Update 3/10 06:11
The Argon One video has been updated and the new name appears to the the Argon One Up and we get an answer to the question "How do we access the GPIO?".
Why the change of name? We're not sure. The original name, Upton One, was an obvious homage to Raspberry Pi co-founder and CEO Eben Upton. The new name, Argon One Up, isn't too radical but the laptop itself is still a radical idea. We've kept the old name in the original article for reference.
Packing the Compute Module 5 into a laptop chassis is a good idea, but what about the Raspberry Pi's killer feature, the GPIO? Originally we couldn't see any means to access the GPIO, but in the latest video we can see an add on unit which connects to two USB Type C ports. "Custom GPIO Module via a modified USB-C port" according to the Kickstarter preview page. Looking at the pinout, this does look like a Raspberry Pi 40-pin GPIO, and not a Raspberry Pi Pico, connected between the laptop and the user's project.
The Kickstarter is still "coming soon" so expect more information as we get nearer.
Original Article
Fresh from a post on the Argon40 forum which showed off the PCB for a new Argon40 Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 powered laptop, we've seen the Kickstarter page and accompanying YouTube video for the rest of the computer. The Upton One, which is seemingly named after Raspberry Pi co-founder and CEO Eben Upton, is a sleek laptop with the power of the Compute Module 5. Using the Compute Module 5 means that users should be able to configure their laptop RAM and eMMC by swapping out the CM5 module. If Raspberry Pi continues to use the same dual 100-pin high-density connectors (like it did moving from the Compute Module 4 to 5) then we could upgrade the Upton One when the Compute Module 6 arrives. For all of us who enjoy hacking around with the GPIO, I've reached out to Argon40 to confirm how the GPIO will be broken out of the laptop. Previous Argon cases have broken out the full GPIO via a hatch, could it be the same here?
So let's take a look around the Upton One and see what more information we can glean.
One second into the video and we can see the left hand side of the unit. Clearly visible is the stylized Upton One logo. There are three USB Type-C ports, a single HDMI port, and USB Type-A. So I was pretty close with my previous forensic analysis of the PCB. The case looks dark in color. In some shots, it appears grey, in others a dark navy blue. Case construction could either be aluminum or a form of heavy-duty plastic. Smart money is on aluminum as Argon40 has used it in its previous products.
Six seconds in and we see the laptop open, revealing an LCD display, highly likely to be around 14 inches in diameter. Just above the screen is a cut-out. Typically where a webcam would be, could there be a Raspberry Pi Camera Module v3 in there, or is it just a typical USB webcam? It also looks like there are microphones in the screen bezel.
Nine seconds, and we are on the right side of the keyboard, and going from left to right we can see an AV jack for audio and composite video output (I guess). Then we have a micro SD card slot, useful if you are using a CM5 without any eMMC or have chosen not to use NVMe storage. Two USB ports are present. They have dark-colored inserts, which could mean USB 2.0, but we hope that they are USB 3.0. Rounding off this side of the laptop is a Kensington lock point.
Now we get to the CM5 itself. Which is on the underside of the laptop with a long aluminum "heatpipe" that wicks away heat to the underside of the device. Looking at the CM5's position and the M.2 NVMe slot position on the PCB (the screw points are visible in the video), it seems that the NVMe storage also makes contact with the aluminum. We can't see any form of active cooling in the video, but there is what appears to be a fan intake next to the CM5, so there could be some active cooling. After all, the CM5 and Raspberry Pi 5 both run hot.
The keyboard looks like the usual laptop chiclet style keys, but the Windows key (sometimes called the Super key) has the Raspberry Pi logo printed upon it. Under the space bar is a large trackpad with no visible buttons.
The video doesn't tell us anything about the Upton One's power requirements. It'll likely use USB-C PD for power, charging a built-in battery via a controller and supplying power to the CM5, screen and other peripherals.
When will it arrive, how much will it cost? Those details are still to be announced but we will make every effort to secure a unit for a full review.
