[Updated Aug 12] — Hardkernel and its community Odroid project opened $149 pre-orders on an updated version of the open platform Odroid single board computer, featuring Samsung’s eight-core Exynos 5410 Octa SoC. The Odroid-XU runs Android, Ubuntu, and other Linux OSes, and offers features including an eMMC socket, two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI video, 100Mbit Ethernet, and more.



Due to ship Sept. 10, the Odroid-XU is currently available for $149, but will rise to $169 Sept. 1. An Odroid-XU+E version with four current and voltage sensors is available for $199.

The Odroid-Xu is the 13th iteration of the community-backed Odroid, which first shipped in 2009 with Samsung’s Cortex-A8-based S5PC100 system-on-chip (SoC), but it represents only the fifth major processor change, following the Cortex-A8-based S5PC100 and Exynos 3310 and the Cortex-A9-based dual-core Exynos 4210 and quad-core Exynos 4412. The latter SoC, which also drives Origenboard’s open platform Exynos 4 Quad Origen Board, was most recently represented by the Odroid-U and Odroid-U2, which were released in late 2012 clocked at 1.7GHz, with the U2 version bumping RAM up to 2GB.





Odroid-XU SBC top and bottom

(click images to enlarge)

The Odroid-XU is the first community board to support Samsung’s Exynos 5410 Octa SoC — the first eight-core mobile SoC, and the first to support ARM’s Big.Little load-sharing architecture. In the case of the 5410 model used on the Odroid-XU, you get four 1.6GHz Cortex-A15 cores and four power-efficient 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 cores, which are orchestrated to provide performance or power-efficiency when needed.





Odroid-XU SBC block diagram

(click image to enlarge)

The release of this 5410-based board is somewhat muted by Samsung’s recent announcement of a faster 5420 Octa model, which switches to an ARM Mali-6 GPU that Samsung says is much more capable than the 5410’s Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX544 GPU. In any case, the Odroid-XU’s CPU/GPU combo is still quite powerful, and capable of 1080p encode and decode and advanced OpenGL ES 2.0 3G graphics, which can be extended to “near” 3.0 support via Imagination Technologies API extensions.





Odroid-XU SBC edge view

(click image to enlarge)

The Odroid-XU ships with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, but offers no standard allotment of flash. A microSD slot is available, however, as is an eMMC 4.5 socket for up to a 64GB solid state drive. In addition, an optional SATA adapter that uses one of the board’s USB 3.0 ports — both USB 3.0 host and OTG ports are available — can support SSD and HDD drives.

Also optional via one of the board’s USB 3.0 ports is a gigabit Ethernet adapter, although the board comes standard with a 10/100 Ethernet port. An optional WiFi module can use any of the Odroid-XU’s four USB 2.0 ports. Other I/O includes a micro-HDMI port, a serial debug console, and a headphone jack.

— ADVERTISEMENT —







Odroid-XU comes with a translucent plastic case

(click images to enlarge)

The Odroid-XU runs on a 5V 4A power supply and comes with a clear plastic case, which brings the total dimensions up slightly to 98 x 74 x 29mm. The SBC ships in September with Android 4.2.x and a barebones Ubuntu server-based Linux configuration, but a full Linux BSP including OpenGL/OpenCL support is planned for the fourth quarter. The boards are supported with open hardware community features like forums, source code downloads, and documentation.

Specifications listed for the Odroid-XU include:

CPU — Samsung Exynos 5410 Octa (4x ARM Cortex-A15 cores @ 1.6GHz, 4x Cortex-A7 cores @ 1.2GHz)

GPU — Imagination’s PowerVR SGX544MP3 with OpenGL ES 2.0 (plus extensions for 3.0), OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenCL 1.1 EP

Memory — 2GB LPDDR3 (800MHz)

Memory/storage expansion: microSD slot eMMC 4.5 socket for up to 64GB SSD optional USB 3.0 module for SATA 3 adapter (2.5- or 3.5-inch HDD and SSD)

Wireless — optional USB module for 802.11b/g/n 1T1R WLAN with antenna

Networking — 10/100Mbps (“Fast”) Ethernet; optional USB3.0 to gigabit Ethernet adapter

Other I/O: USB 3.0 host USB 3.0 OTG 4x USB 2.0 host Micro-HDMI 3.5mm audio out Serial console (debug)

Other features — 4 current/voltage sensors with power analysis tool (Odroid-XU+E model only)

Power — 5V 4A

Dimensions: SBC — 94 x 70 x 18mm With case — 98 x 74 x 29mm

Operating system — Android 4.2.x; U-boot 2012.7; Ubuntu 13.04 server version (serial console only)

The Odroid community has not indicated whether it plans to support Samsung’s new Exynos 5420 processor, which ships this month, in a future version of the Odroid SBC. However, with all the many iterations of Exynos processors that Hardkernel and the Odroid community have pushed out in the past, an eventual upgrade to it would not be surprising.

The video below, in Japanese with English subtitles, shows the Odroid-XU being unboxed.





Unboxing the Odroid-XU

Pre-orders for the Odroid-XU are available for $149, and will rise to $169 Sept. 1, while the Odroid-XU+E model with power analysis sensors is available at $199, apparently in both pre-order and final versions. Both models are due to ship from Hardkernel Sept. 10, says the Odroid project. More information may be found on the Odroid-XU and Odroid-XU+E product pages, respectively.

