AAEON’s UP WCL is an upcoming credit card-sized single board computer (SBC) powered by an Intel Wildcat Lake processor up to the Core 7 350 hexa-core CPU paired with up to 24GB LPDDR5 and 256GB UFS storage.
The board also features an HDMI 2.1 video output, a 2.5GbE RJ45 jack, an M.2 Key-E socket for optional WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, three USB 3.2 ports, and a few wafers for I/O expansion.
AAEON UP WCL specifications:
- Wildcat Lake SoC (one or the other)
- Intel Core 3 304
- 5-core CPU – 1x P-cores @ 1.5/4.3 GHz (Turbo) + 4x LPE-cores @ 1.4/3.3 GHz (Turbo)
- GPU – 1-core Intel Xe3 Graphics @ 2.3 GHz (9 TOPS)
- NPU – 15 TOPS
- Intel Core 5 320
- 6-core CPU – 2x P-cores @ 1.5/4.6 GHz (Turbo) + 4x LPE-cores @ 1.4/3.4 GHz (Turbo)
- GPU – 2-core Intel Xe3 Graphics @ 2.5 GHz (20 TOPS)
- NPU – 16 TOPS
- Intel Core 7 350
- 6-core CPU – 2x P-cores @ 1.5/4.6 GHz (Turbo) + 4x LPE-cores @ 1.4/3.6 GHz (Turbo)
- GPU – 2-core Intel Xe3 Graphics @ 2.6 GHz (21 TOPS)
- NPU – 17 TOPS
- Common features – 15W PBP, 6 MB Intel Smart Cache
- Intel Core 3 304
- System Memory – 8GB or 16GB LPDDR5 on default SKUs (up to 24GB LPDDR5)
- Storage – 64GB or 128GB UFS on default SKUs (up to 256GB UFS)
- Video Output – HDMI 2.1 port
- Networking
- 2.5GbE RJ45 port
- Optional WiFi and Bluetooth via M.2 Key-E socket
- USB
- 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
- 2x USB 2.0 via wafer (See Expansion section)
- Expansion
- M.2 2230 E-Key socket
- 10-pin wafer (3.3V) with 2x I2C, 2x PWM, 2x SPI
- 10-pin wafer with 8x GPIO
- 10-pin header with 2x USB 2.0, 1x UART
- Security – TPM 2.0 support (fTPM)
- Misc – RTC
- Power Supply
- Input – 12V DC-in, 5A
- Type – AT/ATX
- Consumption (Typical) – 30~36W under load
- Dimensions 85 x 56mm
- Weight – 150 grams
- Temperature Range – -20°C to +60°C with active cooler
- Humidity – 0% ~ 90% relative humidity, non-condensing
- Certifications – CE/FCC Class A, RoHS Compliant, REACH
The six PCIe lanes of the Wildcat Lake SoC are used for 2.5Gbps Ethernet and the M.2 2230 E-Key socket, so it looks like there are still some spare ones that could not be used in the small board.
AAEON will provide support for Windows 11 LTSC and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The main benefits over previous generation credit card-sized UP boards like the UP TWL, are the high maximum memory capacity (24GB LPDDR5), faster UFS storage, HDMI 2.1 video output, and 40 TOPS of AI performance. Somehow, the 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header has not made it to the new UP WCL.
The credit card-sized Wildcat Lake SBC will also power the UP WCL Edge embedded system/mini PC. We had covered other Intel Core Series 3 Wildcat Lake industrial platforms such as the Advantech MIO-5356 3.5-inch SBC, as well as congatec conga-TC300 COM Express module, but the UP WCL is the first pro-hobbyist grade SBC to be announced.
Wildcat Lake availability
AAEON says the UP WCL and UP Nexus WCL (101.6 x 101.6mm, UP Squared Pro form factor) will be available in late Q3 2026, and in the meantime you can check out the UP developer boards page for preliminary information. I’ll cover the UP Nexus WCL in more detail once the board is launched.
This brings me to the actual availability of Wildcat Lake platforms. I’ve received emails about consumer-grade laptops or mini PC from companies such as CHUWI, Beelink, MINISFORUM, and others, but in many cases, they don’t have proper photos of the products or even a product page, let alone pricing information. Beelink has started contacting reviewers about test samples, so it’s a good sign that their mini PCs and NAS should soon become available. One of the first Wildcat Lake platforms that can be purchased/pre-ordered today is the Dell XPS 13 (DX13260) laptop going for $699.99 or $899.99 with an Intel Core 5 320 SoC, 8GB or 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 13.4-inch touchscreen display.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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