New Raspberry Pi 3 features built-in wireless and Bluetooth

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B with built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity.

Built on the latest Broadcom 2837 ARMv8 64-bit processor, the new-generation Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is faster and more powerful than its predecessors. The processor speed has increased from 900 MHz on the Raspberry Pi 2 to 1.2 GHz on the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B has improved power management to support more powerful external USB devices. The latest model features an upgraded switched power source up to 2.5 A. It can now power even more powerful devices over USB ports. It can take far greater connectivity from other peripheral products now and they could be powered via Raspberry Pi’s power supply, said Luke Grigg, regional sales director ANZ, element14.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B will be available online on element14 website on 1 March 2016. Element14 will have around 1000 units available for sale on 1 March 2016, with further units available through the company’s reseller network. Given the high demand, element14 already expects another Raspberry Pi 3 Model B shipment to arrive later this week.

So far, more than six million Raspberry Pi units have been sold globally. Element14 has sold “just short of 100,000 units in Australia alone”, said Grigg.

Other key features include:

• 1 GB RAM
• 40-pin extended GPIO
• 4 x USB2 ports
• 4-pole Stereo output and Composite video port
• Full-size HDMI
• CSI camera port for connecting the Raspberry Pi camera
• DSI display port for connecting the Raspberry Pi touch screen display
• MicroSD port for loading your operating system and storing data

Image caption: Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.