The Raspberry Pi has sparked few competitors, especially those with similar specs and form factor. But this deal on Amazon for an Iconikal Rockchip SBC not only stands up to the Raspberry Pi 3, but does so at less than 1/3 of the original price point. Not only do you get the SBC, but the offer also includes things like an LCD panel and a 16 GB microSD card.
This board is not as powerful as the current-gen Raspberry Pi 4. However, it does hold up as a worthy competitor to the Raspberry Pi 3 boards. The SBC uses an RK3328 64-bit CPU and comes with 1 GB of LPDDR3. According to CamelCamelCamel, the price for the package has yet to exceed $7.99.
The processor can reach speeds up to 1.5 GHz and has a total of four cores. It uses a Mali-450MP2 chip for graphics. Like the Raspberry Pi, it features a 40-pin GPIO header and has a similar form factor measuring in at 85mm x 56mm.
Unlike the Pi 3, there is no WiFi support, but you can easily correct this with an adapter or use the provided Ethernet port. There are two USB 2.0 ports and a USB 3.0 port. The board can support a microSD card up to 256 GB and uses a 5V/3A power adapter. Instead of connecting via USB, the power adapter has a dedicated jack.
This package is currently sold on Amazon under the brand name Iconikal. However, reviews on Amazon have advised buyers the package arrives with labeling from Recon Sentinal. The SBC depicted in the offer looks identical to the Rock64 board offered on the Pine64 website sold at a lower price under a new name.
The listing is already sold out, but you can check back on Amazon to see when they're in stock again.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
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R_1 As soon as the article came out I checked then out and they were out of stock. Guess what? They're back and they are 15 dollars but I got mine oredered, get em while you can, this is a good deal.Reply -
R_1 GetSmart said:Actually that's 16 bucks, with less one cent... ;)
at the time of my purchase and the post, it was $14.99, has gone up a bit, I'm grabbing another wile I can. -
bootdsc Alright so i ordered one and what got delivered was a bit unexpected. It's not just a bare sbc but comes assembled in a case, in fact its this device https://www.reconsentinel.com/ and looks to be some kind of honeypot network appliance. The sd card it comes with is a fake sandisk(can tell from the low res printing) and it has arch preinstalled with the networksentinel software already setup. Do not plug this into your network, its a complete unknown and so far i haven't found anyone whos heard of the device or the service provider. It does look like a well build if not very generic SBC and it has a IR port and emmc port. The price keeps jumping up likely due to the article here. It's completely irresponsible of Tom's Hardware to promote a device they clearly have not investigated in the slightest.Reply -
R_1 bootdsc said:Alright so i ordered one and what got delivered was a bit unexpected. It's not just a bare sbc but comes assembled in a case, in fact its this device https://www.reconsentinel.com/ and looks to be some kind of honeypot network appliance. The sd card it comes with is a fake sandisk(can tell from the low res printing) and it has arch preinstalled with the networksentinel software already setup. Do not plug this into your network, its a complete unknown and so far i haven't found anyone whos heard of the device or the service provider. It does look like a well build if not very generic SBC and it has a IR port and emmc port. The price keeps jumping up likely due to the article here. It's completely irresponsible of Tom's Hardware to promote a device they clearly have not investigated in the slightest.
they mention the retcon sentinel in the article. Down towards the end, even a link.
I like mine, I cut a couple holes in the case it comes with to allow HDMI out and SD swapping. makes a great little android tv setup.
I rewired one of the LCDs for my Pi4, GPIO pins are different. -
GetSmart ETA Prime checks out that Iconikal SBC here KHsPYea1D58View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHsPYea1D58 🤠Reply