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The Raspberrypi Foundation just announced: New product: Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ ... releasing the Pi 3 A+ as

[...] one of our most frequently requested “missing” products.

By the way, the Foundation also explains:

that the 3+ platform is the final iteration of the “classic” Raspberry Pi: whatever we do next will of necessity be less of an evolution, because it will need new core silicon, on a new process node, with new memory technology. So 3A+ is about closing things out in style, answering one of our most frequent customer requests, and clearing the decks so we can start to think seriously about what comes next.

But setting that aside, what are the key differences between the 3B+ and the new 3A+ and what features do they share?

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What's the same?

  • 1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core processor Cortex A-53, ARMv8, BCM2837B0
  • dual-band wireless LAN, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz IEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 4.2/BLE
  • Video out: HDMI (rev 1.3) and composite video (3.5 mm TRRS jack)
  • MicroSDHC slot
  • 15-pin MIPI camera interface (CSI) connector
  • 40-pin GPIO header with identical pin-out
  • MxL7704 Power Management IC (according to the image posted at [4])

What's different?

  • 512 MB RAM (compared to 1 GB on the 3B+)
  • no on-board USB hub -> only one USB port (compared to four ports via on-board hub on the 3B+)
  • no GBit Ethernet; no support for Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
  • "improved" USB mass-storage boot mode
  • Improved thermal management; mainly due to the lack of the on-board Ethernet controller
  • smaller form-factor; in the same mechanical format as the Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+; 65 mm x 56.5 mm
  • lower weight; < 30 g (compared to approx. 50 g for the 3B+)
  • lower price; announced at $25
  • lower power consumption; idle 1.1 W, under load 4.1 W (3B+ 2.3 W and 5.7 W respectively)

Sources:

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  • The one thing missing is information about the power supply - does this have the MxL7704 chip to manage power?
    – Milliways
    Nov 17, 2018 at 22:05
  • @Milliways according to the photograph posted at one of the sources linked (yeah hi-res images) it contains the MxL7704-R3, so the same as the Pi 3B+.
    – Ghanima ♦
    Nov 17, 2018 at 22:32

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