Question 1

Where can I find the "Getting Started" guides?"

Accepted Answer

These guides will be helpful for anyone learning how to use a Khadas SBC for the first-time.
 
Guides:
VIM1
VIM2
VIM3/3L
Edge/V
Tone1/2
Tip: You’ll find many helpful people in our Khadas Community.

Question 2

Is Mind Go a mass-production product now?

Accepted Answer

Mind Go is under active development and currently in the engineering prototype iteration stage. Key parameters — such as ARM vs. x86 and screen size — will be decided through community voting. Whether the product will ultimately launch depends on market validation and technical feasibility.

Question 3

How to use an SD-card to expand eMMC storage?

Accepted Answer

Using Android OS, you can use SD-cards to augment the limited amount of storage on the eMMC. Make sure that you’re using a modern “high-speed” SD-card; something like a microSDXC UHS-I card will be suitable for this application.
 
Instructions:
Insert your SD-card into your VIM or Edge SBC.
Open the “Android-Settings” App (Gear Icon).
Select “Storage & Reset”.
Select your SD-card under “Removable Storage”.
Select “Set up as device storage”.
Tip: If you’ve done the above steps correctly, your SD-card will become a seamless part of your SBC’s eMMC storage. Exercise caution when unplugging your SD-card as some files and photos will become inaccessible! Make sure that you use the OS to “eject” the card first, before removing it physically.

Question 4

What’s the difference between the ARM and x86 versions?

Accepted Answer

The ARM version offers longer battery life and lower heat output, making it ideal for mobile work, though with more limited software compatibility.

The x86 version provides full Windows compatibility and stronger performance, better suited for professional workflows. We’ll prioritize development based on the community’s vote.

Question 5

How to change/upgrade the Operating System?

Accepted Answer

Depending on your use-case, you may want to change/upgrade your Android OS to Ubuntu 18.04, or even run a custom dual-OS ROM. We refer to “operating system” files as “Firmware Images“, .img files, or ROMs. On our server, they are compressed into .7z containers, and will require WinRAR to unpack on Windows OS.
 
Tip: Changing operating systems will erase ALL the data on your eMMC. Unless the OS is meant to run from a Bootable SD-card (Booting Card), be sure to back-up all your data before following the instructions below.
 
VIM1/VIM2/VIM3 Upgrading Instructions:
Place VIM into Upgrade Mode.
Two ways to upgrade:
Upgrade Using A USB Cable - Burn an .img file to the eMMC, directly from a Ubuntu or Windows Host.
Upgrade Android Using An SD-Card - Burn an .img file to the MMC, directly from an SD-Card.
Edge Upgrading Instructions:
Place Edge into Upgrade Mode.
Two ways to upgrade:
Upgrade Using USB cable - Burn an .img file to the eMMC, from a Ubuntu or Windows Host.
Upgrade Android Using An SD-Card - Burn an .img file to the eMMC, from an SD-Card.

Question 6

How should I choose between 11.6-inch and 13-inch?

Accepted Answer

The 11.6-inch option is more portable, better for commuting and mobile use, and easier to hold.
The 13-inch option offers a larger workspace for extended productivity, but may not be able to stay under the current 700 g weight target. Your vote will help determine the launch size.

Question 7

Is the 10% OFF subscription discount guaranteed?

Accepted Answer

Only if the product officially launches. The discount applies exclusively to users who subscribe before Jan 31, 2026, and is valid only on the Khadas official store. At this stage, a launch is not guaranteed; we’ll continue to share development updates transparently.

Question 8

eMMC image versus a SD/USB image?

Accepted Answer

eMMC image: An eMMC image should be burned directly to the eMMC using a USB-C data cable, from a Ubuntu or Windows Host. It must not be burned into an SD-Card.
For Example: Android and Ubuntu distributions containing the EMMC mark.
 
SD/USB image: An SD/USB image should be copied into an SD-Card, before that card is then used to reformat the eMMC storage with a new OS.
For Example: Armbian, Ubuntu distributions containing the SD_USB mark, as well as LibreELEC and CoreELEC.

Question 9

What kind of feedback is most helpful?

Accepted Answer

Clear use cases + real pain points + trade-offs you can accept (for example, ports vs. thinness, battery life vs. performance) + how you would judge whether it’s “good to use.”

These insights help us make better product decisions.

Question 10

Why Join Khadas’ Affiliate Program?

Accepted Answer

Our Affiliate Program allows everyone to promote the Khadas brand whilst simultaneously  earning commissions through an affiliate link. Get rewarded by sharing your affiliate link and earning money from every purchase you refer.

Question 11

What are the benefits of joining the Facebook Group?

Accepted Answer

Group members may get early access to engineering samples, exclusive development updates, and additional discounts or gifts. Your feedback will directly influence the final form of the product.

Question 12

How to Become a Khadas Affiliate?

Accepted Answer

1. Join the Affiliate Program and Get Your Khadas Affiliate Link

The first thing you need to do to become a Khadas influencer is to sign up for the affiliate program. The application will require some basic information about your business and your audience. Follow the instructions to complete and submit your application. 
 
After you submit your application, it will typically take a few days for Khadas to approve or deny your application. 
 
Once you’re accepted, you’ll be granted access to your affiliate dashboard, where you can find and copy your unique affiliate referral link. 
 
2. Add Your Referral Link to Relevant Content 
 
You can start monetizing your content right away by adding your Khadas link directly to your blog posts, social medias or website.  
 
Simply find content that shows how Khadas products will fit your audience’s needs. 
 
Next, find the most relevant part of the post, and add your affiliate link with optimized anchor text. 
 
Then all you have to do is keep creating content and wait for your audience to click your links. When they make purchases, you’ll earn 4%-10% per sale.

Question 13

How it works?

Accepted Answer

1. An affiliate promotes Khadas products on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, or other social media; 
2. A potential customer clicks on the social media posts or advertising; 
3. The customer orders products from the Khadas Official Website; 
4. The affiliate earns 4-10% commission per sale.

Question 14

How will I get paid?

Accepted Answer

1. Easily join for free. 
2. Earn 4%~10% commission from each referred sale. 
3. Earn extra monthly Cash Bonus for sharing promotional activities. 
4. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of new products and sale. 
5. Continue to earn commission if the same customer buys additional products within 45 days (cookie tracking). 
 
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email us at support@khadas.com.

Question 15

Will the sound quality be better than the Tone 1. I found the Tone1 lacked body, though the audio is very clean."

Accepted Answer

We will ensure that the performance of Tone2 Pro is higher than the Tone1. After formal tests are conducted with specialized equipment and test benches, we tend to leave this question to the reviewers who will review Tone2 Pro in the coming days. Qualitative sound-quality is highly subjective, with some people preferring a clean and flat output, whilst others prefer a warmer bass and a punchy high-range with more depth and space.

Question 16

Did you fix the "ESS hump" issue in the Tone2 Pro?"

Accepted Answer

Yes this issue has been resolved in our Tone2 Pro.

Question 17

Why do I hear a slight pop-noise from the balanced 4.4mm pentaconn jack when powering on the Tone2 Pro, whilst the 3.5mm jack remains silent?"

Accepted Answer

The single-end 3.5mm jack is designed with a depop chipset to cancel the pop noise, and has a max of 2.3Vrms output.
 
The balanced 4.4mm jack is designed to drive higher impedance headphones, and has a higher output at 5.0Vrms or greater; the depop chipset will draw down this performance and does not support higher outputs.

Question 18

Is there a way of displaying the format and bit-rate when connected over S/PDIF?

Accepted Answer

Tone2 Pro cannot view the format and bit-rate of audio streams via S/PDIF. The S/PDIF-IN signal is directly fed into the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, and bypasses the XMOS XU216 processor.

Question 19

When should I start my ODM project?

Accepted Answer

Commence your ODM project and pay the NRE cost when you are satisfied with the level of detail in both your PRD and the ERD. Experienced clients with in-house engineering teams are highly detailed; they may skip the PRD and send us an ERD. Clients conducting exploratory work or product studies, may only arrive with a PRD. In general, being more detailed results in less surprises and a smooth timeline. Being less detailed creates more space for innovation, but also a more unpredictable timeline and cost structure.

Question 20

What does ODM mean?

Accepted Answer

ODM means "original design manufacturer", which is a company that specialises in producing original designs for clients who are called "ODM customers". These designs may then be used to manufacture products for use by retail customers, businesses, the government and military.

Question 21

What does PRD mean?

Accepted Answer

PRD means “Product Requirements Document” and should contain high-level information about the product which you intend to build. For example, it could contain the main features, and the user experience stories, labelled and prioritised from most to least important. It should be created with input from stakeholders across your company, as each stakeholder would have their unique requirements regarding your product. A holistic PRD ensures that your product will meet the requirements of both your company and your customers.

Question 22

What does ERD mean?

Accepted Answer

ERD means “Engineering Requirements Document”, and is usually written after the first-draft of your PRD. It contains technical details of your product's modules, their operating states, how they interact, the operating environment, required lifetime, obsolescence, and regulatory compliance. It also contains qualifying tests so that engineers can benchmark their designs against the ERD. The ERD will be written by Khadas and will also contain the estimated product BOM cost, timeline and other deliverables.

Question 23

What does BOM mean?

Accepted Answer

BOM means "Bill Of Materials", which is a list of parts and materials used to build your product. The BOM is a useful tool to determine the raw material unit-cost of your product. However, it does not include other external costs incurred during your "product's life-time", such as the NRE, Certification, Manufacturing, Shipping, Import Taxes, Green Taxes, Warehousing, Retail, Customer Service, Warranty, and Disposal.

Question 24

Are the PRD and ERD "finalised documents"?"

Accepted Answer

During the development of your product, both the PRD and ERD will change when relevant feedback is collected from your project stakeholders, and the various development teams. When changes are made to the PRD and ERD, their impact on your timeline, costs and product quality must always be considered.
​
It will be useful to enforce "version control" for your PRD and ERD, with notes written down on why a particular change was made. Ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the decision, and that they are in agreement.

Question 25

What does NRE mean?

Accepted Answer

NRE means "non-recurring engineering", which is a one-time payment made before the start of an ODM project. It can also be split into tranches, paid when a project reaches a certain milestone.

Question 26

When do I need to pay the NRE cost?

Accepted Answer

50% of the NRE must be paid before Stage 2 begins (Initial Prototype).
30% must be paid before Stage 3 begins (Corrected Prototype).
20% must be paid before Stage 4 begins (Final Prototype).
 
Manufacturing is a separate quote from the NRE.

Question 27

Can you help us do certification (CE, ROHS, FCC) for our product?"

Accepted Answer

Yes we can do this. If you have specified your target markets in your PRD (usually this is determined by your marketing + management + logistics teams), we can figure out what type of certification is required for the markets that you have specified.

Certification costs are not included in the NRE, and will be quoted separately.

Question 28

I want to manufacture in my home country, may I have all the design files?"

Accepted Answer

​Design files used within your product could be the intellectual property of Khadas (Shenzhen Wesion Technology Co. Ltd.). We understand that some clients need to acquire our design files in order to manufacture their product at home, rather than abroad in China. We are able to transfer the design files (PCB layout, BOM list, Software, Documentation, Source Code, Factory SOP, etc) after the client has paid us a "Design Transfer Fee". This fee varies from project to project.

Question 29

In addition to PCB design, do you also do product enclosure design and mechanical design?"

Accepted Answer

We have professional designers who can do both Industrial and Mechanical Design for your product.

Question 30

When was your company founded, and what do you specialise in?"

Accepted Answer

Shenzhen Wesion Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 2014. We focus mainly on developing, manufacturing and marketing Amlogic and Rockchip single board computers (SBCs) for ODM customers. We also have our own brand of single board computers, called the Khadas VIM and Khadas Edge.

Question 31

May I negotiate the unit-retail-price, if I purchase a large quantity?"

Accepted Answer

Yes, you may send an email to: hello@khadas.com.

Question 32

I want to buy some products, but your page indicates that they are out of stock. What can I do?"

Accepted Answer

You can email hello@khadas.com. Or you may search for other suitable products from our shop.

Question 33

Do you have distributors in my country? How can I contact them?

Accepted Answer

We have listed our distributors and their contact information at khadas.com/distributors.

Question 34

I placed a pre-order but now I've changed my mind, and want a refund."

Accepted Answer

You may ask for a full-refund at anytime (less Paypal fees), as long as your product has not shipped. Please email hello@khadas.com or contact us via the chat box.

Question 35

Why should I pre-order a product that is not available yet?

Accepted Answer

Pre-orders help us gauge the market's desire for a new, untested product. It gives us confidence that there is a real-need, and thus the insight to develop products that more closely meet the desires of our customers.

Question 36

My iPhone does not support LDAC nor aptX HD, will this affect the music quality?"

Accepted Answer

If you want to listen to lossless audio from subscription streaming services like Apple Music, please use a wired connection from your iPhone to ‘Tea’ using the included  Lightning to USB-C converter cable.

Question 37

My Android phone supports LDAC and aptX HD, should I still use USB-C?"

Accepted Answer

Audio received via LDAC and aptX HD bluetooth is still lossy, and experienced audiophiles will be able to tell the difference. For the ultimate listening experience, please use the included USB-C to C cable.

Question 38

Does ‘Tea’ support 24-bit, 192Khz PCM audio?"

Accepted Answer

Yes it does.

USB: up to 32-bits 384KHz @PCM, or Native DSD 256.

Bluetooth: up to 24-bits 96KHz

Question 39

Will there be support for MQA?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Tea supports MQA rendering.

Question 40

What is your payment method?

Accepted Answer

You can use PayPal during our shop checkout.

Question 41

I don’t use Paypal. Can I transfer money to your bank account?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you may send an email to: hello@khadas.com.

Question 42

Does your price include all the taxes, tariffs and any related charges?"

Accepted Answer

Customers outside of China may be subject to customs fees and / or import duties and taxes. These could be levied once a shipment reaches your country. You should contact your local customs office or tax authority for information specific to your situation.
Additionally, when ordering from this website, you are considered the importer of record and must comply with all laws and regulations of the country in which you are receiving the goods. Shenzhen Wesion Technology Co. Ltd. will not be held responsible for international orders that never make it past your country’s customs office.
Please check with your customs office before placing your order. No refund will be given for items that are seized by your local customs agents.

Question 43

What are your minimum order quantities (MOQ)?

Accepted Answer

In general, the required MOQ varies from product to product, and is related to the BOM cost.
Trial Run: ~100 units
Live Run: ~1000 units

Question 44

What are your quality control (QC) processes?

Accepted Answer

Control all materials and do IQC (we have stable suppliers for each component).
SMT factory will do full AOI: 1st round full-inspection of every board, focusing on PCBA functionality (We will determine the SOP for the factory).
Conduct a 4 hour PCBA aging test (for some projects).
If your product is assembled by us, we will conduct a 2nd round of testing. Qualifying tests would be specified within the ERD.
Our QC engineers will do a third and final round of testing. Our partners may test more specialised aspects, e.g. Wi-Fi antenna electromagnetic profile.
We recommend our clients to arrange for 3rd-party / in-house QC personnel to do their own QC of subjective variables, e.g. silkscreen colour printing, before commencement of packaging and shipment.

Question 45

What does SOP mean?

Accepted Answer

SOP means "Standard Operating Procedure" which in our case often refers to the factory's SOP. The SOP enables the assembly line workers to produce your product in a timely and accurate fashion; by following a set of sequential steps (procedures), that aims to eliminate assembly error and redundant actions.

Question 46

Do you design product packaging?

Accepted Answer

We have professional designers who can design product packaging for your products.

Question 47

Coax is input or output?

Accepted Answer

Coaxial input. Originally we designed Tone2 Pro to support both Coax IN and OUT via the balanced RCA jack. You can use a standard RCA cable for Coax IN, and a balanced RCA cable for Coax OUT. But Tone2 Pro is likely to only support the Coax IN feature when it ships with the pre-installed firmware.
The XMOS XU216 processer is already maxed-out to achieve all features such as MQA, SPDIF OUT and PCM768. We may release special firmware to support Coaxial OUT for users who want to use the Tone2 Pro as a USB to SPDIF adapter, just note that a special cable(balanced RCA to single-end) is required to support the SPDIF Coaxial OUT.

Question 48

What is the voltage level of the RCA balanced connection, is it the standard 4V?"

Accepted Answer

Yep, 4.0Vrms for balanced RCA mode, and 2.0Vrms for standard RCA mode (single-end).

Question 49

What’s the spec-difference between Tone2 and Tone2 Pro?

Accepted Answer

Tone2 = Tone2 Pro - Headphone Amp - MQA. The Tone2 Pro is based on the XMOS XU216, whilst Tone2 is based on the XU208 (which is also used on Tone1). The Tone2 will have balanced RCA connectors, just like the Tone2 Pro.

Question 50

Does Tone2 Pro support Bluetooth high-resolution input?

Accepted Answer

Yes the Tone2 Pro supports external bluetooth modules via the secondary USB-C port labelled I2S. Note that the pin-layout of the USB port is non-standard. Users can select the input source using the volume knob (rotary-push encoder). Input sources: USB Data, Bluetooth (via USB-C I2S port), and Coaxial S/PDIF IN

Question 51

Does the Tone2 Pro support audiophile headphones?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we built-in a buffer stage amplifier to drive the headphones directly. They are connected with the hardware volume control, and each headphone has an independent amplification pathway. Headphone volume is independent from line-out.

Question 52

Does the volume knob also control the output of the RCAs?

Accepted Answer

Our official firmware will only control the headphone volume of the headphone jacks, line-out will have a fixed output volume. It’s still possible for volume knob to control the output of line-out via adjusting the volume register of the ES9038Q2M DAC. In that case, there will be two types of volumes:
DAC volume (digital) for both line-out and headphone jacks
Hardware volume (analog) for headphone jacks only
But we believe two volume controls will be too complex for most users, so we just fix the DAC's digital volume at maximum (highest performance), and only apply hardware volume control for the headphone jacks.
We may release dedicated firmware to enable control of the DAC's digital volume for the line-out, if this is required by specific users in the future.

Question 53

The I2S USB-C port supports 5v linear power supplies up to how many amps exactly? is it 0.9A, 2A or 3A?"

Accepted Answer

The Tone2 Pro consumes a maximum of 0.62A at 5V (3.1W) whilst playing PCM 768KHz 32bit music, so any linear power supply in excess of 5W will work just fine.

Question 54

Are Tone2 and Tone2 Pro similar or different?

Accepted Answer

Nope, the Tone2 is a different product from the Tone2 Pro:
 
Tone2: DAC only and will be sold as a bare board
Tone2 Pro: DAC + HPA, with MQA support. Will only sell as a finished product.

Question 55

I was wondering what "filter mode" means in the Tone2 Pro RGB ring-light indicator？"

Accepted Answer

LINEAR FAST: Linear-phase fast roll-off filter
LINEAR SLOW: Linear-phase slow roll-off filter
MINI FAST: Minimum-phase fast roll-off filter
MINI SLOW: Minimum phase slow roll-off filter
APODIZING: Apodizing fast roll-off filter
HYBRID FAST: Hybrid fast roll-off filter
BRICK WALL: Brick-wall filter

Check the document below from ESS official website for further information:
http://www.esstech.com/index.php/en/products/sabre-digital-analog-converters/audiophile-dacs/pre-tuned-reconstruction-filters/

Question 56

How many levels of volume does the Tone2 Pro have?

Accepted Answer

The Tone2 Pro's amplifier has a range of 0 to 64dB, and it's firmware supports 32 levels, each level is 2dB; this is controlled via hardware analog volume.

Question 57

What are the performance impacts of using a Linear Power Supply, PC USB Power Supply, or Mobile Phone Switching Power Supply?"

Accepted Answer

There is no impact on performance when using an LPS and PC USB power supply to feed your Tone2 Pro. You may notice a background-hum when using Mobile Phone Switching Power Supplies, so this is not recommended.

Question 58

How many clocks can I connect to the I2S interface?

Accepted Answer

The I2S interface does not need an external MCLK; it is governed entirely with internal clocks.There are three internal clocks at 45.1584m, 49.1520m and 100m. The crystal oscillator of the last USB input source is reserved.

Question 59

Can ‘Tea’ only be magnetically-attached to Apple iPhones?

Accepted Answer

The MagSafe attachment system is designed to only function with iPhone 12 or newer models, however Android phones can be equipped with a “magnetic ring accessory” that will mimic the behaviour of MagSafe. Note that a third-party phone case without a MagSafe ring, will weaken the attraction of the magnets.

Question 60

Will ‘Tea’ be compatible with 2.5mm balanced headphones?

Accepted Answer

‘Tea’ has a 3.5mm single-end headphone jack, and will only work with single-end headphones.

Question 61

What about balanced RCA to XLR-3 cables?

Accepted Answer

We will produce an adapter or cable for existing products with XLR-3 connectors:
Balanced RCA to XLR-3 male adapter (0.2m)
Balanced RCA to XLR-3 male cable (1.0m)
You may purchase them at Khadas Shop.
We will also launch a balanced RCA cable when compatible products like Pre-Amp/Amp/Headphone Amps are available in the market.

Question 62

What connection cables will you be providing in the package?

Accepted Answer

The Tone2 Pro packaging is designed to be small to save on space and materials, so only a 1m length USB-C to C cable is provided inside the box. Those who require extra cables and converters can purchase them separately from Khadas Shop.

Question 63

The Tone2 Pro has headphone jacks for headphone listening?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we built-in a buffer stage amplifier to drive headphones directly. They are connected with the hardware volume control (volumee knob), and each headphone jack (3.5mm / 4.4mm Pentaconn) has an independent amplification pathway. Headphone volume is independent from RCA line-out.

Question 64

Can you ship to my country/place?

Accepted Answer

We are able to ship to almost every country in the world. Just ensure that you enter your address and telephone number correctly.

ODM FAQ