Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Board Officially Announced

Ash (362)

Oct 29, 2021

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has officially unveiled its latest board, the $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. This board is a successor to the $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W module and comes with a little more than a $5 uptick in price.

The Pi Zero 2 W has new features to get excited about but it’s the similarities that deserve recognition, as well. Compatibility plays a huge role in the Pi Zero line and this new module is staying true to a few expectations including its form factor, which mirrors the original Pi Zero W, as well as the port configuration. What makes the new board stand out is its quad core processor which, according to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, comes with 40% higher single-thread performance and as much as five-times more performance power with multi-thread.

Spec	Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Processor	1GHz BCM2835 Arm v7 Quad Core Arm Cortex A53
RAM	512MB LPDDR2 SDRAM
GPIO 40 Pin
WiFi	2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.1, BLE
Ports	Mini HDMI, 2x micro USB ports (power + data via USB 2.0), CSI-2 Camera Connector
Power Requirements	5V DC 2.5A

The Pi Zero 2 W uses a BCM2835 Arm v7 Quad Core Arm Cortex A53 processor which can reach speeds up to 1GHz. Despite the beefy CPU, it only has 512MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM which may seem a bit limiting. It has a 40-pin, GPIO header that arrives unsoldered like its predecessors.

It offers both 2.4GHz WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1 support but also has the usual selection of ports including one mini HDMI input and two micro USB ports (one used for power with the other reserved for data via USB 2.0). Users can also take advantage of a CSI-2 camera connector. Like previous models, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W accepts 5V for power.

Overall the new board offers plenty to consider itself an upgrade but it’s not a huge leap away from what we’re used to with the Pi Zero line. If you have an old Pi Zero case lying around, it will fit the new Pi Zero 2 W. If you have a Pi Zero project lying around, the Pi Zero 2 W will likely provide a noticeable performance boost—as long as you avoid overloading the 512MB of RAM.

To get a closer look at the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, check out the full product brief provided by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and be sure to check back with us for our full review.

According to founder Eben Upton, supplies are limited and getting your hands on one may be difficult over the next nine months. At the moment, Pi Zero 2 W boards are available for preorder through websites like Canakit and PiShop.us with plans to ship by early November.