Tronsmart’s next Android-powered TV box will be the company’s first model to feature a Rockchip RK3288 ARM Cortex-A17 processor. But that’s not the only thing that will make Tronsmart Orion R28 unusual.

The company also plans to offer a model of this tiny computer/media streamer with 4GB of RAM… although the first versions scheduled to hit the streets will have just 2GB.

r28

Geekbuying is taking pre-orders for 2 versions of the Tronsmart Orion R28. For $80 you can reserve a model with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of built-in storage. $100 gets you a similar device with twice as much storage.

Sometime after the first models hit the streets, Tronsmart plans to launch a version with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

Each model features Android 4.4 KitKat software, USB ports, HDMI output, an external antenna, 802.11ac WiFI, Bluetooth 4.0, IR sensors, microSD card slots, Gigabit Ethernet, and support for 4K video output and H.265 video decoding, and support for over-the-air software updates from Tronsmart.

While OTA updates might not sound like a big deal if you’re used to using an Android phone, many of the Chinese companies that offer set-top-boxes based on Android software only deliver firmware updates that you can install manually. The ability to download and install updates on your device can make it a lot easier to keep your box’s software up to date.

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11 replies on “Tronsmart Orion R28 Android box sports RK3288 CPU, up to 4GB of RAM”

  1. As well as a smaller amount of storage (8GB Vs 16GB), the cheaper version also lacks 802.11ac by use of AP6210 instead of AP6335 WiFi chip.

  2. Just looked at the full specs. The only dissapointment is no USB3 support

  3. Quad Cortex-A17 with 4GB sounds apealing, but would sound a lot MORE apealing if they at least announced PLANS for an official Linux Firmware, i just don’t see any real world advantage of 4GB vs 2GB on an android device.

    1. I was thinking a somewhat similar thought: would fun to slap Ubuntu (or any distro for that matter) and see how it does….

      1. Why would you want Linux on this.. its failed as a desktop os, it has no use on a portable device.. Linux is merely a delivery system for a web browser.

        I guess people living in the 90’s still think Linux is cool, or has some use but its ~<2% market share speaks volumes.

        1. Yes, I get that most people don’t use it as a desktop, but the linux server share is obviously much larger than you seem to realize.

        2. Maybe I’m still living in the 90s but I have no alternative. Android is obviously not a Desktop OS (lack of usable window managers, drivers, software, also unstable) and all state-of-the-art/research projects I’m interested in are only available for Linux. Sometimes there is an OS X port but there is almost never a port for Windows or sth. else. Using VMs (if you can find one for Android) on such tiny devices is not an option. (ARM itself is another portability issue but solvable.)
          It might surprise you but for some people Windows and Co. are systems without any value or use case.

        3. Yeah, Linux only took over the server, super computer, embedded, banking, mission critical, financial, security, mobile, etc markets … but obviously it’s inherently inferior as a desktop platform? (if you believe that then you must also have a large collection of swap land and bridges.)

          Linux hasn’t failed so much as not given a chance yet.

          If there were an option to buy a Linux pre-installed machine at your local Bestbuy, then we might get an idea whether Linux would be a failure or not. Considering that Linux has won every market were MS dirty tricks and market manipulation is not a factor, I see no reason why if given a fair chance on a fair playing field, that Linux wouldn’t be the platform of choice for desktops as well.

          I personally don’t see the need for a Linux, Windows, and OSx operating system. The OS should be unified, in this case MS and Apple should open source their OSes and all the few good parts implemented into Linux .. then MS and Apple could concentrate on resources writing better applications.

        4. I just thought it would be cool to have a media box with the desktop version of chrome. Android is a decent (nearly perfect imo) platform as a media center (meaning XBMC runs well on it), but the android version of chrome can leave a little to be desired compared to the chrome via desktop. Ergo, a XBMC box with desktop chrome (or as I like to say: Linux Distro) would be f-u-n. Plus, I don’t get the nineties comment. Are you talking about how I was born in the nineties? But how would you know that? -Peace

        5. Android is running on the Linux kernel… So is ChromeOS. Small, low-power devices like this are interesting as either thin-client / bargain desktops (can’t run Windows on one, or OS X), and also as small servers.

        6. You guess wrong. Linux is not about being “cool”. It’s about competence, no cost to buy, no recurring costs, no viruses, free updates, no humungous downloads every month to update and the ability to run well on modest hardware. Your “<2% market share" reference tells me only that most computer users are ill informed, wasteful and lack discernment.

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