Take Your Raspberry Pi Anywhere with the PocketTerm35

Raspberry Pi single-board computers are undoubtedly compact. Despite the substantial amount of computing power they pack, you can easily slip one in your pocket. However, if you want to use one of these boards as a desktop or mobile machine, you’ll need some additional equipment. Once you add in a monitor, keyboard, mouse, power supply, and all of the wires, that little Raspberry Pi doesn’t seem quite so small anymore.

But as Waveshare’s latest product, the PocketTerm35, demonstrates, it is possible to incorporate a Raspberry Pi into a portable device with all the I/O tucked neatly inside. The PocketTerm35 can house either a Pi 4 or a Pi 5, and it comes equipped with a touchscreen display, a thumb keyboard, and circuitry to run on battery power.

Inside the PocketTerm35 is a 3.5-inch IPS touchscreen with a 640 × 480 resolution. While small by modern standards, the display is designed for practical terminal use, quick configuration tasks, and lightweight graphical interfaces. Optical bonding and a toughened glass panel improve durability and visibility, making the device suitable for on-the-go use in labs, workshops, or field environments.

Complementing the display is a built-in 67-key QWERTY silicone keyboard, enabling direct command-line input and basic coding without the need for external peripherals. In addition, the device includes gaming-style controls such as a D-pad and action buttons, making it compatible with RetroPie and similar retro gaming platforms.

An RP2040 microcontroller manages keyboard input as well as brightness and volume controls, offloading these tasks from the main Raspberry Pi processor. Connectivity options remain robust thanks to access to the Pi’s native ports, including Gigabit Ethernet and multiple USB 3.0 and 2.0 connections. Audio is handled through built-in stereo speakers or a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Powering the system is a USB-C input alongside support for an optional 5,000 mAh lithium battery. An integrated UPS management system allows for simultaneous charging and operation, ensuring uninterrupted use during development or debugging sessions. Status LEDs provide quick feedback on battery levels.

The PocketTerm35 is available in several configurations, with prices ranging from $88 to $180. Take a look at the Waveshare store for all the details.