Working out which ESP32 version to use in 2026 is harder than it used to be, and that is a good problem to have. Espressif now ships eleven distinct SoCs in mass production, with three more announced and still working their way toward the fab. This post compares every shipping chip as of 1 September 2026, then answers the only question that really matters: which ESP32 version to use for the thing you are actually building. 🔧
I have deliberately avoided wide comparison tables here. They look fine on a 27-inch monitor and turn into unreadable horizontal scroll on a phone, so everything below is grouped lists you can skim on either. The goal is that you can work out which ESP32 version to use from a phone screen during a coffee break.
The ESP32 family as it stands in September 2026
The family splits into four clear groups now: the original Xtensa chips, the RISC-V “C” value line, the low-power radio chips, and the two heavyweights that no longer pretend to be simple microcontrollers. Recognising which group you need is most of the work in deciding which ESP32 version to use.
The Xtensa classics: ESP32, S2, S3
- ESP32 (original, 2016) — dual-core Xtensa LX6 at 240 MHz, 520 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth Classic and BLE 4.2. It is the only chip in the entire family with Bluetooth Classic BR/EDR, which is the single reason it is still bought new. Otherwise it is a decade old and Espressif does not recommend it for new designs.
- ESP32-S2 — single-core Xtensa LX7 at 240 MHz, 320 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 4, no Bluetooth at all, native USB-OTG and a proper DAC. A niche part these days.
- ESP32-S3 — dual-core LX7 at 240 MHz, 512 KB SRAM plus external PSRAM, Wi-Fi 4, BLE 5.0, USB-OTG, up to 45 GPIOs, and vector instructions that Espressif markets as AI acceleration. This is still the workhorse of the maker world in 2026.
The RISC-V value line: C2, C3, C6, C61, C5
- ESP32-C2 (also sold as ESP8684) — single-core RISC-V at 120 MHz, 272 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 4, BLE 5.0. The cheapest, smallest entry point.
- ESP32-C3 — single-core RISC-V at 160 MHz, 400 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 4, BLE 5.0, secure boot, 4×4 mm package. The default cheap-and-good chip for years.
- ESP32-C6 — single-core RISC-V at 160 MHz, 512 KB SRAM, Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4 GHz, BLE 5.3, plus an 802.15.4 radio for Thread and Zigbee. It also picked up PSA Level 2 security certification, a first for a RISC-V part.
- ESP32-C61 — RISC-V at 160 MHz, Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz) and Bluetooth 5 LE, external PSRAM support, but no 802.15.4. It is the cost-down C6: Wi-Fi 6 features like TWT and OFDMA without the mesh radio. MINI-1 modules landed at roughly two dollars in August 2026.
- ESP32-C5 — single-core RISC-V at 240 MHz, 384 KB SRAM, and the headline feature: dual-band Wi-Fi 6 across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, plus BLE 5 and 802.15.4. Up to 29 GPIOs. Nothing else in the family touches 5 GHz.
The low-power radio chip: ESP32-H2
Single-core RISC-V at 96 MHz, 256 KB SRAM, no Wi-Fi whatsoever, BLE 5.0 and 802.15.4. It exists to be a Thread or Zigbee endpoint that runs for years on a coin cell.
The heavyweights: ESP32-P4 and ESP32-S31
- ESP32-P4 — dual-core RISC-V at 400 MHz with a 40 MHz low-power core, 768 KB SRAM, support for up to 32 MB PSRAM, MIPI-CSI and MIPI-DSI, H.264 encoding, and no radio at all. If you want it online you pair it with a C6 or C5 as a Wi-Fi co-processor.
- ESP32-S31 — the newest arrival, in mass production since 27 July 2026. Dual-core RISC-V at 320 MHz where one core carries a 128-bit datapath with SIMD instructions, plus a 40 MHz low-power coprocessor. 512 KB SRAM with 250 MHz DDR PSRAM expansion, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 including LE Audio and Classic BR/EDR, 802.15.4, and — the genuinely unusual bit — a Gigabit Ethernet MAC. Add 60 GPIOs, 14 touch channels, a hardware JPEG codec and a 2D graphics accelerator. Note that the S-series has quietly switched from Xtensa to RISC-V.
Which ESP32 version to use for each kind of project
Specs are easy. Matching them to a real build is where people get it wrong, so here is the practical breakdown.
Which ESP32 version to use for your first project
ESP32-C3 or ESP32-S3. The C3 if you want cheap and simple, the S3 if you think you might add a screen, a camera or PSRAM later. Both have years of tutorials, ESPHome support and Arduino core maturity behind them. Do not start on the original ESP32 in 2026 just because it is the one in every old blog post. If you are genuinely torn over which ESP32 version to use at this stage, buy one of each — at these prices the experiment costs less than the shipping.
Which ESP32 version to use for Matter, Thread and Zigbee
ESP32-C6, without much hesitation. It is the chip that gave the family Wi-Fi 6 and 802.15.4 in one package, which is exactly what Matter wants. I used a C6 for my DIY reverse osmosis TDS and flow meter and it has been rock solid. If you are already deep into Matter devices, my notes on syncing two Matter lights in Home Assistant cover the awkward parts of that ecosystem. Once Matter is on your requirements list, the question of which ESP32 version to use narrows to two chips very quickly: the C6, or the C5 if you also need 5 GHz.
Which ESP32 version to use for battery-powered sensors
ESP32-H2 today. No Wi-Fi radio means no Wi-Fi power budget, and as a Thread or Zigbee endpoint it behaves the way a door sensor or a temperature puck should. If your sensor genuinely needs Wi-Fi, the C6 with Target Wake Time is the next best thing. Battery life is the one requirement that should decide which ESP32 version to use before anything else does, because you cannot optimise your way out of the wrong radio.
Which ESP32 version to use for displays, audio and edge AI
ESP32-S3. PSRAM support, enough GPIOs for a parallel RGB panel, vector instructions for wake-word and small ML models, and by far the best LVGL story in the family. My touch dashboard on an ESP32-S3 with LVGL and ESPHome and the 4848S040 media controller build both run on S3 silicon, and the newer Music Assistant ESP32 media controller leans on the same platform.
Which ESP32 version to use when 2.4 GHz is congested
ESP32-C5, and it is the only answer. If you live in a block of flats where 2.4 GHz is a warzone, or you need a camera stream that does not stutter, 5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 changes the experience completely. It is the chip I would pick for anything streaming continuously.
Which ESP32 version to use for serious multimedia
ESP32-P4. MIPI camera and display interfaces, H.264 encode, 32 MB of PSRAM and 400 MHz of dual-core RISC-V put it in a different category — think video doorbells, HMI panels and small robots. Budget for a companion radio chip and a more involved board design; this is not a weekend breadboard part. When pixels and frame rates drive the spec, which ESP32 version to use stops being a question at all.
Which ESP32 version to use for cost-sensitive production
ESP32-C2 or ESP32-C61. The C2 when the bill of materials rules everything and Wi-Fi 4 is fine. The C61 when you want Wi-Fi 6 power savings and modern router compatibility at roughly two dollars per module, but you do not need Thread or Zigbee.
Which ESP32 version to use for wired or industrial gear
ESP32-S31. A Gigabit Ethernet MAC alongside Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 with Classic and LE Audio, and 802.15.4 makes it the obvious border-router or multi-protocol gateway chip. It is also the first ESP32 I would consider for a device that has to sit on a wired network and bridge protocols. If one ends up in your homelab, the same remote access hardening rules apply as to anything else you expose.
Announced, but you cannot buy them yet
Three chips are in the pipeline as of September 2026, and none of them are in mass production:
- ESP32-H4 — dual-core RISC-V at 96 MHz, 384 KB SRAM plus external PSRAM, Bluetooth 5.4 LE with Bluetooth 6.0 certification, 802.15.4 for Thread 1.4 and Zigbee 3.0, up to 40 GPIOs and an integrated DC-DC converter. Samples have been available on request since March 2026, and the ESP-IDF roadmap states that full support lands once the chip is production-ready. This is the H2 successor.
- ESP32-H21 — single-core RISC-V at 96 MHz, 320 KB RAM, BLE and 802.15.4, with the same on-chip DC-DC trick for lower power. A direct H2 refresh rather than a step up.
- ESP32-E22 — the wild one. Dual-core RISC-V up to 500 MHz, 1 MB RAM, tri-band Wi-Fi 6E across 2.4/5/6 GHz with 2×2 MIMO and up to 2.1 Gbps, Bluetooth 5.4/6.0, PCIe 2.0 and SDIO 3.0 in a 9×9 mm package. It is positioned as a connectivity co-processor rather than a standalone MCU, and the timeline is vague.
⚠️ Do not design a product around any of these three yet. Sample silicon and shifting ESP-IDF support are fine for evaluation and painful for a shipping schedule.
The short version
If you want one line per scenario, here is which ESP32 version to use:
- Learning or general purpose → ESP32-C3, or ESP32-S3 if you want headroom
- Smart home, Matter, Thread, Zigbee → ESP32-C6
- Coin-cell sensors → ESP32-H2
- Screens, audio, LVGL, small ML → ESP32-S3
- 5 GHz Wi-Fi → ESP32-C5
- Camera, video, high-end HMI → ESP32-P4 plus a radio companion
- Ethernet gateway or multi-protocol bridge → ESP32-S31
- Lowest possible unit cost → ESP32-C2 or ESP32-C61
- Bluetooth Classic → the original ESP32, or the new ESP32-S31
For the vast majority of home automation work, the honest answer to which ESP32 version to use is still the C6 for sensors and the S3 for anything with a screen. The C5 earns its price when 2.4 GHz lets you down, and the S31 is the first chip in years that makes me want to redesign something I had already finished.
Whichever way you go, decide which ESP32 version to use before you buy the dev board. Swapping chips halfway through a project usually means rewriting the pin map, the power design and half of your ESPHome config. 🙂