Raspberry Pi 400: These new kits bundle a touchscreen with the computer keyboard
The Raspberry Pi always attracts compatible third-party hardware and its new keyboard computer, the Raspberry Pi 400, is now available with touchscreen displays to make a complete system.
The Raspberry Pi 400 is a Chinese-made keyboard top with UK-made insides, including a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM, USB ports, a GPIO header, HDMI ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
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The Pi 400 alone costs $70, but there's also the $100 Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit, which includes the Raspberry Pi 400, a USB mouse and USB-C power supply, a micro SD card with Raspberry Pi OS pre-installed, and a micro HDMI cable for the display.
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The kit is almost complete except for a display. But, as spotted by CNX-Software, Shenzhen-based electronics seller Waveshare is now offering its own Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit bundle with a choice of two touchscreen displays.
The Raspberry Pi 400 Kit with a seven-inch HDMI touch display is available for $180. It's an IPS display with a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, a toughened glass cover, and five-point capacitive touch. It connects to the Pi 400 with an HDMI port but lacks a speaker.
The larger display option costs $267 and comes with a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, 10-point capacitive touch and an embedded speaker. It also includes a separate power supply, whereas the smaller one runs off the power supply from the keyboard. Both displays include a kick stand but are only available with a UK keyboard for the moment.
The two display options push the Pi 400 towards laptop-like mobility, but since the computer lacks a battery, it can't be considered as mobile as a laptop. Still, it is a more mobile way of configuring the Pi 400 than a desktop display and could help, say, students move the device between school and home.
ZDNet asked Raspberry Pi Trading whether it is planning to make a full Raspberry Pi laptop but the answer for now is that it's focused on meeting demand for the keyboard in more languages.
Currently the Pi 400 is available UK and US English keyboards, as well as Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Nordic nations could be next in line.
Waveshare's larger, 13.3-inch display option costs $267 and comes with a Pi 400 kit, embedded speaker and separate power supply.