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Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO vs Raspberry Pi 400

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

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Raspberry Pi 400 scores 7.2/10 overall, ahead of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO at 4.6/10.

The Raspberry Pi 400 leads on software support, performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 400 scores 10/10 to the Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO's 5/10.

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

4.6/10verdict: skip

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO is for people who want a small, wireless board for light, single-purpose jobs. It suits builders who already have Raspberry Pi Zero cases or GPIO accessories to reuse. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs wired networking, fast storage or a lot of memory.

Typically about £23.93 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 400

Raspberry Pi 400

7.2/10verdict: buy

The Raspberry Pi 400 is for anyone who wants a complete, compact Raspberry Pi desktop with the keyboard built in and no assembly. It suits learners, classrooms and homelabbers who want a small terminal or light desktop machine running Raspberry Pi OS. It is a weaker fit for anyone who needs easy GPIO access or fast internal storage.

Typically about £57.60 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 ZERORaspberry Pi 400
Software support30%5/1010/10
Performance25%5/106/10
Storage15%3/104/10
I/O and networking15%4/107/10
Value15%5/107/10
Overall4.6/107.2/10

Specifications

SpecBanana Pi BPI-M2 ZERORaspberry Pi 400
Processor (SoC)Allwinner H3 quad-core Cortex-A7Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 64-bit, 1.8 GHz
Memory512 MB DDR3, shared with GPU4GB LPDDR4-3200
Storage optionsmicroSD (TF) card up to 64 GB; no onboard flashMicroSD card slot; no eMMC, SSD or M.2 slot
NetworkingOnboard Wi-Fi 802.11n via AP6212/K016 (SDIO); no onboard EthernetGigabit Ethernet; dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE
GPIO40-pin header, pin-compatible with Raspberry Pi 340-pin horizontal GPIO header on the rear of the case
Video outputsMini HDMI 1.4, 1080p30 output; decodes 1080p60 H.264, encodes 1080p30 H.2642 × micro HDMI ports, up to 4Kp60; H.265 4Kp60 decode, H.264 1080p60 decode, OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.0
Power inputMicro USB, 5V/2A5V DC via USB Type-C power input

Strengths and weaknesses

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO

  • + Pin-compatible 40-pin GPIO header, matching Raspberry Pi 3
  • + Onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi
  • + Owners report Raspberry Pi Zero cases and accessories fit
  • − No onboard Ethernet; wired networking only via GPIO
  • − 512 MB of RAM, shared with the GPU
  • − microSD only, with a single USB 2.0 OTG port

Skip it if:

  • Anyone who needs onboard wired Ethernet or gigabit networking
  • Buyers wanting NVMe, M.2 or storage beyond a 64 GB microSD card
  • Homelabbers planning several containers or VMs on more than 512 MB of RAM
Read the full Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO review ›

Raspberry Pi 400

  • + Keyboard and computer in one compact case
  • + Raspberry Pi OS preinstalled on the SD card
  • + Gigabit Ethernet and two USB 3.0 ports
  • − microSD only, with no M.2 or eMMC
  • − GPIO access is awkward and needs an adapter
  • − Keyboard feels cheap and spongy to some owners

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want M.2, SSD or eMMC storage on the board.
  • Makers who will use the GPIO header often and want easy access.
  • Anyone who wants a separate bare board to mount in their own case.
Read the full Raspberry Pi 400 review ›

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