It’s strange to hold a full computer in your hand. Not a phone or a prototype, but a real machine that works and fits neatly into a 50 x 50 x 50 mm plastic case. It runs Linux, connects to your router, streams data over gigabit Ethernet, and runs. That machine is SolidRun’s CuBox-i4Pro. When you use it for a while, you can’t help but wonder why computers were so big in the first place.
There is a big difference between the i4Pro and the other CuBox-i models from SolidRun. The i4Pro comes with an NXP i, while the i1 only has a single-core processor and 512MB of RAM.MX6 has 2GB of DDR3 memory and four ARM Cortex-A9 cores that can run at up to 1GHz. It’s not server-level strength, but it’s good enough. Not too much, but enough to start up a full OS, do network tasks, work on embedded projects, and be a quiet, low-power node in a home lab.
The port selection is simple and not very flashy. There are two USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port, an HDMI out, a full gigabit Ethernet jack, and a microSD slot for storage. It also comes with Bluetooth and 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, which makes it better than some other boards that don’t put much thought into wireless. The connections were carefully thought out and cover most real-world use cases without making the design too busy. Even though the ABS plastic case doesn’t look like much, it’s solid enough, and the small red LED that blinks during boot is a useful way to know that the system is working.
You will need to be patient and know how to use the command line to set up the device. For example, to get Kali Linux to run on it, you have to copy SolidRun’s build scripts from GitLab, run the right shell script, and use dd to flash the image to a microSD card. The process isn’t made for casual users. But it’s not as scary as it sounds—the documentation is pretty easy to understand, and there’s a community of people using it.There are now so many MX6-based boards out there that most questions have already been asked and answered. As for the power supply, a 3A one is worth the extra attention because the i4Pro uses more electricity than its siblings when it’s busy. The card should be at least 16GB and Class 10.
After starting up, everything is stable and calm. Using either connman or wpa_supplicant to connect to WiFi works fine. Bluetooth pairs without much trouble once the interface is opened. When you connect via wire, ping times feel quick. It’s still not clear how well the i4Pro handles heavy workloads that last for a long time—managing heat in a sealed cube is a real problem—but it works fine for normal embedded or development tasks.
The CuBox-i4Pro is known for more than just its benchmark scores. It has a real software ecosystem, is small and quiet, can connect to both wired and wireless networks, and has a physical form factor that doesn’t often come together in one product. It’s possible that boards like the Raspberry Pi have more community support and easier-to-use tools. But the CuBox-i4Pro seems to be aimed at a different type of builder—one who values the cube’s industrial cleanliness, doesn’t mind tinkering with build scripts, and doesn’t want to give up too much connectivity.
Most of the people who read about this device might find that a Raspberry Pi or a similar board works better for them. But the i4Pro is a very strong contender for developers who need to run network services, security tools, or light server tasks in a small space. It’s worth a second look just because of the shape.
