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Hardware

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

By Nick Heath November 12, 2018, 4:58 AM PST

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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

The Pi 3 Model A+

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

The Pi 3 Model A+

The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ packs most of the specs of the $35 Pi 3 B+ into a more compact, even cheaper board.

The tiny computer is a massive upgrade over the old Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+, which is based on the same single core system-on-a-chip as the first-generation Pi, released back in 2012. Like the original, the new A+ is a single-board computer designed to be built into homemade hardware — such as this remote-controlled robot — thanks to its small size and low-power consumption.

Despite the very noticeable bump to its specs, the price of the board is $25, only slightly more than the old A+.

Click through the gallery for a guided tour of all the new features on the board.

Read more about the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+

  • Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ review: A $25 computer with a lot of promise
  • How to set up your Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+
  • Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A cheat sheet
Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Pi 3 A+ vs B+

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Pi 3 A+ vs B+

As you see here, the A+ is noticeably shorter than the B+, giving it a more compact, square shape.

The squashed size of A+ is made possible by removing the Ethernet port and by only sporting a single USB port.

Otherwise the specs of the two boards are almost identical, with the only other major difference being the A+ has half the memory of the B+.

Size-wise, the A+ is 65mm u00d7 56.5mm — the same as the first-generation Raspberry Pi A+ — compared to the B+’s 85.6mm u00d7 56.5mm.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Underneath the board

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Underneath the board

This is the underside of the Pi 3 A+, sporting the board’s RAM and the SD card reader.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

The CPU

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

The CPU

Like the Raspberry Pi 3 B+, the A+ runs on a Broadcom BCM2837B0, a quad-core Arm Cortex A53-based processor, running at 1.4GHz.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Wi-Fi antenna

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Wi-Fi antenna

Wireless connectivity is also identical to the Pi 3 B+, with the A+ offering dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, and the same wireless antenna hidden inside this Raspberry-branded tin.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

The ports

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

The ports

The Pi 3 A+ offers one full-sized HDMI 1.3 port, which should work well with 1080p monitors and TVs, as well a microUSB connector for power, and a 4 pole stereo audio output and composite video jack.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Ports from above

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Ports from above

Another view of the ports on the right-hand side of the board.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

512MB RAM

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

512MB RAM

Here you can see the chip for the A+’s onboard RAM. With only 512MB, compared to 1GB on the Pi 3 B+, this is probably the biggest difference between the two boards.

If you’re looking to use the Pi as a desktop PC, the constrained memory will likely cause the Pi to struggle once you’ve got a few programs open.

However, for those who work mainly in the command line, and use the Pi to run software as part of a larger system, say as a control unit on a robot, this memory may be plenty.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Single USB 2.0

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Single USB 2.0

While only having a single USB 2.0 port may seem limiting, mouse and keyboard can also be connected via Bluetooth, and keeping the ports down helps lower the A+’s power consumption compared to the B+.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

40-pin GPIO header

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

40-pin GPIO header

Like the Pi 3 B+, the A+ also sports a 40-pin general purpose input-output (GPIO) header for hooking up other boards, sensors, motors, and homemade hardware to the Pi.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

SD card storage slot

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

SD card storage slot

While there are other options for storage, the A+ typically boots from and stores data on a microSD card, that slots into the reader seen here. If you’re looking for other forms of storage, the Raspberry Pi Foundation says the Pi 3 A+ offers “improved mass-storage booting” compared to the B+.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

DSI display connector

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

DSI display connector

Useful for hooking up small LCD screens to the Pi, so it can be used on the move, the usual DSI connector found on Pi boards is also present.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

Side-by-side with Pi 3 B+

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Side-by-side with Pi 3 B+

While the A+ is the shorter board, both the B+ and A+ are the same width.

Another advantage over the B+, according to The Raspberry Pi Foundation, is better thermal management, suggesting lower running temperatures and less throttling of the processor when under heavy load.

SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)


Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic
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By Nick Heath
Nick Heath is a computer science student and was formerly a journalist at TechRepublic and ZDNet.
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