Avaota C1: New single-board computer packs 40-pin GPIO in Raspberry Pi's form factor

The market is filled with plenty of single-board computers (SBC), with the Raspberry Pi being arguably the most recognisable amongst them. It should thus come as no surprise that various companies draw inspiration from its design, such as the makers of newly announced Avaota C1. Although this SBC is generally quite similar to the Raspberry Pi 5, it falls short in certain areas, such as memory configuration. According to official specs, the Avaota C1 can only be equipped with up to 1 GB of RAM. However, it does support up to 128 GB of eMMC storage and includes a memory card slot, which is practically a staple feature in SBCs.  

The Avaota C1 is powered by an Allwinner H618 processor with four Cortex-A53 cores. Whilst the system can technically function as a desktop PC, the limited memory may make running a standard desktop OS and multitasking an unpleasant experience. The SBC can output 4K video at 60 fps via its HDMI interface and also supports SPI display connections. Furthermore, it features a total of four USB-C ports, three of which are capable of serving as host interfaces for peripherals like cameras. Notably, the built-in 40-pin GPIO header allows users to install various add-on devices, including sensors. The documentation specifically highlights the option of adding a Gigabit Ethernet interface, which could prove useful given that the onboard Ethernet connection is limited to just 100 Mbit/s. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity is handled by an AIC8800DC chip. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.