UP Squared i12 Edge is a compact, yet feature-rich, fanless Alder Lake-P mini PC

UP Squared i12 Edge is a compact fanless mini PC powered by 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake-P processors from the Celeron 7305E penta-core CPU up to an Intel Core i7-1270PE 12-core processor, but still a good range of ports and features.

Based on the UP Squared i12 SBC introduced earlier this year, the UP Squared i12 edge mini PC comes with up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and features a 64GB or 128GB SSD soldered on board, plus an M.2 2280 NVMe socket and a SATA port for additional storage. The system also has two gigabit Ethernet ports, optional WiFi and Bluetooth, three 4K-capable display interfaces (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C), and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports.

UP Squared i12 Edge specifications:

12th generation Alder Lake-P SoC:
- Intel Core i7-1270PE 12-core/16-thread processor @ up to 3.30GHz (E-cores) / 4.50GHz )P-cores) with 96EU Intel Xe graphics – PBP: 28W, up to 64W MTP
- Intel Core i7-1260P 12-core/16-thread processor @ 3.40GHz / 4.70GHz with 96EU Intel Xe graphics – PBP: 28W, up to 64W MTP
- Intel Core i5-1250PE 12-core/16-thread processor @ 3.20GHz / 4.40GHz with 80EU Intel Xe graphics – PBP: 28W, up to 64W MTP
- Intel Core i5-1240P 12-core/16-thread processor @ 3.30GHz / 4.40GHz with 80EU Intel Xe graphics – PBP: 28W, up to 64W MTP
- Intel Core i3-1220PE 8-core/12-thread processor @ 3.10GHz / 4.20GHz with 48EU Intel UHD graphics – PBP: 28W, up to 64W MTP
- Intel Celeron 7305E penta-core processor @ 3.10GHz / 4.20GHz with 48EU Intel UHD graphics – PBP: 15W, up to 55W MTP
System Memory – Up to 16 GB onboard LPDDR5 (single channel)
Storage
- Up to 128GB SSD via PCIe x2 interface
- M.2 2280 M-Key socket for NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x4) SSD
- 1x SATA III
Video Output
- HDMI 1.4b and DisplayPort 1.2 stack connector
- DisplayPort 1.4a via USB Type-C port
- Up to three 4Kp60 independent displays
Audio – 3.5mm Line out and MIC in audio jacks
Networking
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports via RTL8111H-CG controllers
- Optional wireless via M.2 2230 E-Key socket
USB
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DP 1.4 Alt. mode
Expansion
- M.2 2280 M-Key socket for SSD (PCIe Gen 4.0 x4)
- M.2 2230 E-Key socket for wireless or AI accelerator (CNVI & PCIe Gen 3.0 [x1])
Security – Onboard TPM 2.0
Power Supply – 12V DC-in; AT/ATX (AT as default) type
Power Consumption (Typical) – 30W~36W
Dimensions – 130 x 94 x 68 mm
Weight – 850 grams
Temperature Range – 0°C to 60°C with 0.5m/s airflow
Humidity – 0% ~ 90% relative humidity, non-condensing
MTBF – 522,716 Hours
Certifications – CE/FCC Class A, RoHS Compliant, REACH

The company provides support for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, and Yocto 4 Linux. If you wish you had a similar model with 2.5GbE, extra USB ports, COM ports, and GPIOs, you may want to check out the earlier UP Xtreme i12 Edge mini PC, as the UP Squared i12 Edge comes with the same Alder Lake-P processor family and just offers fewer ports in a more compact form factor.

The UP Squared i12 Edge fanless mini PC is suitable for industrial automation and IoT gateways, parking management using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), toll plazas to identify vehicle type and distance covered, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) thanks to support for “precise path-planning” in 12th Gen Intel processors.

Pricing is not available yet, and AAEON is currently letting users “Get a quote” on the product page which also includes a datasheet and a user manual. For reference, the UP Squared i12 SBC is sold for $569 and up starting with an Intel Core i3-1220PE system with 8GB RAM and no storage, so you’d need to add a SATA drive or/and an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

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.