Raspberry Pi has raised prices on many Pi 4, Pi 5, and Compute Module models as memory costs surge in 2026, undermining its once-low-cost SBC positioning.
Plus software seems to be dropping 32bit support. While I usually appreciate the benefits of 64 bit architecture, that’s uncalled for on most of the things I’d use RPi for
Hasn’t been for years now. I appreciate the extra oomph and definitely the extra RAM, but so many projects need a Pi3 level of oomph and price point.
They don’t make those any more, and the new ones are too expensive, so just can’t do those projects any more.
Pi 4 has over twice the performance per watt (see https://the-diy-life.com/raspberry-pi-drag-race-pi-1-to-pi-5-performance-comparison/), so I think that may be the sweet spot for certain uses, but I agree that the 3 is still a perfectly capable device for so many projects.
Also the 3 is the last one to have a full HDMI port which makes it really appealing for display related projects.
Plus software seems to be dropping 32bit support. While I usually appreciate the benefits of 64 bit architecture, that’s uncalled for on most of the things I’d use RPi for
They do still make Pi3, they guarantee availability for a decade for each model and there’s still over 3 years to go until Pi 3 hits that.