NanoPi M6: RK3588S SoC-Based SBC with Mali-G610 GPU, 8K Video Support, and LPDDR5 RAM Options

The NanoPi M6 is an open-source single-board computer (SBC) developed by FriendlyElec, built around the Rockchip RK3588S SoC. It integrates a quad-core Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 CPU setup along with the Mali-G610 MP4 GPU for graphics processing. The board supports up to 32GB of 64-bit LPDDR5 RAM and provides storage options through an eMMC flash socket and a microSD card slot. It is compatible with operating systems such as FriendlyWrt, Android, Debian, and Ubuntu, making it well-suited for both embedded and headless system applications.

For hardware expansion, the NanoPi M6 includes a 30-pin header that exposes interfaces like GPIO, I2C, I2S, PWM, and SPI for secondary development. It also features an M.2 M-Key PCIe slot for SSD storage, one HDMI port for video output, and supports 8K video decoding at 60fps (H.265/VP9) and 30fps (H.264). With its compact dimensions of 90 x 62 mm, the board is optimized for high-performance applications, and it comes with an optional metal case and a 3.5-inch integrated LCD for enhanced functionality.

We’ve previously covered several RK3588S-based single-board computers, including the Khadas Edge2, Youyeetoo Cyboboard R1, Idea3588S, and others. If you’re interested, feel free to check them out.

The NanoPi M6 specification:

• SoC: Rockchip RK3588S
  • CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A76  up to 2.4GHz and Quad-core Cortex-A55 up to 1.8GHz
  • GPU: Mali-G610 MC4, compatible with OpenGLES 1.1, 2.0, and 3.2, OpenCL up to 2.2 and Vulkan1.2
  • VPU
    • 8K@60fps H.265 and vPg decoder
    • 8K@30fps H.264 decoder
    • 4K@60fps AV1 decoder
    • 8K@30fps H.264 and H.265 encoder
  • NPU: 6TOPs, supports INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16
• Memory: 4GB/16GB/32GB 64-bit LPDDR5 @2400MHz
• Storage
  •  1x M.2 M-Key 2280 connector with PCle 2.1 for NVMe SSD
  • 1x eMMC module socket supports HS400 mode
  • 1x microSD Slot support up to SDR104 mode
•  Display: 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD with 800×480 resolution and capacitive touchscreen connected to one of the MIPI DSI connectors (optional)
• Video
  • 1x HDMI 2.1 up to 7680 x 4320@60Hz support RGB/YUV (up to 10bit) format
  • 2x 4-lane MIPl-DSl, compatible with MIPI DPHY 2.0 or CPHY 1.1
• Audio
  • 3.5mm jack for stereo headphone output
  • 1x 2.0mm PH-2A connector for analog microphone input
• Camera
  • 1x 4-lane MIPI-CSI V1.2
  • 1x 4-lane MIPI-CSI D/C PHY
• Networking
  • 1x Native Gigabit Ethernet port with RTL8211F chip
  • 1x M.2 E-key 2230 connector with PCle 2.1 x 1 and USB 2.0 Host for WiFi and Bluetooth
• USB
  • 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port
  • 2x USB 2.0 Type-A port
• Expansion:
  • 30-pin 2.54mm header with
    • up to 1x SPI
    • 6x UARTS
    • 3xI2Cs
    • 1x SPDIFS
    • 4xPWMs
    • 20x GPIOs
  • 1 x Debug UART header, 3V level, 1500000bps
• LED and buttons:
  • 1x Red SYS LED and 1x green LAN1 LED
  • 1x Power button, 1x Recovery button
  • 1x MASK button, 1x Reset button
• Miscellaneous
  • RTC Battery: 2 Pin 1.27/1.25mm RTC battery input connector for low power RTC IC HYM8563TS
  • 1x Fan connector
• Power: 6V~20V input via USB-C with PD support
• Temperature range: 0°C to 70°C operating temperature
• Dimenion and weight: 8-Layer PCB
  • 62 x 90 x 1.6mm (without case) | 52 gm
  • 68 x 94.5 x 30mm (with metal case) | 252 gm
  • 68 x 99 x 31mm (with LCD case) | 275 gm

The NanoPi M6 supports multiple operating systems, including Android 12 (Tablet and TV), Buildroot, Debian Bookworm Core, Debian Bullseye Desktop, FriendlyCore Focal, FriendlyWrt (21.02, 23.05), OpenMediavault, and Ubuntu (Focal Desktop, 22.04, and upcoming 24.04). It runs on Linux kernel 6.1-LTS and uses U-Boot for boot management. Detailed information is available in the official wiki.

The NanoPi M6 is priced at $70 for the base model with 4GB of RAM. Upgrade options include 16GB of RAM for an additional $30 or 32GB for $80 more. Customers can purchase the board alone or add a metal case for $20, or a metal case with an integrated LCD for $45. eMMC storage modules are available separately, priced at $8 for 32GB and $10 for 64GB. Similar configurations and pricing are also available on Amazon.

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