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Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero vs Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Comparison
Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero vs Raspberry Pi Pico 2 memory compared
The gap that matters here is memory: Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero 1 GB against Raspberry Pi Pico 2 520 GB, which puts Raspberry Pi Pico 2 100% ahead. There is a split on soc model as well, Allwinner H2+, Quad-Core Cortex-A7 @ 1.2GHz on the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero versus Dual Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz or Dual RISC-V Hazard3 on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2.
Who each one is for
Buy the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero for extremely simple headless IoT or sensor nodes and learning basic embedded Linux at minimal cost, though it is the wrong buy for any workload needing more than 512MB RAM and desktop use or anything CPU-intensive. It is the wrong buy for new builds where the Pi Zero 2 W's price difference is small. Take the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 for makers building real-time embedded projects who want to experiment with switchable Arm/RISC-V cores. Avoid it for anyone who needs to run Linux, a desktop environment, or general-purpose software. Our rating of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero (5.5/10): A functional, extremely cheap Pi Zero clone for the lightest headless tasks, but its 512MB RAM ceiling and dated CPU make the Zero 2 W or BPI-M4 Zero better investments for most new projects. Our rating of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (8/10): A $5 microcontroller with switchable Arm and RISC-V cores, the cheapest way to experiment with both instruction sets.
Which is cheaper, Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero or Raspberry Pi Pico 2?
At the last price check the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 was $5.00 and the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero $15.00, a 200% premium.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Banana Pi
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Raspberry Pi
Model Number
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- BPI-M2 Zero
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Pico 2
Memory
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- 1 GB-100%
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- 520 GBBest
SoC Model
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- Allwinner H2+, Quad-Core Cortex-A7 @ 1.2GHz
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Dual Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz or Dual RISC-V Hazard3 (switchable)
Price
- Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
- 15 USD
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- 5 USD
Which one should you pick?
Choose Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose Raspberry Pi Pico 2 if you want the higher memory (520 GB vs 1 GB).
Price comparison
| Retailer | Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero | Raspberry Pi Pico 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Consumercarts listing | $15.00 View on Consumercarts listing | $5.00 View on Consumercarts listing |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
Banana Pi BPI-M2 Zero
5.5 / 10 Expert Rating
A functional, extremely cheap Pi Zero clone for the lightest headless tasks, but its 512MB RAM ceiling and dated CPU make the Zero 2 W or BPI-M4 Zero better investments for most new projects.
Raspberry Pi Pico 2
8 / 10 Expert Rating
A $5 microcontroller with switchable Arm and RISC-V cores, the cheapest way to experiment with both instruction sets.