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ASUS Tinker Board S vs Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero: Comparison
What is the difference between ASUS Tinker Board S and Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero?
The first real difference is gpu model: ASUS Tinker Board S Mali-T760 MP4 against Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero Mali-400MP2.
ASUS Tinker Board S vs Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero: which one fits your build
The ASUS Tinker Board S is the one to take for digital signage and kiosk displays needing reliable boot storage and always-on embedded installs avoiding SD card failure, though it is the wrong buy for new projects needing current-generation performance and GPU-intensive or 4K video applications. The Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero suits extremely simple headless IoT or sensor nodes and learning basic embedded Linux at minimal cost, though it is not built for any workload needing more than 512MB RAM and desktop use or anything CPU-intensive. Avoid it for new builds where the Pi Zero 2 W's price difference is small. Our rating of the ASUS Tinker Board S (6.5/10): dated performance-wise, but the onboard eMMC still makes it a sensible pick for always-on signage and kiosk deployments. Our rating of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero (5.5/10): A functional, extremely cheap Pi Zero clone for the lightest headless tasks, but its 512MB RAM ceiling and dated CPU make the Zero 2 W or BPI-M4 Zero better investments for most new projects.
Which is cheaper, ASUS Tinker Board S or Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero?
The ASUS Tinker Board S asks 427% more, $79.00 against $15.00 for the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. Cpu architecture, gpio header, has ai accelerator / npu and wireless read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASUS Tinker Board S and Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero differ on storage type?
Yes. Storage Type reads eMMC on the ASUS Tinker Board S versus microSD on the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- ASUS
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Banana Pi
CPU Architecture
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- ARM
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- ARM
Model Number
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- Tinker Board S
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- BPI-M2 Zero
Memory
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- 2GB LPDDR3Best
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- 1 GB
Storage Type
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- eMMC
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- microSD
SoC Model
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- Quad-Core Cortex-A17 up to 1.8GHz
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Allwinner H2+, Quad-Core Cortex-A7 @ 1.2GHz
Has AI Accelerator / NPU
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- No
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- No
Wireless
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- WiFi 5
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- WiFi 5
GPIO Header
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- Yes
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Yes
Price
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- 79 USD
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- 15 USD
Use Case
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- General Purpose
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Ultra-Compact / Budget
GPU Model
- ASUS Tinker Board S
- Mali-T760 MP4
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Mali-400MP2
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASUS Tinker Board S if you want the higher memory (2GB LPDDR3 vs 1 GB).
Choose Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASUS Tinker Board S | Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Consumercarts listing | $79.00 View on Consumercarts listing | $15.00 View on Consumercarts listing |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
ASUS Tinker Board S
6.5 / 10 Expert Rating
Dated performance-wise, but the onboard eMMC still makes it a sensible pick for always-on signage and kiosk deployments.
Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
5.5 / 10 Expert Rating
A functional, extremely cheap Pi Zero clone for the lightest headless tasks, but its 512MB RAM ceiling and dated CPU make the Zero 2 W or BPI-M4 Zero better investments for most new projects.