Yesterday I posted about FriendlyARM’s NanoPC-T6, and in the comments, someone asked me to discuss the Orange Pi 5 Plus, so here it is.

Orange Pi 5 Plus

The biggest feature of this development board remains its price-performance ratio.

It is priced at 600. The lowest price is 649, but there is a caveat: currently, 649 is the launch price, the actual configuration prices are as follows:

All launch prices are reduced by 50.

It is said that only the first 1000 people will get this discount, so if you really need it, you should act quickly.

In contrast, the price of FriendlyARM’s NanoPC-T6 is as follows:

If you are still hesitating, let’s continue to see the differences between the Orange Pi 5 Plus (hereinafter referred to as 5Plus) and the FriendlyARM NanoPC-T6 (hereinafter referred to as T6).

Introduction to FriendlyARM NanoPC-T6

First, regarding the size, the 5Plus measures 100x75mm, while the T6 is 110x80mm, making the T6 slightly larger, but the difference is minimal.

The T6 has a metal casing, which requires an additional 103, but it does provide an option.

In terms of configuration, the T6 comes with eMMC, while the 5Plus does not have eMMC but has eMMC module interface. You can choose eMMC based on your needs.

It should be noted that currently, eMMC modules are not cheap.

For example, the eMMC module compatible with the Rock Pi 4 development board is priced from 110 to 552. Honestly, spending 552 on a 128GB eMMC module is a bit outrageous.

In terms of interfaces, most are similar, so I will only mention the differences.

T6 has more diverse interfaces, compared to the 5Plus, it has an additional MiniPCIe slot for installing 3G/4G modules.

The T6 has two MIPI-CSI and two MIPI-DSI, while the 5Plus only has one of each. The 5Plus has a touch interface.

The T6 features a 12V DC power supply interface and a USB Type-C full-function interface.

The 5Plus has two USB Type-C interfaces, one is a 5V 4A power supply interface and the other is a USB Type-C full-function interface (the full-function interface supports DP1.4 display interface and USB3.0 data transfer).

5Plus has more USB interfaces, with two USB3.0 and two USB2.0 Type-A interfaces, while the T6 only has one USB3.0 Type-A interface.

The 5Plus has an additional microphone, while the T6 requires an external connection through a 2.0mm PH-2A interface to use a microphone.

The 5Plus has a speaker interface, which the T6 lacks.

In terms of ecosystem, T6 has more AndroidTV firmware. The 5Plus has the Orange Pi’s OrangePi OS modified system, which now includes modified Android and ArchLinux (the latter currently does not have an image).

The documentation for the T6 is already available on Wiki.

I looked at the PDF documentation for the Orange Pi 5Plus and it only created a folder, so we have to wait. Aside from OrangePi OS (ArchLinux), all other images are available.

These are some differences I found.

The key point is whether you want eMMC or USB interfaces.

The T6’s built-in eMMC is obviously a point that cannot be ignored, especially since eMMC modules are not easy to buy and are relatively expensive. When you factor in eMMC, the price-performance ratio of the 5Plus can be said to be completely gone.

As for the issue of having fewer USB interfaces, there are many solutions, the simplest being to buy a USB hub, which costs only about ten yuan.

Moreover, the T6 has an additional MiniPCIe slot, an extra MIPI-CSI, and an extra MIPI-DSI, plus it comes with eMMC, so it can be said to have a better price-performance ratio.

As for the speaker interface and microphone of the 5Plus, these are minor issues that are not critical.

The launch price of the 5Plus is 649, and it may rise to 699 later. If that happens, the price-performance ratio will further decrease. From a hardware perspective, I personally believe that the 5Plus should be priced at 599 to regain its competitiveness. As for the ecosystem, I have always believed it is about the same. The Orange Pi might be slightly better, but that is all I can say. FriendlyARM relies more on community developers to build its ecosystem.

The T6 comes with eMMC, and at 1029, it even comes with a 256GB eMMC, directly making eMMC prices dirt cheap.

I believe T6 has won this round.

Of course, if you are already using an SD card and do not care about this, you can choose either.

Through these two brands’ development boards, I have also seen the differences in thinking between the two manufacturers.

To be honest, the Orange Pi’s price-performance ratio is really not great this time. They still follow the old development board approach, and there are no surprises in terms of interfaces.

Moreover, the comparison further highlights the price-performance ratio of the T6, which I did not expect. The T6 development board clearly aims to have it all, and it has really achieved that. With such a competitive price, it will become a significant challenge for the newly released RK3588 development boards.

Recently, Orange Pi seems to have lost its focus; I always thought they were the kings of price-performance ratio, but recently they seem to be trying to move towards a more high-end direction, such as various open-source hardware, the OrangePi800 keyboard, and even the mobile phone and game console they previously promoted, and the watches they are already selling.

Recently, more news has emerged about their handheld console,

which will launch its first handheld product during the National Day holiday

There may be a Windows and Linux version available for the handheld, with the Windows version featuring AMD R7 6800U or AMD R7 7840U processors, and the Linux version featuring Rockchip’s RK3588 processor.

The handheld will feature a 7-inch screen, tentatively scheduled for release during the National Day holiday in 2023 (October 1).

Let’s hope that Orange Pi can go further.

Orange Pi 5 Plus

https://m.tb.cn/h.UvJ9BtH?tk=E55ddo53pIo

FriendlyARM NanoPC-T6

https://m.tb.cn/h.UETo95d?tk=EhC4docEr92

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