The price of high-spec rivals to the $35 Raspberry Pi computer continue to fall.
The latest low-cost Pi competitor to launch is the Orange Pi One Plus, a $20 board that on paper offers smooth 4K video playback with HDMI 2.0a and Gigabit Ethernet.
While these features are not available on the latest Raspberry Pi, the Pi 3 Model B, the Orange Pi One Plus does not trump the Pi 3 in every regard.
The Orange Pi One Plus only has a single USB 2.0 host port, compared to four on the Pi 3 and, like the Pi 3, has a quad-core, Arm Cortex A53-based processor. The Orange Pi has the same amount of memory as the Pi 3, but it is a slightly faster variety than the DDR2 memory on the Pi 3.
SEE: Hardware spotlight: The Raspberry Pi
While the Orange Pi One Plus runs Android, it only supports the older 7.0 version at present. Releases of the Linux-based Ubuntu and Debian operating systems are also being tested on the board.
As ever, if you're looking for a low-cost computer that is easy to get started with, then the Raspberry Pi 3 is most likely the best choice. While the Orange Pi has some improved specs, it doesn't share the Raspberry Pi's extensive range of operating systems, and its breadth of software, projects and community support.
And despite many Pi clones now being faster on paper, sometimes the spec sheet doesn't tell the entire story, due to bottlenecks elsewhere in the system.
While the Allwinner H6 System-on-a-Chip (SoC) used in the Orange Pi also supports USB 3.0 and PCI-E interfaces, these features aren't offered by the Orange Pi One Plus. Given the SoC is capable of more, it may be worth waiting for other H6-based single-board computers to be released.
System-on-a-chip: Allwinner H6 V200 quad-core, Arm Cortex A53 processor
Storage: microSD card slot up to 32GB
Video/Audio output: HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR, HDCP, CEC
Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet (via Realtek RTL8211 transceiver)
USB: 1 x USB 2.0 host port, 1 x micro USB OTG port
Misc: Power & status LEDs, power button, IR receiver
Power: 5V/2A power barrel jack, micro USB port
Automatically sign up for TechRepublic's Open Source Weekly Newsletter for more hot tips and tricks. Subscribe
Read more about the Raspberry Pi
H9419 on January 2nd, 2018 at 23:41 UTC »
How many times do we have to go through this? The raspberry pi is not just about price, it is about its huge community support that no other SBC can compete.
Abba_Fiskbullar on January 2nd, 2018 at 23:24 UTC »
I "Noped" at Allwinner. They have a terrible history when it comes to driver support. I'm guessing a Pi 4 is coming soon.
Edit: I don't know anything about the Pi Foundation's release schedule, I just noticed substantial discounts on the Pi 3, which corresponds to discounts the Pi 1 and 2 had prior to the release of successor models.
poo706 on January 2nd, 2018 at 23:20 UTC »
Allwinner. Never again.