Raspberry Pi Pico vs. ESP32: Which Microcontroller Is Right for You?
These are two of the most well-known microcontrollers around, and for good reason. How do you decide which one is better suited for your projects?
A microcontroller is an integrated circuit that can be programmed to perform tasks independently of other devices. The Raspberry Pi Pico and the ESP32 are two of the most popular microcontrollers on the market. They are two small, low-power microcontrollers built on 32-bit dual-core CPUs that can be used to control electronics projects.
There are quite a few differences between these two devices that may interest you if you are in the market for a new microcontroller board. Among other things, let’s compare the cost, processing power, hardware, and connectivity features of each board.
Raspberry Pi Pico Overview
The Raspberry Pi Pico is the first microcontroller board from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. And is based on the RP2040 chip. It is not a full-fledged computer like the company’s previous offerings but a tiny microcontroller board similar to the Arduino.
It comes with:
- dual-core ARM cortex M0+ processor
- 264 on-chip static random-access memory
- 26 multifunction GPIO pins
- a temperature sensor
- an on-chip clock.
ESP32 Overview
Designed by Espressif Systems, the ESP32 is the successor to the ESP8266 microcontroller and offers a number of improvements over it. These include a faster processor, faster Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, more GPIO pins, and several other features.
The ESP32 has quickly emerged as a community favorite due to its low cost, low energy consumption, and wireless connectivity features, making it suitable for Internet of Things (IoT) projects.
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