Khadas products for DIY Android phone with Play Store and SIM support?

General Discussion
1

Hey everyone!

I’m planning a DIY Android phone project and considering using a Khadas SBC. My must-have requirements are:

  • Support for Android 12 or higher
  • Must be able to install and run Google Play Store apps (needed for banking and MFA apps)
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, touchscreen, audio in/out (either using in-built microphone and speakers or through a jack/bluetooth with headphones)
  • Cellular connectivity with SIM card support (4G+ in EU)
  • Decent performance (nothing fancy like games but good enough for smooth UIs)
  • Bonus: Ability to host its own Wi-Fi hotspot
  • Bonus: Camera support

Has anyone used a Khadas board for something like this? Do any of their products (VIM3, VIM4, Edge2, etc.) support cellular/SIM functionality either natively or through add-ons?

Also, has anyone had experience with powering these boards using batteries? Which ones would you reccomend?

Any insights or recommendations would be appreciated and sorry if the question is too broad and unfocused.

Thanks.

2

Hi,

That’s a cool idea, but I can’t offer a recommendation that fully meets your requirements.

The VIM4 + M2X WWAN Extension Board + 4G Module can provide Android, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G SIM-card functionality, but it does not include GPS capability.

3

Thank you for the reply,

I know I was asking for a bit too much, but thanks for the suggestion anyways.

Is there software support available for this configuration? Would I be able to for example:

  • Pair up with a bluetooth speaker
  • Connect to my home network and host a local server on the board
  • Send/Receive messages, make/receive calls

Thanks in advance and sorry for the very general (and noobish) questions.

4

If you run Android on the board, all of those things should be possible.
You’ll probably have to try it out yourself to see how well it actually works, though—I haven’t personally tested this exact scenario.
:wink: