Sipeed Lichee Console 4A is a RISC-V portable Linux console, that I would also call a RISC-V mini laptop, powered by an Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core C910 processor and equipped with up to 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash.
We first covered the device last August, but Sipeed had started taking pre-ordered by the end of October, and they’ve gone through the first batch of mass production, and should soon ship the mini laptops with the Aliexpress store showing December 31 as the release date, and we’re told some samples may have already been shipped in the first part of the month.
Lichee Console 4A specifications:
- SoM – Replaceable Lichee LM4A system-on-module based on TH1520 quad-core RISC-V C910 processor with up to 16GB LPDDR4X, 128GB eMMC flash
- Storage – MicroSD card slot, M.2 SSD support
- Display – 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD with capacitive touch
- Video Output – 1x mini HDMI
- User Input – Capacitive touch, 72-key keyboard with “RedPoint” pointing stick
- Camera – 2MP front-facing camera
- Audio
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- MEMS MIC + stereo speaker
- Networking
- Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port
- WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4
- USB – 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port, 1x USB 3.0 Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A port
- Battery – 3,000 mAh @ 7.6V good for about 2 to 3 hours
- Power Supply – 12V DC via power barrel jack or 5V via USB-C port
- Power Consumption – Idle: 7~8W; under load: 11W
- Dimensions – 18 x 14 x 2 cm (Aluminum Alloy Case)
- Weight – 650 grams
Sipeed provides both Debian and Android 13 images for the portable computer which you can find on the wiki along with a few more technical details. We are told the RISC-V mini laptop can be used for programming with VSCode, hardware design with KiCad, office works with LibreOffice, and it’s also possible to watch 4K video and play some retro games. Bear in mind that while software support for the RISC-V architecture has progressed a lot in the last few years, there’s still more work to do to make it more mature. So it should probably be seen more as a development kit than a RISC-V consumer product. I might receive one soon, and if so, I’ll be able to test it in more detail.
Sipeed is selling the Lichee Console 4A on Aliexpress for $252 for the barebone version without the Lichee LM4A module, meaning without processor, memory, and storage, for people who already own the module. So most people will probably pre-order a complete machine with one of the available configurations:
- $355 with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash
- $399 with 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash
- $459 with 16GB RAM, 128GB eMMC flash, and 1TB SSD
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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