Below, we detail all the nitty-gritty details about the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, such as its hardware features, what makes it different from its predecessor, some possible use cases, and whether you should get one.
The All-New Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
As announced by Eben Upton on raspberrypi.com, the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is the latest member of the small form factor Pi Zero family. The Pi Zero 2 W costs $15, which is $10 more than the original Pi Zero, and $5 more than the Pi Zero W.
It features a quad-core 64-bit Broadcom BCM2710A1 SoC die, similar to the one in the original Raspberry Pi 3 but with a few tweaks to make it affordable. For instance, the ARM Cortex-A53 cores have been clocked down to 1GHz and paired with 512MB LPDDR2 SDRAM.
Unlike the other Pi Zero models, Raspberry Pi Trading has bundled the RAM and the SoC into a single RP3A0 package. Such an arrangement is referred to as a system-in-package (SiP).
Performance is up from the earlier Zero models, but precise numbers will vary depending on workloads. For instance, the company claims you can achieve five times more performance for multi-threaded sysbench.
When it comes to pins and ports, the Pi Zero 2 W has a 40-pin General Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) header, two micro-USB ports (one for power and the other is a USB 2.0 interface with OTG), a microSD card slot, a Mini HDMI port, and a CSI-2 camera connector. On top of that is a solder point for composite video.
For wireless communication, Pi Zero 2 W has Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE.
Despite the improved specifications, the Pi Zero 2 W is packaged in a similar form factor as the original Pi Zero. That means you can still use not just your old case on the Pi Zero 2 W but your accessories as well. With its backward compatibility, you’ll be up and running in a few minutes if you decide to switch over to the Pi Zero 2 W.
You can power the Pi Zero 2 W using the company’s own 12.5W Raspberry Pi PSU, compatible with all Raspberry Pi Zero models (and the Pi 3). Costing just $8, this resembles the Raspberry Pi 4 PSU, but without a USB-C connector. Instead it uses a USB Micro-B connector with a peak current of 2.5A.
What Can You Use a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W For?
You can use the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in a variety of DIY projects. The most basic requirement, of course, is to keep in mind the performance limitations posed by the Zero 2 W’s quad-core CPU.
You can use it as a desktop computer, a hand-held console for playing retro games, a smart speaker, a remote time-lapse camera, a Wi-Fi-powered CCTV camera, a smart alarm clock, and various IoT projects and prototypes.
There are many use cases, and it all comes down to your creativity to fully utilize the extra processing power of the Pi Zero 2 W.
Should You Buy the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W?
Although the Pi Zero 2 W is slightly more expensive than its predecessor, it still provides impressive bang for your buck due to the apparent performance improvement. If you’re running your projects on the original Pi Zero or Zero W, you’ll appreciate the performance boost. However, whether you should buy it or not depends on what you plan to use the Pi Zero 2 W for.
If you use the older Pi Zero for its low power consumption, you should probably stick to it. While the performance boost is a plus, the Pi Zero 2 W consumes more power, making it less ideal for projects requiring extended battery life, like a portable console.
And if you’re a programmer, the Pi Zero 2 W is an important update as it uses the widely supported ARMv7 processor. For general desktop use, you should probably use a Raspberry Pi 4 or 400, which cost more but are more practical.
