Pilet 5 console is a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC with a QWERTY keyboard

This summer Souls Circuit unveiled the Pilet 7, a modular computer that combines a Raspberry Pi 5 with a 7 inch touchscreen display, a retro-inspired case, and a slot for modular add-ons like a keyboard or game controller.

Now the team has introduced a smaller model called the Pilet 5 that’s designed to be a handheld computer. It has a 5 inch display and a built-in keyboard.

Neither model is available for purchase yet – their still described as works in progress, but their are working prototypes of both models and the goal is to create systems that can be sold for around $200. The design files will be open sourced once the project is complete though, so folks interested in building their own will also have that option, as well as the ability to modify the designs to better meet their needs.

According to the developer behind the Pilet line of devices, the Pilet 5 should have “the same 7-hour battery life as the Pilet 7,” but it should be “easier to produce and manufacture,” which means you might actually be able to buy the Pilet 5 before the Pile 7 is available for purchase.

The smaller model doesn’t have the same modular design, but it does have an integrated keyboard that can be used for thumb typing, a 4-buttion direction pad, a mini trackball, a scroll wheel, and a joystick.

The system is a bit large and chunky (at 28mm, or 1.1 inches thick), which means it’s probably a bit too large to slide into your pocket like a smartphones. But it’s a fully functional portable computer that should support just about any GNU/Linux distribution that supports ARM64 processors. For demo purposes, the Pilet 5 prototype is using Raspberry Pi OS with the KDE Plasma Mobile user interface.

via Hackster, @soulscircuit, and /r/CyberDeck