Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Apple II, TRS-80... the systems of the 80s had several things in common, and one of them was that the keyboard and the computer shared the same case, besides connecting to a traditional TV or a dedicated monitor. The Raspberry Pi Foundation never lost sight of that legacy, so to speak, and recently turned it into a new product: the Raspberry Pi 400. Faster than the conventional Raspberry Pi 4, the 400 model merges the SBC with a keyboard, and provides all the ports you could possibly need.
For some users, it's an absurd idea that will never fully materialize. For others, it's one of the platform's main goals. I'm talking about using a Raspberry Pi as a replacement for a desktop computer. We've seen it work very well as an HTPC, retro console, and even as a 24/7 mini server, but replacing a PC is something very different. The promise of a lower cost is always present, and if there's a system capable of fulfilling it, it's the Raspberry Pi, especially in educational environments with limited budgets.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has responded to this by offering official products such as a mouse, keyboard, and touch screen. However, with the launch of the keyboard in April 2019, it became immediately clear that experiments in that format hadn't ended, and today we know the final result: the Raspberry Pi 400, a variant of the Raspberry Pi 4 that lives inside the keyboard, and doesn't hesitate to take advantage of certain features of its new location.
Raspberry Pi 400: All-in-one computer and keyboard
One of the most important things is cooling. The Raspberry Pi 400 includes an aluminum plate that acts as a heatsink, and that extra surface allows the BCM2711 chip to run at 1.8 GHz from the factory, 300 MHz more than the standard Raspberry Pi 4 (remember that with heatsinks and active cooling it can reach 2 GHz). The computer is very easy to disassemble, and beyond a slight resistance from the thermal pad, accessing the PCB isn't complicated...
...but the point is you don't need to do it. The only thing inside is the connector for the keyboard flex cable, and all the ports are on the back. From left to right we see the GPIO, the microSD slot, two micro HDMI ports, a USB-C port for power, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a Kensington lock (there's no 3.5mm audio output). Admittedly, in a standard setup three or more cables can come out of the Raspberry Pi 400, but it's a compromise many users are willing to accept.
In summary, the specialized press has celebrated the launch of the Raspberry Pi 400, emphasizing the format and its thermal performance, but highlighting certain limitations, such as the absence of a traditional audio output, and an inevitable detail: the BCM2711 is getting too small. Official prices are $70 for the Pi 400 with WiFi and 4 GB of RAM (there are no other memory configurations), or $100 for the complete kit, with mouse, microSD card, HDMI cable, power supply, and the official Raspberry Pi beginner's guide.
You can find more details on the official Raspberry Pi 400 page, and Hackaday published a teardown
