The Raspberry Pi 5, the latest iteration of the highly popular microcomputer, is officially set to launch in October with its most powerful components ever.
In an announcement, Raspberry Pi’s designers revealed that the new model is more than two times more powerful than its predecessor, offering users a much faster device with vastly superior performance.
Eben Upton, CEO at Raspberry Pi, said “virtually every aspect” of the new model has been upgraded ahead of the launch and will offer a “no-compromises user experience”.
In addition, the new device will be the first of its kind to feature chips designed in-house by the company.
“Today, we’re delighted to announce the launch of Raspberry Pi 5, coming at the end of October,” he said.
“Raspberry Pi 5 comes with new features, it’s over twice as fast as its predecessor, and it’s the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed in-house here in Cambridge.”
Raspberry Pi 5: Performance and features
The Raspberry Pi 5 will come equipped with a 2.4GHz quad-core, 64-bit Arm Cortex A-76 CPU, which marks a significant boost compared to the previous iteration.
The Raspberry Pi 4 initially came armed with a Broadcom BCM2711 SoC with 1.5 GHz capabilities. Later versions, however, offered up to 1.8 GHz.
With an 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU, the latest version offers far greater graphics capabilities compared to its predecessor, the company said.
The device also boasts dual HDMI ports capable of 4K display output up to 60 frames per second, complete with support for HDR.
USB bandwidth has received a significant boost in the new Raspberry Pi, featuring two USB 3.0 ports to support faster transfer speeds, as well as two USB 2.0 ports and gigabit ethernet ports.
Bluetooth 5.0 support and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) capabilities have also been added.
A complete list of features outlined by Raspberry Pi can be found below:
- 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU
- VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
- Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output
- 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
- Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support
- 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
- 2 × USB 2.0 ports
- Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (this requires separate PoE+ HAT)
- 2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
- PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals
- Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
- Real-time clock
- Power button
Raspberry Pi 5: Pricing, release date, and shipping
While an exact release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, the company said the new device will be coming “at the end of October”.
The new models will also be “ring-fenced”, as Raspberry Pi put it, meaning they will be restricted to single-unit sales. This, Upton said, will ensure users “get the first bite of the cherry”.
Raspberry Pi will also likely be looking to avoid a repeat of the stock issues it suffered with the launch of Raspberry Pi 4. Supply chain problems caused a bottleneck in production that resulted in lengthy shortages.
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At the peak of this shortage, the company faced a backlog of nearly 2,000 devices, most of which were its 8GB version. The issue prompted a wave of scalping online which further compounded the issue.
Pricing for the new model is set at $60 for the 4GB variant, the company revealed, while the 8GB version will cost $80.
This does represent a marginal price increase compared to the previous iteration, which started at $55 for the 4GB version and $75 for the 8GB version.
Raspberry Pi 5: Operating system and accessories
To use the Raspberry Pi 5, customers will be reliant on the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS, known as ‘Bookform’.
Similarly, in terms of accessories, the new version will include a new case. It won’t, however, be compatible with the old Raspberry Pi 4, meaning customers will have to purchase a new one, which the company said is “designed to help you get the most” out of the latest device.
This new case is priced at $10 and offers a “host of new usability and thermal-management features”, including an integrated 2.79 (max) CFM.
The integrated fan uses fluid dynamic bearings which the company said were specifically selected for “low noise and an extended operating lifetime”.
“We’ve lengthened the case, and tweaked the retention features, to make it possible to insert the Raspberry Pi 5 board without removing the SD card,” the company said.
“And by removing the top of the case, it is now possible to stack multiple cases, as well as to mount HATs on top of the fan, using spacers and GPIO header extensions.”
