🔍 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

🛠️ 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.