Quad-core Android computers for under $35
The Raspberry Pi has changed the face of DIY computing, but there are Android-ready quad-core single-board computers available, some for under $35. Darren Yates explains.
If you’ve been reading us for a while, hopefully, you get the sense we like to do a lot of do-ityourself here at Masterclass Central, whether its hacking your Android phone, building your own Arduino projects or learning to code your own Python and Java apps. There’s no better way to learn about tech than getting your hands dirty, lifting up the bonnet and seeing what’s going on underneath. It’s this same philosophy that’s embodied in the Raspberry Pi single-board computers.
However, at up to $75 for a new quad-core Raspberry Pi 3 on your Australian door step, their continued popularity isn’t helping bring the local price down. Still, get creative and you’ll find a number of alternatives available, some selling for under $35 — and they’ll even run Android.
BATTERY POWERED
The Raspberry Pi 3 is a pretty decent board, offering a quad-core Cortex A53 SoC CPU, 1GB of RAM, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity, HDMI, four USB 2.0 ports and an active user community any product maker would die for. But while there are a number of excellent Linux distros available, fully-working Android releases to power your Pi are few and far between. You’ll find occasional homebrew Marshmallow and Nougat builds; however, at the time of writing, there still wasn’t a factorybacked Android distro for the Raspberry Pi. It’s a bit surprising, really, given the Pi 3 hardware is right in Android’s wheelhouse, being based on ARM Cortex-A53 core technology.
But one of the important things about DIY is making do with what’s available — that, and a little creative thinking. That’s why, if you head off to your local supermarket or Australia Post store, you’re likely to find some pretty useful alternatives with up to quad-core SoC CPUs, built-in screen, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, even built-in battery and Android operating system. OK, yes, I’m talking about budget pre-paid smartphones, but remember, these things are quad-core mobile battery-powered computers first. And they’re even better value when you see prices regularly under $35.
BOOST ZUME 5
At time of writing, local telco Boost Mobile was pushing its Zume 5, a rebadged ZTE B112 Telstra 4GX-locked phone with Android 6.0/Marshmallow, four-inch screen and 1GHz MediaTek MT6735P quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 SoC CPU. We found it on special for $34.50 at Coles and $39 at Australia Post. For that price, you can hardly expect a phone that’s going to trouble a Samsung Galaxy S8 — but for about 3% of the price of an S8, surely that hardly matters. What matters is that you’ve got a portable battery-powered touch-screen quad-core computer ready to use, built-in OS, storage and all, for quite a bit cheaper than you can buy a Raspberry Pi 3 locally.
When you compare what you get with the Zume 5 against the Raspberry Pi 3, it’s pretty decent value. Sure, there are things the Raspberry Pi 3 can do most budget phones can’t do, like HDMI video output, for example. But there are things the Zume 5 can do that the Pi 3 can’t, like built-in OS and storage, battery power, touchscreen, speaker and microphone, not to mention optional 4G phone connectivity. For $35, you’ll struggle to find anything close to offering the same functionality for the price.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you’re struggling for ideas of what you’d do with a $35 quad-core battery-