Is the Pi Slate Worth the Premium Price?

When searching for a new portable computer, there are two main options: a laptop or a tablet. Laptops provide lots of computing power and a desktop-like experience, while tablets are designed for casual use and convenience. However, if you look beyond the shelves of traditional electronics retailers, you will find another option that is somewhere in between these two. It is perhaps best described as being like an oversized BlackBerry, with a tablet-like form factor that is split between a display and a physical keyboard.

These computers offer a laptop-like experience with tablet-like convenience, making them ideal for field work or hacking on the go. Since they are relatively rare, many people build their own. But if you don’t want to spend the time needed to do that, or if you want something more polished than you can make on your own, you can buy one off the shelf. The Pi Slate, made by Carbon Computers, is a new commercial offering in this area that is well worth checking out — although the price makes DIY solutions look pretty attractive.

The Pi Slate is the latest evolution of the company’s earlier Pi Flux handheld cyberdeck, but this new model is larger, more capable, and designed around the Raspberry Pi 5. Its enclosure measures just 6.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches and weighs approximately 1.2 pounds, making it small enough to toss into a backpack while still providing enough screen space for real work.

The system comes equipped with a 5-inch IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 1280 x 720. Paired with the built-in RGB-backlit keyboard and an integrated gyroscopic cursor, the setup aims to provide a complete Linux workstation experience without requiring any external hardware. Unlike many DIY cyberdeck projects that rely on folding accessories or Bluetooth peripherals, everything here is integrated directly into the chassis.

The Pi Slate can be configured with Raspberry Pi 5 boards ranging from 2 GB to 16 GB of RAM. The handheld includes a 10,000 mAh battery that is rated for roughly three to five hours of runtime, depending on workload. Cooling support is built into the design as well, allowing the system to accommodate active coolers.

There is also room for low-profile expansion HATs. The enclosure includes antenna mounting points and internal space for add-ons such as LoRaWAN radios, SDR modules, GPS hardware, AI accelerators, and M.2 storage adapters. An optional rear attachment adds a kickstand and additional mounting points for accessories and tools.

The system ships with Raspberry Pi OS by default, but users can easily swap operating systems through the accessible microSD card slot. Ubuntu, Parrot OS, TwisterOS, and Batocera are all supported, giving the device flexibility as a portable Linux workstation, penetration-testing platform, retro gaming system, or general-purpose maker machine.

The Pi Slate is available either fully assembled and preconfigured or as a barebones kit for users who already own a Raspberry Pi 5. It doesn’t come cheap, however. The barebones kit starts at $299, but fully loaded configurations can climb as high as $749.