Banana Pi: Single Board Computer 4GB Ram, Quad Core 16GB eMMC BPI-M5

A common trend with the Pi-branded boards, is that they are starting to stir away from the given name and getting their own territory. We have seen that recently with the Orange Pi series, and the new Banana Pi BPI-M5 is another good example of it. But what SinoVoip Co. has in store for us this time?

The Banana Pi BMI-M5 is released after an 18-month stint of its predecessor, the Banana Pi BPI-M4, which was very well received by the maker community, and we think the BPI-M5 will not be an exception in this regard. Regarding its capabilities, we can classify it as somewhere among the lines of the Raspberry Pi 4 and the Odroid C4, with the latter actually using the same Amlogic S905X3 processor. From the outside, you can see the interesting I/O packed into this board, with USB 3.0, ethernet, HDMI, audio jack, and power via USB Type-C, so we are very well served in that regard.

But what about specifications, is there anything to put it above its competitors, or the opposite? Let us take a look at them:

• Amlogic S905X3 Quad-Core Cortex-A55 ARMv8.2-A 64-bit processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz
• ARM Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
• Memories: 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM + 16 GB eMMC on-board Flash and Micro SD card slot
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet (10 / 100 / 1000 Mbps), and optional USB Wi-Fi dongle
• Video: HDMI 2.1 output (up to 4K@60Hz with HDR, CEC, EDID)
• Audio: 3.5 mm audio jack and HDMI digital output
• Peripherals: 4x USB 3.0 ports, IR, switches (reset, power and U-boot) and LEDs (power and activity status)
• GPIO: 40-pin header with 28 GPIO pins (with access to UART, I2C, SPI and PWM) and power (3.3 V, 5 V and GND)
• Power: 5 V @ 3 A via USB Type-C
• Dimensions of 92 x 60 mm and weight of 48 grams
• OS: Android and Linux