In mid-2020, PINE64 introduced a tablet using Ubuntu Touch and, although timidly, made a lot of promises. Some we are naive and we believed that we were going to have little less than a device close to what Android offers whose shortcomings could be made up for with Libertine. Big mistake. Now a tablet that will use Linux by default is in the news again, but with a very different concept from the PineTab. Your name, DC-ROMA Pad II.
The DC-ROMA Pad II use Ubuntu 24.04 by default, and for that reason we do have to trust that it will be able to run desktop applications: its operating system is. Inside it has a K1 8-Core RISC-V CPU, designed to encourage the RISC-V community with an advanced development experience.
DC-ROMA Pad II technical specifications
The technical specifications would be like this:
| COMPONENT | DESCRIPTION | TYPE |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8-core 64bit RISC-V AI Fusion computing engine (up to 2Tops@INT) Vector engine (up to 256 length) |
|
| GPU | BXE-2-32 | |
| T-flash type | Supported | |
| ROM | Up to 128GB | EMMC5.1 |
| RAM | Up to 16GB | L |
| Screen | Use cases | IPS Anti-blue optional |
| Size | 10.1" | |
| Litigation, Arbitration | 1200 × 1920 | |
| Interface | MIPI | |
| touch point | 10 points | |
| Front camera | Up to 2MP | |
| Rear camera | Up to 5MP with autofocus | |
| Connector | USB Type-C and USB 3.0+DP | |
| Headphone input | 3.5 mm | CTIA |
| Battery | Up to 3.8v/6000mAh | 300+/500+ cycle, pure cobalt |
| Operating System | Ubuntu 24.04 | |
| Price | From 132.95€ |
On paper, we would be looking at an interesting tablet. The price is not high for what it offers: the entry model It is for €132.95 and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The maximum model goes up to €266,95 for 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This model will also be able to update to Android 15 in the future, in case something happens and things don't go so well with Ubuntu. There's no reason to go wrong, but it seems that DeepComputing has thought of everything.
Will it be worth it? I won't be the one to say yes, but I won't be the one to say no either. What I would recommend is to wait to at least see some video demonstrations, which while it is true that they may be made up, it is also true that they can give us an idea. In the worst case, at least the most advanced will be able to move to Android.
The DC-ROMA Pad II will begin shipping in September.