The NanoPi M6 is a single-board computer that’s a little larger than a Raspberry Pi 5, but it’s also a much more versatile little board that features a Rockchip RK3588S processor, support for up to 32GB of RAM, and multiple storage options including a microSD card reader, eMMC socket, and M.2 slot with support for PCIe 2.1 NVMe SSDs.
FriendlyElec’s little computer is available as a bare board for $70 and up, but customers can pay extra for additional memory, storage, and optional add-ons including a metal case or a metal case with an integrated 3.5 inch touchscreen display.
The starting price is for a model with 4GB of RAM, no storage, and no case. But FriendlyElec sells models with 16GB of RAM for $100 and up, while a 32GB model starts at $150.
Customers can also pay a bit more for an eMMC module (32GB for $8 or 64GB for $10), or buy a metal case for $20 or metal case with integrated LCD for $45.
With so many other single-board PCs featuring RK3588/S chips, the optional display case might be the most interesting thing about the NanoPi M6. The metal case measures 99 x 68 x 31mm (3.9″ x 2.68″ x 1.22″) and is available with an optional 3.5 inch, 800 x 480 pixel, 60 Hz capacitive touchscreen display that can be used to show a complete desktop, status information, or other graphics. The board itself measures 90 x 62mm (3.54″ x 2.44″)
The RK3588S processor at the heart of the board features four ARM Cortex-A76 CPUI cores @ 2.4 GHz, four Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.8 GHz, Mali-G610 MP4 graphics, a 6 TOPS AI accelerator, and support for 8K video decoding.
While the system supports up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory, it tops out at 2400 MT/s speeds.
Other ports and connectors include:
- 1 x HDMI 2.1
- 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A
- 1 x USB Type-C (for 6V-20V power input)
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211F)
- 1 x 3.5mm audio output
- 1 x microSD card reader
- 1 x M.2 2230 E-Key for WiFi & Bluetooth
- 1 x M.2 2280 M-Key for PCIe 2.1 x1 SSD
- 1 x eMMC socket
- 2 x MIPI-DSI display connectors
- 1 x MIPI-CSI camera inputs
- 30-pin GPIO header
There are also connectors for an optional fan, RTC battery, and microphone, a few status LED lights (for system and network status), and a MASk button for flashing updates to an eMMC module.
FriendlyElec says the NanoPi M6 should support a range of operating systems including Android 12 for tablets or TVs, Debian, Ubuntu, and purpose-built operating systems like OpenMediaVault (for network-attached storage and file server applications) or FriendlyWrt (for router and networking applications).
via CNX Software and FriendlyElec Wiki