Shenzhen Xunlong Software CO, the company behind Orange Pi devices, has been developing products that are direct competitors to the popular Raspberry Pi devices for years. This time, in response to the Raspberry Pi 400, a PC fitted inside a compact keyboard, the company will offer consumers its similar product, Orange Pi 800.
Orange Pi 800 is a new product released by Xunlong Software. It fully embeds the Orange Pi motherboard inside the keyboard, so it only has to be paired with a mouse and monitor to function as a computer.
Perhaps the most common question among users is the difference between Orange Pi 800 and Raspberry Pi 400. So, there are several main differences.
First, it is powered by a Rockchip RK3399 Hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 processor. Raspberry Pi 400 uses Broadcom BCM2711 SoC. In addition, the Orange Pi adds 64 GB of built-in flash memory and has one full-size HDMI port with 4Kp60 resolution and a VGA port, rather than the Raspberry Pi 400’s two mini HDMI ports.
When it comes to the device’s CPU, there are two ways to look at it. Indeed, the Cortex-A72 is not the best processor available today. But, on the other hand, due to its 6-year existence, the Cortex-A72 has garnered significant software support. Furthermore, various Linux distributions have an ARM variant that supports this architecture.
So, we tend to agree with the thesis that having it in the Orange Pi 800 is advantageous.
On the software side, the device will ship with Chromium OS, the open-source version of the Google Chrome OS. Meanwhile, Orange Pi 800 runs Orange Pi OS, a lightweight Arch Linux-based operating system, as its second operating system.
By default, the device will come pre-installed with Scratch and Python tools, highlighting the product’s educational purpose.
Apart from those mentioned above, another key highlight is that the Orange Pi 800 uses silica gel material for a better heat dissipation effect. This is because silica gel has a low thermal resistance and high thermal conductivity.
Orange Pi 800 Specifications
| CPU | RockchipRK3399, 6-core ARM 64-bit, Dual-core Cortex-A72 up to 1.8GHz + Quad-core Cortex-A53 up to 1.4GHz |
| GPU | ARM Mali-T860MP4 |
| RAM | 4GB (LPDDR4) |
| EMMC | 64GB |
| Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| WiFi | Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth5.0 + BLE |
| Video Output | 1 x HDMI 2.0 (Supports 4K@60fps output), 1 x VGA |
| Audio | Output: 3.5mm Jack, HDMI2.0a, Speakers Input: MIC |
| USB Ports | 1 x USB2.0 + 2 x USB3.0 |
| Power Supply | Type-C |
| GPIO | 26-Pin Header |
| Dimensions | 11.3″ x 4.8″ x 0.9″ (286mm x 122mm x 22mm) |
| Weight | 14 ounces (385g) |
The device’s price has not yet been published. However, given that the Orange Pi 800 is a direct competitor to the Raspberry Pi 400, which costs $70, we anticipate that the final price of the device will be in the same range.
For more information about the new Orange Pi 800, you can refer to the product’s website.
