Currently, there are 2 types of MCU from Espressif on the market: ESP8266 from 2014, ESP32 from 2016 and ESP32-S2 that debuted in the second half of 2019. Although ESP32-S2 is not yet very popular, it is expected it will replace ESP8266 as a cheaper, more powerful and more secure alternative in the upcoming years.
The table below compares the main features of ESP8266, ESP32 and ESP32-S2
| ESP8266 | ESP32 | ESP32-S2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCU | Xtensa L106 | Xtensa LX6 | Xtensa LX7 |
| Number of cores | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Number of bits | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Clock frequency | 80MHz | 160MHz | 240MHz |
| Coprocessor | No | Yes | Yes (RISC-V) |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | No | BT 4.2 BR/EDR & BLE | No |
| RAM | 160kB | 520kB | 320KB |
| Internal flash | No | ESP32‑D2WD Only – 2MB | No |
| External SPIFlash | Up to 16MB | Up to 16MB | Up to 1GB |
| GPIO | 17 | 36 | 43 |
| SPI | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| I2C | 1 (software) | 2 | 2 |
| I2S | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| UART | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| ADC | 1 | 18 | 20 |
| ADC resolution | 10-bit | 12-bit | 12-bit |
| DAC | No | 2 | 2 |
| DAC resolution | – | 8-bit | 8-bit |
| Software PWM | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| SDMMC interface | No | Yes | No |
| Temperature sensor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Touch sensors | No | Yes | Yes |
| CAN | No | 1 | No |
| Ethernet MAC | No | 1 | No |
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