Last Updated on April 1, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
MangoPi MQ-PRO:
- powerful RISC based computer
- up to 1 GB, the Raspberry Pi zero 2 w has only 512MB
- usb hub Raspberry Pi can be used with Mango Pi as well
- sound over HDMI does not work
- desktop software can be run on it
- Armbian runs, showed in the demo
- most software work on Armbian except for browsers
- the video playback is horrible
- it has only a one core cpu, in contrast to the zero w 2, and the video playback on the zero w2 is better
According to NicoD’s SBCs , who also made a demo on his YouTube channel how to install Manjaro on the Radxa Zero, which we discussed in our journal, MangoPi Pro is:
- a nice board, but not useful, not powerful, not cost efficient and not power efficient, but the device shows that RISC V processors can be used for computing RISC-V
Second opinion about this device from Learn Embedded Systems: MangoPi MQ-PRO Review: RISC-V Raspberry Pi Zero Alternative?
- The device costs on Aliexpress 20 USD, the Rasberry Pi 2 W currently costs around 100 USD, but we suppose it will come back to 15 USD
- Ubuntu server works on it and it is usable
- Is the device a Raspberry Pi Zero alternative?
- no, according to Learn Embedded Systems:
- it has the same form factor as the Raspberry Pi Zero, but the processor lacks behind the zero, it has only one core, and the device lack of graphics capability
Second device: MangoPi MQ-QUAD: A True Raspberry Pi Zero 2 Competitor?
- It has usb-c support, a 4 core with up to up to 1.5 ghz which is more powerful than zero 2, and often draws less power
According to Learn Embedded Systems it is a proper alternative to the Raspberry PI zero 2
NicoD’s SBCs shows us a demo which runs Armbian on the MangoPi MQ-PRO, which is great. He showed us how to install Manjaro on the Radxa Zero, but he did not show a demo how it runs on the Radxda zero. NicoD’s SBCs shows here an Armbian demo for the MangoPi MQ-PRO, but he says web browsing does not work and vidoe playback is horrible.
Learn Embedded Systems showed us a demo for the MangoPi MQ-QUAD and according to his view the device is a True Raspberry Pi Zero 2 Competitor. But he does not use it in desktop mode and runs for instance Armbian on it. He does not show us any demos of desktop applications on the device. He uses instead an Ubuntu server OS on the device which worked for him.
Conclusion of the Mediation Research Institute Switzerland (MRIS):
We think the second device could be a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 w alternative for us as well. But we do not know about how good the graphics is, the capabilities for web surfing and video playback, it is not discussed in the last video. Since we prefer a device which also works as a stand alone device and not only as a server, we stick to the Raspberri Pi zero 2 w for the time being, until we find a better alternative. The Raspberri Pi zero w 2 is sufficient for our purpose, although we would prefer a more powerful device, if one is available, but we did not find yet a convincing solution to replace the Raspberri Pi zero w 2 in our setup.
A Linux mini PC can also be run headless with for instance Ubuntu server and controlled via remote desktop software, for instance from an Android phone. If we want for instance to have a device which works similar as a sports watch, we can imagine to run it headless mounted on an arm and remotely controlled from an Android phone. But we prefer a device which can also be used as a stand alone device and as a desktop PC over a device which only runs in server mode.