The Best 5 Raspberry Pi Alternatives in 2023

Prologues

The best single board computer (SBC) is undoubtedly the Raspberry Pi, but due to chip and electronic component supply chain issues, it's sometimes hard for makers to get the Raspberry product they want, but there are a variety of alternatives to the Raspberry Pi that offer unique features and capabilities.

These alternatives can be used for everything from AI and VR support to industrial use or simply for smaller projects. With no new version of the Raspberry Pi expected until 2023, now is a great time to explore these options.

Rock Pi 4 Model C+

The Rock Pi 4 Model C is very similar to the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, with a 40-pin GPIO header that is almost fully compatible with Raspberry Pi products. It has a Rockchip RK3399-T SoC with more cores than the Raspberry Pi, but only two are high-performance Cortex-A72 cores. It has two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, MIPI DSI and CSI ports, and an onboard radio for dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, with a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired networking. Storage options include a high-speed eMMC card or a microSD card, both with a maximum capacity of 128GB. The board has two micro-HDMI ports, but only one supports 4K60 output. There are no M.2 slots for SATA or NVMe drives.

Specifications

Asus Tinker Board S R2.0

A few outstanding features make this board stand out for DIY electronics hobbyists, especially the color-coded GPIO headers that make it easy for makers to know which pin header is which. With an excellent processor and the 16GB eMMC speed, the Asus Tinker Board offers a strong capacity to help you accomplish a lot of DIY electronics projects.

Specifications

Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC(Le Potato)

As a reliable single-board computer (SBC), the Libre Le Potato is reliable, cost-effective, and packs a punch. For makers concerned about the potential high investment in an SBC, the Le Potato is definitely a good choice, and its storage capacity is infinitely expandable with MicroSD cards, making it an excellent choice for heavy users. While it may not break any speed records, this board offers a robust set of features.

Specifications

Pine64 Quartz64 Model B

The Pine64 Quartz64 has slightly lower specs than its competitors, using a Rockchip RK3566 system-on-chip similar to the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. However, it offers 4GB of memory as standard, with 2GB and 8GB variants planned. The Quartz64 has a strong community and supports multiple operating systems, and has an M.2 slot for high-speed storage, with the option to connect PCI Express devices. It has a single HDMI port with 4K video support, a MIPI DSI port for a second display, and a CSI port for a camera, albeit with a maximum resolution of five megapixels. The only drawback is the use of a 3.5mm barrel jack for power, which is less convenient than micro-USB or USB Type-C.

Specifications

Hardkernel Odroid-N2+

The Odriod N2+ is an excellent choice for advanced makers looking for a powerful and energy-efficient single-board computer to replace their desktop. It offers exceptional connectivity and can run the Petitboot application, making it a great option for those who need more performance than a regular SBC. It also supports multiple versions of Linux, including the latest Ubuntu, and is compatible with AndroidOS.

Specifications

Final words

It's so hard to buy Raspberry Pi products these days because of the global supply chain shortages, but there are a lot of great products on the market that excel at maker projects as well as what Raspberry Pi products do. Select the recommended products you like.

If you are a loyal fan for raspberry products, you can also check out elecrow's raspberry educational products and etc., elecrow provides a lot of great maker supported hardware like arduino and Raspberry Pi peripheral products, elecrow also provides makers with 3D printing, acrlic laser cutting, PCB assembly, PCB manufacturing, component sourcing services, choose the products and services you want and elcrow is happy to help.