Orange Pi 4 Launches at $50 with 4GB RAM

The Orange Pi 4 is now available in a $49.90 model without eMMC along with the 16GB eMMC $59.90 model and a $69.90 Orange Pi 4B model with a 2.8-TOPS NPU. They all run on an RK3399 with 4GB LPDDR4, WiFi/BT, Type-C with DP, 40-pin, PCIe, and more.

Earlier this month, Shenzhen Xunlong teased a Rockchip RK3399 based Orange Pi 4 SBC and an AI-enhanced Orange Pi 4B model with a promise that they would be cheaper than the previous RK3399-based Orange Pi RK3399. The Orange Pi 4 SBCs launched late last week for $59.90 or $69.90 for an AI-enhanced Orange Pi 4B, both with 4GB LPDDR4 and 16GB eMMC. Yesterday an Orange Pi 4 model with 4GB RAM but no eMMC went on sale for $49.90.

 
Orange Pi 4 (left) and Orange Pi 4B
(click images to enlarge)

Pricing for the Orange Pi 4 SBCs not only beats the more feature-rich Orange Pi RK3399, which sells for $89 with 2GB DDR3 and 16GB eMMC, but the boards are cheaper than the 4GB configurations of other RK3399-based of boards such as FriendlyElec’s $70 NanoPi M4V2, Radxa’s $75 Rock Pi 4, and Pine64’s $80 RockPro64. Prices as of June 1 for these and other RK3399 boards may be found in our catalog of 125 Linux hacker boards.

While the Orange Pi 4 uses the same RK3399 SoC as the Orange Pi RK3399, its design is more like the smaller, Raspberry Pi like Orange Pi 3, based on the Allwinner H6. The Orange Pi 4B variant adds a Lightspeeur 2801S (or SPR2801S) Neural Processing Unit (NPU) from Gyrfalcon Technology, Inc (GTI). This is the same 2.8 TOPS at 0.3 Watts (or 5.6 TOPS @ 100MHz) AI accelerator found on the recent Orange Pi AI Stick Lite USB stick. (For more on the Lightspeeur 2801S and Orange Pi 4 comparisons with the Orange Pi RK3399 and the Orange Pi 3, please see our original Orange Pi 4 report.)

Orange Pi 4 detail view
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The Orange Pi 4 and 4B are equipped with an 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.1 module and a single GbE port. There are also single 2.0a, USB 3.0 Type-C (with DP support) ports and 2x USB 2.0 host ports. Because the Orange Pi 4B’s NPU connects to the RK3399 via USB 3.0, the 4B lacks the standard model’s single USB 3.0 host port.

Orange Pi 4B detail view showing SPR2801S NPU at right
(click image to enlarge)

Except for the NPU on the 4B and a minor layout shift, the two models appear to be otherwise identical. Both models have a microSD slot, dual LCD/MIPI-DSI connectors, dual MIPI-CSI camera headers, a serial debug interface, a mic, and an audio jack. For expansion you get a 24-pin PCIe interface and a Raspberry Pi like 40-pin GPIO header.

 
Orange Pi 4 (left) and Orange Pi 4B
(click images to enlarge)

OS support for this open-spec board includes Android 8.1 and Ubuntu 18.04. However, although only Debian images are currently posted on the download page.

 
Orange Pi 4 angle and rear detail views
(click images to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the Orange Pi 4 and Orange Pi 4B include:

• Processor — Rockchip RK3399 (2x Cortex-A72 at up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53); Mali-T860 GPU; GTI Lightspeeur 2801S NPU (2.8 TOPS at 9.3 TOPS per Watt) on Orange Pi 4B only
• Memory:
  • 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • 16GB eMMC flash (not available on $49.90 model)
  • MicroSD slot
• Media I/O:
  • HDMI 2.0a out port with audio for up to 4K@60fps
  • DisplayPort 1.2 via USB Type-C for up to 4K@60fps
  • 2x LCD connectors (MIPI-DSI)
  • 2x MIPI-CSI
  • 3.5mm audio output jack (Realtek ALC5651 codec)
  • Mic
• Networking:
  • Gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8211E)
  • 802.11b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz with Bluetooth 5.0 (Ampak AP6256)
  • External antenna
• Other I/O:
  • USB 3.0 Type-C port with DP 1.2, USB, and power support
  • USB 3.0 host port (Orange Pi 4 only – not on 4B)
  • 2x USB 2.0 host ports
  • Serial debug header
• Expansion:
  • 40-pin expansion header (I2s, 2x I2C, SPI/UART, 8x GPIO)
  • 24-pin PCIe header
• Other features – Upgrade and reset keys; 2x LEDs
• Power — 5V/3A jack (or via USB Type-C); PMIC (Rockchip RK808)
• Weight — 48 gm
• Dimensions — 91 x 56mm (8-layer)
• Operating system – Android 8.1; Debian 9; Ubuntu 16.04 or 18.04

 Further information

More information may be found on the Aliexpress Orange Pi 4 ($59.90), Aliexpress Orange Pi 4 ($49.90), and Aliexpress Orange Pi 4B ($69.90) shopping pages and an Amazon Orange Pi 4/4B shopping page. There is also an Orange Pi 4 product page on the Orange Pi community site.

This article originally appeared on LinuxGizmos.com on November 29, 2019.

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