The Raspberry Pi Touch Display came out in 2015, and since then we have had to look to third-party companies to bring us anything more up-to-date. Not that the original isn’t good, it is, but it was starting to show its age.
Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 Compared with Touch Display 1
Considering this is the new shiny, it does look a lot like the old one. Not a bad thing, but it is interesting that when they are switched off you can’t really tell them apart from the front.
This new version increases the screen resolution up to 1280 x 720 and has an integrated driver board. It costs around $60 over in the US or around £60 from UK suppliers such as Pimoroni or Pi Hut.
Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 Specs:
- Size: 7 inches (diagonal)
- Resolution: 1280 x 720 (24-bit RGB)
- Touch: 5-point multi-touch TFT LCD
- Viewing angle: 85 degrees
- Compatible with: All full-size Raspberry Pi models from the B+ onwards
- Dimensions: 120.24 x 189.32 x 8.55 mm
Setting It Up and Using the Touch Display
The Raspberry Pi mounts onto the back of the touch screen, and now instead of a separate driver board, the display connects via a ribbon cable (both kinds are supplied).
Power is supplied via the GPIO pins. That does mean some hats won’t work quite as easily, though I am sure there are solutions for acquiring 5v from elsewhere on the Pi.
I tested it with a Raspberry Pi 5 and, after updating my OS, it immediately booted into portrait mode, which I then rotated in the settings UI.
While the old screen doesn’t look bad, this new touch screen is more pleasing to look at, sharp, clear, and easy to read.
There is a new on-screen keyboard and poking, dragging, and stabbing the touch input is intuitive.
What’s It Like?
Pros:
- Quick and easy to set up.
- Just works (with updated OS).
- Looks and works great.
Cons:
- Uses GPIO for power (check for workarounds if you need those pins)
- Feels fragile.
- NVME can make assembly awkward.
Who Is This For?
While the vendors and Raspberry Pi org promote this as a tablet or an interactive display, I guess with the compact 7″ size and 720p resolution, the more likely main use cases will be home automation dashboards, 3D printer/CNC controllers, and bar-top arcades.
Conclusion
The Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 is easy to set up and it just works, unlike a lot of other non-HDMI displays that I have tried that force you down a rabbit hole of Linux drivers and patches.
You are not going to be using this as your day-to-day arms-length laptop replacement because at 7″, it would be a strain on the eyes after a while, but if you need a nice, sharp, portable, touch-compatible screen, this is a great choice.
Want something bigger and more plug-and-play? Check out the official Raspberry Pi HDMI monitor that was recently released.
Check out the Pi Touch Display 2
Get all the up-to-date information and current pricing
