Raspberry Pi announced the 1GB Raspberry Pi 5 on 1 December 2025 at $45, while increasing the announced prices of several Raspberry Pi 4 and Pi 5 configurations. Those figures are dated manufacturer announcements, not a confirmed September 2026 retail price. Raspberry Pi blamed the increases on sharply higher LPDDR4 memory costs and published additional increases in February and April 2026.
What Raspberry Pi announced on 1 December 2025
The new 1GB Raspberry Pi 5 became immediately available at a stated $45. The same announcement raised prices for selected 4 and 5 models. Raspberry Pi said the changes were needed to offset what it called an unprecedented rise in LPDDR4 memory costs. See the 1 December 2025 announcement.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Basic Kit (2GB RAM | NO SD Card) | $114.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Vilros Basic Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 with Dual Passive and Active Cooling Case-Includes Pi 5... | $114.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Raspberry Pi 4 1GB | $75.88 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Raspberry Pi 5.2GB RAM | $106.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| Product | Memory | Previous price | Price announced 1 December 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 4 | 4GB | $55 | $60 |
| Raspberry Pi 4 | 8GB | $75 | $85 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 1GB | New model | $45 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 2GB | $50 | $55 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 4GB | $60 | $70 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 8GB | $80 | $95 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 16GB | $120 | $145 |
The December notice said lower-memory Pi 4 variants, Raspberry Pi 3+ and earlier boards, and Pi Zero products were unchanged at that point. It also reported a $20 increase for 16GB Compute Module 5 variants.
What the 1GB Pi 5 includes
Memory is the main difference between the 1GB board and higher-capacity versions; it remains the Pi 5 platform. Raspberry Pi describes that platform as a quad-core 2.4GHz Arm Cortex-A76 computer with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0/BLE, dual 4Kp60 HDMI output, 4Kp60 HEVC video decoding and a PCI Express port. The platform specifications are detailed in Raspberry Pi’s Pi 5 introduction.
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- CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Basic Kit
Where 1GB is a sensible fit
- Lightweight desktop use, coding and electronics projects.
- Headless services, network utilities and single-purpose appliances.
- Learning projects where the Pi 5 processor and I/O matter more than running several large applications.
Where more memory is safer
- Full desktop multitasking with many browser tabs.
- Virtual machines, containers or memory-heavy development tools.
- Large databases, compiling substantial software or workloads that regularly swap to storage.
RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase, so the board’s workload—not just its sticker price—should determine the capacity.
Why prices changed
Raspberry Pi Trading attributed the December increases to LPDDR4 costs. In its 2 February 2026 update, the company said competition for memory-fabrication capacity from AI infrastructure was accelerating the pressure and that the cost of some parts had more than doubled over the preceding quarter. That explanation is Raspberry Pi’s statement, not an independent market measurement; details appear in its February 2026 notice.
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- A RASPBERRY PI 5 KIT FROM AN APPROVED RESELLER: This Vilros Complete Starter Kit for Pi 5 Includes Raspberry Pi 5 Board with all the accessories you need to get started.
- 11 PART KIT INCLUDES MOST ACCESSORIES NEEDED YOU TO GET UP AND RUNNING : 1.Raspberry Pi 5 Board–2.Metal/Aluminum Alloy Passive & Active Cooling Case–3.Raspberry Pi 5 Compatible Power Supply–4. PWM fan With 10k Max RPM Capacity (pre installed in the case)--5. 128GB Micro SD Card With 64bit Raspberry Pi OS Preinstalled–6. Micro SD to USB Adapter to rewrite SD card if Desired–7. Standard HDMI to Micro HDMI Adapter Cable--8.Neoprene Storage bag–9.Vilros Quickstart Guide for Raspberry Pi–10. Mini To Standard Camera Module Adapter Cable to use a camera module with a PI 5--11.LIR2032 Battery Connector For Raspberry Pi 5 RTC Port (connector ONLY Battery NOT Included)
- RASPBERRY PI 5 SPECS AND FEATURES:--Processor: Broadcom BCM2712 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, with cryptography extensions, 512KB per-core L2 caches, and a 2MB shared L3 cache----Features: 2.4GHz quad-core, 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU–VideoCore VII GPU supporting Vulkan 1.2 and OpenGL ES–LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM (4GB and 8GB options)--PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals ( Requires adapter)--Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz –Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- MULTIFUNCTION PASSIVE & ACTIVE COOLED CASE : Case feautes a built in pole/column that contacts the main chip on the raspberry pi 5 board via an included thermal pad too passively cool the board and also includes a preinstalled PWM Fan that plugs directly into the fan port on the board. The fan will only turn on if needed and will also increase RPMs as needed. Other features include a built in power button that shows the on board light status, camera module compatiblilty, can be used in single layer configuration for hat compatibilty
- HIGH QUALITY COMPONENTS: All components are manufactured with Raspberry Pi in mind and are backed by the Vilros 1 Year wartranty.
In a 1 April 2026 announcement, Raspberry Pi said LPDDR4 DRAM prices had increased seven-fold over the preceding year. Again, this is the company’s attribution rather than a regulator or independent price index. The April post announced further increases for products with 4GB or more memory and introduced a 3GB Raspberry Pi 4; read the April 2026 update for its scope.
How the later announcements affect the $45 figure
2 February 2026
Raspberry Pi said products with 2GB or more memory would rise again, while stating that the 1GB Pi 5 remained $45 at that time. This was a February announcement price, not a guarantee of what every seller would charge later.
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Rank #3
- Model: Raspberry Pi 4 B
- Board Type: Development
- Main component: motherboard
- Color: Green
- Processor: Broadcom BCM2711 Quad-core ARM v8 64-bit SoC
1 April 2026
The April notice affected products with 4GB or more memory. It said 1GB and 2GB Pi 4 and Pi 5 variants were priced between $35 and $65, but it did not separately restate the 1GB Pi 5 price. Therefore, $45 is confirmed as the launch price and as the price Raspberry Pi cited in February, but it should not be presented as a confirmed September 2026 retail price without a current listing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a buyer should budget beyond the board
The board price is only one part of a working computer. A Pi 5 setup may also require a compatible USB-C power supply, adequate cooling, microSD or other storage, a case, display cables, keyboard and mouse. Power and cooling requirements are particularly important for sustained Pi 5 workloads; verify compatibility for the exact accessory and operating environment before buying.
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- Quad-core ARMA76 processor (64-bit - 2.4 GHz). Integrated VideoCore VII 800 MHz GPU °2 to 3 times more performance than version 4
- Significantly improved graphics reproduction ° high-speed micro SD ° display of 2 x 4K - 60 fps at the same time
- 2x USB 3.0 5GBps ° 2x 4-way MIPI DSI/CSI ports
- New features: ¤ ON/OFF button ¤ PCIe 2.0 port ¤ Integrated RTC port
- Modification: ^ 5V/5A DC power supply via USB-C ^ Highly recommended fan for Pi5 inch
- Power: use a supply suitable for Pi 5 current requirements rather than assuming an older Pi adapter is adequate.
- Cooling: sustained CPU loads can require active cooling to maintain performance.
- Storage: include the cost of a reliable boot device and, for heavier services, faster or larger storage.
- Peripherals: add only what the project needs; a headless server can avoid display and input costs.
Retailer stock, taxes, shipping and bundles can make the checkout total differ from Raspberry Pi’s announced dollar figures. Check a current seller listing in your country before treating any number as the amount you will pay.
Which memory size makes financial sense?
| Use case | Likely starting point | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Headless utility, simple automation or teaching code | 1GB Pi 5 | Lowest announced Pi 5 entry price and the full Pi 5 processor/platform. |
| General desktop, media or moderate server use | 2GB or 4GB Pi 5 | More working-room for applications and services; compare the dated price premium. |
| Heavy multitasking, containers or development | 8GB or 16GB Pi 5 | Higher memory headroom, but the December 2025 prices rose to $95 and $145 respectively. |
| Existing Pi 4 project with modest requirements | Pi 4 lower-memory model | Reuse of existing accessories may outweigh the Pi 5’s newer CPU, subject to current prices and stock. |
Compare total project cost and expected lifespan, not only the cheapest board. Paying for unused RAM is wasteful, but replacing an undersized board later can cost more than choosing sufficient memory initially.
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How to interpret the headline in September 2026
- Treat $45 as the 1 December 2025 launch price and the price Raspberry Pi said remained in effect on 2 February 2026.
- Use the December table for a dated before-and-after comparison, not as a live price list.
- Account for the February and April 2026 increases, especially on 4GB-and-up configurations.
- Check a current, region-specific retailer listing for the board, tax, shipping and any bundled accessories.
The Bottom Line
The 1GB Raspberry Pi 5 gave buyers a $45 announced entry point on 1 December 2025, but the figure is historical rather than a confirmed September 2026 street price. Raspberry Pi raised several Pi 4 and Pi 5 prices and later increased higher-memory models again, so choose RAM for the workload and verify the complete, current setup cost before ordering.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
