5 More Popular Single-Board Computers for July 2026

Here’s a look at five of the more popular SBCs that bring powerful processors, AI acceleration, and expanded connectivity to the latest embedded and maker projects.

Single-board computers (SBCs) continue to evolve beyond the simple maker platforms that debuted years ago, as manufacturers outfit them with desktop and RISC-V processors, dedicated AI accelerators, faster networking, and high-speed expansion. Whether they're designed for edge AI, robotics, industrial automation, or general-purpose computing, today's SBCs pack more processing power in incredibly small footprints.

In this roundup, we look at five more popular single-board computers for July 2026.

Orange Pi 6 Plus

The Orange Pi 6 Plus is a tiny board that packs a ton of features. The board integrates a CIX P1 SoC with a DynamIQ processor that has 4x Cortex‑A720 big cores, 4x Cortex‑A720 medium cores, and 4x Cortex‑A520 LITTLE cores. In addition, it includes an Arm Immortalis G720 MC10 GPU, up to 64 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a neural processing unit (NPU) that drives up to 30 TOPS. Also in the mix are a pair of M.2 Key-M sockets for storage; one M.2 Key-E socket for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; dual 5-GbE networking; five display interfaces via HDMI, DP, USB-C, and eDP; two 4-lane camera interfaces; and more.

Radxa Orion O6N

The Radxa Orion O6N, a Nano-ITX SBC, is a less expensive version of the Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard launched late in 2024. The board is driven by a CIX P1 CD8160 SoC equipped with a 12-core DynamIQ processor that includes 4x Cortex‑A720 big cores, 4x Cortex‑A720 medium cores, and 4x Cortex‑A520 LITTLE cores. The board also packs an Arm Immortalis G720 MC10 GPU, up to 64 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and an NPU capable of delivering up to 30 TOPS.

AAEON de next-RAP8

AAEON’s de next-RAP8 is touted as “the world’s most powerful credit card-sized SBC,” as it comes equipped with Intel’s Core i7-1365UE CPU, depending on the model. Users can have their choice of processor, including Intel’s Core i3-1315UE, Core i5-1335UE, or Core i7-1365UE CPU, along with the Intel Iris Xe GPU and up to 16 GB of LPDDR5x RAM. The board also supports SATA and M.2 NVMe SSDs, features GbE and 2.5-GbE networking ports, a pair of USB Type-A ports, HDMI and eDP display interfaces, and more.

Cubie A7Z

Radxa’s Cubie A7Z is similar in size to the Raspberry Pi Pico, but it packs a powerful Allwinner A733 SoC. The board packs a dual-core Arm Cortex-A76, hexa-core Arm Cortex-A55, and a single-core RISC-V E902 real-time core, along with Imagination Technologies’ BXM-4-64 MC1 GPU and up to 16 GB of LPDDR4/4x RAM. Additional features include a microSD card slot, optional UFS flash, micro HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort video output, a Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.x wireless module, and more.

Geniatech XPI-7110

Geniatech’s XPI-7110 is another RISC-V-based SBC designed around the powerful StarFive JH7110 SoC. It contains an RV64GC quad-core RISC-V processor, an Imagination BXE-4-32 GPU, and up to 8 GB of RAM. The board also features multiple USB ports, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi/BT, GPIO, camera and display ports, and more.

Final Thought

Single-board computers continue to push into new territory, offering everything from powerful AI accelerators and multi-core processors to faster networking and expanded storage options. Whether they're destined for robotics, industrial control, edge computing, or everyday Linux projects, these latest platforms show there's no shortage of capable hardware for just about any project.

About the Author

Cabe Atwell

Technology Editor, Electronic Design

Cabe is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design. 

Engineer, Machinist, Cartoonist, Maker, Writer. A graduate Electrical Engineer actively plying his expertise in the industry and at his company, Gunhead. When not designing/building, he creates a steady torrent of projects and content in the media world. Many of his projects and articles are online at element14 & SolidSmack, industry-focused work at EETimes & EDN, and offbeat articles at Make Magazine. Currently, you can find him hosting webinars and contributing to Electronic Design and Machine Design.

Cabe is an electrical engineer, design consultant and author with 25 years’ experience. His most recent book is “Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits

Cabe writes the Engineering Life & Engineering on Friday blog on Electronic Design. 

See Cabe's cartoons & comic strips here.