Skip to content
sudopicks
esc

Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO vs Raspberry Pi Zero WH

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

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Raspberry Pi Zero WH scores 5.9/10 overall, ahead of the Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO at 4.6/10.

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 ZERO leads on performance.

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

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi Zero WH scores 9/10 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 Zero WH

Raspberry Pi Zero WH

5.9/10verdict: good, not the best

The Raspberry Pi Zero WH is for people who want a small, low-power board with GPIO ready to use straight away. It suits single-purpose projects that need Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and header-based add-ons rather than much processing power. It is not aimed at anyone who needs wired networking, fast storage or several services running at once.

Typically about £15.40 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 Zero WH
Software support30%5/109/10
Performance25%5/104/10
Storage15%3/104/10
I/O and networking15%4/105/10
Value15%5/106/10
Overall4.6/105.9/10

Specifications

SpecBanana Pi BPI-M2 ZERORaspberry Pi Zero WH
Processor (SoC)Allwinner H3 quad-core Cortex-A7Broadcom BCM2835 with a 1 GHz single-core 32-bit ARM11 CPU and 400 MHz VideoCore IV GPU
Memory512 MB DDR3, shared with GPU512 MB LPDDR2 RAM at 450 MHz
Storage optionsmicroSD (TF) card up to 64 GB; no onboard flashmicroSD slot only
NetworkingOnboard Wi-Fi 802.11n via AP6212/K016 (SDIO); no onboard Ethernet2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 with BLE per Raspberry Pi (4.1 per The Pi Hut); no wired Ethernet port
GPIO40-pin header, pin-compatible with Raspberry Pi 340-pin GPIO header, pre-soldered on this model, 0.1in (2.54 mm) pin pitch
Video outputsMini HDMI 1.4, 1080p30 output; decodes 1080p60 H.264, encodes 1080p30 H.264Mini HDMI port and composite video (via 2 unpopulated pins)
Power inputMicro USB, 5V/2A5V via micro USB port; two micro-USB ports, one for input power and one for external devices

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 Zero WH

  • + 40-pin GPIO header comes pre-soldered
  • + Same header as flagship Model B boards, so HATs fit
  • + Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
  • − Single-core 32-bit CPU with 512 MB RAM
  • − No wired Ethernet; 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only
  • − microSD is the only storage option

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need wired Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi
  • Anyone running several containers or VMs on one board
  • Users who want storage beyond a microSD card
Read the full Raspberry Pi Zero WH review ›

More comparisons

Compare all single-board computers · Best single-board computers