Banana Pi launches new single-board computer with extensive features

Banana Pi offers a wide range of single-board computers and has now introduced the Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro, a new and exceptionally well-equipped system. The networking features are particularly good, comprising a total of nine ports, although some of them are combined ports and cannot all be used simultaneously. Four Ethernet ports are on board with a maximum data transfer rate of 2.5 Gbps, plus both RJ45 and SFP connectors for 10 Gbps connections. WiFi modules, including those with WiFi 7 support, and mobile network cards can be retrofitted. A SIM card slot is also included.

The single-board computer is based on the MediaTek MT7988A, which has four Cortex A73 cores with a clock frequency of up to 1.8 GHz and can access (up to) 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. The eMMC flash storage, which is not a matter of course, measures 8 GB. This can be expanded via a microSD memory card or via M.2 SSDs. The connection of external storage media, simple accessories or input devices is possible via USB 3.2 and USB 2.0. However, an HDMI port is lacking, but this can be easily rectified through a USB to to HDMI converter.

The Banana Pi BPI-R4 Pro is suitable for a number of uses, such as cluster networks and robotics applications. But it is unlikely to be suitable as a replacement for a desktop PC. Information on price or availability is still pending.