Following the tradition of introducing improved B+ models, the Raspberry Foundation has updated their Raspberry Pi 3 B to Raspberry Pi 3 B+. Both models are sold for the same price of $35.

The changes mostly affect networking and speed performance:

• A faster 1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU. It is an updated version of the 64-bit Broadcom processor used in Raspberry Pi 3B. The new version incorporates power integrity optimizations and a heat spreader. According to the manufacturer, it can sustain high performance for longer periods.
• Dual-band 802.11ac wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.2. Compared to its predecessor, Raspberry Pi 3B+ delivers somewhat better performance in the 2.4GHz band and far better performance in the 5GHz band. The wireless circuitry is encapsulated under a metal shield (the one embossed with the Raspberry Pi logo).
• Faster Ethernet (Gigabit Ethernet over USB 2.0).
• Power-over-Ethernet support (with separate PoE HAT)
• Improved PXE network and USB mass-storage booting
• Improved thermal management

Alongside a 200MHz increase in peak CPU clock frequency, the new Raspberry Pi 3B B+ is three times faster when it comes to wired and wireless network throughput.

Currently, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is only available through the official shop of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, although it can be expected to be listed with resellers like Amazon soon.

The older models will still be available: Raspberry Pi 1B+, Raspberry Pi 2B, and Raspberry Pi 3B will continue to sell for $25, $35, and $35. The computers are very popular: Since the launch of the Raspberry Pi 3, 19 million Raspberry Pi have been sold in total – 9 millions of them were Raspberry Pi 3 models.

If you’ve already 3D printed a Raspberry Pi case, here good news: Although some parts have changed on the board itself, sockets and connectors are in the same place as with the Raspberry Pi 3 series. So, if you want to 3D print a case, we have some suggestions for you:

(Source: Raspberry Pi Foundation)