Difference Between Raspberry Pi zero vs 3
Raspberry Pi is a small single board series of a computer which is based out of the United Kingdom. It was created by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in order to promote basic computer science teaching in schools and developing countries. It is an ARM credit card-sized Single Board Computer (SBC) which runs on Debian based Linux Operating system.
Raspberry pi Zero is known by the name of a $5 computer and thereby a very popular small computer among its competitors. This incredibly cheap computer is smaller than a credit card with the dimensions of 65mm X 30mm X 5mm with the thickness and weighing just 9 gms. This product doesn’t lack any feature which its competitors have. Its single-core CPU is clocked higher to 1GHz, thereby increasing the speed with 40 percent higher than the original. If you factorize based on the 512 MB, then the speed can be found to be three times than the original Raspberry Pi.
The new version of Raspberry Pi is Pi 3. It has onboard support for Bluetooth and WiFi and a 64-bit processor. It is indeed an exciting board for Engineers, Students, and makers as it also has enhanced USB boot capabilities with a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor and three times faster gigabit Ethernet internet network. Let us now understand the differences between Raspberry Pi Zero vs 3 in detail.
Head to Head Comparison Between Raspberry Pi Zero and 3 (Infographics)
Below is the top 34 difference between Raspberry Pi Zero vs 3:
Key differences between Raspberry Pi Zero and 3
Let us discuss some of the major Difference Between Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi 3:
- Raspberry Pi Zero has the size of half of Raspberry A+ model with a low-cost mini-computer. It is also less powerful whereas Raspberry Pi 3 is the third generation computer system of Raspberry series which has replaced its predecessor Raspberry Pi 2 model B.
- The features of Pi Zero include 1 GHz of CPU, micro USB power, 512 MB of RAM, micro USB OTG cable, mini HDMI port, composite video and reset headers, CSI camera connectors, HAT compatible pin header whereas Raspberry 3 has the features such as 1 GB of RAM, full HDMI port, micro HD card slot, Ethernet port, four USB ports, 40 pins and a combination of a composite video and a 3.5 mm audio jack, display and camera interface with VideoCore IV 3D graphics core.
- If you need an analog video output, they both Raspberry Pi Zero vs 3 have different systems to cater to the needs in their own way. With Raspberry pi Zero you will find an unpopulated pin whereas in case of Raspberry Pi 3 the shared audio pin is used.
- LCD panels are not supported in Raspberry Pi Zero but they are supported in Raspberry Pi 3. This means that a touchscreen can be added easily on the Pi 3 model as it already provides the support for it and has a dedicated connection for it.
Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry pi 3 Comparison Table
The primary comparison between them are discussed below:
| Basis of Comparison between Raspberry Pi Zero vs 3 |
Raspberry Pi Zero |
Raspberry 3 |
| Definition | A small cheap computer which consists of a micro SD card slot, a mini-HDMI socket, and a video header | It is the newer version of Raspberry Pi which supports Bluetooth and WiFi along with a 64-bit processor. |
| Price | $5 USD | $35 USD |
| Release Date | 30 Nov 2015 | 29 Feb 2016 |
| Core Type | ARM1176JZF-S | Cortex-A53 64 bit |
| GPU | VideoCore IV | VideoCore IV 1080p@30 |
| CPU Clock | 1 GHz | 1.2 GHz |
| RAM | 512 MB | 1 GB DDR2 |
| No. of cores | 1 | 4 |
| Soc Type | Broadcom BCM2835 | Broadcom BCM2837 |
| USB ports | Micro + micro OTG | 4x USB 2.0 |
| Provision for Ethernet | No | Yes |
| HDMI port | Mini port | Yes |
| Analog Audio Out | HDMI audio | Yes |
| Analog Video Out | Via unpopulated pin | Shared with audio pin |
| I2C | Yes | Yes |
| SPI | Yes | Yes |
| GPIO | 40 pin header with pinout identical to Model A+, B+, 2B | 40 pins (IIC, UART, SPI,IIS (audio)) |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| LCD Panel | Yes | No |
| SD/MMC | Micro SD | Micro SD |
| Bluetooth | No | 4.1 LE |
| WiFi | No | 802.11n |
| Power Ratings | 160 mA | 1.34A @ 5V |
| Power Consumption | 160 mA (USB) | 350 mA (USB) |
| Power Sources | microUSB or GPIO | microUSB or GPIO |
| Width | 2.55 in (65 mm) | 2.22 in (56.5 mm) |
| Height | 1.18 in (85.6 mm) | 3.37 in (85.6 mm) |
| Depth | 0.19685 in (5 mm) | 0.66929 in (17 mm) |
| Weight | 0.31746 oz (9 gm) | 1.58 oz (45 gm) |
| LCD Panel | Not Supported | Supported |
| OS Supported | Linux | Linux, Windows 10 IoT Core, Android Things |
| Camera Interface | Yes | Yes |
| Advantages |
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Conclusion
There are many Raspberry products and choosing the right product as per your need can be a difficult task at times. But this should be done based upon the kind of requirement your project has and the amount of capital you can invest. For users who are thinking of doing some form of embedding in their mini-computer related to low power, Raspberry Pi zero can be recommended. Stay tuned to our blogs for more articles like this.
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