🔍 ARM-based SBCs – NXP & Rockchip Industrial Boards
When it comes to building custom industrial systems or embedded HMI panels, selecting the right ARM-based single-board computer (SBC) is one of the most critical architectural decisions. For years, NXP has been the go-to choice for stability and long-term support. But Rockchip, known for its performance-to-cost ratio, is gaining ground fast — especially in smart retail, IoT gateways, and industrial displays.
In this post, we compare NXP and Rockchip SBCs through the lens of real-world industrial deployments.
⚙️ Common Industrial Use Cases for ARM SBCs
Whether you're designing:
- A factory control panel
- An EV charger touchscreen
- A medical device UI
- An edge AI device
- A KNX-based building controller
You’ll likely need:
- 📦 Reliable SoC with guaranteed supply chain support
- 📺 Multi-display support: MIPI DSI, LVDS, RGB, HDMI, eDP
- ❄️ Extended temperature range (–20 to +70°C or wider)
- 🔋 Low power consumption
- 📲 BSP for Linux or Android, OTA update support
Both Rockchip and NXP platforms check these boxes — but in very different ways.
🤖 Rockchip: High Performance, Multimedia, and Android Flexibility
Rockchip SoCs like RK3566, RK3568, and PX30 offer:
- ARM Cortex-A55 or A72 quad-core CPUs
- 4K GPU rendering + VPU hardware decoding
- Native Android 11/12/13 support
- NPU (neural processor) in RK3568, RK3588
- MIPI DSI / eDP / HDMI / LVDS interfaces
These features make them ideal for:
- Smart kiosks
- Multimedia-rich POS terminals
- Industrial HMI with touch + video
- Low-cost AI edge inference gateways
Explore an in-depth SoC comparison 👉
🔗 Rockchip vs NXP – A Deep Dive for Product Teams
🧱 NXP: Longevity and Certified Industrial Platforms
If your application needs:
- Long-term availability (10+ years)
- Automotive or medical certifications
- Rich documentation and BSP maturity
- Advanced security: TrustZone, Secure Boot, AES
- Mainline Linux compatibility
Then NXP’s i.MX6/i.MX8/i.MX93 series is still an excellent choice.
Typical industries choosing NXP include:
- 🚘 Automotive Tier 1/2
- 🏥 Medical equipment
- ⚙️ Industrial control & automation
- 📡 Secure edge gateways
🧩 Practical Design Consideration: NXP vs Rockchip
| Feature | Rockchip SBC (e.g., PX30/RK3568) | NXP SBC (e.g., i.MX8M) |
|---|---|---|
| Android BSP Support | Excellent (Rockchip SDK) | Varies (Yocto Android) |
| Video Capabilities | Strong (4K VPU/GPU) | Adequate |
| Longevity | 5–7 years | 10–15 years |
| Power Consumption | Moderate | Lower (some series) |
| Price / Performance | High value | Higher BOM |
| Certifications (ISO, IEC) | Optional / project-based | More widely supported |
🛠️ Real-World Use Case: Smart EV Charging Panel
We recently deployed a PX30-based custom HMI solution:
- ✅ 7-inch IPS TFT with capacitive touch
- ✅ Android 11, OTA update via Wi-Fi/4G
- ✅ Weatherproof enclosure (IP65)
- ✅ Supports KNX and Modbus over RS485
Compared to a previous NXP i.MX6Q design, PX30 helped us:
- Cut BOM cost by 28%
- Improve boot time by 1.5×
- Support richer graphics & smoother UI
GitHub examples 👉
🔗 rocktech-tft-display-configs
📷 Hardware in Action
📘 More docs and DTS files:
👉 kevin109.github.io
🚀 Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all SBC — your choice depends on priorities:
- Choose Rockchip for fast UI, cost-effective Android/Linux, rich media.
- Choose NXP for long-term stability, certifications, and security.
We build custom SBCs, embedded Android platforms, and industrial-grade TFT LCD modules .
✉️ Questions? Happy to connect and share more insights.
Top comments (2)
Super helpful breakdown! Have you run into any challenges with mainline Linux updates or certifications on newer Rockchip boards?
Yes, for the PX30 SoC, we originally used Android and Buildroot with kernel 4.4. Now both have been updated to kernel 5.10. Upgrading the kernel takes a lot of time to debug drivers and make the system stable.