It looks like a next-generation Raspberry Pi Zero is about to surface, the long-awaited Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W. And in an interesting twist in these times amid high PC component costs and supply chain constraints, a Raspberry Pi 4 Model A.
Merged to the official Raspberry Pi Linux kernel tree are patches adding Device Tree files for a Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W as well as a Raspberry Pi 4 Model A.
It's been five years since the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W was released with many wondering whether any successor would come, especially in more recent times with RAM pricing and supply chain bottlenecks. Well, given this Raspberry Pi kernel activity, it looks like it could be here soon. The Device Tree file for the Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W puts it as using a Broadcom BCM2711 SoC, the same quad-core Cortex-A72 SoC used by the Raspberry Pi 4. Nothing else yet too revealing about the Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W in that DT addition.
Then the other surprise is a Raspberry Pi 4 Model A. Raspberry Pi had the original Model A and then the Model A+ and Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ versions as lower-cost, cut-down versions of the full-featured Model B single board computers. The Model A versions tended to be slightly smaller and lower power consumption but with less I/O capabilities and even foregoing Ethernet. But it led to a lower price point.
While Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest generation, with Raspberry Pi single board computers continuing to be challenged by the rising component prices throughout the industry, it would seem logical to make a Raspberry Pi 4 Model A to offer something to those not needing a full-featured, current-generation Raspberry Pi SBC and to be able to do so at a somewhat lower price point.
In any event with this DT merge to the Raspberry Pi kernel, hopefully we'll be seeing the new hardware announced and in the marketplace soon.