Raspberry Pi raises 16GB Pi 5 price to $385 amid memory crunch

Raspberry Pi has announced another price increase for some of its highest density products, adding $80 to the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 and taking it to $385, more than triple its launch price. The 16GB Compute Module 5 variants are also rising by $40, while the Raspberry Pi 500+ is not affected this time. The company blames soaring memory costs, a lack of alternative 16GB DRAM suppliers, and other component shortages.

How Pi prices have changed

The 16GB Pi 5 launched at $120 in January 2025. Raspberry Pi added $25 in December, $60 in February, and $100 in April before this $80 increase. Buyers are now being asked to pay $265 more than less than two years ago, a rise of 221 percent. It has also been barely a month since the company raised prices on its 2GB Pi 4 and Pi 5 models by $12.50 each, taking them to $67.50 and $77.50 respectively.

Memory costs and results

Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi boss, said a lack of alternative supply for 16GB DRAM, compounded by other ongoing component shortages, forced further increases on some highest density products. The repeated markups come despite record first half results in September: revenue rose 90 percent to $256.9 million, gross profit rose 79 percent to $59.4 million, and gross profit per board climbed 53 percent to $12.20, helped partly by memory bought before prices rose. That stockpile advantage has largely disappeared. Raspberry Pi says the increases are temporary and will be rolled back when memory costs fall, though Micron has warned shortages could drag on into 2028 or beyond, so a return to the $120 Pi 5 may not come soon.

Advice for buyers

For customers unwilling to pay nearly $400 for a single board computer, Upton advises buying a model with less RAM, using an older Pi, or optimizing applications to use less memory. He also warned that some sellers are exploiting the shortages by charging inflated prices or offering products that are not what they appear to be, and urged customers to stick to approved resellers. "We're aware that a few bad actors have been taking advantage of the current memory supply circumstances to sell Raspberry Pi products at inflated prices or shift products that aren't what they seem," he said.

Earlier coverage: Raspberry Pi raises 2GB Pi 4 and Pi 5 prices by $12.50 as memory costs climb

Sources: The Register · Raspberry Pi