Raspberry Pi 4 released with upgraded specs, starts at $35

Dave W. Shanahan

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

The new Raspberry Pi 4 is here with upgraded technical specifications, including 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB RAM versions. The Raspberry Pi 4 pricing starts at $35 (1GB), $45 (2GB), and ends at $55 for the 4 GB DDR4 RAM version. Additionally, the Raspberry Pi 4 is now using USB-C for power, getting rid of the old USB micro-B connector, available in older models.

Two other big changes are the removal of the full-sized type-A HDMI connector in exchange for two Type-D micro HDMI connectors, and the placement of the Gigabit Ethernet jack next to the 4 USB connectors. The Raspberry Pi 4 also sports 2 USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports. Here’s the video showing off the new Raspberry Pi 4.

As noted in a post on the Raspberry Pi blog, here’s a look at all the updated specifications available in the new Raspberry Pi 4 Model B:

  • A 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU (~3× performance)
  • 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM
  • Full-throughput Gigabit Ethernet
  • Dual-band 802.11ac wireless networking
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
  • Dual monitor support, at resolutions up to 4K
  • VideoCore VI graphics, supporting OpenGL ES 3.x
  • 4Kp60 hardware decode of HEVC video
  • Complete compatibility with earlier Raspberry Pi products

Besides the Raspberry Pi 4 upgrades and older models’ legacy support, Raspberry Pi will abandon the legacy graphics driver stack used in previous Raspberry Pi models.

“Instead, we’re using the Mesa “V3D” driver developed by Eric Anholt at Broadcom over the last five years. This offers many benefits, including OpenGL-accelerated web browsing and desktop composition, and the ability to run 3D applications in a window under X. It also eliminates roughly half of the lines of closed-source code in the platform.”

The Raspbian Desktop software is getting revamped too. Based on the upcoming Debian 10 Buster release, the new Raspbian Buster desktop software offers “a modernised user interface, and updated applications including the Chromium 74 web browser.” Head on over to the Raspberry Pi downloads page to download the new Raspbian Buster desktop for yourself. The new Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB RAM) offers enough technical specifications to run full Windows 10.

Buy the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B from the Raspberry Pi Store.