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The Argon ONE UP is a laptop with a 14 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS LCD display, an aluminum body, backlit keyboard, and one thing that sets it apart from most other laptops: the Argon ONE UP is powered by a removable Raspberry Pi CM5 computer module.
Argon40 has been making Raspberry Pi accessories like cases for years, but this year the company is branching out with its first laptop shell. Reviews and hands-on videos showing pre-production hardware started showing up last month, and now Argon40 has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign – you can reserve an Argon ONE Up for a pledge of about $330 or more. Units are expected to begin shipping to backers in October.
What you get for that price is just the laptop shell. You'll need to provide your own Raspberry Pi CM5. But you can also pledge $420 or more for a system that comes with a Compute Module, SSD, and operating system pre-installed.
Retail prices are expected to be $400 for the shell or $500 for a fully assembled system.
Raspberry Pi's latest compute module features a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 processor and sells for as little as $45 (if you opt for module with 2GB of RAM and no storage) or as much as $130 (for a module with 16GB RAM module with 64GB of eMMC storage). WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 are optional.
Kickstarter backers who opt for an Argon ONE UP with a compute module pre-installed will get a version with 8GB of RAM as well as a 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD with an operating system pre-installed.
In addition to the M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 slot, the system can boot from eMMC or microSD card storage. Other features include an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-C port for charging.
There are also two more USB 2.0 Type-C ports that have a special feature: when you plug in a Argon ONE UP 40-pin GPIO module, you get a Raspberry Pi-compatible header for use with existing add-ons for Raspberry Pi's line of single-board computers.
The laptop has a fan for active cooling, a 55.2 Wh battery that can be charged with a 45W USB-C power adapter, and a 1080p webcam with a privacy switch, dual microphones, and dual speakers.
While you could probably find other laptops in this price range that offer better performance, what makes the Argon ONE UP interesting is that it provides an easy way to use a Raspberry Pi computer as the brains of a laptop, allowing users to tap into the robust ecosystem of Raspberry Pi-compatible software and hardware thanks to the GPIO module.
Its modular design also lets you upgrade from an entry-level CM5 Lite to a board with more memory or storage. And if Raspberry Pi keeps the same dual 100-pin connectors when it eventually launches a Compute Module 6, the ONE UP could be one of the few laptops that lets you upgrade the processor in the future.
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