Orange Pi maker Shenzhen Xunlong Software has launched the Allwinner H6-based development board Orange Pi 3, offering a new rival to the Raspberry Pi 3.
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The Orange Pi 3 follows the company's previous Allwinner H6 boards, the Orange Pi Lite 2 and Orange Pi One Plus, but offers more features and more than 1GB or RAM.
The Orange Pi 3 is available with up to 2GB of RAM, the option of adding 8GB eMMC flash storage, as well as Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, two double USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 5.0, and a USB 2.0 port.
The board, which measures 90mm by 64mm, also features an mPCIe socket and a 26-pin expansion header. Video and audio features include HDMI, a 3.5mm audiovisual jack, and a built-in microphone.
The Allwinner H6 is a 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex A53 processor, and the Orange Pi 3 is available in four variants, including 1GB RAM and a 2GB RAM options without onboard storage. Alternatively, both models can be bought with 8GB of eMMC flash storage.
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The board can run on Android 7.0, Ubuntu or Debian, though images aren't yet available from the Orange Pi download page.
As noted by CNX-Software, another resource for the Orange Pi 3 is Armbian, which provides experimental Ubuntu Bionic and Debian Stretch images for Allwinner H6 boards.
The 1GB version is available for $29.90, while the 2GB model costs $34.90. The 1GB and 2GB models with 8GB onboard storage cost $34.90 and $39.90. Prices exclude shipping costs.
The Allwinner H6 is a 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex A53 processor, and the Orange Pi 3 is available in four variants.
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