The Raspberry Pi is the most popular single-board computer (SBC) available due to its accessibility, huge online community, and low price. The only downside is you need to dedicate a separate monitor, mouse, and keyboard to it. That is, until now.

The Raspberry Pi 400 takes everything that makes the original Pi so beloved and puts it inside a small membrane keyboard that attaches to any display or television. Could this all-in-one Raspberry Pi computer take over from where the Atari 400 left off all those years ago?

A New Form Factor for the Raspberry Pi

The new Raspberry Pi 400 features the same quad-core 64-bit processor as the Pi 4, along with 4GB of RAM and onboard Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity.

Designed to be both an educational platform and a daily driver for most computing tasks, it connects to displays via the same dual mini-HDMI ports featured on the Pi 4, with two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port for peripherals.

The Pi 400 exposes Raspberry Pi ports on the back

The new design is encased in the same housing as the Raspberry Pi standalone keyboard and features the same soft-touch membrane keys. The general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins are still accessible via a slot at the back. As the Pi 400 has a 64-bit processor, it's perfect for use with the recently upgraded Raspberry Pi OS, a 64-bit Linux desktop environment based on Debian.

The Raspberry Pi 400 is available for $70, though the Raspberry Pi Foundation also offers a $100 kit featuring a pre-flashed Raspberry Pi OS microSD card, mouse, connecting cables, and a getting started guide.

To get a Raspberry Pi 400, find an official reseller for your area via the Raspberry Pi 400 purchase page.

The Raspberry Pi 400: A Powerful Toy?

The form factor of the new Pi 400 is a new direction for the Raspberry Pi foundation, but its powerful hardware makes it an equal contender to its siblings.

  • Price: $70 (Raspberry Pi 400)/$100 (Raspberry Pi 400 Kit)
  • CPU: Broadcom BCM2711C0 quad-core A72 (ARMv8-A) 64-bit @ 1.8GHz
  • GPU: Broadcom VideoCore VI
  • RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
  • Connectivity: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11b/g/n/ac wireless LAN, Gigabit Ethernet
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
  • GPIO: 40-pin GPIO header, exposed at case rear
  • Storage: microSD
  • Ports: 1× USB Type-C power input, 2× micro-HDMI 2.0, 1× USB 2.0, 2× USB 3.0, 1× RJ45 Ethernet, 1× Kensington lock slot
  • Cooling: Built-in passive heatsink
  • Dimensions: 286mm × 122mm × 23.7mm
  • Weight: 385g

A New Direction for Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi 400 is the first significant shift from the familiar Raspberry Pi form factor since the introduction of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module. Where the Compute Module went for smaller and more compact, the Raspberry Pi 400's design makes it the most accessible single-board computer (SBC) from the Raspberry Pi Foundation so far.

The Pi 400 all in one computer

The all-in-one keyboard design (and the name) are reminiscent of the Atari 400, and its simple plug-and-play mentality will appeal to retro computer users. The lack of a 3.5mm audio port might be a turn off for some, but HDMI audio allows for plug and play use with televisions and most monitors. Cutting back the setup time fixes one of the problems with regular Raspberry Pi boards.

While simple-to-use and education-focused, the regular Pi form factor still requires a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to use. This isn't a problem for many users, but if you live in a cramped environment or have to unhook your primary computer's peripherals to use it, there's a good chance a regular Raspberry Pi will just gather dust. Having the option to use the Pi 400 easily with televisions might make it the perfect addition to your entertainment setup.

Is the Raspberry Pi a Do-It-All Computer?

The idea of using a Raspberry Pi as a desktop PC replacement has been around for a while, but previous models didn't have the power to pull it off. This changed with the Raspberry Pi 4, which seemed like the first variation that could be used for most daily tasks.

The Raspberry Pi 400 does have less RAM than a top-spec Pi 4 but its faster processor should be powerful enough for most users' needs. Only time will tell, but it seems that if you want an all-in-one computer for daily work tasks, retro gaming, or education, the Raspberry Pi 400 is a budget-friendly choice for all.