“I recently bought a Pimoroni Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W to use as the brain for a “PotterFrame” project — a moving-photo display inspired by the living portraits from Harry Potter — and it turned out to be a perfect fit for the job.
The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W strikes a great balance between size, power consumption, and performance. It’s small enough to hide neatly behind a display inside a picture frame, yet powerful enough to smoothly loop video playback without stuttering once configured correctly. For a project where space and heat matter, this board feels purpose-built.
Setup was straightforward using Raspberry Pi OS Lite, and the board handled video playback via HDMI reliably after some light optimisation. Power consumption is minimal, which makes it ideal for always-on display projects like digital frames, dashboards, or small automation devices.
What impressed me most is how capable the Zero 2 W feels compared to the original Zero models. The quad-core CPU provides a noticeable performance boost, making tasks like video processing, scripting, and display control far more practical than on earlier versions.
If you’re building a compact DIY project such as a smart display, animated photo frame, MagicMirror module, or small home-automation controller, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is an excellent choice. Affordable, tiny, and surprisingly capable — exactly what a project like PotterFrame needs.
Overall: Highly recommended for small embedded Raspberry Pi projects where reliability, size, and low power usage matter.”
“Great little device, does exactly what it needs to at a great low cost.
Running headless via SSH on my home network.
Great and quick delivery, really happy with the service.”
“It’s amazing what such a small device can do. My only wish is that RPi would make a power-over-Ethernet version so that the “Pi Zero POE” could be deployed where there’s no mains electricity.”
“I needed this Pi Zero2W for an Inky Impression project and found tracking down everything I needed to be a little disjointed. The device works fine but as with some other hardware the location of documentation is not always straightforward.
It's not complete yet because I couldn't not find a Zero2W with the headers and so need to solder the header I bought separately.”
