Blog Post 002 - Why you should be purchasing the Raspberry Pi 500+ in 2026

Posted on Sep 11, 2026

The best value in 2026 for Raspberry Pi

Right now the Raspberry Pi 500+ is on sale at Microcenter for $200.00 (50% off)

Link to 500+

For a while now, RAM prices have been hitting everyone extremely hard and for my fellow American readers you'll know tariffs aren't helping anything whatsoever. If Microcenter doesn't carry what you want then you're forced to paying scalper prices or buying directly from the source and paying insane tariffs. Most of these SBC manufacturers like Raspberry Pi are located in the UK. With there being no end in the near future to all these price hikes you might have given up on building new projects but I'm here to tell you there is still a chance you can get a good deal in 2026.

This is an insane deal in so many ways, if you're looking for a pocket sized computer then this isn't really your thing. But if you plan on using a Pi 4 or Pi 5 as a desktop computer then you'll end up carrying around a keyboard, mouse, cables, etc. anyways. You could even replace your laptop with this keyboard if you wanted to. It has a mechanical keyboard with replaceable keycaps, a few different lighting settings you can toggle, and access to the GPIO port on the top side of the keyboard so you can plug in other hats to the board. It's not the most advanced kit but for $200 you can't even purchase a 16GB Pi 5, those run for $300 at the time of posting this and even an 8GB model is still $180. Comparing that to the 500+ and it's a no brainer. You just need to purchase a MicroSD card and a 27W USBC Power supply(in total $50 if you choose a 64GB microsd card). If you purchased a Pi 5 you would need a fan, a case, a BT keyboard, a mouse, cords, USB hub, NVMe hat, NVMe storage and a way to carry it around. The 500+ literally does all of that with fancy lights, it weighs nothing and the only "cost" is the potential small form factor. Here's more information on why this bad boy is a great choice in 2026 still:

Whats Inside:

  • 16GB LPDDR4
  • 256GB NVMe Storage
  • 2.4GHz
  • 1 Ethernet port
  • 2 USB 3.2 ports
  • 1 USB 2.0 port
  • 2 Micro HDMI ports
  • MicroSD for extra storage
  • Supports Wifi 4, Wifi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE (BT Low Energy)

Like I said before, it's not a complete game changer but it's not trying to be. If you look at the price history you are still paying the same price it was when it first came out which is a tough swallow but if it makes you feel any better... It's better than $410! I personally went out and bought one at my local Microcenter and replace my Pi 400 with it. I've loved it so far and I've actually used it to play my video game I've been solo-developing! I wasn't sure how long the sale will last or if anyone will really care but the Pi 500+ gets 2 thumbs up from me :)

Owen Edwards

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