ESP32
The ESP32 is a powerful, low-cost system-on-chip (SoC) with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (including BLE – Bluetooth Low Energy), developed by Espressif Systems. It emerged as a natural and significantly more powerful successor to the popular ESP8266, quickly becoming one of the preferred microcontrollers for projects in the fields of the Internet of Things (IoT), home automation, and robotics.
Key technical specifications
| Parameter | Value / Description |
| Processor | Dual-core (or single-core) Tensilica Xtensa 32-bit LX6, operating at 160 or 240 MHz |
| Memory | 520 KB SRAM, support for external Flash memory (typically 4 MB or 8 MB) |
| Wireless connection | Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (до 150 Mbps) Bluetooth: v4.2 BR/EDR и BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) |
| Peripheral pins | Up to 34 or 36 programmable GPIO pins |
| Analog interfaces | 12-bit ADCs (up to 18 channels) and 8-bit DACs (2 channels) |
| Timers and PWM | Hardware timers, PWM channels for controlling motors/lights |
| Communication Interfaces | SPI, I2C, UART, I2S, CAN |
| Operating voltage | 3.3V |
Key advantages over the ESP8266
1. Dual-core processor: Allows for task separation—for instance, one core can handle heavy Wi-Fi traffic and the network stack, while the other executes user code and processes sensor data.
2. Built-in Bluetooth: Unlike the standard ESP8266, the ESP32 features full support for Bluetooth and BLE, facilitating connectivity with smartphones and other wireless accessories.
3. Extensive peripheral set: It offers a significantly higher number of GPIO pins, true analog outputs (DAC), and more precise analog-to-digital converters (ADC).
4. Advanced power management: Extremely low power consumption in sleep mode (via an Ultra-Low Power, or ULP, coprocessor), enabling the device to operate for long periods on battery power by waking up only when necessary.