Affordable Sipeed Lichee Book 4A offers processor upgradability with RISC-V CPU modules

The Lichee Book 4A is a new laptop from Sipeed that is currently available for pre-order with the LM4A compute module. At the core, this compute module is a small board with a RISC-V processor. More specifically, the CPU is the T-Head TH1520, and the board has support for up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of eMMC storage.

We saw the same LM4A compute module in the Lichee Console 4A. Now, Sipeed has packed the board in a full-sized laptop, the Lichee Book 4A. It's a 14-inch model with a screen featuring a 1920x1200 pixels resolution and offers the option for attaching an optional SATA SSD.

However, the most interesting bit about this Sipeed laptop is the ability to upgrade the RISC-V processor with modules that will be available in the future. Among the other two modules, one is LM3A, which sports a SpacemiT K1 CPU with eight SpacemiT K60 CPU cores, up to 16 GB of RAM, and 2 TOPs NPU.

The other compute module is called LM5A, which features an ESWIN EIC7700 processor with four SiFive P550 CPU cores, up to 32 GB of RAM, and 20 TOPs NPU. On that note, the currently available LM4A module has a 4 TOPs NPU, and the module's T-Head TH1520 processor has four SiFive C910 cores.

When the two other computer modules become available, you can swap the current LM4A with either of them. Worth noting that none of the RISC-V processors found in the modules can deliver as high of a performance as the latest laptops with Intel, Qualcomm, or AMD processors (Legion Slim 5 Gen 9 curr. starts at $1,249.99).

But they don't aim to offer soaring performance, to begin with. Instead, these modules are mostly for developers to get their hands dirty with RISC-V architecture without spending too much on a module. Other notable aspects of the Sipeed Lichee Book 4A laptop include a 34 Wh battery, two USB Type-A ports, one USB 3.0 Type-C, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.4.

Pre-orders are currently open for the Lichee Book 4A, with barebones costing $189, and the top-end variant with the LM4A module, 128 GB storage, and 16 GB of RAM costing $349.