Raspberry Pi 5 16GB Reaches $385 as Samsung Ends LPDDR4; Pi 6 Still Eighteen Months Out - Tech Times

The 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 now costs $385 — more than three times its $120 launch price — after the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced its fourth price increase on the 16GB model since January 2025. This latest $80 jump reflects a permanent supply-chain reality: Samsung has formally discontinued LPDDR4 production entirely, and remaining manufacturers cannot fill the high-density 16GB gap. The Foundation's next-generation platform is not expected before early 2028.

The price history shows a steady climb with no plateau: January 2025 (launch) at $120, December 2025 at $145 (+$25), February 2026 at $205 (+$60), April 2026 at $305 (+$100), and now November 2, 2026 at $385 (+$80). The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 also increased by $40, though the Raspberry Pi 500+ price was held due to its different supply chain.

Samsung's Exit Changes Everything

Previous Raspberry Pi price increases were framed as temporary market fluctuations, but Samsung's exit from LPDDR4 production has created a structural shift. The Raspberry Pi 5 uses LPDDR4X-4267 memory, with Micron supplying a single package containing eight 16Gbit dies stacked together—a configuration only a few manufacturers could produce at volume.

Samsung confirmed its LPDDR4 discontinuation in April 2026, converting its Hwaseong plant to LPDDR5 and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) production. This leaves Nanya Technology, Winbond, and the Chinese CXMT/GigaDevice partnership as principal remaining LPDDR4 producers, none of which has demonstrated the high-density packaging capability needed for the 16GB configuration at Raspberry Pi's required volumes.

Why Not Switch to LPDDR5?

The Raspberry Pi 5's Broadcom BCM2712 processor contains a memory controller specifically designed for LPDDR4X. These memory standards are not interchangeable—they operate at different signaling voltages, use different command protocols, and require different timing parameters. The silicon itself cannot be reconfigured to use LPDDR5.

Additionally, LPDDR4X on the Pi 5 is Package-on-Package: soldered directly to the board alongside the SoC, not inserted into a removable slot. There is no memory upgrade path. CEO Eben Upton confirmed in a Reddit AMA in May 2026 that the Pi 6 will not arrive before early 2028, reflecting the company's typical four-to-four-and-a-half-year product cycle.

Foundation's Response

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has been qualifying alternative DRAM suppliers to increase sourcing flexibility, though these efforts haven't yet yielded a viable 16GB alternative. Lower-memory models (1GB, 2GB, and 4GB Pi 5 variants) remain at unchanged prices because LPDDR2 is in adequate supply and lower-density LPDDR4X still has more available sourcing options.

The Foundation built up a substantial LPDDR4 stockpile in late 2025 before the worst of the market tightening, enabling strong H1 2026 financial performance with the company posting its best-ever first half. That buffer is now exhausted, which is why prices accelerated through the second half of 2026.

Project Considerations

The Foundation advises buyers to ensure they actually need 16GB before paying for it. Many Pi 5 use cases—retro computing, home automation, lightweight server tasks—run comfortably on 4GB or 8GB models, currently priced at $85 and $130 respectively. Software-level memory optimization can also reclaim meaningful headroom.

For projects requiring 16GB, alternatives are limited. The Orange Pi 5 Plus (with Rockchip RK3588 and LPDDR5) offered competitive pricing but has been unavailable through Amazon US as of August 2026. Refurbished mini-PCs or x86 platforms running full DDR5 have become increasingly rational alternatives for users who prioritize memory headroom over Pi-specific I/O.