Raspberry Pi 2 - What's New, and What's the Same

Feb 3 2015

A couple days ago, the Raspberry Pi foundation released the Raspberry Pi 2. The Raspberry Pi 2 comes with some fantastic new features that I'm looking forward to utilizing, including an upgraded processor and RAM. Even better, the hardware comes in at the same $35 as the original model B.

Where Can You Buy a Raspberry Pi 2?

Unfortunately, the Raspberry Pi 2 sold out pretty quickly from a lot of distributors. However, you can still backorder a Raspberry Pi 2 and you'll receive it as soon as it comes in to your distributor.

The Things That Haven't Changed

The Raspberry Pi 2 is physically similar to the current model B+, meaning that your existing cases and accessories will likely work on the new device without much (or any) modification. Cases especially will work with your new Raspberry Pi 2 without any modification. The pins are also in the same place, meaning you can continue to use any of your existing projects that connect to those.

Additionally, the micro SD card you use with your current model B+ will physically fit just fine in your new Raspberry Pi 2 (though, you will have to reformat it and reinstall the OS, as noted below). However, remember if you have an original model A/B, you will need to purchase a micro SD card as the original model used a full sized SD card.

The Things That Are Different

One thing to note, if you are upgrading from an original Raspberry Pi (model A, A+, B, or B+)-- the updated processor means that you will not be able to just move your SD card from your old Raspberry Pi to the new one. However, many of the popular operating systems have been updated for the Raspberry Pi 2, including:

  • Raspbian
  • OpenELEC
  • OSMC
  • Snappy Ubuntu Core
  • Debian Jessie

As usual, these operating systems can be installed manually with their respective OS images (available on the Raspberry Pi website) and using the image flashing method, or with NOOBS.

In the future, you'll also be able to run a version of Windows 10 through the Windows IoT program.

Once my Raspberry Pi 2 arrives, I'll have more information on cool things you can do with the increased power. If you'd like to know when I write a new article, feel free to subscribe to my mailing list.