RP2350 Pico W5 review
By Rob Zwetsloot. Posted
In order to ensure maximum compatibility with Raspberry Pi Pico use-cases, Pico 2 and the rest of its line was shipped with a USB Micro B port for connectivity and power. As the chip that powers Pico 2, RP2350, is available for anyone to use as they see fit, one of the most common alternatives we see for Pico 2 is a board with USB-C for power and data.
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Elecrow has decided to go a little further, and a little different, by creating a version of Pico 2 that not only has a USB-C port, but also has a bump in the amount of storage it uses – doubling the 4MB of onboard storage to a whopping 8MB. Due to the way Pico is used as a microcontroller, you don’t need much storage; however, it’s always nice to have a slightly larger limit to work to.
Chunky wireless
This Pico 2 alternative (Elecrow £5/$7) uses a different wireless chip, too. While the standard Pico 2 W adds a noticeable chip to the board for wireless radio, the version here is a fair bit bigger – although it does offer 5GHz connectivity. So while it keeps just about the same dimensions as your standard Pico 2, the extra bulk on the PCB is something to bear in mind.
Otherwise it works like a Pico. With RP2350 powering it, all code is compatible and so is any hardware you can connect to it. W5 also comes with a handy reset button, which we always like to see. It’s definitely an elevated version of Pico 2, and with an excellent price point to match.
Specs
Dimensions: 51mm × 21mm, same as Raspberry Pi Pico
Connectivity: USB Type-C, wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth, 40-pin GPIO
Storage: 8MB flash
Verdict
9/10
A great alternative to your standard Raspberry Pico 2 W at the same price point, but you can’t quite slip it into every Pico-specific use-case – just most of them.
Rob is amazing. He’s also the Features Editor of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine, a hobbyist maker, cosplayer, comic book writer, and extremely modest.
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