Orange Pi Zero2 Allwinner H616 SBC runs Android 10 or Linux

Last year, Shenzhen Xunlong Software unveiled Orange Pi Zero2 SBC as an update to the popular Orange Pi Zero board with a faster Allwinner H6 processor, HDMI 2.0 video output, USB 3.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet, and WiFi.

Just one little problem: AFAIK they never sold it. But Orange Pi Zero2 board is now back with another design features instead equipped with a newer Allwinner H616 processor supporting Android 10, and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian.

Allwinner H616 SBC

Orange Pi Zero2 (2020) specifications:

  • SoC – Allwinner H616 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali G31 MP2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2 and OpenCL 2.0
  • Memory – 512MB or 1GB DDR3
  • Storage – 2MB SPI flash and MicroSD card slot
  • Video Output
    • Micro HDMI 2.0a port up to 4Kp60
    • Video composite (CVBS) via 13-pin header (See Expansion section)
  • Video
    • Decoding
      • 10-bit H265/HEVC up tp 4Kp60 or 6Kp30
      • VP9 up to 4Kp60
      • H264/AVC up to 4Kp30
      • AVS2 up to 4Kp60
    • Encoding
      • H.264 up to 4Kp25 or 1080p60
      • JPEG up to 1080p60
  • Audio – Analog stereo audio via 13-pin header, and digital audio via micro HDMI port
  • Network Connectivity
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • Dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 + Bluetooth 5.0 via AW859A module
  • USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x USB 2.0 interfaces via 13-pin header
  • Expansion
    • 13-pin header with 2x USB, analog stereo audio output, CVBS video output, IR input, 3x GPIOs
    • 26-pin IO header with I2C, SPI, UART, multiple GPIOs
  • Debugging – 3-pin UART header for serial console
  • Misc – Power & status LEDs, power key
  • Power Supply – 5V via USB Type-C port
  • Dimensions – 60 x 53 mm
  • Weight – 26 grams

Orange Pi Zero2 vs Orange Pi ZeroCompared to Orange Pi Zero, Orange Pi Zero2 offers a 64-bit Arm processor, more RAM up to 1GB, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 (no Bluetooth at all in Pi0), Gigabit Ethernet, and power via a USB-C port instead of a micro USB port.

There were lots of complaints about Allwinner XR819 WiFi module when Orange Pi Zero first launched, but hopefully, the new Allwinner AW859A wireless module will perform better. Thanks to a micro HDMI interface, Orange Pi Zero2 is not only reserved for headless applications.

Orange Pi Zero2 Pinout DiagramSomehow the company has made a habit to launch boards before the documentation and firmware images are available, and that appears to be the case of Orange Pi Zero2, which you can purchase for $15.99 with 512 MB RAM on Amazon US, and should soon be listed on the company’s Aliexpress store.

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16 Replies to “Orange Pi Zero2 Allwinner H616 SBC runs Android 10 or Linux”

    1. Does it even run? And I can’t imagine running Chrome (or any app with a web view) with that little memory.

    1. linux-sunxi has nothing working for it. There are people poking at it, but it’s at the beginning stages. Don’t count on anything but the BSP right now–and that’s usually garbage.

        1. They are usually based on an old kernel that was hacked to get Android running. Using them for plain Linux machines is a complete afterthought and often comes with a host of issues–security ones like dgp mentions–and functional ones as well.

          They are usually refered to as ‘code drops’ because the code is dumped and they walk away from it.

  1. Nifty, of the 16$ half is the RAM probably vs everything else for the rest. H616 can address 4GB.
    Fun fact RAM prices are down a bit, due to USA vs Huawei.

    On the diagram USB3 = 3rd USB.
    Is there a donwload-able and buid-able BSP? Where?

    1. I tried to install android on Orange Pi Zero 2 with PhoenixCards 3.1.0, 4.1.2 and 4.2.3. With 3.10 fail to burn, 4.1.2 burned but not boot at all, 4.2.3 in formatting state for ever. I followed the Procedure from OrangePi Manual, and both the image and Phoenix 4.2.3 were downloaded from OrangePi. The checksum for Image is matched.
      I changed different SD cards: 16gb, 32gb and repeat many times with different USB/Sd adaptors. But with no luck. I also tried with Ubuntu and Debian images, they are OK, video slow as usual, that’s why I need the Android. I have the OPI PC and OPI One Plus, both run video very smooth on Android.
      Please help.

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