Banana Pi BPI-M4 Matches Raspberry Pi Zero W Form Factor

The New Banana Pi BPI-M4 is another compact SBC in the Raspberry Pi Zero W form factor. It’s equipped with an Allwinner H618 quad-core processor, 2GB LPDDR4 RAM, and 8GB eMMC storage. The board offers mini HDMI output, two USB-C ports, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, a standard 40-pin GPIO header, and a 24-pin “Misc” FPC header for additional functionalities.

In recent years we have seen many boards in this form factor including the Mango Pi MQ Quad Orange Pi Zero 2W Radxa Zero 3W & 3E, RP2040 Pi Zero, and many other boards like this.

The Allwinner H618 is a quad-core processor featuring Cortex-A53 cores that can clock up to 1.5 GHz. It integrates a Mali G31 MP2 GPU, which supports a range of graphics standards including OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan 1.1, ensuring versatile graphic processing capabilities suitable for various applications.

When it comes to memory and other features the Banana Pi BPI-M4 Zero has 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM and an 8GB eMMC Flash, plus a MicroSD slot for storage. It features dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) and Bluetooth 4.2. The board supports 4K 60Hz output with HDR10 and HDMI audio through a mini-HDMI 2.0a port.

Additionally, it features a 24-pin FPC connector for USB 2.0, IR, 100Mbps Ethernet, extra GPIOs, UART, I2C, and PWM. It also includes a USB Type-C port, compatible with most Zero W cases and accessories.

Banana Pi BPI-M4 Zero specifications:

• SoC and Processing:
  • Allwinner H618 SoC
  • Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz, 1MB L2 cache
• Graphics and Video:
  • GPU- Arm Mali-G31 MP2 with OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1
  • VPU- VP9-10 Profile-2 up to 6Kp30, H.265 HEVC up to 6Kp30, H.264 AVC up to 4Kp30, H.264 MVC up to 1080p60
• Memory and Storage:
  • 2GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • 8GB eMMC flash
  • MicroSD card slot
• Display and Audio Output:
  • Mini HDMI 2.0a up to 4Kp60
• Connectivity:
  • Dual-band WiFi 5
  • Bluetooth 4.2 with external antenna connector
• USB Ports:
  • 2x USB 2.0 Type-C, including one OTG capable
• Expansion Options:
  • 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header (I2C, SPI, UART, up to 28x GPIOs)
  • 24-pin Misc FPC connector (USB 2.0, 100Mbps Ethernet, IR Rx, up to 9x GPIOs, UART, I2C, PWM, PCM/I2S)
• Debugging:
  • 3-pin debug UART (3.3V)
• Additional Features:
  • Power and Act LEDs
  • FEL and Reset buttons
• Power Supply:
  • 5V/3A via USB Type-C port
• Dimensions:
  • 65 x 30 mm

Banana Pi offers developers a comprehensive Getting Started guide, along with essential resources for the u-boot and Linux kernel tailored to the H618 processor. For more details, you can also refer to their Wiki page.

The Banana Pi BPI-M4 is currently available for purchase on Aliexpress at $28.90, excluding shipping costs. The board is also available on tannatechbiz.

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