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.
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.
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.
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.
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+.
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.
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+.
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.
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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.
Nick Heath is chief reporter for TechRepublic. He writes about the technology that IT decision makers need to know about, and the latest happenings in the European tech scene.
Nick Heath is chief reporter for TechRepublic. He writes about the technology that IT decision makers need to know about, and the latest happenings in the European tech scene.