Skip to content
sudopicks
esc

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO vs Orange Pi 5 Plus

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Orange Pi 5 Plus scores 7.4/10 overall, ahead of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO at 4.6/10.

The Orange Pi 5 Plus leads on performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

They score the same on software support.

The biggest difference is storage, where the Orange Pi 5 Plus scores 9/10 to the Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO's 3/10.

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

4.6/10verdict: skip

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO is for people who want a small, wireless board for light, single-purpose jobs. It suits builders who already have Raspberry Pi Zero cases or GPIO accessories to reuse. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs wired networking, fast storage or a lot of memory.

Typically about £23.93 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightBanana Pi BPI-M2 ZEROOrange Pi 5 Plus
Software support30%5/105/10
Performance25%5/109/10
Storage15%3/109/10
I/O and networking15%4/108/10
Value15%5/107/10
Overall4.6/107.4/10

Specifications

SpecBanana Pi BPI-M2 ZEROOrange Pi 5 Plus
Processor (SoC)Allwinner H3 quad-core Cortex-A7Rockchip RK3588 (8nm), four Cortex-A76 cores up to 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores up to 1.8GHz, Mali-G610 MP4 GPU, 6 TOPS NPU
Memory512 MB DDR3, shared with GPU4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB (optional configurations)
Storage optionsmicroSD (TF) card up to 64 GB; no onboard flashQSPI NOR flash 16MB/32MB, microSD slot, eMMC module socket (16GB to 256GB modules), M.2 M-key PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
NetworkingOnboard Wi-Fi 802.11n via AP6212/K016 (SDIO); no onboard EthernetTwo 2.5G Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only via M.2 E-key module (not on board)
GPIO40-pin header, pin-compatible with Raspberry Pi 340-pin expansion header (Raspberry Pi compatible) with GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, CAN and PWM
Video outputsMini HDMI 1.4, 1080p30 output; decodes 1080p60 H.264, encodes 1080p30 H.264Two HDMI outputs, one HDMI input, HDMI 2.1 8K output, Type-C DP1.4A, MIPI DSI
Power inputMicro USB, 5V/2AUSB-C power input, recommended 5V/4A supply; no USB PD negotiation

Strengths and weaknesses

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

  • + Pin-compatible 40-pin GPIO header, matching Raspberry Pi 3
  • + Onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi
  • + Owners report Raspberry Pi Zero cases and accessories fit
  • − No onboard Ethernet; wired networking only via GPIO
  • − 512 MB of RAM, shared with the GPU
  • − microSD only, with a single USB 2.0 OTG port

Skip it if:

  • Anyone who needs onboard wired Ethernet or gigabit networking
  • Buyers wanting NVMe, M.2 or storage beyond a 64 GB microSD card
  • Homelabbers planning several containers or VMs on more than 512 MB of RAM
Read the full Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO review ›

Orange Pi 5 Plus

  • + Dual 2.5GbE ports and an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
  • + RK3588 with RAM options up to 32GB
  • + Owners praise its low price for the hardware
  • − Mainline Linux is listed as not supported
  • − Heavy sustained loads need a heatsink or active cooling
  • − Wi-Fi and Bluetooth need an extra M.2 E-key module

Skip it if:

  • Beginners who want Raspberry Pi level software polish and community help
  • Anyone who needs mainline Linux support
  • Buyers who need built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth without adding a module
Read the full Orange Pi 5 Plus review ›

More comparisons

Compare all single-board computers · Best single-board computers