Time for your next smart home project? Raspberry Pi adds an improved touchscreen, so it's time to get building

Date:
Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:02:00 +0000

Description:
Raspberry Pi introduces 5-inch Touch Display 2, highlighting compact design and AI coding quirks, although concerns remain over resolution and real usability.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Raspberr y Pi shrinks the size of its touchscreen while keeping the same resolution It's cheaper and smaller, but it does not introduce new capabilities
Retailers are already listing the new screen at higher prices

Raspberry Pi has announced a new addition to its display range, a 5-inch version of the Touch Display 2.

The company says its new offering is a compact, low-cost option for hobbyists and developers who want to embed touch interfaces into projects.

At $40, it undercuts the 7-inch Raspberry Pi model which launched in 2024 , although both share the same 720x1280 resolution. A smaller screen for Pi projects

Apart from its reduced size, the 5-inch variant carries essentially the same specifications as the larger display.

It supports multi-touch input, connects via the DSI port, and draws power directly from the Raspberry Pi board.

Integration with Raspberry Pi OS is designed to be smooth, with no
calibration steps or third-party drivers needed.

"Its capacitive touch screen works out of the box with full Linux driver support, no manual calibration required, no hunting through device trees, and no wrestling with incompatible touch controllers," said Gordon Hollingworth, CTO of Raspberry Pi software.

For users already accustomed to working with RPi distros , the device should feel straightforward to set up.

To illustrate the displays capabilities, Raspberry Pis Gordon Hollingworth demonstrated a slideshow application built with the assistance of AI.

The process highlighted how AI can speed up development and provide a foundation for interactive coding, with multi-touch support ultimately
working smoothly after fine-tuning.

The screen is being presented as a good fit for compact smart home controls, portable kiosks, or integrated dashboards.

In theory, mounting a Pi board on the back of the display offers an
all-in-one system without external peripherals.

For casual projects, this could reduce clutter compared to juggling
keyboards, monitors, and portable HDD storage devices.

Yet the hardware itself does not represent a leap forward, as resolution remains fixed at 720p, and touch responsiveness still depends heavily on software layers that may introduce quirks.

As with many Raspberry Pi peripherals, the new display will find an audience among tinkerers eager to explore interactive projects.

However, it is worth noting that the announcement reflects refinement rather than revolution, as the product is cheaper and smaller, but it does not introduce new capabilities.

For those already invested in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, it may be another piece of the puzzle - but for others, it risks being just another component destined to sit in a drawer after the initial excitement fades.

This device is now available from several Pi retailers. PiShop and CanaKit list it at $50.95, while Vilros is selling it for the MSRP. You might also like Check out the best 3D modeling software for 3D printing and more We've rounded up the best portable monitors available now A dual Intel GPU graphics card with 48GB of VRAM has gone on sale for $1200



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/time-for-your-next-smart-home-project-raspberry- pi-adds-an-improved-touchscreen-so-its-time-to-get-building


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