Raspberry Pi generally waits over a year to refresh its range, but even then, improvements can be subtle. Today, we’re reporting that its flagship board, Raspberry Pi 3, has been updated to offer more speed in almost every aspect.
Speaking in terms of improvements, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ has gotten its processor and networking capabilities improved. The Model B+ rocks a 1.4 GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor (comparing that to the 1.2GHz BCM2837 chip on the Pi 3), and the company says that the improvements are seen in power integrity and thermal design.
For faster networking speeds, the Model B+ delivers dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless connectivity and gigabit ethernet USB 2.0, supporting up to 300Mbps. This is a three times the improvements over previous boards. Bluetooth 4.2 and Bluetooth Low Energy support will make it easier for users looking to create their own IoT hubs or interact with other devices in their homes.
Finally, the Model B+ comes with Power over Ethernet (PoE), which hasn’t received official support until now. Raspberry Pi Foundation will launch its own dedicated PoE HAT to make use of it in the future.
The Model B+ comes in the same dimensions as its predecessors, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The price remains the same too (again, no surprise there) wher you’ll pay $35/£30 for the board.
