OPi Zero 3 1.5GB

I have the 1.5GB RAM version, and it is well-built with a 1G LAN adapter. At around $25, this is the best single-board computer (SBC) available on the market. Instead of purchasing it from aliexpress.com, I recommend buying it from Amazon for the fastest shipping and product support. I used a Debian 11 image from the OrangePi website, and it works very well and remains stable. If you are searching for an affordable SBC with WiFi, LAN, and a compact form factor, this is the one to go for. Its performance is comparable to the RPi3, but personally, I prefer this one.

The performance of the Zero3 is quite snappy. But the 1.5 Gig version reboots with the ethernet port dead. The wireless connection, if used, still works. If you need a wired connection on reboot the power connection must be manually interrupted. In addition, while the wired ethernet performance is good, the wireless connection is very much less good. At present, I'd recommend using dietpi's Linux version in preference to orangepi's own Linux releases or Armbian's. I have read that the versions with 1, 2, and 4 Gigs of memory do not have problems on reboot, but can't attest to that as accurate. I would not recommend the 1.5 Gig version, unless you are willing to use a fairly slow wireless connection or physically reconnect the power supply on each reboot. In my estimate, manual power off and on at each reboot is an unnecessary and unreasonable inconvenience. The current versions of Armbian at of June 27, 2024 (and for sometime prior) have corrected the boot problems that troubled the 1.5 GB version earlier. No reason to avoid the 1.5 GB version at this time. USB port is still 2.0, which to me prevents a 5 star rating. But am now very much pleased with this board. An easy recommendation for those wishing a useful and inexpensive SBC.

Excellent product - came as described. Currently running PiHole on it and it works flawlessly.

Very super. Debian is downloaded from Google Drive if you log into your Google account.

Its a awesome board but theres one issue Compatibility on other os's On the 1.5ram model Unless you somehow modified the image to make it boot but other then that just as what I needed for mainsail ( usb camera issues not solved yet)

The ultimate Raspberry pi replacement, well done orangepi, seems that orange pi will take soon the leadership of the SBC, this one and the 5 are great devices, recommended.

Functional little device. I am using it as a wifi access point in a detached garage using Armbian. A bit difficult to get setup and working but it does work.

works good for many things. although it isn’ta raspberry pi so don’t expect full support for certain things.

Easy to set up with pihole and a vpn. I can now access my home network and enjoy the benefits of pihole on my phone while I'm away.

Was looking for a slight upgrade from a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 to act as a wireless host platform for Klipper for an older 3D printer. Decided to try the 1.5GB version, as I only needed a little boost with a bit more ram. Install was a bit more hands on than with a PI as the tools just aren't there for pre-setting up wifi, so I had to install an OS (Armbian) that would at least bring up an SSH client and LAN, login via SSH change the password, setup wifi, and run KIAUH to install Klipper. Nothing overly difficult really, just substantially more steps than a PI where you just use the PI imager to download and install a pre configured OS with Klipper already installed (Mainsail OS). So as long as you have some basic skills and can follow a tutorial, you should be fine, if not, I'd stick to the PI. For me, this worked out great, gave me the necessary boost I needed to keep prints running fast and smooth with a little headroom to grow in the future. Absolutely would recommend to non-beginners, and absolutely plan to purchase again for other projects. (Reluctantly docked a mark for having a slightly less friendly install process).

Used for running NEXTCLOUD on DIETPI

Bought to use as a pi hole with the end goal of having a single SD card image that i could put on and distribute. Having onboard Ethernet means no need for Wi-fi credentials, just plug and play. I had good luck with DietPi and Armbian image if you wanted to stay away from their google drive hosted one.

I'm using the 1.5g orange pi zero 3 with the provided android 12 tv image which works ok. You need a Windows Computer to burn the image. When it boots the sound is quite loud. I downloaded the fdroid apk and installed the jellyfin client and it works well. I only saw the board reach out to my dns server and googles dns. There is only one usb port unless you buy the expansion board which adds to the price. It might have been better to get the 1,2 or 4g variant because the 1.5g has a problem in uboot which makes installing armbian problematic. Software is poor, depending on the opensource community for developement. I'm rethinking my position to get the cheapest sbc, to spending a few more dollars and get a well supported board, like the raspberry pi.