X

Unboxing the supercharged, $35 Raspberry Pi 2 (pictures)

Get a look at the newly unveiled Raspberry Pi 2 model B microcomputer, which its makers say is six times as powerful as its predecessor.

Luke Westaway
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
raspberry-pi-2-model-b-unboxing-1.jpg
1 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Meet the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B -- a supercharged sequel to the popular microcomputer. Click through to check it out.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-unboxing-2.jpg
2 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Here's the back of the box, with a bullet-point list of features to the new board. You can see the packaging itself is impressively compact.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-unboxing-3.jpg
3 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

The board itself is about the size of a credit card (though a bit thicker of course), and comes in this static shielding bag, important for protecting sensitive electronic gadgetry.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-unboxing-4.jpg
4 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

You also get a handy instruction booklet, which has a quick start guide to help you set up your Pi for the first time.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-1.jpg
5 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Here's the board itself. It has a new quad-core 900MHz processor and 1GB of RAM. Its makers say that equates to six times more power than the previous Pi.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-7.jpg
6 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Here's a top-down view of the new board. Apart from a new processor and more RAM, the connections are the same as before, making the Pi 2 backwards compatible with older accessories and projects.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-3.jpg
7 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Here's a view of the back of the new board.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-2.jpg
8 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Here you can see an Ethernet port, alongside four -- count 'em -- USB ports.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-6.jpg
9 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

Interestingly, there's going to be a Raspberry Pi-compatible version of Windows 10. It'll be a version that brings developer tools, so it won't be for everyone, but it'll be interesting to see what the union of Windows 10 and Raspberry Pi creates.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-4.jpg
10 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

The new board costs $35 -- the same low cost as the first Raspberry Pi model B.

raspberry-pi-2-model-b-5.jpg
11 of 11 Luke Westaway/CNET

The Pi 2 model B is on sale from today. Raspberry Pi is one of the most exciting things to happen to computing in recent years, so we can't wait to see what new projects the Pi 2 makes possible.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos