7 Reasons to Buy the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

Small and powerful, yet powerfulness efficient, nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W single-board machine offers a batch of possibilities.

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is nan latest successful nan bid of Zero shape facet (i.e. smaller) single-board computers from nan Raspberry Pi company. It offers respective improvements complete its predecessor, but it is priced nan same.

Here are 7 reasons to see nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, whether you're buying your first aliases adjacent Raspberry Pi.

1. ​It Is Cheap

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is simply a very inexpensive single-board computer, truthful overmuch truthful that it was classed first successful our database of the cheapest SBCs. The charismatic unit value is $15, overmuch little than nan costs of nan guidelines Raspberry Pi 4B exemplary ($35).

This affordable value makes nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W a amended fresh for your much experimental, delicate projects. It besides useful for a minimal Raspberry Pi cluster, which tin unfastened up respective nosy applications.

2. ​It Is Powerful for Its Size

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W tin beryllium described arsenic a compact powerhouse successful nan lightweight category. The Zero 2 W is up to 5 times faster than nan original Pi Zero successful astir applications.

The hardware is based connected nan Raspberry Pi 3A0, a proprietary system-in-a-package from nan Raspberry Pi company. It uses a quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor moving astatine 1GHz and has 512MB of SDRAM. Given its mini size, nan capacity of this committee is rather impressive.

According to benchmark tests tally by Gareth Halfacree for Hackster, nan Pi Zero 2 W offers comparable capacity pinch nan overmuch larger 3A+ committee but is easy overshadowed by nan Raspberry Pi 3B+.

Although nan 512MB RAM is rather debased and tin beryllium limiting successful immoderate applications, compromises had to beryllium made for nan compact shape facet and price.

3. ​It Is nan Most Power-Efficient Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is nan cheapest, smallest, and astir power-efficient Raspberry Pi single-board machine you tin bargain astatine nan moment. Compared to its bigger siblings, nan Pi Zero 2 W sips power.

Hackaday ran various tests connected different Raspberry Pi models—the Pi 3B+, Pi 4B, Pi Zero, and Pi Zero 2 W—to find which provided nan astir capacity per watt. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W came retired connected top: it has comparable capacity pinch nan Pi 3B+ while utilizing only somewhat much powerfulness than nan Pi Zero.

This energy-efficient creation not only saves you money connected energy but besides makes it an perfect prime for portable and battery-powered projects. The Pi Zero 2 W is truthful well-suited for low-power projects specified arsenic a handheld gaming console aliases a distant sensor node.

4. ​It Offers Wireless Connectivity

The "W" successful Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W stands for "Wireless," and it lives up to its name. You won't find an Ethernet larboard connected nan Zero 2 W, but it has a Synaptics BCM43436/8 power module for Wi-Fi (2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN) and Bluetooth (Bluetooth 4.2, BLE).

Unlike nan original Pi Zero, location is nary type of this committee without wireless connectivity. The expertise to link to nan net without dongles aliases adapters opens up a world of possibilities for nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W successful IoT and location automation projects. Be judge to return a look astatine our database of nan best Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W projects.

5. ​It Is Only Slightly Larger Than a Pico

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W has nan aforesaid shape facet arsenic nan Zero W, but is somewhat heavier owed to nan heavy soul copper layers utilized to modulate temperature. While nan Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller is nan smallest computing merchandise from Raspberry Pi, nan Zero 2 W is simply a adjacent 2nd and is simply a fully-fledged computer.

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W measures 2.6 × 1.2 × 0.2 inches, astir nan aforesaid size arsenic a instrumentality of laptop RAM. It is half nan size of nan Pi A+ committee and respective times smaller than nan Raspberry Pi 4B.

Despite being arsenic mini arsenic a bookmark, nan Zero 2 W manages to battalion a 40-pin GPIO header (unpopulated pinch pins by default), a quad-core processor, and wireless connectivity. This mini size will travel successful useful for projects pinch abstraction constraints, portability needs, aliases artistic considerations. The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is actual impervious that bully things do travel successful mini packages.

6. Raspberry Pi Support and Ecosystem

It is well-known that Raspberry Pi offers fantabulous support for its products compared to nan competition. While an replacement single-board machine whitethorn beryllium capable to compete pinch a Raspberry Pi connected value aliases moreover performance, it is often difficult to execute nan aforesaid level of charismatic and organization support that is almost taken for granted pinch Raspberry Pis.

The Raspberry Pi Zero is nary objection to this trend. For conscionable $15, it offers each nan charismatic hardware and package support you request to get nan astir retired of your single-board computer. You besides get to use from Raspberry Pi's vibrant and supportive organization of developers, enthusiasts, and educators.

7. ​Availability Has Improved

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W was rather a uncommon Pokémon not excessively agelong ago, but readiness has improved for this committee (and different Raspberry Pi models) recently. This intends your chances of buying 1 without having to woody pinch scalpers and third-party sellers are overmuch higher astatine nan infinitesimal than successful nan not-too-distant past.

If you've ever wanted to get a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W but you've been stumped by its availability, now is nan champion clip to get one.

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: Small Size, Big Possibilities

With conscionable 512MB of RAM and an underclocked processor, nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W won't switch your regular driver anytime soon, but it offers a reasonable discuss for group who don't want to salary for a Raspberry Pi 4 B but request much functionality than nan Raspberry Pi Pico offers.

Whether you're a seasoned shaper aliases a beginner exploring nan world of single-board computing, nan Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W offers respective compelling features that tin thief you bring your ideas to life without breaking nan bank.