What you need to know
- Raspberry Pi 4 is the company's first single-board computer to offer up to 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
- It also comes with a more powerful processor, upgraded connectivity features, and the ability to run dual 4K monitors.
- You will be able to order one starting today for a starting price of $35.
Raspberry today announced the release of its latest tiny single-board computer, dubbed Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. The new model is a significant upgrade compared to the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ that was launched in March last year, even though its design may suggest otherwise.
Raspberry Pi 4 runs on a new quad-core Broadcom BCM2711 processor with four ARM Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 1.5 GHz and support for H.265 decoding. Consumers will be able to configure the new model with up to 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, although the base configuration only includes 1GB of RAM. Previous Raspberry Pi models were offered with either 512MB or 1GB of LPDDR2 RAM. Thanks to the newer processor as well as the memory upgrades, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is a major step up from the earlier models in the performance department.
You also get two micro-HDMI ports, which allow the Pi 4 to push 4K output at 60 frames per second to two monitors at once. These upgrades make the Pi 4 a great option for consumers looking for a tiny and silent media center Pi — or a retro game console. In the connectivity department, the Pi 4 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 support instead of the older 4.2 version on its predecessor. Another notable upgrade is the addition of two USB 3.0 ports, supporting up to ten times faster data transfer speeds. To connect the single-board to the internet, you get an Ethernet port as well as 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Along with the hardware improvements, Raspberry has introduced new Raspbian software based on the upcoming Debian 10 Buster release. The latest release brings a more modern user interface, new Chromium 74 web browser, and multiple technical improvements.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B will be going on sale via authorized resellers starting today. While the base model of the Pi 4 with 1GB RAM will retail for $35, you will need to shell out $45 if you want the 2GB RAM model. The 4GB model, on the other hand, will be available at $55. While the 2GB and 4GB RAM models are no doubt more expensive compared to previous Raspberry Pi models, the significant improvement in performance does help justify the premium.
Of course, being a Raspberry Pi, you'll want to buy a Starter Kit that comes with a new USB-C power supply, heatsinks, and everything else you'll need to run the low-powered computer.
The Raspberry Pi 4 desktop kit includes the latest Pi 4 Model B with 4GB of RAM and everything else that you will need to start enjoying a desktop experience comparable to entry-level x86 PCs, including the official Raspberry Pi keyboard and mouse.
