Computers · single-board computer
Orange Pi 6 Plus
People recommend it for strong multicore CPU performance, large RAM and fast I/O for an ARM board. Critics agree its driver and kernel support lags, so it suits SBC tinkerers.
Summarized from 57 comments.
People recommend it for strong multicore CPU performance, large RAM and fast I/O for an ARM board. Critics agree its driver and kernel support lags, so it suits SBC tinkerers.
- recommend
- 18
- criticize
- 30
- months recommended
- 5 of 13
Why people love it
Strong multicore CPU performance · 4
this new Orange Pi 6 Plus is much faster than Orange Pi 5 Ultra and anything that came before
Dec 2025 · commentthis SoC's CPU is much faster than a mere Intel N150 (especially for multicore use cases)
Dec 2025 · commentthe high end of the performance is impressive
Dec 2025 · commentGood IO and large RAM · 2
this has much better IO than equivalent RK3588 compute modules / boards though
Apr 2026 · commentLooking back I should have bought many of those just for the 64Gb of RAM
Apr 2026 · commentCompiles software and future targets · 2
You can get any software to compile on this SBC.
Dec 2025 · commentIt allows you to build for what is coming.
Dec 2025 · commentWorks well in practice · 2
I can pick it up and take it outside with a USB battery pack and it just works.
Apr 2026 · commentit ended up working surprisingly well
Dec 2025 · comment
What people warn about
Weak driver and kernel support · 6
Hardware video decoding support for h264 and av1 just landed in 7.0 so it hasn't been a great bleeding edge experience
Apr 2026 · commentYet another board which will never have proper upstream support because the SoC vendor refused to implement the ARM BSA standard
Dec 2025 · commentNPUs like this tend to have one thing in common: being decorative without drivers and support 9 times out of 10.
Dec 2025 · commentVendor software support lacking · 5
Their approach to software support does leave a lot to be desired.
Dec 2025 · commentthey forked UBoot and did not release their modifications
Apr 2026 · commentIt's too much of a pain being limited in your distro choice because you are limited to specific builds.
Apr 2026 · commentPower draw and missing accessories · 4
this board seems to be using the CIX CPU that has power management issues
Dec 2025 · commentAnd here I was thinking the Pi 5 which idles at 3W was unreasonably high.
Dec 2025 · commentIt is still achieved with an add-on and not integrated into the board.
Dec 2025 · comment
What hackers pick instead
- Raspberry PiRecommended for its reliable long-term software support, huge community and flexibility as a small Linux box with GPIO, though critics say prices have climbed and performance-per-watt lags.425recommend
- Raspberry Pi ZeroPeople recommend it for low power draw, low cost, wifi, GPIO and a large body of online information. Critics point to limited I/O ports and scarce stock.77recommend
- NVIDIA JetsonRecommended for running AI models and robotics on a small, low-power board with strong GPU performance, though critics say software support is short and poorly maintained.28recommend
- Raspberry Pi 2Long-lived board that people run unattended for years; the older model still gives good value, though one critic found it struggled with heavy workloads.12recommend
- SpacemiT K3Fast enough for everyday desktop use, with RVA23 vector support and strong multi-core speed. Critics say it costs too much for what it delivers.12recommend
Every quote
The 40 most detailed of 57 comments. Each links to the original.
Hardware video decoding support for h264 and av1 just landed in 7.0 so it hasn't been a great bleeding edge experience
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
this new Orange Pi 6 Plus is much faster than Orange Pi 5 Ultra and anything that came before
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
this SoC's CPU is much faster than a mere Intel N150 (especially for multicore use cases)
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
I can pick it up and take it outside with a USB battery pack and it just works.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
this has much better IO than equivalent RK3588 compute modules / boards though
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
Looking back I should have bought many of those just for the 64Gb of RAM
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
Their approach to software support does leave a lot to be desired.
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
they forked UBoot and did not release their modifications
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
You can get any software to compile on this SBC.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
the high end of the performance is impressive
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
It allows you to build for what is coming.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
it ended up working surprisingly well
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
The orange pi has much better specs.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
Yet another board which will never have proper upstream support because the SoC vendor refused to implement the ARM BSA standard
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
NPUs like this tend to have one thing in common: being decorative without drivers and support 9 times out of 10.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
The problem isn't support for the ARM architecture in general, it's the support for this particular board.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
I would never buy one of these things without upstream kernel support for the SoC and a sane bootloader.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
It's too much of a pain being limited in your distro choice because you are limited to specific builds.
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
Stop buying this crap and maybe they will finally start focussing on doing more than shipping support
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
e-*ing-waste if you have to wait for manufacturer to provide supported images.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
Orange Pi 6 Plus's NPU is not even utilized due to lack of software support
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
this board seems to be using the CIX CPU that has power management issues
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
And here I was thinking the Pi 5 which idles at 3W was unreasonably high.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
It is still achieved with an add-on and not integrated into the board.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
The Orange Pi does not even come with a case, power supply or cooler.
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
Seems this machine is more powerful than it, definitely attractive to me for a physical aarch64 self host runner.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
Hdmi output on the vanilla kernel started to work thus year. Hdmi in still doesnt.
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
I had good experiences with the Orange Pi 5 (only problem was soft reboot hanging)
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
Bit of a mixed bag, but doesn't seem catastrophic across the board.
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
It's pretty hacky for sure but wouldn't classify it as useless.
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
there are use-cases where the Orange Pi 6 is the right choice
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
GBM/DRM Kodi supports HDR video on the Orange Pi 5 family
Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]”
the RK3588 SoC packs an impressive punch for what it is
Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “An ARM Homelab Server, or a Minisforum MS-R1 Review”
I am generally happy with my Orange Pi 5
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Every Single Board Computer I Tested in 2025”
$700-900 USD from what I see
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
And you'll get standard x86 architecture so you won't have to deal with ARM oddities or fight with non mainline kernels.
Criticizes · Jun 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 is a new SBC with 12-core CPU, 45 TOPS of AI power, 24GB RAM”
In trying to become everything, it stopped being the cheap little computer people loved in the first place!
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
I couldn't imagine recommending any of these boards to people who aren't already SBC tinkerers.
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
it's basically guaranteed that the board will be a useless brick a few years down the line
Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “OrangePi 6 Plus Review: The New Frontier for ARM64 SBC Performance”
the OrangePi 6 remains distinctly uncompetitive with SBCs based on low-end intel chips
Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “The Orange Pi 6 Plus”
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