Raspberry Pi Zero 3W and Pi 4 Model A Spotted in Device Trees

Two new Raspberry Pi boards have surfaced in Linux kernel device tree files: the Raspberry Pi Zero 3 W and the Raspberry Pi 4 Model A. The Zero 3 W significantly upgrades the Zero line by replacing the Zero 2 W’s quad-core 1GHz Cortex-A53 with the Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 used in the Pi 4. It features a single HDMI output, a 40-pin GPIO layout compatible with existing HATs, a power button mapped to GPIO 46, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, an SPI flash bootloader matching the Pi 4, and a single ACT LED. The device tree includes enabled PCIe and a 4-lane CSI camera configuration, though the author cautions these may be developmental elements not present in the final board.

The Pi 4 Model A represents the first A-series board since the Pi 3 Model A+ in 2018. It removes the Ethernet controller and 3.5mm audio jack from the Model B while reducing HDMI from dual micro connectors to a single output. Audio routes through HDMI or alternatively via USB/I2S. The board uses microSD storage with 1.8V signaling for faster card modes and includes external antenna support with switchable configuration (matching the Compute Module 4 implementation). It features PWR and ACT LEDs, an SPI flash bootloader, and a power button design identical to the Zero 3 W’s. The PCIe controller is enabled, though USB specifications aren’t detailed in the device tree.

Neither device tree reveals RAM configuration, clock speeds, pricing, or release dates. Kernel support typically precedes launch, though these specifications derive from development files rather than official announcements.