To date, over 19 million Raspberry Pi computers have been sold. Out of which, the Raspberry Pi 3 accounts for over 9 million units. Now, a new revision named Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is right on schedule for Pi Day. A faster processor and better connectivity options are available on the new model.
The Model B+ features an ARM Cortex-A53 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, an upgrade over the 1.2 GHz Broadcom BCM2837 utilizing the same architecture. The revised processor carries model number BCM2837B0 and has a metallic heat spreader to improve thermal performance. As a result, power consumption can be lower on the Model B+ for the same clock frequencies and voltages.
Perhaps the largest improvement is in the area of connectivity. Support for dual-band 802.11ac wireless LAN has been added to allow connections to 5 GHz networks. Lab tests show almost a 25 percent performance improvement for 2.4 GHz bandwidth over the Model B. Bluetooth has also been updated to version 4.2 in place of 4.0.
Local area connection speed also gets a proper bump to gigabit. Streaming and file transfer over ethernet will be a significant improvement over the previous 10/100 Mbps support. Power-over-Ethernet is now officially supported with a separate add-on. PXE network and USB mass-storage booting have also been improved to alleviate some prior frustrations.
For those interested in using the Raspberry Pi in products that will go up for sale, the entire board is now certified as a radio module by the FCC. This significantly reduces the amount of work required to demonstrate compliance with existing regulations.
In honor of Pi Day, many stores are offering discounts on Raspberry Pi products, so be sure to look around. The latest Model B+ may be purchased from the Raspberry Pi Foundation for $35.