Navigating through memory price hikes: Raspberry Pi launches 3GB Pi 4
Raspberry Pi has added a new 3GB version of the Raspberry Pi 4 to its lineup, priced at $83.75 and available immediately. The company says the new SKU is meant to give buyers another memory option as LPDDR4 prices keep climbing, while more price increases are also hitting Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 5, Compute Module, Raspberry Pi 500, and AI HAT+ 2 products.
The problem is that this new 3GB Raspberry Pi 4 now costs more than the Raspberry Pi 5 8GB did at launch in September 2023, when it debuted at $80. It also costs more than the Raspberry Pi 4 8GB did when that model launched in May 2020 at $75.
A challenging but temporary situation
We’ve said a number of times now that memory prices won’t remain at their current very high level indefinitely; the circumstances in which we find ourselves are challenging, but in the future they will abate. When they do, we will reverse our price increases, and until they do, we will continue to work hard to limit their impact in every way we can.
That price, combined with the April 1 announcement date, made the launch look like a joke at first glance. Raspberry Pi addressed that directly in its own post explaining how challenging is the current situation.
Based on comments I read, potential users may prefer Zero 2 and Raspberry Pi 3, which now make more sense for low-cost projects. The new 3GB Pi 4 no longer fits the old idea of Raspberry Pi as the cheap default for hobby and embedded systems. Raspberry Pi says the increases are temporary, but the new model still lands at a price that is hard to call budget-friendly.
| Raspberry Pi Price Update | ||
|---|---|---|
| Product | Density | Price increase |
| Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 | 4GB | $25 |
| Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 | 8GB | $50 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 16GB | $100 |
| Raspberry Pi 500 (unit only and kit) | $50 | |
| Raspberry Pi 500+ unit only | $150 | |
| Raspberry Pi 500+ kit | $150 | |
| Compute Module 4 and 4S | 1GB | $11.25 |
| Compute Module 4, 4S, 5 | 2GB | $12.50 |
| Compute Module 4, 4S, 5 | 4GB | $25 |
| Compute Module 4, 4S, 5 | 8GB | $50 |
| Compute Module 5 | 16GB | $100 |
| Development Kit for Compute Module 5 | $25 | |
| Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ 2 | $50 |
Source: RaspberryPi
