RISC-V expands to mini laptops. (Image Source: AliExpress)
Sipeed has just unveiled its Lichee Console 4A, a new mini laptop with an impressive 7-inch IPS touchscreen boasting a resolution of 1280 x 800. This device is powered by a RISC-V CPU with 4 cores produced by Alibaba and supports up to 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM as well as up to 2 GB NVMe SSD and 128 GB eMMC storage.
Mini laptops have been growing in popularity, and the emergence of Windows-based handheld consoles has been an interesting trend. Traditionally, these devices have relied on X86 processors from Intel and AMD to ensure maximum compatibility with the OS. However, with RISC-V processors now matching the performance of X86 ones but coming in at a more affordable price point, mini laptop makers are beginning to expand their portfolios to include this alternative architecture. Sipeed has taken the plunge into this new territory, offering the Lichee Console 4A mini laptop for pre-orders.
The Lichee Console 4A comes with a sleek 7-inch display, miniature QWERTY keyboard plus trackpoint, RAM capacity of up to 16 GB, and storage space of up to 2 TB. The T-Head TH1520 RISC-V-based processor produced by Alibaba, which is integrated on an LM4A single board, packs a punch with its four cores that boost to 1.85 GHz. The device also features a 1280 x 800 IPS LCD touchscreen, a 1080p webcam, 3,000 mAh battery, and Wi-Fi 6 + BT 5.4 wireless connectivity. It may only weigh 1.6 lbs (720 g), but its port selection is impressive, although the USB ports are a bit outdated. The Lichee Console 4A also comes with USB-C 3.0, USB-A 3.0, USB 2.0, mini HDMI, GbE, audio and a microSD card reader.
Sipeed is equipping the Lichee Console 4A with a Linux Debian-based OS, which supports programming with VSCode, office workloads, 4K video decoding, some retro gaming action, and even Steam support.
The prices for the Lichee Console 4A vary depending on the configuration. The barebones version without the single board, RAM, and storage is available for $252. The version with the RISC-V processor, 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM, and 32 GB eMMC storage goes for an additional $100. The most fully equipped version with 16 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC + 1 TB M.2 SSD is priced at $459. All variants are expected to ship in late December.
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