Raspberry Pi Zero W vs Zero 2 W
There are three boards in the "Zero" family, and it's easy to mix them up since they share the same tiny form factor. This lesson lays out exactly how they differ so you can pick the right one for your project - or understand which board a project you're following online was actually built on.
| Spec | Raspberry Pi Zero | Raspberry Pi Zero W | Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Broadcom BCM2835, single-core ARM11 @ 1GHz | Broadcom BCM2835, single-core ARM11 @ 1GHz | RP3A0 SiP (integrating a Broadcom BCM2710A1 die), quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz |
| RAM | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB LPDDR2 (same amount, different RAM technology) |
| Wireless | None - no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth | 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 + BLE | 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 + BLE (same as Zero W) |
| Form factor / GPIO | Same tiny footprint, 40-pin unpopulated header | Same tiny footprint, 40-pin unpopulated header | Same tiny footprint, 40-pin unpopulated header - physically interchangeable with the other two in most cases |
| Ports | Mini HDMI, micro USB OTG, micro USB power | Mini HDMI, micro USB OTG, micro USB power | Mini HDMI, micro USB OTG, micro USB power |
| Released | November 2015 | February 2017 | October 28, 2021 |
The Single Biggest Difference: Wireless
The plain Raspberry Pi Zero has absolutely no wireless connectivity - no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth. That's the single biggest thing separating it from both the Zero W and the Zero 2 W. If a project needs network access and you're using a plain Zero, you're wiring up a USB Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter, which adds bulk and cost that arguably defeats the point of choosing the smallest board in the first place.
The Second Biggest Difference: Raw CPU Power
The Zero and Zero W share the exact same CPU: a single-core ARM11 @ 1GHz. The Zero 2 W is a completely different animal under the hood - it's built around the RP3A0 system-in-package, which integrates a Broadcom BCM2710A1 die, giving it a quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 running at 1GHz. Raspberry Pi's own marketing describes the Zero 2 W as "up to 5 times as fast" as the original Zero. RAM capacity is unchanged at 512MB across all three, though the Zero 2 W uses LPDDR2 rather than the older RAM technology in the original boards.
Which One Should You Actually Buy?
| Board | Buy it when... |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Zero (plain) | You genuinely never need networking of any kind and want the absolute cheapest option available - a fairly narrow use case today |
| Raspberry Pi Zero W | You want the sweet spot for most wireless/headless projects at the original single-core performance level - this is the board this entire track is about |
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | You need meaningfully more CPU performance (its quad-core Cortex-A53) while keeping the exact same tiny form factor and GPIO compatibility |
Because all three boards share the identical 40-pin GPIO layout and physical footprint, wiring diagrams, HATs, and cases designed for one generally work across all three - so the GPIO pinout reference in the next lesson applies no matter which of the three you end up with.