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ESP32

ESP32 Versions with Release Years + Matter Support

Chip Cores Architecture Wi-Fi BLE Extras Year Notable Uses / Notes Matter Support
ESP32 2× Xtensa LX6 Xtensa ✅ 2.4 GHz ✅ Classic+LE — 2016 The original ESP32, very popular ❌ No
ESP32-S2 1× Xtensa LX7 Xtensa ✅ 2.4 GHz ❌ USB-OTG, capacitive touch 2019 Lower cost, no Bluetooth ❌ No
ESP32-S3 2× Xtensa LX7 Xtensa ✅ 2.4 GHz ✅ LE only USB-OTG, AI instructions 2021 Better for ML, USB, peripherals ⚠️ Partial*
ESP32-C3 1× RISC-V RISC-V ✅ 2.4 GHz ✅ LE only — 2020 Small, secure, efficient ⚠️ Partial*
ESP32-C6 1× RISC-V RISC-V ✅ Wi-Fi 6 ✅ LE only Thread + Zigbee support 2022 Matter/Thread ready ✅ Yes
ESP32-C5 1× RISC-V RISC-V ✅ Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 & 5 GHz) ✅ LE only — 2023 Rare, dual-band Wi-Fi ⚠️ Partial*
ESP32-H2 1× RISC-V RISC-V ❌ ✅ LE only Thread + Zigbee (no Wi-Fi) 2022 BLE/Zigbee sensors, IoT nodes ✅ Yes (Thread/Zigbee)
ESP32-P4 2× RISC-V RISC-V ❌ ❌ USB, LCD, camera, cryptography 2023 Designed as coprocessor or MCU ❌ No

* Partial = Can run Matter over Wi-Fi or BLE, but lacks native Thread radio, so it may need a Thread Border Router or additional chip for full Matter-over-Thread support.

Mini ESP32 Board

ali - $5, mini

  • H2, C3, C6, S3 (different versions)

Tiny Pico