WinLink E850-96Board SBC is powered by Samsung Exynos 850 Octa-core Cortex-A55 SoC

WinLink E850-96Board is a 96Boards CE Extended-compliant single board computer (SBC) based on a Samsung Exynos 850 octa-core Cortex-A55 processor plus 64GB flash and 4GB RAM found in a single eMCP (embedded Multi-Chip Package) chip.

While the Samsung Exynos 5422 based ODROID-XU4/XU4Q was one of the most popular SBCs when it launched in 2015 thanks to its features set and affordable pricing, we haven’t really seen other interesting Samsung Exynos SBCs in recent years. I did notice a WinLink E850-96Board based on Exynos 850 in the Linux 5.17 release last March, but there was not enough information then. The good news is that the board has now launched so let’s have a closer look.

WinLink E850-96Board “All-in” board specifications:

• SoC – Samsung Exynos 850
  • CPU – Octa-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 2.0GHz
  • GPU – Arm Mali-G52 MP1 GPU supporting OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0 Full Profile, and Vulkan 1.0/1.1
  • VPU – H.265/HEVC, H.264, VP9 1080p60 video decoding and encoding
  • Process – 8nm
• System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 (eMCP, KMDP6001DA-B425)
• Storage – 64GB eMMC 5.1 flash (eMCP, KMDP6001DA-B425), MicroSD card slot
• NPU – Gyrfalcon AI accelerator chip (Not listed in the specs, but it can be seen in the photo below)
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4 port through Lontium MIPI DSI to HDMI chip
• Camera – Up to 3x camera inputs with a max. resolution of 21.7MP; Compatible with Raspberry Pi Camera modules
• Audio
  • 3.5mm audio jack with stereo output and microphone
  • Digital audio via HDMI
  • HMU(Headphone Management Unit) by PMIC
• Networking
  • 1x 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.0 (via S612 RF transceiver)
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 Type-A host ports, 1x micro USB 2.0 port for debugging only
• Expansion
  • 40-Pin Low-Speed connector
  • 60-Pin High-Speed Header
• Misc
  • 3x green user-controlled LEDs, 1x blue Bluetooth LED, 1x yellow WiFi LED
  • Power & Reset button, Volume up/down
• Power Supply – 12V/2A via 4.75/1.75mm DC jack
• Dimensions – 100 x 54mm compliant with 96Boards Consumer Edition Extended 2.0

The WinLink E850-96Board currently supports Android 10 (AOSP) with Linux 4.14 kernel and LittleKernel bootloader, but we are promised Android 13 support with Linux 5.4.kernel in the future, and  Linux distributions are shown as TBD. The obvious reasons for Android support and the relatively outdated Linux kernel are that the mobile processor is used in various smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy A21s or Galaxy A04s, and it was first announced in 2020.

While the company claims “full compliance” with the Linaro 96Boards CE Extended standard, and the board is most likely compliant, it’s interesting to note they have not placed the Ethernet RJ45 port in one of the recommended locations, but instead in the free-for-all zone. Software and hardware documentation is currently limited, but you can still find instructions to get the Android image and build everything from source on the 96Boards website.

The price of the board will be disappointing to many, as the WinLink E850-96Board sells for $399 on PlusFour, a Korean company set up to make and distribute 96Boards SBCs and accessories. The SBC should probably be viewed as a development board suitable for companies planning to create IoT or Smart Home devices based on the Exynos 850 processor, as few people will select this board for integration into their personal project(s), and Android app developers can purchase a cheaper Exynos 850 phone.

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