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The Banana Pi BPI-M6 is a credit card-sized computer that looks like a Raspberry Pi at first glance. But this little computer has a few special tricks up its sleeve.
Among other things, it has an integrated NPU with up to 6.75 TOPS of performance for AI tasks, two micro HDMI ports (one for output and one for input), and an M.2 2232 socket that can be used for storage or other add-ons. First announced more than a year ago, the BPI-M6 is now available for purchase with prices starting at around $89 + shipping for a model with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
The board measures 92 x 60mm (3.6″ x 2.4″) and features a Synaptics VideoSmart VS680 processor (also known as the SenaryTech SN3680), which features:
- 4 x ARM Cortex-A73 CPU cores @ 2.1 GHz
- 1 x ARM Cortex-M3 core
- Imagination GE9220 graphics
- Integrated NPU
The system features 4GB of LPDDR4-3733 memory and an eMMC flash module soldered to the mainboard – the system ships with a 16GB module but supports up to 64GB. There’s also support for a PCIe SSD and/or microSD cards up to 256GB.
Ports and connectors include:
- 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
- 1 x micro HDMI for video out
- 1 x micro HDMI for video in
- 1 x USB Type-C (for data and power)
- 40-pin header
- MIPI-DSI interface
- M.2 E-Key for PCIe or MIPI-CSI connections
When the board was first announced, it promised better-than-Raspberry Pi 4 performance, but now that the Raspberry Pi 5 is available, the key things setting this little computer apart are the M.2 connector, NPU and HDMI input, which could both make this an interesting option for video recording, transcoding, image recognition, or streaming applications.
It also has four USB 3.0 ports (whereas the Raspberry Pi 5 has two USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports).
Cool-Web.de has an unboxing, first look and analysis of the BPI-M6, and Banana Pi has posted a short video overview of the new computer’s features.
Bananas are expensive in comparison with what they offer. I’ve M5 spent same money, had to buy USB WiFi.
There’re more complete SBC for same price.
I wish one of these Raspberry Pi like boards would have built-in PoE by default.