Very minimalist packaging, even doing away with the anti-static bag.

The latest Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ has a faster 64-bit 1.4GHz quad core processor, 1GB of RAM, faster dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, and significantly faster 300Mbit/s ethernet.

Here are the technical specifications of the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+:

• 1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU (BCM2837)
• 1GB RAM (LPDDR2 SDRAM)
• On-board wireless LAN - dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac (CYW43455)
• On-board Bluetooth 4.2 HS low-energy (BLE) (CYW43455)
• 4 x USB 2.0 ports
• 300Mbit/s ethernet
• 40 GPIO pins
• Full size HDMI 1.3a port
• Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
• Camera interface (CSI)
• Display interface (DSI)
• microSD slot
• VideoCore IV multimedia/3D graphics core @ 400MHz/300MHz

With the ARMv8 processor it can run the full range of ARM GNU/Linux distributions, including Snappy Ubuntu Core, as well as Microsoft Windows 10 IoT edition.

The vastly improved thermal characteristics of the Pi 3 B+ means that the CPU can now run at 1.4GHz, which is a 17 percent performance bump compared to the previous Pi 3 model (that modele ran at 1.2GHz).

Video performance on Pi 3 B+ is similar to the previous generation Pi 3, the VideoCore being clocked at 400MHz for video processing and the 3D graphics processor running at 300MHz.

A big change to the Pi 3 B+ compared to the previous model is the addition of a new faster, dual-band wireless chip (CYW43455) with 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.2.

The dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless LAN enables faster networking with less interference, and the new PCB antenna allows for better connectivity.

The Pi 3 B+ has significantly upgraded wired networking, thanks to an upgraded USB/LAN chip, and you should see speeds that are 3-5x faster than on previous models.

Where the magic happens.

Here's one design change to be aware of -- the addition of PoE (Power over Ethernet) pins. While these shouldn't cause problems in most scenarios, they could short-circuit against HATs or possibly cause fitment issues in some builds.

Cover them in tape, use stand-offs, or at worst, just snip them off.

An Elpida EDB8132B4PB-8D-F LPDDR2 chip.

The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is the on at the bottom, with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B on the top.