ECS started the LIVA Q product line of tiny mini PCs in 2017, and so far all were based on low power, affordable Intel processors including last year’s LIVA Q1L/Q1D mini PCs powered by Intel Celeron or Pentium Apollo Lake processors.
But at CES 2021, ECS will showcase its first Arm-based LIVA mini PCs with LIVA Q1A and Q1A Plus respectively powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad-core Cortex-A17 SoC and RK3399 hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 processor running Linux or Android.
ECS LIVA Q1A / Q1A Plus specifications:
- SoC
- LIVA Q1A – Rockchip RK3288 quad-core Cortex-A17 processor @ up to 1.6 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU
- LIVA Q1A Plus – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A72 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 cores. and a Mali-T860MP4 GPU
- System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3-1600
- Storage – 32GB (default) or 64GB eMMC flash, 1x MicroSD slot
- Video and audio output
- Both models – 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 with CEC support (Please note RK3288 HDMI compatibility issues with some older 4K TVs)
- LIVA Q1A Plus only – 1x DisplayPort 1.2 up to 4Kp60
- Connectivity
- Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
- 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.0
- USB
- LIVA Q1A – 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x Micro USB port
- LIVA Q1A Plus – 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports
- Misc – Power button, Kensington lock
- Power Supply – 12V DC/2A via power barrel jack
- Dimensions – 74 x 74 x 34.6 mm
Sadly we don’t have any photos with the Ethernet and video ports, but they should be on the rear panel. ECS will offer the fanless mini PCs with either Ubuntu 18.04 or Android 8.1 with digital signage in mind.
Pricing and availability information is not known at this stage, and the company has yet to publish a product page.
Via Liliputing
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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What a pity. Only 2 GB RAM.
I really don’t see what it would need more to handle signage. Probably overkill, tbh.
I guess you haven’t done much advanced digital signage then. Some systems rely on Intel based CPUs with 16GB or more RAM and a dedicated graphics card.
Sure, these might not be targeting that market, but even so.
OK but how many of these 16GB are eaten by windows, anti-virus and whatnot ? Like Andreas, I don’t see why one would need more just to display a few cycling images once in a while, some even use MCU-based photo frames for this.
There is the RKM V5 mini too
Reminds me of shrunk A95X MAX II Amlogic S905X3 4GB/64GB Android 9.0
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001705118699.html?
No M.2 SSD interface? I really would like to have an ARM box with that. And, yes, a bit more RAM.
There are a few already. One example is the the Argon One M.2 case for Raspberry Pi.
I would go for an RK3399 SBC like the NanoPi M4V2. 4GB lpddr4, PCIe for NVMe hat. 2 USB3 controllers, each for 2 ports. 2.4 and 4Ghz wifi. And most important, Armbian support.
RockPi4 is as good. If you want a finished looking product, then the Firefly Station P1. Tho it only has 2.4Ghz wifi.
TV-boxes are very limited in software support. Certainly when it comes to Linux. And even Android is often badly supported with old versions and no updates.
> NanoPi M4V2 … PCIe for NVMe hat
2 PCIe lanes wasted for nothing. If RK3399 then NanoPC-T4 or RockPi 4 route all 4 PCIe lanes to the M.2 slot though with the latter an extension board is needed (maybe issues with PCIe link training – don’t know).
> 2 USB3 controllers, each for 2 ports.
LOL, you’re talking about NanoPi M4V2?
Guessing the price: $150~$200
Why would you buy it for that price. I guess below 100 USD. Maybe 80 USD
AFAIK, when entities like Asus and Co create something for niche market, usually the price is steep. Example: tinkerboard.
Well, let’s hope they set the price like you said.
A Gigabyte Brix starts at 113 Euro, incl 21% VAT and EU consumer protection. So why would someone choose this ECS LIVA with ARM if it’s more expensive? (Honest question)
Run linux…that’s interesting.
So one can download the distros such as manjaro or ubuntu and install them and it works like on x86 or x64?
I don’t think so.
You’d need to use the Ubuntu 18.04 images provided by ECS. Other Linux distributions will not run on the device without some work.
> You’d need to use the Ubuntu 18.04 images provided by ECS.
Most probably provided by some contractor. The versions already reveal what to expect (delivering Ubuntu 18.04 and Android 8.1 in 2021 – RK announced Android 9 support for RK3288/RK3399 more than two years ago and there exists not a single excuse to not update the Ubuntu userland to most recent LTS version).