ESP32 is a family of low-cost, energy-efficient microcontrollers that integrate both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. These chips feature a variety of processing options, including the Tensilica Xtensa LX6 microprocessor available in both dual-core and single-core variants, the Xtensa LX7 dual-core processor, or a RISC-V microprocessor. In addition, the ESP32 incorporates components essential for wireless data communication such as built-in antenna switches, an RF balun, power amplifiers, low-noise receivers, filters, and power-management modules.
Typically, the ESP32 is embedded on device-specific printed circuit boards (PCBs) or offered as part of development kits that include a variety of GPIO pins and connectors, with configurations varying by model and manufacturer. The ESP32 was designed by Espressif Systems and is manufactured by TSMC using their 40 nm process. It is a successor to the ESP8266 microcontroller.
Features Since the release of the original ESP32, a number of variants have been introduced and announced. They form the ESP32 family of microcontrollers. These chips have different CPUs and capabilities, but all share the same SDK and are largely code-compatible. Additionally, the original ESP32 was revised (see ESP32 ECO V3, for example).
+ESP32 familyFeatureESP32ESP32-S2ESP32-S3ESP32-C2ESP32-C3ESP32-C5ESP32-C6ESP-C61ESP32-H2ESP32-P4ESP32-S31CPUXtensa LX6Xtensa LX7Xtensa LX7RV32IMACRV32IMCRV32IMACRV32IMACRV32IMACRV32IMACRV32IMAFCRV32IMAFCCPU coresSingle, DualSingleDualSingleDualCPU frequency240 MHz120 MHz160 MHz240 MHz160 MHz96 MHz400 MHz320 MHzCoprocessorFSMFSMRV32IMCNoRV32IMCNoRV32IMCRISC-VCoprocessor speed20 MHz20 MHz17.5 MHz40 MHz20 MHz20 MHz?FPUSingle precisionNoSingle precisionNoSingle precisionSRAM520 KiB320 KiB512 KiB272 KiB400 KiB384 KiB512 KiB320 KiB256 KiB768 KiB512 KiBROM448 KiB128 KiB384 KiB128 KiB384 KiB256 KiB128 KiB512 KiB320 KiBRTC SRAM8 KiB16 KiB8 KiB16 KiB8 KiB32 KiBPSRAM4 MiB8 MiBNo8 MiBNo8 MiBNo16 MiB64 MiBSPIQuadOctalQuadOctalUART32323254Wi-FI802.11 b/g/n802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax802.11 b/g/n/axNo802.11 b/g/n/axEthernet MAC + RMIIYesSPI onlyYesYes (Gigabit)Bluetooth4.2 + BR/EDR, LENo5 + LE5.3 + LE6 + LE5.3 + LENo5.4 + BR/EDR, LEGPIO pins344345202230265560SAR ADCs2 × 12-bit2 × 13-bit2 × 12-bit1 × 12-bitNo2 × 12-bitADC channels1820674516DAC2 × 8-bit DACNoUSBNoUSB OTGNoUSB OTGI²C controllers212I²S controllers212132DMAPDMAGDMAGDMA + UHCIGDMAPWMLEDC, MCPWMLEDCLEDC, MCPWMTemperature sensorYesNoYesNoYesThread + ZigbeeNoYesNoYesDisplay supportSPILCD, SPISPILCD, SPI, HMILCD, SPIAI/vector ISANoYesNoYesStorage4 bit SD, SPI SDSPI SD4 bit SD, SPI SD, eMMCSPI SD only4 & 8 bit SD, SPI SD, eMMC4 bit SD, SPI SD, eMMCCAN BusCAN 2.0, SPISPICAN 2.0, SPISecure BootV1, V2V2Crypto hardwareNoYesNoYesYesOther featuresI²S camerahatI²S and PDM micPDM micNoAdvanced audio
QFN packaged chip and module
ESP32 is housed in quad-flat no-leads (QFN) packages of varying sizes with 49 pads. Specifically, 48 connection pads along the sides and one large thermal pad (connected to ground) on the bottom.
Chips
The ESP32 system on a chip integrated circuit is packaged in both 6 mm × 6 mm and 5 mm × 5 mm sized QFN packages.
SeriesIdentifierProcessorcoresProcessorspeed (MHz)Embedded flashmemory (MiB)Embedded PSRAMmemory (MiB)GPIOsPackagesizeDescriptionESP32 ESP31B 2 240 0 0 34 6 mm × 6 mm Pre-release SoC used for beta testing; no longer available. ESP32-D0WDQ6 Initial production release chip of the ESP32 series.Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). ESP32-D0WD 5 mm × 5 mm Smaller physical package variation similar to ESP32-D0WDQ6.Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). 6 mm × 6 mm Introduces some fixes to ESP32-D0WDQ6.Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). ESP32-D2WD 160 2 5 mm × 5 mm 2 MiB (16 Mibit) embedded flash memory variation.Removed.Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). ESP32-S0WD 1 0 Single-core processor variation.Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). ESP32-D0WD-V3 2 240 Introduces some fixes to ESP32-D0WD. ESP32-D0WDR2-V3 2 ESP32-U4WDH 4 0 Single-core processor and 4 MiB (32 Mibit) embedded flash memory variation.Also 1 CPU 160 MHz variant existed.ESP32-S2 ESP32-S2 1 240 0 0 43 7 mm × 7 mm With USB OTG. ESP32-S2R2 2 ESP32-S2FH2 2 0 ESP32-S2FH4 4 ESP32-S2FN4R2 2ESP32-S3 ESP32-S3 2 240 0 0 45 7 mm × 7 mm With USB OTG. With 3.3V and 1.8V VDD_SPI voltage. ESP32-S3R2 2 With USB OTG. ESP32-S3R8 8 ESP32-S3R8V With USB OTG. With 1.8V VDD_SPI voltage. ESP32-S3FN8 8 0 With USB OTG. ESP32-S3FH4R2 4 2ESP32-C2 ESP8684H1 1 120 1 0 14 4 mm × 4 mm With Bluetooth 5. ESP8684H2 2 ESP8684H4 4 ESP32-C3 1 160 0 22 5 mm × 5 mm With Bluetooth 5. ESP32-C3FN4 4 Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND). ESP32-C3FH4 With Bluetooth 5. ESP32-C3FH4AZ 16 With Bluetooth 5. SPI0/SPI1 pins for flash connection are not bonded.ESP-Shelly-C38F 8 11 With Bluetooth 5. only for the manufacturer Shelly ESP8686H4 4 15 4 mm × 4 mm Not released. ESP8685H2 2 With Bluetooth 5. ESP8685H4 4ESP32-C5 ESP32-C5HF4 1H, 1L 240 4 Off-pkg 29 6 mm × 6 mm Ultra-low-power SoC w. Wi-Fi6 (802.11ax), Zigbee & Thread (802.15.4). ESP32-C5HR8 Off-pkg 8ESP32-C6 ESP32-C6 1 160 0 0 30 5 mm × 5 mm With Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5. ESP32-C6FH4 4 22ESP32-H2 ESP32-H2FH2 1 96 2 0 19 4 mm × 4 mm With Bluetooth 5 and Bluetooth Mesh. ESP32-H2FH4 4ESP32-P4 ESP32-P4NRW16 2H, 1L 360 Off-pkg up to 64MB 16 55 10 mm × 10 mm Powerful image and voice processing ESP32-P4NRW32 32
In 2020, chips ESP32-D0WDQ6 and ESP32-D0WD also got a V3 version (ESP32 ECO V3), which fixes some of the bugs and introduces improvements over the previous versions.
Modules
The ESP32 PICO system in package modules combine an ESP32 silicon chip, crystal oscillator, flash memory chip, filter capacitors, and RF matching links into a single 7 mm × 7 mm sized QFN package.
The first released PICO was the ESP32-PICO-D4 with 2 CPUs at 240 MHz, 4MiB internal flash, a 40 MHz oscillator and 34 GPIOs.
Later, in 2020, the ESP32-PICO-V3 and ESP32-PICO-V3-02 modules were introduced both based on the ESP32 ECO V3 wafer.
In 2022 the ESP32-S3-PICO-1 module was introduced with USB OTG and internal PSRAM.
IdentifierProcessorcoresProcessorspeed (MHz)Embedded flashmemory (MiB)Embedded PSRAMmemory (MiB)GPIOsPackagesizeDescription ESP32-PICO-D4 2 240 4 0 34 7 mm × 7 mm Includes ESP32 chip, crystal oscillator, flash memory, filter capacitors, and RF matching links. ESP32-PICO-V3 31 Based on ESP32 with ECO V3 wafer. ESP32-PICO-V3-02 8 2 29 ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R2 39 Includes USB OTG. ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 8 8
Printed circuit boards Surface-mount module boards ESP32 based surface-mount printed circuit board modules directly contain the ESP32 SoC and are designed to be easily integrated onto other circuit boards. Meandered inverted-F antenna designs are used for the PCB trace antennas on the modules listed below. In addition to flash memory, some modules include pseudostatic RAM (pSRAM). Vendor Name AntennaFlash memory (MiB)PSRAM (MiB)Description Espressif ESP-WROOM-03 4 0 Discontinued. Limited distribution, pre-production module created by Espressif for beta testing purposes; this module used the ESP31B, the beta testing chip for the ESP32 series. FCC Part 15.247 tested (FCC ID: 2AC7Z-ESP32). ESP32-WROOM-32 First publicly available ESP32 module board created by Espressif. FCC Part 15.247 tested (FCC ID: 2AC7Z-ESPWROOM32). Based on ESP32-D0WDQ6 chip. Originally named "ESP-WROOM-32". ESP32-WROOM-32E 4,8,16 Same as ESP32-WROOM-32 but with the Eco V3 processor revisions ESP32-WROOM-32D 4 Revision of the ESP-WROOM-32 module which uses an ESP32-D0WD chip instead of an ESP32-D0WDQ6 chip. Originally named "ESP-WROOM-32D". ESP32-SOLO-1 Similar to the ESP32-WROOM-32D module, but uses the single-core ESP32-S0WD chip instead of the dual-core ESP32-D0WD. U.FL socket Alternative to the ESP-WROOM-32D module which has a U.FL connector for external antenna in lieu of a PCB trace antenna. PCB trace 4 ESP32 module board with 4 MiB pSRAM created by Espressif. FCC part 15.247 tested (FCC ID 2AC7Z-ESP32WROVER). Uses 40 MHz crystal oscillator. Does not include U.FL connector. Based on ESP32-D0WDQ6 chip. Since June 2018, new modules have been upgraded to 8 MiB pSRAM. U.FL socket, PCB trace Variation of ESP32-WROVER module configured to use an on-board U.FL compatible connector. PCB trace antenna not connected by default. PCB trace 8 Revision of ESP32-WROVER module with 8 MiB pSRAM (instead of 4 MiB pSRAM) operating at 3.3V (instead of 1.8V in previous versions) and ESP32-D0WD (instead of ESP32-D0WDQ6). FCC part 15.247 tested (FCC ID 2AC7Z-ESP32WROVERB). Does not include U.FL connector. (Custom order option for flash capacity of 8 MiB or 16 MiB also available.) U.FL socket, PCB trace Variation of ESP32-WROVER-B module configured to use an on-board U.FL compatible connector. PCB trace antenna not connected by default. PCB trace 4,8,16 2,8 Revision of ESP32-WROVER module with 2 or 8 MiB pSRAM (instead of 4 MiB pSRAM) operating at 3.3V (instead of 1.8V in previous versions) and ESP32-D0WD-V3, or in 2MB pSRAM models, ESP32-D0WDR2-V3. FCC part 15.247 tested (FCC ID 2AC7Z-ESP32WROVERE). Does not include U.FL connector. (Custom order option for flash capacity of 2 MiB, 8 MiB, or 16 MiB also available.) U.FL socket, PCB trace Variation of ESP32-WROVER-E module configured to use an on-board U.FL compatible connector. PCB trace antenna not connected by default. PCB trace 4 0 Based on ESP32-PICO-V3 SiP. It is designed as a module for Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) and connecting with Amazon Alexa. Ai-Thinker ESP32-S PCB trace 4 0 Ai-Thinker's equivalent to Espressif's ESP-WROOM-32 module. (Same form factor and general specifications.) Previously branded as "ESP-32S" with the hyphen before "32S", the initial release of the ESP-32S module replaced the previously announced, but never released, ESP3212 module. ESP32-A1S U.FL socket, PCB trace 8 4 Contains an extra AC101 audio codec IC whose IO-pins (line, mic, etc.) are led to the board pins. Comes separately or soldered onto a corresponding audio development board ("ESP32-Audio-Kit"). AnalogLamb ESP-32S-ALB PCB trace 4 0 Clone of the ESP-32S module (ESP-WROOM-32 compatible footprint). Seen with a green solder mask coating. ALB-WROOM 16 Variation of ESP-32S-ALB with 16 MiB of flash memory. ALB32-WROVER 4 4 ESP32 module board with 4 MiB pSRAM with the same footprint as the ESP-WROOM-32 module. DFRobot ESP-WROOM-32 PCB trace 4 0 Module board similar to Espressif Systems's ESP-WROOM-32, but is not FCC certified, and uses 26 MHz or 32 kHz crystal oscillator. eBox & Widora ESP32-Bit Ceramic, U.FL socket 4 0 Module has a ceramic antenna and an U.FL antenna connector. This module has a different footprint than the ESP-WROOM-32/ESP-32S modules. Goouuu Tech ESP-32F PCB trace 4 0 Module board similar to Espressif Systems's ESP-WROOM-32. FCC certified (ID 2AM77-ESP-32F). IntoRobot W32 PCB trace 4 0 Module similar in appearance to Espressif's ESP-WROOM-32, but footprint pinout differs. W33 Ceramic, U.FL socket Differs from IntoRobot W32 module in its antenna configuration. ITEAD PSH-C32 PCB trace 1 0 Module has unusually small flash memory on board. Also, footprint is unique and differs from all other ESP32 modules. Pycom W01 (Not included.) 8 4 OEM module version of the WiPy 2.0. Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. FCC ID 2AJMTWIPY01R. L01 OEM module version of the LoPy. Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LoRa. FCC ID 2AJMTLOPY01R. L04 OEM module version of the LoPy4. Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, and Sigfox. S01 Discontinued. OEM module version of the SiPy. Supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Sigfox (14 dBm and 22 dBm). G01 OEM module version of the GPy. Supports Cellular LTE-CAT M1/NB1, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. u-blox NINA-W131(Not included.) 2 0 Belongs to the u-blox NINA-W13 series of Wi-Fi modules. NINA-W132 PIFA Belongs to the u-blox NINA-W13 series of Wi-Fi modules. On board planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) is shaped (cut & bent) metal, not a PCB trace.
Development and other boards