In the past, we have reviewed a VIZO laptop coolers a few times. We did enjoy them; in fact, I still use the mini Ninja II when I have my laptop at my main desk. The problem is when you leave your desk they weren't designed to be carried around with your laptop. Considering that's the point of a laptop I was really excited to see that VIZO recently came out with a portable laptop cooler called the XENA mini. They shipped one out for me to check out. I plan to find out how helpful the ZENA mini is for people "on the go".
Review Sample Provided by: VIZO
Review By: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Specifications
Dimensions : | 220mm x 90mm x 20mm |
Unfold Dimensions : | 320mm x 105.5mm x 42.6 mm |
USB Bus Power : | Yes |
DC Fan Dimensions : | 70mm x 70mm x 15 mm ( 1 PC ) |
Bearing Type : | Sleeve Bearing |
Speed : | 2300 RPM |
Noise Level : | <20 dBA |
Rated Voltage : | DC 5 V |
Rated Current : | 0.13 A |
Compatibility : | 7" ~ 15.4" notebook PC |
Weight : | 240 g |
Packaging
VIZO packaging has always been colorful; the packaging for the XENA mini is no different. Everything is packed tightly into a plastic bubble package. Keeping it simple but informative VIZO included a full list of features and specifications on the back of the packaging. They included pictures of all of the main features of the XENA mini to give you an idea of what to expect when you dig into the packaging. Of course my one complaint about the packaging is the fact you have to use a box cutter or knife to get into the packaging, making it easy to get hurt or to damage the XENAmini.
Setup and Performance
The installation of the ZENA mini is extremely simple. VIZO included a hideaway for the USB power cable, once you pull the cable out you plug it into your laptop. Adjust the width of the ZENA mini to match your laptop flip up the foot pads, and you are ready to go. If you would like your laptop to be at a higher angle you have the option of flipping out the foot pegs. I personally felt it was perfect without them.
Once I had everything setup I ran the ZENA mini through our normal tests. My two concerns where cooling and noise. I found the ZENA mini's sound output consistent with the 2300RPM fan. The mild fan speed keeps everything silent. Silent doesn't mean anything if the fan doesn't help keep your notebook cool. In order to test the cooling performance I ran Prime95 on my 14.1 inch Gateway MT3418. With the laptop on the XENA mini I noticed a 1 degree difference in temps on the CPU. Not an amazing number, but any improvement is always a good thing. What I was most impressed with was the amount the XENA mini cooled down the air around the bottom side of the laptop.
Overall
I think VIZO really put a lot of thought into the ZENA mini. The portability is great with features like the hideaway cord and adjustable width. It performed similar to other laptop coolers proving that even though they do work to a point, they do not work miracles. It did a good job of getting the heat away from the bottom of my laptop keeping the area cooler. I am also glad that VIZO made sure to cover both sides of the fan with guards to keep fingers from being bitten. Overall it is an improvement over VIZO's last laptop cooler with the portability being a big bonus. If you are in the market for a portable laptop cooler the ZENA mini could be perfect for you.