When comparing Google Coral vs ODROID-XU4, the Slant community recommends ODROID-XU4 for most people. In the question“What is the most powerful single board computer?” ODROID-XU4 is ranked 6th while Google Coral is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose ODROID-XU4 is:
Much faster than 10/100 as it contains a gigabit ethernet port.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Heatsink Included
Google Coral boards include a heatsink and a fan to ensure the MXU and the SoC are within optimal temperatures.
Pro Flash Memory Included
Unlike Raspberry Pi and some boards, Google Coral has a built in 8GB eMMC flash storage. Perfect if you want to flash another distro or if micro SDs are too unreliable.
Pro AI/ML Native
Google Coral SBCs are designed primarily for AI and ML in the edge. Each board carries a Edge TPU - a smaller version of Google's own ASIC chips used to power Google AI.
Pro Fast ethernet
Much faster than 10/100 as it contains a gigabit ethernet port.
Pro Great performance
The performance runs laps around competitors in terms of raw power with its impressive specs and octa-core processing.
Pro Includes cooling system
Includes fan and heatsink combo standard. Fan spins when CPU is load is high. Other single-board computers require a seperate purchase where fan runs constantly, has improper power supply, or requires complex setup for proper funtion.
Pro USB 3.0 ports
The ODROID-XU4 has two USB 3.0 ports. Making it one of the few single board computers to have them.
Pro Great OS support
ODROID supports and can run a full desktop version of Ubuntu. Other than that it can run Android, of which there are some excellent ports for ODROID-XU4.
Pro Supports eMMC 5.0 storage
Pro Includes a power button
Some single-board computers have no power button, requiring the power supply to be unplugged or customization to add a button.
Pro Fast processor and good memory capacity
It is very good for emulation.
Pro Fast processor and good memory capacity
Very good for emulation
Pro Practically very usable general purpose computer experience
Practically very usable general purpose computer experience with much lower power consumption when eMMC 5.0 storage is used for booting.
Pro Includes power adapter
Many single-board computers require you to purchase a power adapter separately.
Cons
Con Expensive
If you're tight in budget, Google Coral isn't for you. One unit costs roughly 150 USD - compared to Raspberry Pi 4 which is only up to 55 USD for the 4GB RAM model.
Con No third party distribution support
Based on documentation, there is no support beyond its own preinstalled distribution built exclusively for Google Coral. You're basically stuck with their own distribution.
Con 1GB LPDDR4 RAM only
There is no larger RAM option for Google Coral boards. You're stuck with the 1GB LPDDR4 RAM - which is comparably the same as Raspberry Pi 4 in its introductory price.
Con SD card corrupts
SD card corrupts easily with the XU4, use emmc for more stability but even then it is not that reliable. Also need to reimage the memory every so often.
Con No Audio CODEC
To get Audio out of the XU4 you need to use an HDMI device that has built-in speakers. A USB pdif will work, too.
Con Expensive
It’s expensive for a SBC, for ~$20 more you can get a faster x86 PC barebone.
Con No SATA port
Con Requires a separate power supply (no power via USB OTG)
Con Does not natively support most accessories and sensors on the market
The ODROID GPIO pins operate at 1.8V which means that it cannot support most accessories and sensors on the market which operate at 3.3V or 5V. But this can be fixed for the XU4 with the XU4 Shifter Shield which adapts them for voltages used in the market. It comes at an extra cost of $18 though.
Con SD card corrupts
SD card corrupts easily with the XU4, you can use emmc for more stability but even then it is not that reliable. You will also need to reimage the memory every so often.