Radxa NIO 12L - A low-profile MediaTek Genio 1200 SBC with Ubuntu certification for at least 5 years of updates

Radxa NIO 12L is a low-profile single board computer (SBC) based on the MediaTek Genio 1200 octa-core Cortex-A78/A55 SoC with a 4 TOPS NPU that got Ubuntu certification with at least 5 years of software update, and up to 10 years for extra payment.

The board comes with up to 16GB RAM, 512GB UFS storage, HDMI, USB-C (DisplayPort), and MIPI DSI video interfaces, a 4K-capable HDMI input port, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces, gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 6 connectivity, five USB ports, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion.

Radxa NIO 12L specifications:

SoC – Mediatek Genio 1200 (MT8395)
- CPU
  - Quad-core Arm Cortex-A78 @ up to 2.2 to 2.4GHz
  - Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2.0GHz
- GPU
  - Arm Mali-G57 MC5 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1, ES2.0, and ES3.2, OpenCL 1.1, 1.2 and 2.2, Vulkan 1.1 and 1.2
  - 2D image acceleration module
- APU – Dualcore AI Processor Unit (APU) Cadence Tensilica VP6 processor with AI Accelerator (AIA) up to 4TOPS
- DSP – Singlecore Cadence HiFi 4 Audio Engine DSP
- 48MP ISP up to 30 fps; or 16MP @ 30fps + 16MP @ 30fps in dual camera configuration
- VPU
  - 4Kp90 AV1/VP9/HEVC/H.264 decoder
  - 4Kp60 HEVC/H.264 encoder
System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB LPDDR4x RAM up to 4266MT/s
Storage
- 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB UFS (Universal Flash Storage) 2.1
- MicroSD Card Slot
- eMMC (Not available by default)
Display
- HDMI up to 4Kp60
- DP (USB TypeC) up to 4Kp60
- MIPI DSI up to 2Kp60
- Up to 2x independent display
Video Input
- HDMI input port up to 4Kp60
- 2x 4lane MIPI CSI camera connectors
Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack with microphone input
Networking
- Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port
- WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module with three antennas
USB
- 4x USB 3.0 HOST Type-A ports
- 1x USB 3.0 OTG / HOST Type-C port
Expansion – 40-pin 2.54mm pitch GPIO header with 2x UART, 2x SPI, 2x I2C, PCM/I2S, S/PDIF, 1x PWM, 1x ADC, 6x GPIO, 5V, 3.3V, and GND
Misc
- RTC battery connector
- RGB power/status/user LED
- Power, User, and “Force Upgrade” buttons
Power Supply
- 5V via USB TypeC port
- 5V + GND on GPIO PIN 2 & 4
- Minimum 10W, but 20W is recommended with USB 3.0 peripherals
Dimensions – 140 x 75 mm
Temperature Range – 0°C to 50°C

Radxa says Android, Ubuntu, and Yocto Linux will be supported. But the important part is the certified Ubuntu support as we reported for the MediaTek Genio 1200 EVK, since it means Canonical will be offering 5 years of software at no additional costs, and companies that need extended support can also purchase a plan for 10 years of support. Ubuntu 22.04 will be preinstalled on the board, and you’ll find some work-in-progress documentation explaining how to install Android or Linux (Yocto-build) on the board.

The MediaTek Genio 1200 SoC is a powerhouse as I found out while testing ADLINK’s i-Pi SMARC 1200 devkit with a Yocto Linux image. At the time of the review (June 2023), benchmarks revealed excellent performance, but the software still needed some work and also required knowledge about the Yocto Project with a steep learning curve for those not familiar with the build system. Official Ubuntu support for the Radxa NIO 12L should make the board much easier to use.

The Radxa NIO 12L has been announced at Embedded World 2024, and by now, you should know what that means: ~~no price and no availability information~~ [Update: The Radxa NIO 12L is now listed on Arace for $99 and up with Yocto or Linux, but the certified version of Ubuntu does add to the cost with the board selling for $124 and up with Canonical’s OS]. If you are at the event, you should be able to see the board in action at the MediaTek, Okdo, or Collabora booths. Additional information may also be found on the product page.

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.