Banana Pi Serves Up New BPI-M2 Pro SBC With Amlogic S905X3

Banana Pi
(Image credit: Banana Pi)

If you've had enough Raspberry Pi, it might be time to sample Banana Pi's latest single-board computer (SBC), the BPI-M2 Pro module. This new 65 x 65mm board is based on the Amlogic S905X3 chip.

The Amlogic S905X3 is a quad-core microprocessor capable of reaching speeds as high as 2.0 GHz. For graphics, it uses a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. The new Banana Pi SBC also comes with 2GB of LPDDR4 and a microSD card slot that can support up to 256GB, as well as16GB of eMMC flash onboard.

Users can opt to use both Ethernet and Wi-Fi for network connections. There's a Bluetooth module as well for connecting to wireless peripherals and more. The BPI-M2 Pro has HDMI output for both audio and video and two USB 3.0 ports.

Makers can make use of the 40-pin header for things like I2C, UART, SPI and PWM connections. The BPI-M2 Pro includes a power/reset switch for safely turning the device on and off. Note that it requires a 5V/3A power source.

Is this board a replacement for the Raspberry Pi? Not exactly, but it definitely stacks up against other SBCs on the market. Check out the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Pro Wiki page for more details about the new board. 

Exact release details have not yet been made available.

Ash Hill
Freelance News and Features Writer

Ash Hill is a Freelance News and Features Writer at Tom's Hardware US. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting.