How many ESP32 series currently exist?

Currently, the Espressif ecosystem features 12 primary series: classic ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-S31, ESP32-C2, ESP32-C3, ESP32-C5, ESP32-C6, ESP32-C61, ESP32-P4, ESP32-H2, and ESP32-H4.

What are the latest series from Espressif?

The newest series include the ESP32-P4 (high-performance dual-core RISC-V at 400 MHz), the ESP32-C5 (first dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi chip from Espressif), and the ESP32-C61 (cost-effective Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 6).

RISC-V single-core 32-bit (HP) + RISC-V single-core (LP)

ESP32-C5

The first with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 6.0 support, equipped with RISC-V CPU and ULP coprocessor

Official datasheet Programming guide Technical reference manual

Processor: Single-core; Up to 240 MHz
SRAM: 384 KB; + 16 KB RTC SRAM
GPIO: 29; programmable pins
Architecture: RISC-V; RISC-V single-core 32-bit (HP) + RISC-V single-core (LP)

Official development kit

Official Espressif board for the ESP32-C5 series.

Pins with usage restrictions

Not every pin on the ESP32-C5 is free for general-purpose use. 20 of them have conditions: occupied by memory, sampled during boot, or function as input only. Check before finalizing your schematic.

Connected to flash/PSRAM memory

7 pins

SPICS1 · GPIO15
SPICS0 · GPIO16
SPIQ · GPIO17
SPIWP · GPIO18
SPIHD · GPIO20
SPICLK · GPIO21
SPID · GPIO22

Already connected to the memory where firmware is stored and executed. Using them as general-purpose GPIO typically crashes the chip or corrupts execution. In modules with internal flash, they are not brought out to the package pins.

Strapping pins (boot mode)

6 pins

MTMS · GPIO2
MTDI · GPIO3
GPIO25
GPIO26
GPIO27
GPIO28

The chip samples the logic level of these pins during reset to determine the boot mode. You can use them after booting, but external circuitry must not force the wrong level during reset, or the board will fail to boot or enter download mode unexpectedly.

Flashing and debugging

6 pins

MTMS · GPIO2
MTDI · GPIO3
MTCK · GPIO4
MTDO · GPIO5
U0TXD · GPIO11
U0RXD · GPIO12

These are the flashing UART and JTAG lines. They can still be used as GPIO, but reusing them removes the ability to flash and debug the board without disconnecting connected peripherals.

Native USB

2 pins

GPIO13
GPIO14

Connected by default to the internal USB Serial/JTAG controller. Using them as GPIO requires disabling this peripheral, which also removes direct USB flashing.

Must not float

1 pin

CHIP_PU

Require a defined hardware logic level: external pull-up or RC delay circuit. Leaving them floating causes random resets or unstable boot behavior.

These groups are derived from the same data as the pinout diagram. There you can see every pin's full functions, power domain, and complete engineering notes.

Open pinout diagram

Processor

Architecture: RISC-V single-core 32-bit (HP) + RISC-V single-core (LP)
Cores: 1 (Single-core HP) + 1 (Single-core LP)
Frequency: Up to 240 MHz
ULP Coprocessor: Yes (RISC-V, 48 MHz LP CPU)
AI Accelerators: No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5 (LE) (Bluetooth Core 6.0 certified)
Zigbee/Thread: IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.4)
Matter: Yes
Ethernet: No
CAN: 2 (CAN FD)

Tools and availability

Minimum ESP-IDF: v5.5.2
Arduino Core: Yes (10 board definitions in official core)
Debugging: Integrated JTAG via USB (no external probe required)
Package: QFN48 (6×6 mm)
Available Modules: ESP32-C5-MINI-1, ESP32-C5-WROOM-1

Security

AES: AES-128/256
SHA: SHA-1/224/256/384/512
RSA / MPI: Yes (RSA/MPI up to 3072 bits)
ECC (elliptic curves): Yes (P-192, P-256, P-384)
Hardware ECDSA: Yes (deterministic mode, RFC 6979)
HMAC: Yes
Digital Signature (DS): Yes
Key Manager: Yes
Random Generator (TRNG): Yes (hardware TRNG)
Flash Encryption: XTS-AES-128/256
Secure Boot: V2 (RSA-3072 or ECDSA P-256/P-384)
DPA Protection: Yes

Memory

SRAM: 384 KB
RTC SRAM: 16 KB
ROM: 320 KB
External Flash: Up to 16 MB via QSPI
External PSRAM: Yes, via SPI (flash/PSRAM controller with cache)

Power consumption

Typical values at 3.3 V and 25 °C. Actual power consumption depends on radio duty cycle and configured clock frequency.

Active (Wi-Fi): up to 377 mA (TX at 5 GHz)
Light Sleep: 60-250 µA
Deep Sleep: 12 µA

Peripherals

GPIO: 29
ADC: 1x 12-bit SAR ADC, up to 6 channels
DAC: No
Touch: No
UART: 3 (2 UART + 1 LP UART)
SPI: 3
I2C: 2 (1 I2C + 1 LP I2C)
I2S: 1
PWM: LED PWM (up to 6 channels), Motor PWM
USB: 1 (USB Serial/JTAG)

Special interfaces

SDIO: 1 (SDIO Slave, starting from rev v1.0)
Temperature Sensor: 1 (internal)

Temperature limits

Operating: -40°C to 105°C
Storage: -40°C to 150°C

Ready to prototype with ESP32-C5?

Explore development boards available for this series, with USB, onboard sensors, and official store links.

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