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Orange Pi 5 Plus vs Raspberry Pi Zero WH

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 Raspberry Pi Zero WH at 5.9/10.

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

The Raspberry Pi Zero WH leads on software support.

The biggest difference is performance, where the Orange Pi 5 Plus scores 9/10 to the Raspberry Pi Zero WH's 4/10.

Raspberry Pi Zero WH

Raspberry Pi Zero WH

5.9/10verdict: good, not the best

The Raspberry Pi Zero WH is for people who want a small, low-power board with GPIO ready to use straight away. It suits single-purpose projects that need Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and header-based add-ons rather than much processing power. It is not aimed at anyone who needs wired networking, fast storage or several services running at once.

Typically about £15.40 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

CriterionWeightOrange Pi 5 PlusRaspberry Pi Zero WH
Software support30%5/109/10
Performance25%9/104/10
Storage15%9/104/10
I/O and networking15%8/105/10
Value15%7/106/10
Overall7.4/105.9/10

Specifications

SpecOrange Pi 5 PlusRaspberry Pi Zero WH
Processor (SoC)Rockchip 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 NPUBroadcom BCM2835 with a 1 GHz single-core 32-bit ARM11 CPU and 400 MHz VideoCore IV GPU
Memory4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB (optional configurations)512 MB LPDDR2 RAM at 450 MHz
Storage optionsQSPI NOR flash 16MB/32MB, microSD slot, eMMC module socket (16GB to 256GB modules), M.2 M-key PCIe 3.0 x4 slotmicroSD slot only
NetworkingTwo 2.5G Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only via M.2 E-key module (not on board)2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 with BLE per Raspberry Pi (4.1 per The Pi Hut); no wired Ethernet port
GPIO40-pin expansion header (Raspberry Pi compatible) with GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, CAN and PWM40-pin GPIO header, pre-soldered on this model, 0.1in (2.54 mm) pin pitch
Video outputsTwo HDMI outputs, one HDMI input, HDMI 2.1 8K output, Type-C DP1.4A, MIPI DSIMini HDMI port and composite video (via 2 unpopulated pins)
Power inputUSB-C power input, recommended 5V/4A supply; no USB PD negotiation5V via micro USB port; two micro-USB ports, one for input power and one for external devices

Strengths and weaknesses

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 ›

Raspberry Pi Zero WH

  • + 40-pin GPIO header comes pre-soldered
  • + Same header as flagship Model B boards, so HATs fit
  • + Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
  • − Single-core 32-bit CPU with 512 MB RAM
  • − No wired Ethernet; 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only
  • − microSD is the only storage option

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need wired Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi
  • Anyone running several containers or VMs on one board
  • Users who want storage beyond a microSD card
Read the full Raspberry Pi Zero WH review ›

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