of anything “fast”. But it will do most normal desktop functions and movie viewing “well”. You will definitely want to use a microSD card or USB flash storage option if you’re okay with giving up a USB port. Windows 10 takes up almost half the drive by itself. Out of the box the new version of Windows 10 deployed, which took about 40 minutes.

    The unit does get hot, but it isn’t throwing any errors or shutting off, so I guess it’s within parameters. The finger print scanner oddly enough works better than the ones on anything else I’ve owned over the years. The 2GB of RAM will be a limiting spec for many, and a deal breaker for some, but so far I have been able to run Chrome with multiple tabs and Kodi (XBMC) without a hitch. Haven’t tried a single game, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use it for older games or emulators if that’s your bag.

    Fun fact: I have a micro USB charger plugged into the port on the side instead of the power supply it ships with. I’m using a 5V 2A charger, and so far the battery hasn’t gone under 100%.

    Throw me whatever questions you have about it I’ll be glad to answer.

  8. Wonder how well this would work hooked up to a Lapdock of some kind. I have the Bionic lapdock with no Bionic and recently my Atrix 2 has been finicky about working properly with it. Switching to an Intel-based machine to get a neat netbook with acceptable battery life would interest me.

  9. @Jay
    I have the kangaroo and the lapdock and it works perfectly…what reaaaaaaally wish I could find is the proper cables to attach both the usb hub and the hdmi port at the same time….

  10. I am a bit surprised that I am not seeing any posts/articles/videos from folks that have installed a Linux distro on this device — even though the few comments do hint that it is possible and easy 🙂 Assuming that it is, I am curious about whether there is a ‘bootup’ option that allows one to make UEFI changes (turn off secure boot?) or activate ‘legacy boot’ — either of which should theoretically allow Linux installation? It sounds like there is not a lot of spare room for a Linux install…

  11. @Andrew

    Hi Andrew,

    Does the unit have an auto power on function (in the bios)- Ie, I need the PC to auto start the moment i plug in a charger/mains.

    Thanks

  12. @Andrew
    So its running on just 5v 2a? Thats amazing! I have been hoping this would work for a project I’m working on. Is that with or without the doc? If its with the doc are you using it via hdmi?

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