Radxa’s new tiny single-board laptop packs additional processing energy and extra into the Zero kind issue, however is it actually a greater purchase than a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W? Let’s evaluate the 2 boards to see which comes out on prime.

Radxa Zero 3W vs. Pi Zero 2 W Specs Head-to-Head

First up, let’s check out the principle tech specs of the Radxa Zero 3 W and Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W facet by facet.

Processing Energy and RAM

By way of uncooked processing energy, the Radxa Zero 3W outclasses the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with a much more succesful system-on-chip (SoC). The Zero 3W’s Arm Cortex-A55 CPU can run at as much as 1.6GHz, significantly quicker than the Pi Zero 2 W’s Arm Cortex-A53 CPU at 1GHz.

The Zero 3W’s Arm Mali‑G52‑2EE GPU (graphics processing unit) additionally firmly beats the Pi Zero 2 W’s Broadcom VideoCore IV —the identical chip utilized in earlier Pi fashions. So, in case your undertaking requires graphical energy, it is a main benefit. The Radxa board additionally helps extra graphics APIs, together with Vulkan. It might probably output 1080p HD video at as much as 60fps, too, in comparison with 30fps on the Pi Zero 2 W.

Much more important is the distinction within the quantity of RAM. The Pi Zero 2 W’s efficiency is considerably hampered by its lowly 512MB of RAM, which implies it may possibly quickly run out of reminiscence for complicated duties, particularly when utilizing a GUI and multitasking. The Radxa Zero 3W should not have any such issues, coming with a minimal of 1GB and as much as 8GB. Not solely that, but it surely makes use of the quicker LPDDR4 sort of RAM.

Storage

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is restricted to microSD card storage, though you might use a USB hub so as to add an exterior drive. Not an enormous drawback, since in concept playing cards of as much as 256GB can be utilized—not that you just’re more likely to want anyplace close to that a lot for many tasks. The Radxa’s microSD card slot helps as much as 128GB playing cards, in response to the official spec, however you can even purchase the Zero 3W with on-board eMMC storage of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, which generally has quicker learn/write speeds in comparison with microSD.

Ports and Connectivity

By way of bodily ports and connectors, the 2 boards have the same format. Each have a single MIPI CSI port to connect a ribbon connector for a digital camera module. Each have an HDMI video output, though the Radxa Zero 3W contains a smaller micro HDMI port whereas the Pi Zero 2 W has a mini HDMI port. The Radxa additionally has a pair of USB-C ports (for energy and knowledge), in comparison with the Pi Zero 2 W’s micro USB ones.

Since neither board has an Ethernet port (not surprisingly given the scale), you’re restricted to wi-fi connectivity. The Pi Zero 2 W options commonplace Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n, backwards appropriate), whereas the Radxa Zero 3W is available in each Wi-Fi 4 and the quicker Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) variants. Each function Bluetooth connectivity and BLE, though the Radxa makes use of the extra up-to-date Bluetooth 5 or 5.4 commonplace (relying on the board variant).

GPIO and Add-ons

As you possibly can see from the images, each boards have a 40-pin GPIO header for connecting digital parts and breakouts. The Radxa Zero 3W’s advantages from colour-coded pins that can assist you determine every pin’s fundamental performance—floor pins are black, as an illustration, whereas 5V energy pins are crimson.

At first sight, the Zero 3W’s pinout seems to be similar to that of the Pi Zero 2 W, with the 5V, 3.3V, and GND pins all in the identical locations. The mapping of the numbered GPIO pins and their additional performance—reminiscent of for UART and SPI interfaces—is barely totally different, nonetheless. This poses an issue in the event you’re hoping to make use of Raspberry Pi HATs and breakout boards with a Radxa Zero 3W, as will the shortage of software program assist to make use of them on the rest however a Raspberry Pi.

Software program Help

That is the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W’s trump card. The sheer reputation of Raspberry Pi boards (with over 40 million items offered in whole) means there’s a wealth of software program and assist obtainable. This extends from the electronics hobbyist/maker realm to the academic and industrial sectors, the place Raspberry Pi boards are generally used.

The Raspberry Pi world group is big and so you possibly can simply search assist and discover options to any points you have got with a undertaking, as somebody has inevitably made one thing related. Raspberry Pi’s official on-line documentation can also be glorious.

Whereas the Pi Zero 2 W can run the official Debian-based Raspberry Pi OS—though many different working methods will be put in on a Raspberry Pi—which is custom-created for the board and simple to make use of, the Radxa helps commonplace Debiarn or Ubuntu flavors of Linux. On both board, the OS will be run headless or with a GUI.

One fascinating function of the Zero 3W is the Maskrom button on the rear, which places the board right into a particular boot mode in which you’ll sideload binaries from a pc related through USB. This can be used to put in a retro gaming system reminiscent of RetroPie or EmuELEC.

Value and Availability

In the course of the nice Raspberry Pi provide scarcity, which led to scalpers charging sky-high costs, the Pi Zero 2 W was one of many hardest boards to pay money for, and remains to be in restricted provide even now in some localities. The Radxa Zero 3W can also be in nice demand and could also be out of inventory at instances, until you reside in China.

At their official costs, the Pi Zero 2 W and fundamental 1GB mannequin Radxa Zero 3W each promote for $15. The opposite Zero 3W variants can price as much as $65 for the 8GB RAM mannequin with 64GB eMMC storage.

Radxa Zero 3W vs. Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: Last Verdict

By way of tech specs, the Radxa Zero 3W clearly beats the Raspberry Pi 2 W fingers down, with superior processing energy, graphical skills, RAM, and eMMC storage choices. So, in the event you want all that energy in a smaller Zero-size footprint, it’s properly value contemplating.

Then again, the Pi Zero 2 W advantages from a lot better software program and {hardware} add-on assist, together with an enormous world group of customers. So it’s positively greatest for novices. Additionally, in case your moveable undertaking doesn’t require the Radxa’s additional processing grunt, the Pi Zero 2 W does use much less energy, which is a bonus when utilizing a battery provide.