Updated PineTab-V RISC-V tablet ships with Debian 12-based Linux image

Pine64 has launched an updated version of the PineTab-V RISC-V tablet with the same StarFive JH7110 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 128GB eMMC flash, but a few small hardware changes, and a Debian-based Linux image maintained by StarFive themselves.

The PineTab-V is not exactly a new RISC-V tablet since it was launched in 2023, but at the time it was reserved for developers since it shipped with nothing… Users had to install the OS (that did not support the display yet) themselves, and work on the software/OS to improve it. The new model still targets developers and enthusiasts/early adopters, but at least now there’s a Debian 12 image optimized for the PineTab-V. The hardware is mostly the same, except Pine64 added an accelerometer, a status LED, an ID for the PineTab-V in the EEPROM, and a fix for slow charging while the tablet is turned off.

PineTab-V (2025) specifications:

• SoC – StarFive JH7110 with
  • CPU – Quad-core 64-bit RISC-V (SiFive U74 – RV64GC) processor @ up to 1.5 GHz
  • GPU – Imagination BXE-4-32 GPU @ up to 600 MHz supporting OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 1.2, Vulkan 1.2
  • VPU
    • 4Kp60 H.265/H.264 video decoder
    • 1080p30 H.265 video encoder
• System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4
• Storage
  • 128GB eMMC flash module
  • MicroSD card slot (SDHC/SDXC)
• Display – 10.1-inch IPS display with 1280×800 resolution
• Video Output – Micro HDMI port up to 4K @ 30 Hz
• Audio – Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone (stereo+mic) jack
• Cameras – 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 2MP front-facing camera/webcam
• Connectivity – WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 via Realtek RTL8852BU-based Fn-Link 6252B-UUB module.
• USB
  • 1x USB 3.0 Type-C port
  • 1x USB 2.0 Type-C port also used for charging
  • USB 2.0 Pogo keyboard port
• Expansion – PCIe 2.0 x1 exposed on board, but reserved to hardware “hackers”
• Misc
  • Volume rocker and Home button
  • Optional magnetically attached keyboard with backlight
  • Accelerometer
  • Status LED
• Battery – 6,000mAh battery (22.2Wh)
• Power Supply – 5V/3A via USB-C port for charging
• Dimensions – 242 x 161 x 9mm (Black chassis)
• Weight – 520 grams without keyboard

The PineTab-V ships with a detachable backlit keyboard that also acts as a cover and stand and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. The Debian-based PineTab-V 1.3.0 image and code can be found on GitHub. It should be based on Debian 12 and Linux 6.6.20. While the OS will be pre-installed on the tablet, I could not find instructions to (re-)install it manually. I assume you can just dump the img to a microSD card to get started. The wiki does not have detailed information, and has not been updated for the Debian image, but GitHub has some basic build instructions.

The new PineTab-V 2025 can be purchased for $225 with a 30-day warranty. It sells close to cost and the company asks users not to return the table if it only has a few (1 to 3) missing pixels. While software has improved, it should still be considered to be a development kit, and won’t be suitable as a daily driver for most/many people.

Via Liliputing

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