Recently, I got my hands on the DFRobot LattePanda 3 Delta.

DFRobot is a brand that specializes in various maker products and hardware, and the LattePanda is probably their most expensive development board.

I have been following their first generation since it came out, but I never thought about buying it because it was expensive, and the performance was quite average, using the Z8300 Intel Atom CPU commonly found in various knockoff tablets. The doubled price made it hard for me to justify purchasing a development board without a screen.

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Without further ado, the biggest controversy surrounding this product is probably its price.It is indeed a bit expensive.However, after unboxing a few RK3588 development boards, I found that I have become somewhat desensitized to prices.They are all quite expensive development boards.Now looking at the LattePanda 3 Delta, which costs 1999, I actually feel it has a bit of cost performance.

The Station PC M3 that I unboxed previously, with 8GB + 64GB eMMC, is priced at 2059.If I had to choose between the two, I would definitely pick the LattePanda 3.

After getting so many development boards, to be honest, my usage experience is that many development boards are often defeated by the word “ecosystem”, especially for the general public. The ability to run Windows is a natural advantage.That represents productivity; plug in a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, and you can get work done.

As for Linux being lighter, simpler, and performing better, those factors are not as crucial as ease of use. Many times, isn’t it enough to just be usable?

This one I have uses an Intel Celeron N5105 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB eMMC

Don’t underestimate it; it’s a versatile player, capable of handling downloads, virtual machines, NAS, and light office work with ease. How many ARM development boards can do that well?

If you come from using Arduino or ESP32, this board is a breeze, basically no threshold.

At this point, someone might say, why not just buy an industrial computer? The same configuration costs only around 1300-1400. For 2000, you can even get a Ryzen 5600U system. If I want to play with Arduino, I can just buy one and plug it in, right? Sure.

But it’s a bit ugly and a bit large; other than that, it has no issues.

Look at this one; it’s cute and compact, but a bit pricey. Is it really a problem that it’s expensive?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but DFRobot understands the importance of software and ecosystem. The Air Board is their only ARM development board, but just look at the demonstration videos; they have put a lot of effort into the software.

As for the LattePanda, it goes without saying; it runs Windows right out of the box, no barriers to entry. Other boards are just some that can run Arduino. They are relatively easy to get started with. Just look at those domestic development boards; the price tags make it clear they mainly sell hardware. As long as the software works, that’s good enough. They don’t fuss over it. They know this and don’t intend to compete in that area; they focus on selling hardware and avoid the laborious and thankless software development tasks.

Previously, I had a negative view of Intel and AMD, thinking that ARM and RISC-V were the future. But after getting my hands on them, I realized they are just half-finished products. Only those who engage in development need them. After all, they are called development boards. Development is quite important. We might as well stick to playing with x86 soft routers and development boards, and as soon as Windows is installed, the sense of security comes immediately. Where else is there that unfamiliar and helpless feeling of dealing with Android or Linux distributions? One could easily end up learning something completely new and unseen. How exhausting.

The most critical point is that installing Linux on x86 is quite pleasant, while ARM feels like a second-class citizen.

Thinking about it, this device is our enemy in entering the ARM development board market. Think about it; how many people buy development boards for actual development? Most want to explore some creative ideas. Things like NAS, HTPC, soft routers, and virtual machines; how many are genuinely engaged in proper development? It’s essential to focus on ease of use and ecosystem for the right path.

Alright, I’ll stop here. If you think what I said makes sense, please give a thumbs up.

DFRobot LattePanda 3 Delta

https://m.tb.cn/h.U25kav1?tk=qtYA2y93WA5

Recently, we have created a development board selection website. Although it is not very complete yet, we have already recorded around 400 development boards. If you are interested or have needs, you can check out our selection website. If you have any good suggestions, you can mention them in the group or leave us a message.

We have recently launched a Raspberry Pi alternative section, feel free to check it out.

The domain name of our website is: findboard.cn

(We have not yet adapted for mobile devices, so if you are accessing from a mobile device, the effect may not be very satisfactory. It is temporarily recommended to use a computer browser for access.)