Eben Upton: A Raspberry Pi 4 Model A Launch in 2022

For the Raspberry Pi 4 A, Upton Anticipates a Release in 2022, But Not for the RPi 5.

Eben Upton told Tom's Hardware's The Pi Cast podcast last week that if not for the chip shortfall, the stripped-down Raspberry Pi 4 Model A would have arrived by now. The Raspberry Pi 4 A is currently scheduled for release in 2022, however Upton hinted that a Raspberry Pi 5 launch may be delayed until 2023 unless the chip shortfall is resolved sooner than projected.

The $20 Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+, which offers a smaller, less feature-rich alternative to the RPi 3B+ but with the same CPU, will be updated by the Raspberry Pi 4 Model A. The 4A is expected to follow the same formula but at a cost of $25.

To save money, Upton suggested one of the two mini-HDMI ports will likely be removed and replaced with a full-size version. There's also a chance they'll skip the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B's USB 3.0 connections to save money on the PCIe-based VL805 USB 3.0 controller, leaving an undefined amount of USB 2.0 ports. (There is one on the 3A+.) Upton noted that, unlike the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, they had not yet chosen to provide a PCIe port on its own.

An upgrade to the Raspberry Pi 7-inch touchscreen is also slated for release in 2022. Although Upton stated that the Raspberry Pi 5 design is not yet complete, it is expected to include a faster processor, support for more than 8GB RAM, a faster USB port (i.e. USB 3.2 Gen2 or USB 4.0), 2.5GbE Ethernet, and faster WiFi (possibly 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6).

The Raspberry Pi 4 B has been on the market for over two years, and in that time, a number of additional, similar versions have been on the market, including an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4, a Compute Module 4, and the Raspberry Pi 400, which is essentially a Pi 4 inside a keyboard. The Raspberry Pi 4 A, on the other hand, has yet to replace the Pi 3A+.

However, according to Eben Upton, the CEO and Founder of Raspberry Pi, the business has a lot of ideas for a 4 Model A (or 4A) and may have already created one if not for persistent chip shortages. Upton joined us on the latest episode of Tom's Hardware: The Pi Cast, our monthly Pi-centric podcast, and offered us some hints about what a Raspberry Pi 4 A may include and exclude, as well as the price range he's aiming for.