Will There Be A Raspberry Pi 500? Here's Why We Want One

When it comes to convenience and modularity, the Raspberry Pi range of computers has long been regarded as one of the best options. At its core, the Raspberry Pi's single-board computer offers a way for people to connect different types of input and output devices — which can be used for a host of purposes, including testing, programming, and automation. Owing to their highly affordable price points, these computers are popular among DIY enthusiasts and young minds that are keen to learn and practice the wonders of the Internet of Things.

While most of the products offered by the company are tiny boards with a few I/O options, the Raspberry Pi 400, released in late 2020, was a largely self-sufficient PC. The ready-to-use computer comes with a quad-core processor, 4 GB of RAM, and an SD card with a pre-installed build of Raspberry Pi OS. The entire computer fits compactly inside a keyboard that has a variety of ports for connectivity. All you need to get started is a monitor and a place to rest the included mouse. 

Despite its versatility, there is growing interest among the community revolving around a possible successor to the Raspberry Pi 400. Will the highly requested Raspberry Pi 500 ever see the light of day — and if so, what improvements will you be able to use to better the experience? 

The reason behind the hype of the much-anticipated Pi 500 has to do with how good of a buy the Raspberry Pi 400 was. For $100, you pretty much get a nearly complete PC setup — with the abundance of great portable monitor brands out there, you are one step away from building an on-the-go setup. An improved Raspberry Pi 500 would benefit the most from a newer and faster processor — allowing it to handle more desktop-grade operations. A bump to 8GB of RAM will also help the computer with multitasking. 

The Pi 400's limited I/O options are an aspect that are often brought up by its users, and can definitely see an improvement with future iterations of the product. A full-sized HDMI port and a dedicated 3.5mm audio input, for instance, will make the Pi 500 feel like the complete package. With how affordable solid-state storage has become, the SD card slot being replaced by an M.2 slot would also make perfect sense, not to mention provide a faster experience running the operating system and interacting with files. 

Beyond the under-the-hood improvements such as newer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, and access to faster Ethernet, a full-sized keyboard with a dedicated number pad is also something many would appreciate. Regardless, what makes the Raspberry Pi 400 a fan favorite is its price — so it's unlikely for its successor to incorporate just about every modern-day computing glamour. When, and if it is released, we expect the Pi 500 to be just as good of a value while offering a noticeable bump in performance and a layout that makes connectivity even easier.

As of yet, there is no release date or confirmation for the Pi 500. Fortunately, the beauty of the Raspberry Pi community means you don't really need to wait around for an official Pi 500. In an excellent video build guide, ExplainingComputers shows how you can use the Raspberry Pi 5's updated internals and enclose it in a keyboard casing — with access to a full-sized HDMI port and an M.2 slot for snappy storage. There are countless other Raspberry Pi 5 projects that you can mold to fit your requirements.