by The Raspberry Pi foundation has released a new and much-improved version of the original Pi Zero called the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
This second generation of the Raspberry Pi Zero W brings with it a massive improvement to its performance. This is in large, thanks to a new custom-built processor designed by the Raspberry Pi foundation.
The best thing is that this new increase in performance is all offered in the same tiny form factor as its predecessors. So if you want to integrate this new version into your existing setup, it should be relatively easy to do.
Other aspects of the Pi Zero remain basically the same as the original versions. You still get the same 40 GPIO pins, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, mini HDMI, micro USB OTG port, and 512MB of LPDDR2.
Even though the Wi-Fi module contains the same functionality, it has had a slight packaging change. It is now incased in a metal shield that should help protect it from external interference.
Additionally, this new packing also comes with FCC modular certification, which is great for users implementing the Pi Zero 2 W into an end product.
The New Processor for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
The new processor is called the “RP3A0” and is the heart of this miniature computing device. With this new processor, the Pi Zero 2 now has access to a quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor that clocked at 1 GHz.
If you are wondering what this means, basically, you should see an almost five times increase in performance over the original Pi Zero. This is because you now have four times the cores than what was on the original device, using a newer, more efficient architecture.
Using this new Raspberry Pi, you should see a performance uplift in almost every task you do. However, the best benefits should come from anything that utilizes multi-threading. More cores allow the processor to handle more tasks at any one time.
The new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W still comes apart with the limited amount of RAM available on it. Due to significant technological challenges, the team has had to stick with only providing 512MB of SDRAM.
The main reasoning for this is the RAM module has to be packaged within the processor because of the Pi Zero’s tiny size. To increase the amount of RAM, you would need to start stacking it, which is a hugely complicated technical challenge that would also significantly increase the price of the unit.
List of features of the New Device
Below is a list of the features that are offered from this new version of the Raspberry Pi. Unfortunately most of these remain very much the same as the original Raspberry Pi Zero.
Most of the changes introduced with this new entry in the Zero lineup are from the newer, more powerful processor.
- Broadcom BCM2710A1, quad-core 64-bit SoC (Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz)
- 512MB LPDDR2 SDRAM
- 2.4GHz 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
Pricing of the new Pi Zero 2 W
This new processor has led to an increase in the Pi Zero 2 W price over its predecessors, with the increased performance coming at a cost.
You should find the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for sale from any authorized retailer for $15 USD. This price point marks a $5 USD increase from the Pi Zero W.
However, this device is worth the new price increase if you use this mini-computer in any scenario, it would need to process heavy tasks. If you don’t need this increased power, you can still buy the original Pi Zero devices from retailers.
You can find a list of retailers offering the Pi Zero 2 W from the official Raspberry Pi website.
If you decide to purchase a new Pi Zero be sure to check out our awesome Raspberry Pi projects.
