Thursday, October 28th 2021

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W on sale now at $15

It's been nearly six years since we unleashed the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero on an unsuspecting world. Of all the products we've launched, Zero is still the one I'm proudest of: it most perfectly embodies our mission to give people access to tools, and to eliminate cost as a barrier. We've sold nearly four million units of Zero, and its $10 wireless-enabled big brother Zero W, and they've made their way into everything from smart speakers to hospital ventilators. But where our larger products have grown steadily more powerful over the years, we've never found a way to pack more performance into the Zero form factor. Until today.

Priced at $15, Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W uses the same Broadcom BCM2710A1 SoC die as the launch version of Raspberry Pi 3, with Arm cores slightly down-clocked to 1GHz, bundled into a single space-saving package alongside 512 MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM. The exact performance uplift over Zero varies across workloads, but for multi-threaded sysbench it is almost exactly five times faster.
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is available to buy today from our network of Approved Resellers. If you are a subscriber to The MagPi, you'll be receiving a free Zero 2 W in the next few days; all new subscribers will receive a unit as a welcome gift.

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W specifications
  • Broadcom BCM2710A1, quad-core 64-bit SoC (Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz)
  • 512 MB LPDDR2 SDRAM
  • 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE
  • 1 × USB 2.0 interface with OTG
  • HAT-compatible 40 pin I/O header footprint
  • MicroSD card slot
  • Mini HDMI port
  • Composite video and reset pin solder points
  • CSI-2 camera connector
  • H.264, MPEG-4 decode (1080p30); H.264 encode (1080p30)
  • OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics
If a lot of this looks familiar, it's because Simon Martin, who designed both Zero 2 W, and the RP3A0 package that powers it, has been able to squeeze all this extra performance into the original Zero form factor. Almost all cases and accessories designed for Zero should work perfectly with the new board, including our own case and selection of cables.

Source: Raspberry Pi Foundation
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28 Comments on Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W on sale now at $15

#1
Adam Krazispeed
Still Wish it could be alot more powerfull ( or at least, ) have 2GB onboard DDR3/4 Ram and a better iGPU.... i dont care relly about battery Life/legnth... i JUST WANt MORE POWWAW.....ARHARHARHARH (Tim Taylor "HOME IMPROVMENT) LOL

I want to see an AMD Ryzen SoC Powered "Pi Zero W sized" Ryzen SoC Board with RDNA2/3 iGPU (3-12 Cumpute units and built in GPU VRAM (IN THE CPU/GPU CORE/SILICON) In a Pi ZERO W SIZE!!!! Cmon Engeneers where in 2021 almost 2022. We should have better Tiny Micro Computers By now!!! REALLy...
Posted on Reply
#2
Zareek
Adam KrazispeedStill Wish it could be alot more powerfull ( or at least, ) have 2GB onboard DDR3/4 Ram and a better iGPU.... i dont care relly about battery Life/legnth... i JUST WANt MORE POWWAW.....ARHARHARHARH (Tim Taylor "HOME IMPROVMENT) LOL

I want to see an AMD Ryzen SoC Powered "Pi Zero W sized" Ryzen SoC Board with RDNA2/3 iGPU (3-12 Cumpute units and built in GPU VRAM (IN THE CPU/GPU CORE/SILICON) In a Pi ZERO W SIZE!!!! Cmon Engeneers where in 2021 almost 2022. We should have better Tiny Micro Computers By now!!! REALLy...
2GB of RAM would be nice, at least 1GB. I got an RPi Zero W sitting here doing nothing. I might turn it into a web server for home stuff. It used to be a print server, but my old USB only laser printer finally died and I bought a new one with Ethernet and wireless built-in.
Posted on Reply
#3
TheLostSwede
News Editor
Zareek2GB of RAM would be nice, at least 1GB. I got an RPi Zero W sitting here doing nothing. I might turn it into a web server for home stuff. It used to be a print server, but my old USB only laser printer finally died and I bought a new one with Ethernet and wireless built-in.
They couldn't do it due to using LPDDR2, it doesn't come in larger sizes than 512MB and they couldn't get two of those dies stacked on top of the SoC for a reasonable cost.
Posted on Reply
#4
Pepamami
I wish they add a model, where wifi replaced with 100mbit (Fast) ethernet with 4 pins onboard, no need a port, just 4 pins aka RX- RX+ TX+ TX-
Posted on Reply
#5
OSdevr
Well it's a midpoint between the original Zero and the RPi 4. The great thing about the original Zero was it was $5, not the power it had. If you just needed a Linux computer for something basic (or even disposable) it fit that role. At $15 dollars this doesn't seem like a direct replacement to me.
Posted on Reply
#6
Nephilim666
PepamamiI wish they add a model, where wifi replaced with 100mbit (Fast) ethernet with 4 pins onboard, no need a port, just 4 pins aka RX- RX+ TX+ TX-
I agree with you.

Apparently supply is going to be quite constrained by the chip shortage. I have a project that needs 14 of them
Posted on Reply
#7
lexluthermiester
Both ExplainingComputers and ETA Prime did a video for this SBC.



EDIT:
Looks like ETA Prime is done an OC.
Posted on Reply
#8
Flanker
I remembered how 512MB of ram in a desktop used to be considered super duper
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#9
TheLostSwede
News Editor
FlankerI remembered how 512MB of ram in a desktop used to be considered super duper
My first PC had 2MB of RAM.
Posted on Reply
#10
lexluthermiester
TheLostSwedeMy first PC had 2MB of RAM.
HA! My first PC had 128k.
Posted on Reply
#11
TheLostSwede
News Editor
lexluthermiesterHA! My first PC had 128k.
That can't have been an x86 compatible system though.
Posted on Reply
#12
lexluthermiester
TheLostSwedeThat can't have been an x86 compatible system though.
Sure was. Intel 8086. It had two banks of 64k RAM soldered to the board.
Posted on Reply
#13
TheLostSwede
News Editor
lexluthermiesterSure was. Intel 8086. It had two banks of 64k RAM soldered to the board.
Daim! We didn't even have anything that basic in school and I started out using these, but we did at least have the 256KB RAM version.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compis
Posted on Reply
#14
lexluthermiester
TheLostSwedeDaim! We didn't even have anything that basic in school and I started out using these, but we did at least have the 256KB RAM version.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compis
That PC was later upgraded to 512k, but yeah, 128k was very basic. It's all I could afford at the time.
Posted on Reply
#15
TheLostSwede
News Editor
lexluthermiesterThat PC was later upgraded to 512k, but yeah, 128k was very basic. It's all I could afford at the time.
Well, it seems like we're heading back to the same kind of computer costs as it was back then...
Posted on Reply
#16
persondb
I am not sure why to take one of those over a Radxa Zero which Is kinda similar but considerably better such as same cores(A53) but higher clocked, better memory support(LPDDR4), more memory options(512 MB to 4 GB SKUs), eMMC for the higher RAM SKUs, ARMv8 crypto extension which broadcom SoCs lack and etc etc.

Doesn't make a compelling case when this nee Raspberry Zero 2 W is priced the same(for the 512MB model).
Posted on Reply
#17
Pepamami
persondbI am not sure why to take one of those over a Radxa Zero
coz people wants Raspberry Pi Os and low power consumption.
Radxa is Rockpi, u also can pick something even better from FrendlyElec (NanoPi) or Orange Pi, or anything else, that running Armbian
Posted on Reply
#18
TheLostSwede
News Editor
persondbI am not sure why to take one of those over a Radxa Zero which Is kinda similar but considerably better such as same cores(A53) but higher clocked, better memory support(LPDDR4), more memory options(512 MB to 4 GB SKUs), eMMC for the higher RAM SKUs, ARMv8 crypto extension which broadcom SoCs lack and etc etc.

Doesn't make a compelling case when this nee Raspberry Zero 2 W is priced the same(for the 512MB model).
One word, support.
With all the PRC companies, you're on your own.
The RPi has always had fairly middling hardware at best, yet thanks to proper support, especially on the software side, it's been a massive hit.
Posted on Reply
#19
lexluthermiester
TheLostSwedeThe RPi has always had fairly middling hardware at best, yet thanks to proper support, especially on the software side, it's been a massive hit.
Pretty much this. The Raspberry Pi line of devices have never been "top of the line", but because of the excellent support are just a joy to work with. And to be fair, the RPiZ2W is not a bad performer all things considered. All the reviews and benchmark done so far show it to be something solid, even with the 512MB limitation.
persondbDoesn't make a compelling case when this nee Raspberry Zero 2 W is priced the same(for the 512MB model).
Except when you factor in the $15 price. Then it becomes VERY compelling for a lot of use-case-scenario's!
Posted on Reply
#20
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
Hmmm, i was tempted but no H265 means no good to me
Posted on Reply
#21
rethcirE
Currently using a 3b and 3b+ to run OctoPi on two 3D printers. I've had dropout/stutter issues running particular plugins while printing with a Pi Zero W and the community pretty much says its just too slow. Do you think the new Zero 2 W would fair any better? The $15 price is attractive compared to current pricing on the 3b and higher models.
Posted on Reply
#22
Pepamami
rethcirECurrently using a 3b and 3b+ to run OctoPi on two 3D printers. I've had dropout/stutter issues running particular plugins while printing with a Pi Zero W and the community pretty much says its just too slow. Do you think the new Zero 2 W would fair any better? The $15 price is attractive compared to current pricing on the 3b and higher models.
I think its only depends are u fine with 512MB ram or not.
OctoPi has Pi Zero 2 in recommended
Posted on Reply
#23
Greenslade
PepamamiI think its only depends are u fine with 512MB ram or not.
OctoPi has Pi Zero 2 in recommended
One of my fav tech you-tubers.
i like his sense of humour to. :clap:
TheLostSwedeOne word, support.
With all the PRC companies, you're on your own.
The RPi has always had fairly middling hardware at best, yet thanks to proper support, especially on the software side, it's been a massive hit.
That is very true, thats why all the other single board computers are lagging behind it.
Posted on Reply
#24
lexluthermiester
MusselsHmmm, i was tempted but no H265 means no good to me
You might be missing the point of the RPiZ2W.
GreensladeOne of my fav tech you-tubers.
i like his sense of humour to. :clap:
I already posted that video above.
Posted on Reply
#25
Greenslade
lexluthermiesterYou might be missing the point of the RPiZ2W.


I already posted that video above.
Sorry about that Lex :) I did not see it.o_O
Posted on Reply
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