New Product: ODROID-N2 Article at TechRepublic (plus comparison to Raspberry Pi 3B+)

For more general coverage of the ODROID-N2, check out this article from TechRepublic.com.

A few notes on the article (TechRepublic quotes in italic):

Thanks to being manufactured using a 12nm process technology, the [ODROID-N2] processors should be able to run at their top speed for longer before being throttled to reduce temperature.

ameriDroid: With the included integrated heatsink, the N2 is not expected to thermal throttle under anything except extreme conditions, as seen by this thermal test graph showing temperatures under load over a period of 9+ hours:

The downside is the Odroid-N2 lacks the wireless connectivity, both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, found on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+.

ameriDroid: While it is true that integrated wireless connectivity is great for casual network needs, users will find a wider band of protocols, better range, and better speed utilizing an add-on WiFi module like the WiFi Module 5A from ODROID.

The other obvious negative is that the Odroid-N2 is around double the price of the Pi 3 B+.

ameriDroid: At less than double the price (80-85% more cost than a basic Raspberry Pi 3B+), the ODROID-N2 offers:

• 200% more memory (utilizing faster technology than the Pi3B+)
• ~300% of the storage options (eMMC plus UHS-1 microSD support which are both markedly faster than the Pi3B+ microSD, plus 8MB SPI boot flash)
• ~1000% USB port throughput
• ~300+% Ethernet throughput (in addition, not shared with the USB ports)
• 150% the number of processing cores (all of which are clocked significantly higher and most of which are more powerful even if under-clocked to the same speed as the Pi3B+ cores)
• 400% of the resolution capability of the Pi3B+ (8M 4K vs. 2M HD pixels)

In addition to the above improvements, the N2 also provides the following features not available on the stock Pi3B+:

• Integrated audio DAC
• SPDIF audio support
• USB2.0 OTG
• Integrated RTC
• Integrated dedicated UART port
• Integrated IR receiver
• Integrated active cooling fan connector

Side Note: If adding just a quality DAC and the RTC functionality, the price of the Pi3B+ would already be quite similar to the price of the base N2, even disregarding all the other benefits of the N2.

On the flip side, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (also available at ameriDroid) is still a great choice if performance isn't a big factor and the following are needed:

• DSI connector (for dedicated LCD panels)
• CSI connector (for dedicated cameras)
• Full compatibility with Raspberry Pi specific 40-pin GPIO add-on peripherals
• The largest SBC user community
• Integrated WiFi / Bluetooth for casual use