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| ECS unveiled the Liva Z4, Z4F, and Z6 Plus mini PCs at CES 2026. |
LAS VEGAS — The humble mini PC is having a moment, and at CES 2026, ECS Liva is making sure it stays in the spotlight. The company has unveiled a refreshed range of compact desktops designed to cover all bases, from whisper-quiet office helpers to surprisingly potent mini workhorses powered by AMD's last-gen champion.
Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all tiny computer. This year's Liva portfolio cleverly segments the market, offering distinct form factors and silicon to match wildly different needs and budgets. Whether you're setting up a digital signage kiosk, streamlining a home office, or building a compact media center, there's likely a new Liva model with your name on it.
Liva Z4 & Z4F: The Compact Contenders
Leading the charge for basic computing needs is the new Liva Z4. This model embraces the "ultra-compact" ethos in earnest, with a minuscule 0.33-liter chassis. At its heart is the Intel N150 processor, a four-core, four-thread chip from the next-generation "Twin Lake" family with a modest 6-watt TDP. It’s the definition of a specialist: perfect for web browsing, document editing, or as the brain for a point-of-sale system.
Specs are straightforward and practical: a single SO-DIMM slot supporting up to 16GB of DDR4-2666 RAM, an M.2 2280 slot for your SSD, and a sensible I/O panel. You get dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, and an audio jack. It’s a no-frills package that gets the fundamentals right.
For those who need a bit more oomph in a still-tiny package, the Liva Z4F steps up. Despite its name, it's a noticeably larger device at 0.7 liters, but that extra space allows for significantly more powerful Intel processors, up to a Core 3 N355 octa-core CPU. It also modernizes the foundation with support for a DDR5 SO-DIMM and WiFi 6E. The full I/O specification remains under wraps as its product page isn't live yet, but the performance ceiling is clearly higher.
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| ECS Liva Z6 Plus. |
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| ECS Liva Z6 Plus ports. |
Liva Z6 Plus: Keeping the AMD Hawk Point Dream Alive
For performance seekers on a budget, the Liva Z6 Plus is arguably the most intriguing announcement. In a market rushing towards next-gen chips, ECS is smartly leveraging the proven value of AMD's previous-generation "Hawk Point" architecture. This mini PC packs the Ryzen 7 H 255 APU, an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 processor with potent RDNA 3 graphics.
This chip promises to handle not just everyday productivity but also more demanding tasks like photo editing, light video work, and smooth 1080p gaming—a rarity in this form factor. While we await the official specs page for port details, a report from TechPowerUp gives us a great preview. According to their coverage from the show floor, the Z6 Plus will feature dual DDR5 SO-DIMM slots for up to 32GB of RAM, a speedy M.2 2280 Gen 4 SSD slot, a separate M.2 2230 slot for WiFi/Bluetooth cards, and 2.5G Ethernet for faster networking. All this is packed into a chassis just 0.6 liters in volume.
For a deeper dive into all of ECS's CES announcements, including their Copilot+ notebooks and kiosk motherboards, you can check out the full roundup on TechPowerUp.
Pricing, Availability, and a Current Alternative
As is typical with CES announcements, ECS has not yet revealed pricing or exact availability dates for these new Liva models. More concrete details are expected to roll out in the coming weeks.
For users who need the balance of CPU cores and integrated graphics that the Hawk Point platform offers right now, there are already options on the market. Mini PC specialists like GMKtec have similar configurations available for immediate purchase. The GMKtec K12, for instance, which also features an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 APU, is currently listed on Amazon for around $600, giving us a potential ballpark for the upcoming Liva Z6 Plus.
The mini PC revolution continues to be about choice. With its 2026 lineup, ECS Liva isn't just making smaller computers—it's offering tailored computing experiences, proving that sometimes, the biggest ideas really do come in the smallest packages.
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| ECS Liva Z4 ports. |
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| ECS Liva Z4. |