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Chinese PC maker HIGOLE has a history of releasing small desktop computers with built-in touchscreen displays. And while most are powered by Intel processors, a few years ago the company launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for a GOLE1 R mini PC with a 5.5 inch touchscreen display and a Rockchip RK3588 processor.
The Kickstarter campaign was a flop: only 11 people backed the project. But it looks like HIGOLE may have found a new use for the hardware: the company is now selling the motherboard from the R1 as a SBC (single-board computer) that comes bundled with a display – basically it’s a build-your-own GOLE1 R kit that’s available from AliExpress for $198.
Rockchip’s RK3588 processor has proven popular with SBC makers in recent years, and the chip features four ARM Cortex-A76 CPU cores with speeds up to 2.4 GHz, four Cortex-A55 cores that top out at 1.8 GHz, Mali-G610 MP4 graphics, and a neural processing unit with up to 6 TOPS of AI performance.
HIGOLE’s board pairs the processor with 8GB of LPDDR4 memory, and 238GB of eMMC storage, along with a decent set of ports and connectors including:
- 1 x HDMI 2.1 output
- 1 x HDMI 1.4 input
- 1 x MIPI-DSI display connector
- 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- 1 x USB Type-C (for power, video, and USB)
- 1 x RJ45 (Gigabit Ethernet)
- 1 x 3.5mm audio
- 1 x microSD card reader
While the GOLE1 R was said to support WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, I can’t tell if the HIGOLE RK3588 SBC has wireless capabilities or if you’ll need to use a USB adapter if you want to add WiFi or Bluetooth.
The board measures 5.6″ x 3.6″ and HIGOLE says the little computer supports Android 11 or Linux.
Update: This incorrectly stated that a 4GB/128GB version of the board was available for under $40, but it looks like that’s the price for just the 5.5 inch display kit. The article has been updated to reflect that the price for a bundle with the SBC + display + power adapter is available for about $200.
The problem with these boards are software and driver support. No matter how good the hardware (at least on the paper) is, it’s a waste of time and money when there’s no good software support for them.
Prolly comes with the obligatory Pooh-Bear back door. Avoid 🙁
This is hardware, not software — where do you suppose there is a backdoor?
@Robert said: “This is hardware, not software — where do you suppose there is a backdoor?”
Firmware. If you don’t believe me I can show you an ASUS VivoBook Flip 12 laptop (P/N: TP202NA-OB04T, S/N: J7N0GR01E971274) that has the UEFI Bios locked down so -NO- OS can be loaded except Microsoft Windows.
That’s the big problem with Aliexpress, they display à price which is not the one you get, when looking deeper.
I’m turning away from the site because of this.
AliExpress page has the screen from the bundle by itself for $40, the bundle is about $200, and has the screen, the board, and AC adapter.
Whoops, looks like I misread the purchase options. I’ve updated the article to reflect this. The product listing is confusing, since the title appears to mention a non-existent 4GB/64GB configuration (along with something about an Intel processor).
When looking at the AliExpress page, it looks like the bundle with the 8GB/128GB board, a power brick, and a screen is €240.39 (including EU tax), and just a 5.5″ screen for €47.99, but no information about the 4GB/32GB model…
Or did I miss some link?