If you're thinking of getting one Raspberry Pi for a new projectIt's advisable to double-check your card before going to the checkout. The British brand has confirmed a new round of price increases, the third in a very short time, which makes the configurations with more memory especially more expensive.
The movement comes in the midst of LPDDR4 DRAM memory crisis, a key component in the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5. The cost of these chips has skyrocketed due to the priority that large manufacturers are giving to artificial intelligence data centers, leaving platforms like Raspberry Pi with a rather tight margin for maneuver.
A third price increase that hits the highest configurations
As Eben Upton explained, The price of LPDDR4 memory used in the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 has increased sevenfold in just one yearWith these figures on the table, the company says it has no choice but to pass on part of the extra cost to the buyers, although trying to contain the impact where possible.
This new review focuses again on the variants with 4 GB or more of RAMOn the Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 models, the 4GB configurations increase by around $25, while the 8GB configurations see increases of about $50. Those looking to get the most out of the board will notice the difference even more. The Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB of memory adds up to $100 at its base price, and in Spain it is already around 369 euros, a figure that places it dangerously close to many more powerful x86 mini PCs for general use.
In the range of computers integrated into keyboards, the impact is not exactly small either. The Raspberry Pi 500 receives a price increase of about $50While The Raspberry Pi 500+ becomes about $150 more expensiveboth as a standalone unit and as a complete kit. In some European countries, this means that the top-of-the-range model will now cost around 130 euros more than before, a price increase that is difficult for educational institutions, laboratories, and hobbyists on a tight budget to ignore.
The company itself admits that this is already the third wave of adjustments since DecemberThis is quite unusual in its history. First came moderate increases of between $5 and $25, then a second push in February, and now this new step, which consolidates a change in context for a platform historically associated with very low prices.
Affected components: from main boards to Compute Modules
The new price hike is not limited to the "classic" panels that we usually see in domestic projects. Much of the professional and embedded Raspberry Pi catalog is also becoming more expensive.This has a direct impact on integrators and companies that use these products in industrial or commercial deployments.
The devices listed include the different variants of Compute Module 4, Compute Module 4S and Compute Module 5as well as the official development kit for the latter and the accessory Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ 2, geared towards AI applications at the edge. Prices vary depending on capacity and model, but range approximately from $11,25 for some 1GB modules to $100 for 16GB configurations.
The company's official document details the staggered increases: The Compute Modules with 2 GB add up to around $12,50The 4GB versions go up by $25, the 8GB variants add an additional $50, and the 16GB Compute Module 5 jumps to $100. The development kit for Compute Module 5 adds another $25 to the bill, while the AI HAT+ 2 card increases its price by another $50.
All this confirms that This is not a one-off adjustment or a simple catalog correction.The price increase is widespread across the latest and most memory-rich ranges, affecting both home users and professional projects in Europe that relied on these boards for their balance between cost and performance.
The irony is that the announcement has come at a time when April 1st, April Fools' Day in the English-speaking worldHowever, Raspberry Pi itself has been quick to clarify that this is not an April Fool's joke: the new prices are real and are already being applied through official distributors, including in the European market.
A Raspberry Pi 4 with 3 GB to avoid having to upgrade to 4 GB
To try to soften the blow, the company has decided to accompany the rise with the launch of a new Raspberry Pi 4 with 3 GB of RAMIts reference price is around $83,75 (about €72 at the current exchange rate), which places it as an intermediate point between the 2GB and 4GB variants.
The idea is relatively simple: that each user pays only for the memory they actually needIf an application runs well with 3GB of RAM, there's little point in forcing the purchase of a 4GB board, which is now significantly more expensive. Therefore, the Raspberry Pi 4 range is configured with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8GB options, allowing for more precise budgeting based on intended use.
Raspberry Pi insists that This new variant is not just catalog filler.but rather an attempt to adapt to a much more competitive memory market. For more context on how the company is preparing new products and projects that point to the future of AI, this approach fits with their strategy.
The company itself acknowledges that the plate ecosystem has changedWith prices skyrocketing, each increase brings users a little closer to low-cost mini PCs or other platforms like Orange Pi Banana Pi, which is also being affected by the rising cost of RAM, although with its own pricing strategies.
Which models are spared from the increases?
Amid so much bad news, the British firm is making an effort to emphasize Which products are keeping their prices unchanged?According to their statement, the more modest variants of the family will remain as they were, at least for now.
Specifically, The Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 with 1 GB and 2 GB They remain within the $35 to $65 range, with no official changes. The price of Raspberry Pi 400 with 4 GBwhich remains at around $60, and the prices of the older ranges based on LPDDR2 memory are preserved.
That means that models like Raspberry Pi Zero, Zero W, Zero 2 W, Raspberry Pi 1, 3, 3B+, 3A+ and Compute Module 1 and 3+ They remain frozen. The key factor here is that Raspberry Pi has an inventory of older memory for several years, allowing it to absorb the costs without passing on new price increases to the end customer.
For those working with educational or maker budgets in Spain and the rest of Europe, These basic versions continue to be the most affordable entry point to the ecosystem. They don't offer the power or RAM of the top-of-the-line configurations, but they allow you to continue building lightweight servers, small home automation projects, learning stations, or retro emulation equipment without breaking the budget.
A “temporary” measure in the face of pressure from artificial intelligence
This new round of price changes is once again accompanied by a clear message from the management team: Raspberry Pi insists that this is a temporary measure, conditioned by the exceptional context of the memory market.
Eben Upton has publicly reiterated that The current circumstances are complicated but not permanent. And that, when the cost of DRAM returns to reasonable levels, the company promises to reverse the price increases. This is an unusual promise in the hardware industry, where price hikes typically become permanent even after the initial causes disappear.
Do not forget that Raspberry Pi operates as a non-profit foundationWith relatively tight margins and a model that prioritizes access to technology over profit, its continuous price increases are interpreted as a fairly accurate indicator of what is happening with RAM on a global scale, driven in large part by the artificial intelligence craze.
Meanwhile, the reality for European users is that Motherboards with more memory cost almost three times as much today as they did a few months ago. In some specific cases, this leap forces a rethink of many purchasing decisions, especially in areas where the cost-performance ratio was the main argument for choosing Raspberry Pi over other solutions.
Ultimately, the picture that emerges for anyone considering buying a motherboard in Spain or the rest of Europe is quite clear: Basic configurations and older models remain the most budget-friendly optionWhile boards with 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of RAM enter a price range where they must be seriously compared to mini PCs, other single-board computers (SBCs), and low-end x86 systems, the new 3GB Raspberry Pi 4 attempts to provide a buffer in the middle of this price escalation. However, the conversation now inevitably revolves around how much people are willing to pay to remain within the Raspberry Pi ecosystem.
