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Banana Pi BPI-R4 vs Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Comparison
Banana Pi BPI-R4 vs Raspberry Pi Pico 2: the memory difference
The gap that matters here is memory: Banana Pi BPI-R4 8 GB against Raspberry Pi Pico 2 520 GB, which puts Raspberry Pi Pico 2 98% ahead. Onboard storage is not the same on both, 8GB eMMC + microSD, optional M.2 SATA/NVMe on the Banana Pi BPI-R4 versus 4 GB on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2. They differ on soc model too, Quad-Core Cortex-A73 up to 2.0GHz on the Banana Pi BPI-R4 versus Dual Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz or Dual RISC-V Hazard3 on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2.
Which should you buy, Banana Pi BPI-R4 or Raspberry Pi Pico 2?
Buy the Banana Pi BPI-R4 for multi-gigabit fiber home routing (2.5G-10G) and future-proof WiFi 7 OpenWrt router builds, though it is not the pick for standard gigabit or slower internet connections and budget-conscious router projects. 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-R4 (8.5/10): the strongest DIY OpenWrt router board for multi-gigabit fiber connections, if you actually have the bandwidth to use it. 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-R4 or Raspberry Pi Pico 2?
Cost splits them too. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 sits at $5.00, Banana Pi BPI-R4 at $189, 3680% more.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- Banana Pi
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Raspberry Pi
Model Number
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- BPI-R4
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Pico 2
Memory
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- 8 GB-98%
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- 520 GBBest
SoC Model
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- Quad-Core Cortex-A73 up to 2.0GHz
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- Dual Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz or Dual RISC-V Hazard3 (switchable)
Price
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- 189 USD
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- 5 USD
Onboard Storage
- Banana Pi BPI-R4
- 8GB eMMC + microSD, optional M.2 SATA/NVMe
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2
- 4 GB
Which one should you pick?
Choose Banana Pi BPI-R4 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 8 GB).
Price comparison
| Retailer | Banana Pi BPI-R4 | Raspberry Pi Pico 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Consumercarts listing | $189.00 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-R4
8.5 / 10 Expert Rating
The strongest DIY OpenWrt router board for multi-gigabit fiber connections, if you actually have the bandwidth to use it.
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.