The Raspberry Pi Zero brought a new form factor when it was released, and with it a computer for the price of a cup of coffee. But if there was one thing that people needed was wireless connectivity, especially Wi-Fi to be able to access.
The Release of the Raspberry Pi Zero W takes the RPI Zero we love and adds Wireless chip with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. The increase in price to $15 (from the $10 the RPI Zero is) is a small price to pay since adding Wi-Fi to a RPI Zero usually involves an wireless dongle and micro USB to A adapter.
Hardware
The Raspberry Pi Zero W shares the same design as the RPI Zero board but with an integrated Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module and a 2.4GHz antenna.
- Processor: ARM11 running at 1GHz
- Memory: 512MB of RAM Package on Package (PoP)
- Storage: The microSD card slot
- Graphics: mini HDMI
- Connectivity: The Pi 4 includes dual-band Wi-Fi 6 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 (Classic + LE), and Gigabit Ethernet
- USB Ports: Micro USB OTG port
- Power Input: Micro USB B
- GPIO: Standard 40-pin GPIO header
One change that impacts backwards compatibility is a change with the RPI Zero camera cable, which has a connector that’s smaller than the standard Raspberry Pi.
Software
One of the most critical aspects of the RPI Zero is that the software is compatible with with other Raspberry Pi software. You can’t use the 64-bit version because the Pi Zero doesn’t support 64-bit ARM.
Price
Our Take
Just as the original Raspberry Pi broke the rules with a $35 Single Board Computer, the Raspberry Pi Zero again shows the Raspberry Pi Foundation is willing to go places no one has gone before. A computer for the cost of a cup of coffee. What’s more, new industrial applications can leverage the low cost board as well instead of designing their own board for a much higher price.
One downside is that the RPI Zero is available in limited quantities, and the 512MB of RAM may be insufficient for a lot of applications.