Planet Computers XR Series: New mini PCs with Linux based on ARM

The British company Planet Computers has introduced two small Linux PCs with ARM chips, the XR1 and XR2. The two computers are not yet commercially available, but will be available via Indiegogo funded. The campaign started on February 26, 2023 and lasts 40 days. The company wants to collect almost 170,000 euros in total. The company presented the devices at the MWC 2023.

job market

1. IT team leader (m/f/d)
   andagon people GmbH, Köln
2. Junior system engineer product development active and passive EW systems (f/m/d)
   Hensoldt, Ulm

Detailsuche

Both models are 290 x 260 x 60 mm and have a color screen with touch function and a resolution of 1,424 x 280 pixels on the front. Users can use this to make various settings or start apps. The display also serves as an information screen about system parameters.

Both devices have a built-in RGB LED that can be configured and, among other things, can light up in different colors in the event of certain system alarms. The XR2 model is significantly better equipped than the XR1.

Both models come with Rockchip SoCs

The XR1 uses a Rockchip 3569 SoC, a 22 nm chipset with four A55 cores and a maximum clock speed of 2 GHz. The XR2, on the other hand, comes with a Rockchip 3588, an 8 nm SoC with eight cores (four A76, four A55) and a maximum clock speed of 2.4 GHz. The XR2 also has more memory, more RAM and a better graphics unit (Mali -G610) with 8K encoding and decoding. The XR1 can decode 4K, encoding only supports 1080p.

A mini PC from the XR series in action (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [1/8]

Both models run Ubuntu 20.04. (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [2/8]

The back of the better equipped XR2 model with four USB 3.0 ports (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [3/8]

Both models have a touchscreen on the front. (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [4/8]

The screen can display various information. (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [5/8]

PC functions can be selected directly via the display. (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [6/8]

The control panel with system information (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [7/8]

System information on the network status (Image: Martin Wolf/Golem.de) [8/8]

The XR2 also has an NPU with 6 TOPS, while the XR1’s NPU is only 0.8 TOPS. The XR1 has an HDMI output that supports 4K. The XR2, on the other hand, has two HDMI outputs (4K and 8K) as well as a VGA output. The device also has a built-in 4K capture card and, accordingly, an HDMI input.

Both models support WLAN 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. The XR1 has five USB-A ports (2x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0) and one USB-C port (USB 2.0), the XR2 comes with five USB-A ports (4x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0) and two USB-C ports (1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0).

The mini-computers run on Ubuntu 20.04 and should be easy to use even for inexperienced users without any further setup. Thanks to built-in stereo speakers and an internal microphone, the computers can also be used for telephony.

Prices currently start at 435 euros

Planet Computers is offering the XR1 during the financing from an early bird price of 435 euros for the model with 4 GB of RAM. The regular price is 564 euros. The XR2 is offered from 643 euros for the 8 GB model, the normal price for it will be 745 euros. Other models with more memory are available.

The funding campaign is a flexible target one; this means that Planet Computers will keep the money raised even if the campaign does not reach its funding goal.

Basically, supporters have to be prepared to lose their money even if the project is not implemented. Planet Computers has successfully completed the previous three crowdfunding campaigns and delivered the devices to the supporters.