RK3588S
Same CPU, GPU, NPU and video engines as RK3588 in a smaller package with fewer high-speed pins. It has no PCIe 3.0 x4 controller and no HDMI input, and it exposes fewer display and Ethernet ports. Popular for compact SBCs and handhelds.
- Same compute as RK3588
- 6 TOPS NPU
- 8K video
- Smaller, cheaper package
- PCIe 2.1 lanes only
Specifications
| Architecture | ARMv8.2-A, DynamIQ big.LITTLE |
|---|---|
| CPU | 4× Cortex-A76 up to 2.4 GHz + 4× Cortex-A55 up to 1.8 GHz |
| GPU | Arm Mali-G610 MP4 |
| NPU | 6 TOPS (INT8), 3 cores |
| Memory | LPDDR4 / LPDDR4X / LPDDR5, up to 32 GB |
| Storage | eMMC 5.1, SD 3.0, SPI flash, SATA / NVMe via PCIe 2.1 combo PHY |
| Video decode | 8K@60 H.265 / VP9 / AV1 |
| Video encode | 8K@30 H.264 / H.265 |
| Display | HDMI 2.1 ×1, DP 1.4 (via USB-C), MIPI DSI ×2; up to 4 displays in total |
| Camera / ISP | 48 MP ISP, MIPI CSI-2 inputs |
Interfaces
| PCIe | PCIe 2.1 x1 lanes via combo PHY (no PCIe 3.0 x4 controller) |
|---|---|
| USB | USB 3.1 Gen1 (Type-C/DP), USB 3 host via combo PHY, USB 2.0 host |
| Ethernet | 1× GMAC (RGMII); more ports via PCIe NICs |
| SATA | SATA 3.0 via combo PHY |
| MIPI | MIPI CSI-2 inputs, MIPI DSI ×2 |
| I2C / SPI / UART | Similar controller set to RK3588; available count depends on package pin-out |
| Other | CAN, I2S, PWM, SARADC |
Interface counts depend on pin-muxing and combo-PHY configuration. Verify against the official RK3588S datasheet / TRM.
Development
Shares the RK3588 BSP; board DTS files include rk3588s.dtsi.
Same Android SDK as RK3588.
Mainline and vendor U-Boot support; same rkbin DDR blobs as RK3588.
Mind the pin-out differences. Nodes that exist in rk3588.dtsi (pcie3x4, hdmi1, hdmirx) do not exist on RK3588S.
Rockchip Linux SDK and upstream Buildroot board configs.
meta-rockchip.
Operating systems
Typical use cases
- Compact SBCs
- Handheld / portable devices
- Edge AI cameras
- Thin clients
RK3588S Tutorials
Android Kiosk Mode on Rockchip Devices (Lock Task, Device Owner, Boot to App)
Turn a Rockchip Android board into a single-purpose kiosk: device-owner provisioning, lock-task mode, booting straight into your app, and what to bake into the ROM instead.
Build Mainline U-Boot for Rockchip (RK3588, RK3568, RK3399)
Build a mainline U-Boot image with TF-A and the Rockchip DDR blob, then write it to SD, eMMC or SPI flash.
Build the Rockchip Linux Kernel (Vendor BSP and Mainline)
Cross-compile a Rockchip kernel on an x86 host, install the Image, DTB and modules, and know when to choose the vendor BSP or mainline.
Configure GPIO on Rockchip: Pin Numbering, Device Tree and libgpiod
Convert GPIO3_B5-style names to Linux line numbers, drive pins with libgpiod, and describe them properly in the device tree with pinctrl and overlays.
Convert YOLO to RKNN and Run It on the RK3588 NPU
Export YOLO to ONNX, quantise and convert it to .rknn with RKNN-Toolkit2 on an x86 host, then run it on the board with RKNN-Toolkit-Lite2, using all three RK3588 NPU cores.
Flash Any Rockchip Board with rkdeveloptool (Linux & macOS)
Build rkdeveloptool from source, set up udev permissions, and flash raw images, partitions and SPI flash on Rockchip boards.
How to Identify a Rockchip SoC (from Linux, U-Boot, USB or the Chip Marking)
Five quick ways to find out exactly which Rockchip SoC and board you are dealing with, even on an unknown device.
RK3588 PCIe Not Detecting NVMe: A Step-by-Step Debug Checklist
NVMe missing from lsblk? Work through software, device tree, power/reset and signal integrity in the right order to find why the PCIe link isn't training.
Rockchip Boot Process Explained: BootROM, TPL, SPL, BL31, U-Boot and Linux
A stage-by-stage walkthrough of how a Rockchip SoC boots, where each piece lives on flash, and how to tell from the serial log which stage failed.
Boards using RK3588S
Orange Pi 5
Shenzhen Xunlong (Orange Pi)
- RAM4 / 8 / 16 / 32 GB LPDDR4/4X
- Ethernet1× Gigabit
- PCIeM.2 M-key PCIe 2.0 x1
FriendlyElec NanoPi R6S
FriendlyElec
- RAM8 GB LPDDR4X
- Ethernet2× 2.5 GbE + 1× Gigabit
- PCIeNone exposed
Khadas Edge2
Khadas
- RAM8 / 16 GB LPDDR4X
- EthernetNone onboard (via expansion)
- PCIeVia expansion connector
Radxa CM5
Radxa
- RAM4 / 8 / 16 GB LPDDR4X
- EthernetGigabit PHY on module
- PCIePCIe lanes routed to board-to-board connectors
Compare RK3588S
RK3588S FAQ
What CPU does the RK3588S have?
The RK3588S uses 4× Cortex-A76 up to 2.4 GHz + 4× Cortex-A55 up to 1.8 GHz (ARMv8.2-A, DynamIQ big.LITTLE), built on a 8 nm process.
Does the RK3588S have an NPU, and how many TOPS?
Yes. The RK3588S NPU is rated at 6 TOPS (INT8), 3 cores. Models are converted to .rknn with RKNN-Toolkit2 and run with the RKNN runtime.
What memory does the RK3588S support?
LPDDR4 / LPDDR4X / LPDDR5, up to 32 GB.
Does the RK3588S support PCIe and NVMe SSDs?
Yes: PCIe 2.1 x1 lanes via combo PHY (no PCIe 3.0 x4 controller). NVMe SSDs work on PCIe lanes routed to an M.2 M-key slot, provided the controller, PHY, power and reset are enabled in the device tree.
Which operating systems run on the RK3588S?
Linux (vendor 5.10 / 6.1 BSP), Mainline Linux, Android 12 / 13 / 14, Debian, Ubuntu, Buildroot. Shares the RK3588 BSP; board DTS files include rk3588s.dtsi.
What video can the RK3588S decode and encode?
Decode: 8K@60 H.265 / VP9 / AV1. Encode: 8K@30 H.264 / H.265.
Which boards use the RK3588S?
Boards in our database include Orange Pi 5, FriendlyElec NanoPi R6S, Khadas Edge2, Radxa CM5. See the hardware database for full specs.
What is the RK3588S used for?
Typical applications: Compact SBCs, Handheld / portable devices, Edge AI cameras, Thin clients.
Documentation & official resources
- Rockchip official website
- rockchip-linux on GitHub (kernel, U-Boot, rkbin, tools)
- rkbin: DDR init, loaders and BL31 blobs
- Mainline U-Boot: Rockchip board docs
- Collabora RK3588 mainline status notes
- RKNN-Toolkit2 & runtime (airockchip)
- RKNN Model Zoo: YOLO, OCR and more examples
Have a RK3588S question not covered here? Ask the community or browse RK3588S questions.
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Designing with RK3588S?
Schematic and carrier-board design, BSP bring-up, device tree, drivers and AI integration for RK3588S-based products.