RK3566 vs RK3588: Key Differences & Performance

If you’re comparing RK3566 vs RK3588, you’re essentially choosing between two very different classes of Rockchip silicon:

• Rockchip RK3566 is a cost- and power-conscious quad-core Cortex-A55 platform aimed at efficient 4K media, basic AI acceleration, and mainstream embedded I/O.
• Rockchip RK3588 is a flagship octa-core (Cortex-A76 + Cortex-A55) platform designed for high-end edge computing, stronger graphics, much higher AI throughput, and advanced display/camera / PCIe capabilities.

Below is a practical, engineering-focused breakdown that helps you map real product requirements (UI smoothness, AI inference, camera pipeline, multi-display, storage bandwidth) to the right SoC.

RK3566 vs RK3588 Comparison Table

CPU: Same Generation A55 vs Flagship A76 + A55

The biggest difference in RK3566 vs RK3588 is the CPU complex.

RK3566 uses four Cortex-A55 cores. Cortex-A55 is efficient and modern enough for Linux desktop-lite workloads, HMI panels, kiosks, gateways, and media playback – especially when you’re not trying to run heavy compiles, multiple containers, or CPU-bound inference.

RK3588, by contrast, combines four Cortex-A76 big cores with four Cortex-A55 little cores. Cortex-A76 is a major leap in per-core performance versus A55, so you feel it immediately in:

• Web browsing, UI responsiveness, and multitasking
• Compilation and developer workflows
• CPU-side pre/post-processing for vision pipelines
• Anything that’s latency-sensitive (e.g., real-time analytics, multi-stream processing)

In practice, if your product has a PC-like ambition (e.g., heavier browser content, more services running, higher concurrency), RK3588 is typically the safer choice.

Learn more about Rockchip’s products:

• RK3588 vs N100: Comparison
• Rockchip RK3588 Boards in 2026: Landscape, Comparisons, and SBC Choices
• Rockchip RK3566 SoC Overview
• RK3688 vs RK3668: Rockchip’s Next-Generation Chips
• RK3588 vs RK3588S: In-Depth Technical Comparison

GPU: Mali-G52 class vs Mali-G610 MP4

Graphics is another major divider.

RK3566’s brief lists Mali-G52-2EE. This class of GPU is usually good enough for:

• Smooth composited UIs
• 1080p/1440p UI pipelines (depending on workload and drivers)
• Lightweight 3D or visualization
• Hardware-accelerated video overlays

RK3588 integrates the Mali-G610 MP4, a newer, substantially more powerful design class. The practical wins:

• Better 3D throughput for richer UIs and GPU-accelerated apps
• More headroom for 4K multi-display compositing
• Better synergy with higher-end display pipelines and bandwidth

If your UI is simple and you’re mostly doing video playback + basic UI, RK3566 can be plenty. If you need desktop-like smoothness at higher resolutions, more advanced rendering, or multi-display 4K composition, RK3588 typically delivers a better experience.

NPU and AI: Basic Acceleration vs 6 TOPS class

AI acceleration is where the gap becomes very obvious.

RK3588’s datasheet states that the built-in NPU supports INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16 mixed precision and delivers up to 6 TOPS. That’s the difference between:

• Can I run a small model occasionally? and
• Can I run multiple real-time models (detection, tracking, and segmentation) with headroom?

RK3566 includes an NPU block (shown in the brief block diagram), and the ecosystem commonly cites around 0.8 TOPS for the RK3566/RK3568 class. That level can still be useful for:

• Simple classification
• Lightweight detection at modest resolutions / FPS
• Offloading specific models when the CPU is constrained

But if AI is central to the product – especially multi-camera analytics or real-time inference – RK3588 is usually the more future-proof selection.

Media Engines: 4K-focused vs 8K and high-end encode/decode

From a media standpoint, RK3566’s brief mentions a 4K video decoder and a 1080p video encoder. That aligns well with:

• 4K playback devices
• Signage/kiosk playback
• Basic recording/streaming at 1080p class encode requirements

RK3588 is positioned as a premium media SoC: it supports 8K decode (H.265 and VP9 at 8K60; H.264 at 8K30; AV1 at 4K60) and 8K encode (H.264/H.265 at 8K30). If you’re building:

• 8K-capable signage or media hubs
• Multi-stream transcode gateways
• Products that need modern codec headroom (including AV1 decode support)

RK3588 is in a different league.

Display and Camera pipelines

The RK3566 brief indicates a solid embedded display set: HDMI 2.0a, eDP 1.3, MIPI-DSI, and camera interfaces in the block diagram. That’s usually enough for:

• One primary display (or dual in simpler configurations)
• Standard embedded panels
• Single-camera pipelines in typical embedded designs

RK3588’s brief highlights a much more expansive setup: 2× HDMI 2.1 TX, 2× DP 1.4, plus HDMI RX 2.0. Its datasheet also emphasizes a high-end ISP pipeline and a strong multimedia focus. This matters when you need:

• Multiple independent displays (e.g., video walls, control rooms, high-end kiosks)
• Higher refresh / higher resolution output combinations
• Rich camera + display products (vision appliances, robotics, smart retail)

Memory and bandwidth

Memory bandwidth and capacity can quietly decide product success.

RK3566 includes a 32-bit DDR controller supporting DDR3/DDR3L/DDR4/LPDDR4/LPDDR4X. This is generally fine for:

• 1080p/1440p UIs
• Single-stream 4K decode
• Modest multitasking

RK3588 supports LPDDR4/LPDDR4X/LPDDR5 and a four-channel, 16-bit-per-channel external memory interface, with up to 32GB of address space. That bandwidth and capacity are extremely helpful for:

• Multi-display composition at high resolutions
• Multiple camera streams + ISP + inference
• Heavier desktop usage and containers

If your design is bandwidth hungry, RK3588 is the safer bet.

I/O and expansion: PCIe 2.1 class vs PCIe 3.0 ecosystem

RK3566’s brief lists PCIe 2.1 / SATA 3.0 among connectivity blocks. That’s enough for many products, but expansion bandwidth can become a bottleneck if you want fast NVMe, multiple high-speed peripherals, or more aggressive I/O.

RK3588’s brief explicitly lists PCIe 3.0 support and multiple SATA/PCIe combinations. Practically, this enables higher-performance designs such as:

• NVMe storage that actually feels PC fast
• Multi-function M.2 expansion (Wi-Fi, SSD, accelerators depending on board design)
• More headroom for high-bandwidth capture/ingest peripherals

Software and ecosystem considerations

Both chips are widely used in Linux-based products, but product experience often hinges on:

• Kernel/driver maturity for your exact board
• GPU driver stack (Mesa/Panfrost vs vendor stacks depending on distro/board)
• Media pipeline integration (GStreamer/V4L2, codec support, DRM/KMS)
• NPU toolchain support and model conversion (especially relevant for RK3588’s 6 TOPS class NPU)

As a rule of thumb:

• The RK3566 is often chosen when stability, cost, and power are top priorities.
• The RK3588 is often chosen when you need premium performance and can justify the BOM increase and the design complexity.

Which one should you choose?

Pick RK3566 if you want:

• A cost-efficient SoC for kiosks, gateways, signage players
• 4K decode + 1080p encode class requirements
• Basic AI acceleration (not AI-first)
• Moderate I/O and memory bandwidth

Pick RK3588 if you want:

• Edge PC class performance with Cortex-A76 big cores
• Strong GPU capability (Mali-G610 MP4)
• Serious AI throughput (up to 6 TOPS)
• Multi-display, higher-end camera/ISP, and faster expansion (PCIe 3.0)
• 8K-class media pipelines and AV1 decode headroom

Conclusion

In a straight RK3566 vs RK3588 comparison, the story is simple:

• RK3566 is a strong mainstream embedded SoC: an efficient quad-A55 CPU, Mali-G52-class graphics, 4K decode, and practical embedded connectivity (including HDMI 2.0a and PCIe 2.1/SATA options in the brief).
• RK3588 is a flagship platform built for heavy workloads: big.LITTLE (A76 + A55), Mali-G610 MP4 GPU, an NPU up to 6 TOPS, quad-channel LPDDR4/LPDDR5 class memory bandwidth, PCIe 3.0 expansion, and top-tier media/display pipelines.

If your product is media-centric and cost-sensitive, RK3566 is often the practical choice. If your product roadmap includes multi-display, multi-camera, or AI-first requirements – and you need the performance margin – RK3588 is typically worth it.

FAQ: RK3566 vs RK3588

Q1: Is RK3588 always better than RK3566?
In raw capability, yes – CPU, GPU, NPU, memory bandwidth, and high-speed I/O are all in a higher class. But better depends on constraints: if your device is cost- and power-limited and only needs 4K playback + a simple UI, RK3566 can be the smarter engineering choice.

Q2: Can RK3566 run Linux with a desktop UI smoothly?
For lightweight desktops and kiosk-style UIs, often yes – especially with realistic expectations and good board support. Heavy browsing, multi-app multitasking, or high-resolution multi-display setups are where RK3588’s A76 cores and bandwidth help.

Q3: Which is better for AI inference?
RK3588, by a large margin. Its NPU supports multiple precisions and is stated to support up to 6 TOPS. RK3566’s NPU is better thought of as entry-level AI acceleration, commonly cited at around 0.8 TOPS for the RK3566 class.

Q4: Which is better for video encoding?
RK3588 supports up to 8K encoding (H.264/H.265 at 8K30). RK3566’s brief lists up to 1080p video encoder.

Q5: Does RK3566 support HDMI?
Yes – RK3566’s brief indicates HDMI 2.0a among the display interfaces.

Q6: Does RK3588 support PCIe and NVMe-class designs?
RK3588’s brief explicitly lists PCIe 3.0 support and multiple PCIe/SATA combinations, which are commonly used by boards to enable fast storage and expansion.

Sources:

1. RK3566 Brief Datasheet (PDF)
2. RK3588 Brief Datasheet (PDF)
3. Mali-G610 Product Support (Official Page)