Banana Pro Review
In an alternate universe, this board is probably called the “Banana Pi+”
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In our universe, I for one am glad to see this new board called the “Banana Pro” as it makes it clearly distinct from “Raspberry Pi”. (mind you, to my old eyes, Banana Pi was already clearly distinct from Raspberry Pi, as to me, bananas look (and sound… and taste) nothing like raspberries)
Is the Banana Pro following in the Raspberry Pi Model B+’s footsteps?
Not really. Sort of. Maybe. It depends on how you look at it.
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Sure, the Banana Pro has a 40 pin GPIO header, like the Raspberry Pi Model B+, but it is clearly descended from the original Banana Pi – just like the Raspberry Pi Model B+ descended from the Raspberry Pi Model B. In this respect, it could be said to follow the trend.
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To continue the parallels found in computer history, just like the original 26 pin Raspberry Pi GPIO connector has been adopted by many SBC’s, now it is the 40 pin ‘+’ style GPIO connectors turn. The parallels with the PC/XT and PC/AT ISA bus are striking.
In this article, I will be focusing on the differences between the Banana Pi and the Banana Pro, for a comparison between the original Banana Pi and various models of the Raspberry Pi please see my Banana Pi Review.
Full Disclosure: LeMaker supplied the Banana Pro I tested in this review, but please be assured my reviews are always unbiased!
Does the Banana Pro look like a Raspberry Pi Model B+ ?
Somewhat, but there are significant differences.
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First of all, the Banana Pro is physically larger – 92mm*60mm vs 85mm*56mm. Then there is the SATA connector, IR receiver, and of course, the chips are on top.
You can also see that the Raspberry Pi Model B+ has four USB ports, compared to two on the Banana Pro and Banana Pi.
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On the bottom, we see the WiFi module, and you can see most of the supplied antenna.
Review Index
Page 1: Introduction, Does it look the same?
Page 2: Closer Look at the Banana Pro
Page 3: Feature Comparison, Operating Systems
Page 4: Software Compatibility
Page 5: WiringPi, RPi.GPIO, Hardware Compatibility
Page 6: More hardware compatibility, WiFi Configuration
Page 7: Documentation, Benchmarks
Page 8: Power Utilization, Support, Conclusion
