Every Single Board Computer I Tested in 2025
This comprehensive review dissects fifteen single-board computers from 2025, spanning budget to high-end models and diverse architectures. It highlights the emergence of new SoC powerhouses like CIX P1 and Qualcomm, while noting the significant impact of rising RAM costs on pricing. Hacker News enthusiasts will appreciate the deep technical analysis and comparative data on this rapidly evolving hardware segment.
The Lowdown
In a detailed retrospective, the author reviews 15 single-board computers (SBCs) released in 2025, offering a comprehensive look at the year's innovations and market trends. These boards, from eight different manufacturers, covered a price range of $42 to $590, showcasing impressive variety and technological advancements.
- Market Dynamics: 2025 saw the arrival of RISC-V boards, Qualcomm's significant entry into the SBC space, and a new SoC vendor, CIX, turning heads with impressive performance. Arduino also surprised with its own SBC offering.
- Budget Boards (Under $50): The Radxa Cubie A7A emerged as the standout, offering 6GB LPDDR5 and strong benchmarks for $45. Other notable entries included RISC-V options like the StarFive VisionFive 2 Lite and Orange Pi RV/RV2, and the unexpected Arduino UNO Q.
- Mid-Range Boards ($50-$100): This segment was dominated by Rockchip's RK3576 on boards like the Radxa ROCK 4D and ArmSoM CM5. The Radxa Dragon Q6A, featuring a Qualcomm QCS6490, offered exceptional performance-per-dollar, nearly matching Raspberry Pi 5 single-core scores at $70. The Banana Pi R4 carved a niche as a networking-focused board.
- High-End Boards ($100+): The CIX P1 SoC, found in the Radxa Orion O6N and Orange Pi 6 Plus, delivered monster multi-core performance, making it the breakout SoC of the year. Raspberry Pi iterated with the 500+, a refined version with NVMe, while the Radxa Fogwise Airbox Q900 represented the high-cost, niche edge AI market.
- RAMageddon: A major theme was the rising cost of LPDDR4 and LPDDR5 memory, driven by the AI boom, which led to price increases across the industry, including Raspberry Pi's lineup.
Overall, 2025 was a year of increased competition and specialization within the SBC market, with new players and architectures pushing boundaries, though rising component costs posed a challenge for manufacturers and consumers alike.