New single-board computer pushes prices lower

We live in an incredible time where computers are cheap and plentiful. It's a time when anyone with a few bucks and a dream can buy a single-board computer and tinker away to their heart's content. The standard bearer in this market is Raspberry Pi, but its biggest advantage has long been price. For $35, people can get a Linux computer with just enough ports and power to run pet projects like home-built media boxes or drones. Many Raspberry Pi competitors exist, but they are usually more expensive with extra features. FriendlyARM goes the other direction.

The FriendlyARM NanoPi Neo Plus2 undercuts Raspberry Pi by $10. To keep things affordable, the NanoPi uses an H5 processor from Allwinner, a China chip maker. It also has 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 8GB of built-in eMMC storage and two USB ports. The Raspberry Pi has four USB ports and an HDMI port. Both use microUSB for power and have microSD card slots.

Raspberry Pi has been able to evolve over a few generations, growing its features according to what users want. Many people are using single-board computers for helping out with tasks on a home network like smart home automation or media playback. That makes the inclusions of something like an HDMI port pretty important.

FriendlyARM appears to have a slightly different demographic in mind, although the company is also targeting uses for the Internet of Things and the maker demographic in general. Users who don't need the few extra features of the Raspberry Pi might find saving a few dollars worth it.