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Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry vs Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 6.4/10 overall, ahead of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry at 4.4/10.

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry leads on I/O and networking.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B leads on software support, performance and value.

They score the same on storage.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 10/10 to the Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry's 5/10.

Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry

Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry

4.4/10verdict: skip

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry is for hobbyists who want a small quad-core board with gigabit Ethernet, WiFi and a Raspberry Pi 3-style GPIO header. It suits light single-purpose jobs such as a sensor hub, a small network service or a GPIO project. It is less suited to anyone who needs more than 1GB of RAM, USB 3 or NVMe storage.

Typically about £46.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

6.4/10verdict: good, not the best

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B suits people who want a small board for GPIO projects, simple services or learning. It fits builders who need a 40-pin header with camera and display ports. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs fast networking, USB 3 or storage beyond a microSD card.

Typically about £33 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightBanana Pi BPI-M2 BerryRaspberry Pi 3 Model B
Software support30%5/1010/10
Performance25%3/105/10
Storage15%4/104/10
I/O and networking15%6/105/10
Value15%4/105/10
Overall4.4/106.4/10

Specifications

SpecBanana Pi BPI-M2 BerryRaspberry Pi 3 Model B
Processor (SoC)Allwinner A40i/R40/V40; quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU; dual-core Mali-400 MP2 GPU at 500MHzBroadcom BCM2837, quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.2 GHz
Memory1GB DDR3 at 733MHz, shared with GPU1GB RAM
Storage optionsMicroSD (TF) slot; SATA supported; no onboard eMMC; no M.2 or NVMe listedmicroSD slot only, for OS and data
Networking10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet (Realtek RTL8211E/D); WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (AP6212 module); Bluetooth 4.0100Base Ethernet; wireless LAN and Bluetooth
GPIO40-pin header with 28 GPIO; UART, I2C, SPI, PWM and I2S on some pins; matches Raspberry Pi 3 header40-pin extended GPIO header
Video outputsHDMI V1.4 TV-out; 4-lane MIPI DSI or RGB/LVDS panel; H.264 decode up to 1080p60Full-size HDMI, 4-pole stereo and composite video port, CSI camera port, DSI display port
Power input5V/2A via micro USB; no 3.7V battery supportMicro USB, up to 2.5 A switched supply

Strengths and weaknesses

Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry

  • + Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 on board
  • + 40-pin header matches Raspberry Pi 3
  • + SATA supported alongside microSD
  • − Only 1GB RAM, shared with the GPU
  • − USB 2.0 only, no USB 3
  • − No eMMC, M.2 or NVMe

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need more than 1GB of RAM for containers or VMs
  • Anyone who wants USB 3 or NVMe storage
  • Projects that need direct 3.7V battery power
Read the full Banana Pi BPI-M2 Berry review ›

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

  • + 40-pin GPIO header plus CSI camera and DSI display ports
  • + Built-in wireless LAN and Bluetooth
  • + Production promised until at least January 2028
  • − Ethernet is 10/100 only, not gigabit
  • − No USB 3; four USB 2.0 ports
  • − microSD only, with no M.2 or NVMe support published

Skip it if:

  • Anyone who needs gigabit Ethernet or USB 3 for fast file transfers
  • Buyers who want NVMe or M.2 storage rather than a microSD card
  • People who need more than 1GB of RAM for several services or VMs
Read the full Raspberry Pi 3 Model B review ›

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