Shenzhen Xunlong has launched a $109, open source “Orange Pi RK3399” SBC that runs Android 6.0 or Debian 9 on Rockchip’s hexa-core RK3399 SoC, and offers HDMI 2.0 in and out ports, DP 1.2, eDP, MIPI DSI and CSI, SPDIF, GbE, mSATA, mini-PCIe, a 40-pin header, and more.

One by one, ARM hacker board vendors and commercial x86-centric board vendors are following Firefly’s lead in experimenting with Rockchip’s ARM-based SoCs, which offer x86-type features like HDMI 2.0, mSATA, and mini-PCIe along with powerful, and relatively power-efficient ARM cores. We just saw Aaeon make the plunge with its OEM-oriented RICO-3399 PICO-ITX SBC, and now Shenzhen Xunlong has launched its first Rockchip based Orange Pi single-board computer with the $109 Orange Pi RK3399. Meanwhile, according to a Pine64.org forum post, the quad Cortex-A17 Rockchip RK3328-based Rock64 SBC will soon be joined by an RK3399-based RockPro64, due in March.

Orange Pi RK3399 from two angles
(click images to enlarge)

The Rockchip RK3399 features two Cortex-A72 cores that are here clocked to up to 2.0GHz, as well as four Cortex-A53 cores, which on other RK3399 boards are typically clocked at up to 1.42GHz. There’s also a high-end ARM Mali-T864 GPU. Other RK3399 SBCs include Firefly’s Firefly-RK3399 and similarly open source Rockchip RK3399 Sapphire, as well as the Videostrong VS-RD-RK3399.

Like most of these boards, the Orange Pi RK3399 is a high-end board with numerous ports and interfaces. It’s the most affordable of the lot, now that Vamrs has dropped its $75 promotional price and is selling the Sapphire for $149. It’s also the only one that supplies an HDMI input as well as an HDMI 2.0 output port, among its many other media interfaces.

Orange Pi RK3999 front (left) and rear details
(click images to enlarge)

The Orange Pi RK3399 is also the only one of these SBCs with mSATA, and you can have dual mSATA drives if you dedicate the mini-PCIe slot to mSATA instead of LTE. (The Firefly-RK3399 does, however, have an M.2 slot with SATA support.) Finally, the SBC stands out with its sensor array, which includes a Gyro, G-Sensor, Compass, HALL sensor, and light sensor.

One reason for the lower price is that you’re limited to 2GB of DDR3 compared to the 4GB LPDDR3 on the Sapphire and the up to 4GB DDR3 on the Firefly. You also get 16GB eMMC instead of 8GB on the Sapphire and 16GB or 32GB on the Firefly. Like the others, it also has a microSD slot.

The Orange Pi RK3399 feature set is very close to that of the Firefly-RK3399, with GbE, WiFi-AC, BT 4.1, and a wide array of display, camera, and audio features. Aside from the differences noted above, the only major difference is that all four of its USB connections are coastline ports instead of a split of ports and headers.

Orange Pi RK3399 (left) compared to Firefly RK3399
(click images to enlarge)

There’s a 40- instead of 42-pin expansion interface, but like the Firefly board, there are no claims for Raspberry Pi compatibility. The board lacks the Firefly’s RTC, and at 129 x 99mm, it’s heavier and just slightly larger than the Firefly.

One advantage of the Firefly board is software support. They both support Android 6.0, but Firefly offers Ubuntu 16.04 while the Orange Pi has Debian 9. More importantly, since this is Shenzhen Xunlong’s first Rockchip board, software support is likely to lag. No images or wiki have been posted as of yet. Presumably, this will be an open hardware board like the other Orange Pi models.

Specifications listed for the Orange Pi RK3399 include:

• Processor — Rockchip RK3399 (2x Cortex-A72 at up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53); Mali-T860 GPU
• Memory:
  • 2GB DDR3 RAM
  • 16GB eMMC flash
  • MicroSD slot
  • mSATA interface (plus optional 2nd interface via mini-PCIe)
• Display/camera:
  • HDMI 2.0 out port with audio for up to 4K at 60Hz
  • HDMI input port
  • DisplayPort 1.2 with audio for up to 4K at 60Hz
  • 2x MIPI-DSI at up to 2560×1600 at 60fps
  • eDP 1.3 (4-lane)
  • 2x MIPI-CSI (up to 13MP)
• Audio:
  • 3.5mm analog audio I/O jack
  • SPDIF output
  • Mic input with mic array interface
  • Speaker with 1.5W per channel
  • I2S 8-channel audio I/O
  • HDMI and DP (see Display above)
• Wireless:
  • 802.11b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band 2×2 MIMO (Broadcom AP6356S)
  • Bluetooth 4.1 with BLE (Broadcom AP6356S)
  • SIM card slot
  • IR receiver module
• Networking — Gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8211E)
• Other I/O:
  • USB 3.0 Type-C port
  • 4x USB 2.0 host ports
  • Serial console debug
  • Reserved 4x I2C, 5x GPIO, 2x UART, SPI
• Expansion:
  • 40-pin expansion header
  • Mini-PCIe slot for USB, LTE, or mSATA
• Other features — Power, reset, recovery, menu, return, volume buttons; LEDs; Sensors: Gyro, Gyro/G-Sensor, Compass, HALL sensor, light sensor
• Power — 12V at 2A and 5V at 2A inputs via via DC jacks (also supports 5V at 2A via USB Type-C); 2x 7.4V batteries; PMIC
• Weight — 99 gm
• Dimensions — 129 x 99 mm
• Operating system – Android 6.0 and Debian 9

 
Further information

The Orange Pi RK3399 is available for $109 on AliExpress plus $5 for shipping to the U.S. More information may be found on the AliExpress Orange Pi RK3399 page. It’s also available at the same price at TaoBao. More information may be found at Shenzhen Xunlong’s Orange Pi RK3399 page.