Raspberry Pi 4 Vs Odroid Xu4

Our Verdict

Bottom line: The Raspberry Pi 400 is cypher more than a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B mounted inside a keyboard. It turns out that this small, seemingly insignificant change makes all the difference and this is the Raspberry Pi that near everyone should buy.

For

Pure simplicity
Keyboard is fully functional
Integrated heatsink
Available as a kit for less than the cost of buying each piece

Against

GPIO pin admission requires an adapter
Can exist harder to discover than regular Raspberry Pi 4

I really didn't recall I could be more impressed by a Raspberry Pi than I was when Pi 4 Model B launched in 2019, but here we are. I dear to tinker with gadgets, and always have a Raspberry Pi or ii sitting on my messy workbench. They are but that versatile.

I was excited to meet the Raspberry Pi 400 launch because information technology solved 2 very real problems about people will confront when they want to become started: the need for an enclosure of some sort, and a keyboard to get everything set up and running. Turns out that fifty-fifty if you already take a great Raspberry Pi case or two and a handful of actress keyboards, the Raspberry Pi 400 is nonetheless pretty darn awesome.

What is a Raspberry Pi and who is information technology for?

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ — Source: Jerry Hildenbrand / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Jerry Hildenbrand / Android Key)

A Raspberry Pi is what's known as a single-board computer, which is a fancy way of maxim it's basically everything you demand to to make a calculator soldered into one PCB. Once provided with a proper enclosure, an input method similar a mouse and keyboard, and a display of some sort it works just like the desktop or laptop calculator you might already have.

The big difference is the size. A Raspberry Pi is well-nigh the size of a credit carte which means it can be placed just about anywhere or inside of anything so information technology'south great for electronic projects or IoT (Internet of Things) devices and prototyping. In fact, this was one of the main design goals when the start Raspberry Pi was being developed — it's a cheap way to teach software and hardware development to hobbyists and students.

The Raspberry Pi has moved past this and you'll find plenty of people using one as a small desktop figurer, or a media server, or even a retro gaming console. It's extremely easy to get started and there is a giant community of developers and fellow hobbyists online so the list of possibilities is withal growing every day.

The Raspberry Pi 400 shines considering it has everything yous need built into one of the other things yous need — the enclosure is also a fully-functional keyboard. If you're an enthusiast who wants to build a media server or a RetroPi game panel, or even have your own Linux-powered desktop PC, the Raspberry Pi 400 is perfect for y'all.

Raspberry Pi 400 What I like

Category	Spec
Processor	Broadcom BCM2711
RAM	4GB LPDDR4-3200
Connectivity	Dual-band (2.4GHz and v.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/k/northward/ac wireless LAN Bluetooth 5.0, BLE Gigabit Ethernet
Ports	ii × USB 3.0 and 1 × USB ii.0 ports 2x micro HDMI
I/O	Horizontal twoscore-pivot GPIO header
Multimedia	H.265 (4Kp60 decode) H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode) OpenGL ES three.0 graphics
Keyboard	78 or 79 (depending on region) cardinal meaty keyboard
Power	5V DC via USB connector

I actually similar the hardware choices made for the Raspberry Pi 400. The smallish 78-key keyboard and the wired USB optical mouse are cerise and white because official Raspberry Pi accessories similar cases have always been red and white. Both are soft-touch on plastic which means they feel good to touch but volition get muddied somewhen. But what I like a lot more is the experience once you plug in iii cables.

Really — you lot tin can get a Raspberry Pi upward and running past making sure the arranged SD carte (or if you've purchased one of the all-time SD cards for Raspberry Pi) is inserted, plugging in the mouse and a monitor, then connecting the power supply. Fifteen seconds subsequently, you're greeted past a graphical desktop welcoming you to your new Raspberry Pi.

I'k certain that some folks don't need this sort of simple introduction only I'm also pretty sure that a lot of people are buying a Raspberry Pi with the intent to use it every bit a light and cheap desktop calculator. For those people, booting upwards a Raspberry Pi for the first time is a whole lot less of a headache than booting up a Windows or Mac computer. Seriously.

You'll click a single button to connect to a network — either via Ethernet or Wi-Fi — and so the onboarding process checks the software version of every program and the operating organisation itself and updates anything that needs it. If y'all're using whatever sort of HD monitor (the Raspberry Pi 400 easily supports whatever of the best 4K TVs or displays) y'all'll and so demand to reboot so the correct resolution tin can be practical.

And and so yous're done setting it all upwards and can begin to apply it as a desktop PC. A surprisingly capable desktop PC based on the hardware inside, too.

The hardware is beautiful and the software isn't so bad either. Linux has come a long manner.

We're not talking about some sort of nerdish ugly desktop environment you might be thinking of when yous find out the Raspberry Pi runs Linux, either. Information technology'southward full of useful and functional software similar a software "store" where you tin cull from thousands and thousands of applications, games, and utilities. There is a full-featured (and in my stance much ameliorate than offerings from Microsoft or Apple) file explorer. Even hot-plugging in something like a USB stick or hard drive is fully supported with no actress configuration. To employ the former cliché, it but works. Except that this time information technology really does but work.

All in all, the experience is very much similar your phone where everything is configured to exist automatic and stay up to date while providing the best user experience possible. But considering the Raspberry Pi 400 is a Linux PC you can branch out and install other software, change the operating organization, or even write your ain software or operating system.

Information technology's not blazing fast but it is very capable. I usually set up a Raspberry Pi equally some sort of server or application service and was genuinely surprised how fluid and functional using the Raspberry Pi 400 every bit a lightweight desktop PC was.

Raspberry Pi 400 What I don't like

This section is short because there isn't much I don't like well-nigh the Raspberry Pi 400. Having said that, the 1 thing on my list here makes the product a deal-breaker for many of my own projects: there is no like shooting fish in a barrel access to the onboard GPIO pins without an adapter.

If yous want to build an IoT projection the Pi 400 probably isn't what y'all want.

A Raspberry Pi comes with 40 GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins that you can easily plow on or off through programming. Permit's say I want to apply a Raspberry Pi as a lighting controller that would turn on a floodlight in the backyard (through the use of a depression-voltage relay) if a motion sensor "sees" move for more than 1.5 seconds. That's actually like shooting fish in a barrel to do using the programmable GPIO pins and that's the sort of projection I like to use a Raspberry Pi for.

I tin notwithstanding practice this, but I would need an adapter that attaches to the pins then exposes xl pins outside of the keyboard case on the other stop. In a apply case like this, I don't need an fastened keyboard nor do I want 1 more point of failure, and using a "regular" Raspberry Pi inside a small weatherproof enclosure is a much better style to get.

Granted, that's really niche but you would exist surprised at how many folks use a Raspberry Pi to act as the brains of a like electronics projection and for all of those people, the standard Raspberry Pi is a amend pick. Then again, the people well-nigh likely to do anything of this nature already know this and they are not who this review is written for.

Raspberry Pi 400 The competition

There are quite a few minor, inexpensive single-board computers on the market place, and they range from consummate overkill for any hobbyist to something every bit simple but applied as an Arduino. I've used several of these products and if you have a dedicated need they could be a improve fit.

The FriendlyElec NanoPi NEO3 (opens in new tab) works well for a small IoT project. It has a scattering of I/O options, is on the pocket-sized side, and is fairly piece of cake to use. You lot'll too love its low price only probably won't like its small-scale programmer customs if you hit a snag.

If yous want to use a board that runs Android (as well every bit Android TV!) the ODROID-XU4 (opens in new tab) has yous covered. If using Windows is more your style, then yous might desire to look towards the LattePanda Delta (opens in new tab). Both are capable with sizable communities in place where you lot tin can become answers to the inevitable questions that will come up.

Finally, if you lot want or need complete overkill or want to build robots or self-driving cars, the NVIDIA Jetson Development Kit (opens in new tab) is there for you. It's not piece of cake to apply and it'south not cheap. But it has more than power than you'll know what to do with.

Raspberry Pi 400 Should you buy it?

Y'all should buy this if ...

You want a pocket-size only cheap tiny PC
You're new to using a single-board computer or electronic projects in full general
You lot want a Raspberry Pi and will apply information technology hands-on instead of stuffing information technology in a box where information technology just runs lawmaking
You want the best Raspberry Pi for nigh everyone

You should not buy this if ...

You won't need to touch your Raspberry Pi once it is in identify and working
Yous plan to do a lot of prototyping using the GPIO pins
Yous just don't need a keyboard or enclosure

v out of v

I've never rated annihilation a full five stars before because something has to be perfect to become a perfect score. The Raspberry Pi 400 is perfect for well-nigh everyone.

It truly is plug and play which is important because, and let's be honest here, annihilation that runs Linux can exist a pain to go running. Everything y'all need to get started is included in an cheap kit and if you only demand the unit of measurement itself you can buy information technology, too. Information technology'due south never been this easy to see what all the Raspberry Pi fuss is about.

One time information technology'due south set up y'all'll be surprised at how well it works and what you lot can do with it. Information technology's a desktop PC, a media server, a game console, and anything else you tin dream upwards. I can't recommend the Raspberry Pi 400 enough to anyone who wants to cheque the world of Raspberry Pi out, and I think information technology will become yous hooked.

Jerry is an apprentice woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't have apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll detect him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

v Comments

For the 1/10 cost of an apple monitor stand, or 1/9 toll of iv fiddling apple wheels, you get a fully functional small computer!;D And, with this litle computer, you lot can practice things that nearly apple users dont exercise with a mac pro!;D
nice review, thanks.
for me, this competes with using a high-end Android TV box (there's a $90 one based on the cadre A7x S922X). This one is more hackable hardware and software-wise, has endless OS updates and an fantabulous support customs. The Android box is more than familiar and has a lot more native apps for regular users (incl. MS Office, Skype, plenty of adept games...). For me, I'd become a Pi. For well-nigh users, Android.
I've got a lot of little raspberry pi appliances I've put together. The onetime fashion DIY board formfactor is great for that. If this makes a skillful enough desktop for younger kids or kiosk environments it more than justifies its existence.
Exactly. A Pi Zero controls a damper in the hvac duct coming into my office. A Pi 3 runs our Christmas tree lights. A rack of Pi 3s control my aquariums. But a Pi 400 is an out of the box 100% working desktop computer that is more powerful than you would think and can teach you how to exercise all those other things. It'due south one of the all-time tech products of 2020 IMO.
This Pi400 is my first Raspberry device. I'm not into making or tinkering per se. I'k looking at this as a desktop replacement suitable for the masses. Tin't wait till LineageOS (flashed onto an SSD) gets further adult. And then smartphone to figurer will be seamless.

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