SOYO S4 Air Mini PC Gaming: Complete Review

The SOYO S4 Air comes with the AMD Ryzen 7 6850U, an 8-core processor with integrated Radeon 680M graphics (RDNA 2), 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, and 512 GB of NVMe storage.

At €341 on AliExpress, it's one of the most affordable mini gaming PCs on the market in 2026 with these specifications. It's not the most cutting-edge chip available today, but it offers a performance-to-price ratio that's hard to beat in this price range.

Quick conclusion: For office work, remote work, light gaming, and multimedia use, the SOYO S4 Air is a very solid purchase at €341. If your goal is more demanding gaming or you need USB4, you should increase your budget to the MLLSE G10 or similar.

👉 VIEW SOYO S4 Air PRICES

📋 Technical specifications

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🏗️ Design and construction quality

The SOYO S4 Air follows the classic compact mini PC design: a small, discreet plastic and aluminum case with side ventilation and an internal active heatsink. SOYO is a Chinese brand with a growing presence on AliExpress that has earned good reviews for its previous models, such as the M2 Plus, which are especially praised for their quiet operation and clean design.

The cooling system is designed to keep the chip within thermal limits without excessive noise. It is virtually silent during office use. Under sustained gaming load, the fan activates audibly but without becoming annoying. The form factor is ideal for small desks, HTPCs, or mounting behind a monitor with a VESA mount.

🖥️ Screen and multimedia

The SOYO S4 Air offers HDMI output compatible with 4K resolution. The Radeon 680M supports hardware acceleration for H.264, H.265/HEVC, and AV1, ensuring smooth playback of 4K streaming content from Netflix, YouTube, or Prime Video without consuming CPU resources.

For dual monitor setups, it's advisable to verify that the model you purchase includes a DisplayPort or USB-C output with DisplayPort Alt Mode, as the port configuration varies depending on the exact model on AliExpress. Sound quality depends entirely on the speakers or external monitor you connect.

🚀 Performance and software

The processor: Ryzen 7 6850U — solid, though not cutting-edge

The AMD Ryzen 7 6850U (Zen 3+, 6 nm) has been on the market since 2022, but it remains a very capable chip in 2026 thanks to its 8 cores / 16 threads and a Turbo Boost clock of up to 4.7 GHz. It doesn't have the same responsiveness as the Zen 4 H255, but in multitasking, light editing, and everyday use, the difference is barely noticeable to most users.

Real benchmarks of the Ryzen 7 6850U:

The graphics card: Radeon 680M — capable of light gaming

The Radeon 680M, with its RDNA 2 architecture and 12 Compute Units, was the iGPU that marked a turning point in 2022: it was the first AMD integrated graphics card capable of playing modern titles reasonably smoothly. With the SOYO S4 Air's 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, up to 4 GB of shared VRAM can be allocated to enhance gaming performance.

Real-world gaming performance at 1080p with Radeon 680M:

⚠️ Gaming Advisory: The Radeon 680M is perfect for esports (Valorant, CS2, Apex Legends, Dota 2) and older generation games. For demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or The Witcher 3, FPS is low even on minimum settings. In that case, the MLLSE G10 with the Radeon 780M is clearly superior.

💡 Tip: Enable performance mode in Windows settings and allocate the maximum available VRAM in BIOS to get the most out of the 680M.

Software and Windows 11

The computer comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. As with all Chinese mini PCs, a clean installation of Windows is recommended to remove any bloatware and ensure the language and region are correctly configured. The AMD Radeon drivers for the 680M are stable and regularly updated by AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

👉 VIEW SOYO S4 Air PRICES

🔋 Energy consumption

The Ryzen 7 6850U has an official TDP of 15W to 28W, making it one of the most efficient chips for mini PCs. In office use, the actual wall power consumption is around 15-20W, perfectly adequate for continuous use. Under sustained gaming load, it can reach 28-35W. At idle, it drops below 8W, ideal for leaving the system on as a server or HTPC. The external power adapter is a barrel type; it does not charge via USB-C PD.

🔌 Connectivity and ports

The SOYO S4 Air offers modern and functional connectivity:

• WiFi 6 — up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical, low latency, ideal for online gaming

• Bluetooth 5.2 — compatible with modern wireless headphones, keyboards, and controllers

• USB 3.2 — multiple rear and front ports for fast peripherals

• USB-C — for compatible monitors and peripherals

• HDMI — 4K output

• Gigabit LAN — Wired Ethernet for maximum network stability

• 3.5mm audio jack — for headphones or speakers

It does not include USB4 / Thunderbolt (present in the MLLSE G10), an SD card reader, NFC, or fingerprint recognition. For most users, this is not a real limitation.

🗣️ Reviews on well-known websites

SOYO is a brand with a growing track record on AliExpress, and its previous products have received positive reviews:

• AliExpress (previous SOYO models): Average satisfaction rate exceeding 90% across thousands of units sold. Buyers particularly highlight the value for money, startup speed (less than 15 seconds), and quiet operation.

• Amazon (previous SOYO models): Ratings of 4.4 to 4.6 stars out of 5, with praise for multitasking performance and compact design.

• Notebookcheck: Positions the Ryzen 7 6850U as a mid-to-high-end laptop processor with excellent efficiency results, especially valued in productivity tasks.

• Ultrabook Review: Confirms that the Radeon 680M "is one of the most powerful iGPUs on the market in its segment, with amazing gaming performance when combined with fast RAM".

• LaptopMedia tested the 680M in 23 games and confirmed that in eSports titles like Apex Legends it can exceed 100 FPS on low settings, and in Overwatch 2 it reaches ~132 FPS on low settings.

• YouTube (multiple channels, 2026): Several channels have posted videos of the SOYO S4 Air between December 2025 and March 2026, all showing the device working properly with good temperatures.

🧪 Featured technical tests

🔵 CPU Performance (Ryzen 7 6850U):

• Cinebench R23 Multi: 14,194 pts — surpasses the Intel Core i7-11800H in multithreading

• Cinebench R23 Single: 1,607 pts — excellent for smooth daily use

• Geekbench 5 Multi: 7,495 pts — premium laptop performance 2022

• File compression: 953 MB/s — fast for productivity tasks

🟠 GPU / Gaming (Radeon 680M RDNA 2):

• Valorant 1080p: 85-90 FPS on high quality ✅

• eSports and light gaming: perfectly smooth at 60+ FPS ✅

• Demanding AAA titles (Cyberpunk, Witcher 3): Playable only on minimum quality ⚠️

• The 680M performs approximately 25-30% less than the 780M of the MLLSE G10.

• With FSR 2.0/2.1 enabled, FPS in compatible games improves between 20-35%.

🟢 Energy efficiency :

• Actual TDP in office applications: ~ 15-20W — very efficient

• Maximum TDP for gaming: ~ 28-35W — excellent for a desktop computer

• Virtually silent at rest and during light use

💡 Important tip: Enable FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) in games that support it to gain significant FPS without noticeable visual loss. This AMD technology is especially effective with the 680M.

🏁 Final conclusion

Who is the SOYO S4 Air ideal for?

• ✅ Remote workers and office users who need real power and silence

• ✅ Casual eSports gamers (Valorant, CS2, Fortnite, Apex, Dota 2)

• ✅ Multimedia users who want smooth 4K in the living room with minimal power consumption

• ✅ Students and basic content creators (1080p editing, Photoshop, Office)

• ✅ Tight budget that cannot or does not want to spend €500+

• ❌ Not recommended for demanding AAA gaming at medium-high quality

• ❌ Not ideal if you need USB4, an external eGPU, or Thunderbolt

Is it worth it at €341?

Yes, absolutely. At that price, there's practically no alternative in the Western market with 8 cores, DDR5 RAM, WiFi 6, and an integrated GPU capable of gaming. The chip is four years old, but it's an efficient processor and handles multitasking well. Its main limitation is its graphics power for demanding titles.

🆚 SOYO S4 Air vs. MLLSE G10?

🔄 Other alternatives to consider

🛒 Where to buy it?

👉 SEE SOYO S4 Air PRICES (~€341)