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Banana Pi BPI-M5 vs Banana Pi BPI-R4: Comparison
Banana Pi BPI-M5 and Banana Pi BPI-R4 separate most on memory: Banana Pi BPI-M5 at 4, Banana Pi BPI-R4 at 8, 50% in favour of Banana Pi BPI-R4. They match on 4 other specifications, including cpu architecture, storage type and has ai accelerator / npu. On price, Banana Pi BPI-M5 sits at $65.00 against $189.00 for Banana Pi BPI-R4.
Specs
| Specification | ![]() | ![]() |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Banana Pi | Banana Pi |
| CPU Architecture | ARM | ARM |
| Memory | 4-50% | 8 |
| Storage Type | eMMC | eMMC |
| Has AI Accelerator / NPU | false | false |
| Wireless | WiFi 5 | WiFi 7 |
| GPIO Header | true | true |
| Price | 65 | 189 |
| Use Case | General Purpose | NAS / Server |
| Model | BPI-M5 | BPI-R4 |
| Processor | Amlogic S905X3, Quad-Core Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz | Quad-Core Cortex-A73 up to 2.0GHz |
Price comparison
| Retailer | Banana Pi BPI-M5 | Banana Pi BPI-R4 |
|---|---|---|
| Consumercarts listing | $65.00 View on Consumercarts listing | $189.00 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
Banana Pi BPI-M5
6.9 / 10 Expert Rating
A solid, GPIO-compatible Pi alternative for media and general tinkering, though the driver ecosystem needs more patience than the official Raspberry Pi line.
Banana Pi BPI-R4
8.5 / 10 Expert Rating
The strongest DIY OpenWrt router board for multi-gigabit fiber connections, if you actually have the bandwidth to use it.




