Raspberry Pi 500 Plus: Raspberry Pi releases first mechanical keyboard with M.2 2280 SSD and RGB lighting
Earlier this week, Raspberry Pi introduced the Compute Module 0 in China with the same underlying hardware as the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. For the time being, the company's CEO has indicated that the Compute Module 0 will be a Chinese exclusive. Instead, it has decided to repackage the Raspberry Pi 500 (curr. $139 on Amazon) for global audiences via a release it is calling the Raspberry Pi 500+ or Raspberry Pi 500 Plus.
As its name suggests, the Raspberry Pi 500 Plus contains some upgrades over the original Raspberry Pi 500 while retaining its core functionality. For instance, the new model carries over the Broadcom BCM2712 chipset and I/O like a 40-pin GPIO header, two micro HDMI ports and three USB Type-A ports.
However, Raspberry Pi has added 16 GB of RAM and a 256 GB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD. Better still, the latter can be replaced without disassembling the entire unit. Moreover, the Raspberry Pi 500 Plus adds RGB lighting, which sits below the device's Gateron Blue KS-33 low-profile switches.
In other words, the Raspberry Pi 500 Plus is a mechanical keyboard, unlike the Raspberry Pi 400 or Raspberry Pi 500. Consequently, one could swap out the key caps as required with others designed for Cherry MX stems. Based on Raspberry Pi's documentation, the switches themselves cannot be replaced.
The Raspberry Pi 500 Plus can be ordered from today for $200. Please note that Raspberry Pi does not include accessories like a power supply, HDMI cable or a mouse. Instead, the company includes these in a kit that retails for $220. Please see Raspberry Pi's website for more details.
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