Raspberry Pi upgraded its keyboard computer with mechanical switches and SSD storage

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. After upgrading its original compact computer-in-a-keyboard with its more capable Raspberry Pi 5 microcomputer, the company has announced a new premium version of last year’s model. The Raspberry Pi 500 Plus is the first to feature an M.2 2280 SSD socket for storage in addition to an SD card slot that can be used to hold the OS. It comes with 256GB of storage, but it’s easily accessible if you want to swap in a larger SSD. Available now for $200, the Raspberry Pi 500 Plus is considerably more expensive than the Raspberry Pi 500 that’s still available for $90, but the upgrades aren’t just limited to expanded storage. Its quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 processor is now paired with 16GB of LPDDR4x-4267 RAM (up from 8GB last year), and the 500 Plus should offer a more enjoyable typing experience for keyboard aficionados. The 500 Plus comes with a 256GB SSD that can be swapped out for more storage. Image: Raspberry Pi It now features Gateron KS-33 Blue mechanical switches and custom-designed low-profile keycaps (which are replaceable) with a spray-painted finish that has also been laser etched to allow newly added programmable RGB lighting to shine through. Inside the 500 Plus, you’ll also find an RP2040 microcontroller running the QMK open source firmware. Don’t like the 500 Plus’ custom-designed keycaps? You can pop them off and replace them with your own. Image: Raspberry Pi Other specs carried over from the standard Raspberry Pi 500 computer keyboard include support for Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth, a gigabit Ethernet port, two micro HDMI ports, three USB-A ports, and a single USB-C port for power. It doesn’t come with video cables, a power supply, or a mouse, but Raspberry Pi also sells a “Desktop Kit” version of the 500 Plus for $220 with everything you need to power the computer and connect it to a screen.