As Raspberry Pi Model B+ price got reduced to $25, some competitors also decided to bring their price down. Shenzhen Xunlong Software, the maker of Orange Pi board, decided to decrease their Orange Pi 2 and Orange Pi 2 Mini boards by $5 to respectively $30 and $25 plus around $2 shipping.
Both boards are based on the same PCB, but the mini version lacks WiFi. Let’s refresh our memory with the specs:
- SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.6 GHz with 256KB L1 cache, 1MB L2 cache, and an ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU up to 600 MHz
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3
- Storage – micro SD card slot (up to 64GB)
- Video Output – HDMI (CEC and HDCP support), AV port
- Audio I/O – HDMI, AV port, on-board microphone
- Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (Realtek module, not found on mini version)
- USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Camera – CSI Interface
- Expansions – 40-pin Raspberry Pi Model A+/B+ (mostly) compatible header with 28 GPIOs, UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, CAN, I2S, SPDIF, LRADC, ADC, LINE-IN, FM-IN, and HP-IN
- Debugging – 3-pin UART header for serial console
- Misc – IR receiver; Power, reset, and u-boot buttons; Power and Ethernet LEDs
- Power Supply – 5V/2A via barrel jack (micro USB OTG cannot be used to power the board).
- Dimensions – 93 x 60 mm
- Weight – 46 grams
You can currently download Android 4.4.2, Lubuntu, Debian server, and Raspbian images for the boards, as well as Linux and Android SDKs. The board has been launched at the end of March, but I can’t find any independent reviews online yet. Feedback on Aliexpress is however mostly positive. The platform is more powerful than Raspberry Pi 2, so from the hardware point of view it should be a better deal, but as usual they won’t be able to match Raspberry Pi’s software and community support.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Does anyone know if standard cases fit the orange pi or what cases do? I know it’s based around the same PCB but I haven’t been able to confirm fitment.
Any comments appreciated.
PLEASE make them available for 22€ including shipping to the European Union. That means no import tax, import VAT or customs clearance fees either…
@ Mark @cnxsoft We will have new model meeting your hope. The price with shipping fee is less $20. Real killer for CHIP. Not RPI2.
Cody, a shameless plug. We ( https://lusis.eu ) make cases for different boards. On demand even for very low volume boards.
Can anyone comment on the video playback compared to r pi2 and odroid ?
Quality, framerates etc ?
How do they compare on performance to rpi2 , odroid c1 etc ?
@Al
I can’t comment from experience with Allwinner H3, but Allwinner processors usually have a very good score in Antutu Video Testers, and Kodi has been ported to H3 based on Zidoo X1 page: http://www.zidoo.tv/Product/index/model/X1/target/AjLkU%5Bld%5DqhKb8%3D.html
That’s for Android, not sure about Linux.
Mark, the customs have always the power to refuse the seller’s declared cost, and can block any purchase, even if the real and true cost is far less than 22€. (that’s because many people just lie about)
The problem is that some governments in EU, very short sighted, make this blocking the rule, others make it the exception.
So, unfortunately it really depends on the country you live in the European “Union” !!
It is very sad.
(and this discrimination, in so many social fields, is part of the reason I believe the EU will not last for very much long….)
JotaMG, about customs and their power that’s not entirely true. If you have online shop and there is a price they have to acknowledge it. The problem is that if there is some lower price on a package and you don’t have official prof then you are in trouble.
@JotaMG
If you have payment details that show a cost lower than €22 (product cost + delivery cost), then you can pursue it.
In fact, $25 is a bit over €22 so it’s either an issue of the Euro to get stronger than the dollar, or decrease the price of the board to $24.
@Mark
Mark,
can you also deliver case in different solid colors or aluminium?
I got my Orange Pi 2 few days ago and unfortunately I payed old price for it. I tested it and from software side on android it is rubbish. I tried raspbian as well and it seems to be ok but had no time for any bigger tests. But android MAN if you want it to use it for android tv box forget it. Original it is in Chinese so you better be familiar with how to change the language. It doesn’t even have the google play store. To install apps I had to use aptoide that I downloaded. Thanks god it has a browser installed. If you will try to install google play store it will crash so only way to install apps are outside sources. It doesn’t play any streaming videos: Cartoon HD app, youtube. I installed MX Player with codecs and it can’t decode audio on avi (from pendrive) Anttutu score is 14480. I use it with samsung 10 class sd card when I tried slower card it was super lagy. I will make video blog review when I will have some spare time. PEACE
@Roel
Roel, we can do any (combination of) solid color(s) you need. I hope I’m not overstepping this site’s rules by encouraging you to get in touch through https://lusis.eu.
Mark
In theory you are right, but even if you show truthful payments details, the national customs have the power to say they don’t believe, and impose you a tax.
(of course you can contest that, but it is a process so cumbersome that most people just pay the taxes – usually they are small enough)
In a few countries, this is the rule, they want (need?) to make cash with every little bit.
@cnxsoft
The H3 boards are still really problematic in terms of graphics on Linux.
@Steven
Any more info, specs, date of release…?
@Bart
Thanks for clarifying that info.
I will stick with my raspi2 although the OS’s and software each have it shortcomings.
Just ordered today. VAT is not a big deal ~ 5 euros in Latvia. In the end not so cheap at all considering buying all peripherals.
Monitor with digital input 130 euro, TF card 64GB 22 USD, wall adapter 5 USD, Board it self 27 USD, keyboard and mouse 10 euros. = Close to 200 euros.
The new android version is designing for English version. Kodi, YouTube, Netflix,Hulu,Google play,more apps.
@Arthur
The issue of course being that (as a company) you pay a customs clearance fee of 35€ and up…
I‘m a member from R&D team of ZIDOO.We downloaded the standard KODI version and made playing test with Allwinner H3, found most of blue-ray film sources with 1080P would not play smoothly.
The analysis shown: The standard XMBC is base on Media Decode, and video buffer through the Linux Render GLES Render:
It led to not fast enough, after a couple of copy video buffer that’s from the Decode to Render.
After many times of discussions with our R&D team, we decided to dock OMX decode and HWComposer of Allwinner directly.
In this way, it can realize the video buffer with ZERO copy, and it’s totally size up the fluency of playing. Attached several screenshots
@Steven
Steven you said in May that new Android version would support Googleplay, netflix etc. Now almost August and no delivery. Avoid OrangePi products, very little support from manufacturers – check the forums before you buy, people are trying to retrofit other people’s images and sacrificing ethernet or wifi support – not fair to promise all of this support and give nothing. Making new boards – but no support for existing hardware…sounded good – but please look at the forum before you make a purchase.
Hulu and Netflix don’t work on the Orange PI Plus running stock Android(H3) 4.4.2 – Has anyone been able to watch streams from Netflix, Hulu or Amazon on this thing?