Raspberry Pi hikes prices by up to $150, tries to cushion the blow with new Raspberry Pi 4 3GB variant

A big part of what makes Raspberry Pi's computers so appealing is that they are tiny and affordable, making them perfect for students, educators, hobbyists, and anyone looking to take on a weekend project without spending a fortune. Unfortunately, the ongoing memory shortage is undermining this very image, as the company has announced significant price hikes across several of its products.

The move, shared by Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton in a blog post, comes as the insatiable memory demand from AI data centers continues to push companies into a corner. Upton clarified that the increases are not permanent and that prices will come back down once DRAM costs go down. Until then, here's what getting a Raspberry Pi will cost you:

• Raspberry Pi 4 3GB - $83.75
• Raspberry Pi 4 4GB - $100
• Raspberry Pi 4 8GB - $165

For the Raspberry Pi 5, prices are even more eye-watering.

• Raspberry Pi 5 4GB - $110
• Raspberry Pi 5 8GB - $175
• Raspberry Pi 5 16GB - $305

To put that into perspective, the Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM sold for just $120 at launch.

It's not just the consumer-focused single-board computer models that are affected either. The Compute Module 4S and Compute Module 5 also see price increases ranging from $11.25 to $100, depending on density. The Raspberry Pi Development Kit for Compute Module 5 increases by $25, while the Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ 2 increases by $50.

Apart from bare boards, the Raspberry Pi 500, both standalone and as part of the desktop bundle, is going up by $50. Meanwhile, the more premium Raspberry Pi 500+ sees a much steeper $150 increase.

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To soften the blow, Raspberry Pi has also introduced a new Raspberry Pi 4 with 3GB of RAM, priced at $83.75 and available starting today. The company says the new option is aimed at buyers who need more than 2GB but don't want to pay for a 4GB model. While the $83.75 price tag is about 15% lower than the new price of the 4GB model, it still lands at a point where it's hard to call it a budget-friendly option or a cheap default for hobbyists.

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That said, those on a budget can breathe easy, as the lower-RAM models are holding their current prices. The Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 1GB and 2GB variants remain available in the $35 to $65 range, with no price increases expected for the Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, or older models, thanks to their use of older LPDDR2 memory.

For the rest, if these price hikes were taking place under normal circumstances, mini PCs would be a solid alternative, but even those have seen price increases, leaving you with little luck left.