Geniatech’s Raspberry Pi like “XPI-S905X2/X3/X4” SBC runs Android on a quad -A53 Amlogic S905X2 or quad -A55 S905X3 or X4 with 2GB RAM, 8GB eMMC, GbE, HDMI, 4x USB, 40-pin GPIO, and optional WiFi/BT.

Geniatech has previously used Amlogic SoCs on its feature-rich DB10 dev board, which is based on Amlogic’s hexa-core -A73 and -A53 A311D, and has now returned with a Raspberry Pi pseudo clone built with a choice of three quad-core Amlogic SoCs: the Cortex-A53 based S905X2 and the Cortex-A55 based S905X3 and S905X4. The Android-supported XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 SBCs, which are also referred to as the 4K Single Board ARM PCs, go for $35 for the S905X2 model and $42 for the S905X3 version. The S905X4 model is not yet available.

XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 with optional WiFi/BT module and cooling pad
(click images to enlarge)

The quad -A53 S905X2 is an updated version of the S905X that appeared on an older Geniatech XPI-S905X SBC that we mentioned in passing in our DB10 report. The XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 offers the same Pi-like, 85 x 56mm footprint and most of the same features and placement. Other RPi pseudo-clones from Geniatech include its i.MX8M Mini powered XPI-iMX8MM.

The 12nm fabricated, quad -A55 Amlogic S905X3 has appeared on two Pi-like Linux hacker boards: Hardkernel’s Odroid-C4 and SinoVoip’s Banana Pi BPI-M2 Pro. The S905X3 is a modest -A55 based update of the S905X2. It has the same 2GHz performance (Geniatech does not list a clock rate) and the same Mali-G31 GPU. Unlike the S905X2, the S905X3 is available with an optional 1.2-TOPS NPU and Cortex-M MCUs, but none of these options are available on any of these boards.

Amlogic’s newer S905X4 appears to be almost identical to the S905X3. According to this AndroidPCTV report, the only difference is the additional support for the new AV1 codec at up to [email protected]. The CNXSoft story that alerted us to the XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 adds a footnote to its specs noting that AV1 is only available on the X4, although Geniatech makes no mention of it. The XPI models using the other processors support up to 4Kp60. Like the other S905X SoCs, the S905X4 is primarily aimed at the Android set-top market, which is a specialty of Geniatech’s.

XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 detail views
(click image to enlarge)

The XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 is cheaper than the larger, but mostly similarly configured Banana Pi BPI-M2 Pro, which has double the eMMC. It also cost less than the slightly more feature-rich Odroid-C4, which has no eMMC, but gives you double the RAM at 4GB. Unlike these open-spec boards, Geniatech’s model appears to be proprietary and without much in the way of public documentation, let alone community resources.

Specifications listed for the XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 include:

• Processor — Amlogic S905X2 (4x Cortex-A53), or S905X3/S905X4 (4x Cortex-A55); Mali-G31 GPU @ up to 650MHz
• Memory/storage:
  • 2GB RAM (1GB optional)
  • 8GB eMMC (16GB or 32GB optional)
  • MicroSD slot for up to 64GB
• Networking:
  • Gigabit Ethernet port
  • Optional dual-band 802.11b/g with Bluetooth 4.0
• Other I/O:
  • HDMI 2.0 port
  • USB 3.0 host port
  • 3x USB 2.0 host ports
  • Micro-USB port for power input
  • Serial debug connector
  • 40-pin GPIO header (28x GPIO with support for UART, I2C, SPI, PWM GPIO, etc.)
• Other features — Update key; optional cooling pad
• Power — 5V via micro-USB; optional adapter
• Dimensions — 85 x 56mm
• Operating system — Android 9.0; (likely compatible with Linux)

 
Further information

The XPI-S905X2 is available for $35 and the XPI-S905X3 is available for $42. The XPI-S905X4 does not yet appear to be available. More information may be found on Geniatech’s XPI-S905X2/X3/X4 product page.