Rock Pi X: An affordable Raspberry Pi alternative with an Intel Cherry Trail processor that costs less than US$40

Spotted by Jean-Luc Aufranc of CNX Software on the Hackerboards database, the Rock Pi X is more than just another Raspberry Pi clone. Radxa has built the board on an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, an x86 and quad-core processor that can clock up to 1.84 GHz. The Cherry Trail CPU integrates Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), which can reach 500 MHz. According to information supplied to CNX Software by Radxa, the Rock Pi X will come in A and B variants that will each have three SKUs. The A and B variants will be distinguished in two areas. Firstly, only the latter will support up to IEEE 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 LE. By contrast, the Model A must make do with Gigabit Ethernet. Moreover, only the Model B will support an optional PoE that will connect via a HAT.

Both variants will feature 1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM though, and will measure 85 x 52 mm. In addition to an eMMC socket, Radxa will include a microSD card reader for adding expandable storage. Separately, the Rock Pi X will include one USB 3.0 Type-A port and three USB 2.0 Type-C ports. There will also be a USB Type-C port that will support power and OTG. As the photos demonstrate, the Rock Pi X will have a 40-pin GPIO too that will be compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs.

Radxa has confirmed to CNX Software that the Rock Pi X Model A will start at US$39 for the 1 GB version, which prices rising to US$49 for the 2 GB model and US$65 for the 4 GB variant. All Model B versions will be US$10 more expensive than their Model A equivalents. There is currently no word on availability, but we will keep you updated when we receive any information.