Last Updated on August 5, 2026 by pg@petergamma.org
We want to use the Orange Pi 5 as our testing platfrom and as a laptop which runs Ubuntu. It is worth to run the Orange Pi 5 with an MVME drive as shown in the following videos. We decided to use the Orange Pi 5 as a platform for our developments (3 channel ECG, spirometer, OpenBCI, etc over user controlable PINS). But Ubuntu runs also very well on the Orange Pi 5. This makes it worth testing to use it as laptop. According to previous considerations, the battery to use the Orange Pi 5 as laptop should not be too big.
Ubuntu can run from MVME drive on the Orange Pi 5:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tg9Czlhpy8
But what is worth it to use it as a laptop is to add an MVME drive, since it is faster, as shown in the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtRby9lnykE
But the Orange Pi 5 still misses Wifi and Bluetooth. There is a module which is sold on Aliexpress which fits in the MVME slot of the Orange Pi 5. But then we cannot add an MVME drive anymore. The main problem with Bluetooth and Wifi seems to be the lack of drivers.
But there are driver free usb Bluetooth and Wifi dongles which should work:
But all of this needs to be confirmed and tested.
When we requested for it, TECHSTUDIO in Switzerland temporarily sold the Orange Pi 5. Now, no seller in Switzerland sells the Orange Pi 5 anymore. The only options are to buy it on Aliexpress and Ebay, or eventually directly from Orange. On the other hand, there are tons of Raspberry Pi s available from Digitec.
But after more than 500 posts about single board computers on www.petergamma.org:
https://petergamma.org/category/linux-pcs
We came to the conclusion that the Orange Pi 5 is now more interesting than the Raspberry Pi s. There where problems with
RASPBERRY PI SHORTAGE | What’s Going On!?!?!?!? for a very long time.
There where never problems which shortage of Orange Pi 5.
Such as shortage can happen again with Raspberry Pi s. So we decided for the Orange Pi 5, and we promote it here on www.petergamma.org.