The Raspberry Pi 500 was the first Pi computer with an integrated keyboard, and now there's an upgraded model to get excited about. The new Raspberry Pi 500+ has arrived with a higher-quality mechanical keyboard, better internal hardware, and all-important RGB lights.
The first Raspberry Pi 500 was a simple Pi board built into a keyboard, more like the design of the old Commodore 64 or BBC Micro. You still had to connect a separate display, mouse, and power supply, but the computer itself (a Raspberry Pi 5) and keyboard were integrated into one sleek package.
The new $200 Raspberry Pi 500+ is based on the Raspberry Pi 5, with a 2.4 GHz quad-core Arm Cortex A76 CPU, 16GB RAM, dual 4K display output support with the micro HDMI ports, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, and Gigabit Ethernet. There are three USB ports in total: two USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0.
The computer has a 256GB SSD inside the M.2 NVMe slot, with Raspberry Pi OS pre-installed. You can still use the microSD card slot and USB ports for boot drives if needed, but the built-in fast storage is appreciated.
Raspberry Pi
The main upgrade here is the keyboard, which is now uses Gateron KS–33 Blue switches with a custom RAL 7001 Silver Grey stem, instead of the simple membrane keyboard found in previous models. It should provide a more satisfying sound and feel while typing, with removable keycaps and individually-addressable RGB lights.
The blog post explained, "Each custom-designed low-profile keycap is spray painted and then laser etched to allow the backlight to shine through the legend. For those of you who prefer taller (or just different) keys, Raspberry Pi 500+ is compatible with most aftermarket keycap sets. We provide a key puller to simplify the process of removing the standard keys."
The built-in SSD, better keyboard, and 16GB RAM makes this a capable ARM Linux PC, but there are still a few strange compromises. The two micro HDMI ports for video output will require most people to buy new cables or adapters. That's a holdover from the regular Raspberry Pi 5, but there's definitely room on this larger computer for full-size HDMI ports. The lack of any USB Type-C ports is also a bit frustrating, though an adapter should work for basic accessories.
You can buy the Raspberry Pi 5 for $200 from the list of authorized retailers, which in the United States includes CanaKit , Vilros , PiShop.us , and Micro Center . There's also a $220 Desktop Kit, which adds a Raspberry Pi-branded mouse and power supply, a micro HDMI to HDMI adapter, and the Raspberry Pi Beginner's Guide, 5th Edition.
Source: Raspberry Pi
