The History of ESP32: From Wi-Fi MCU to IoT Platform

Before ESP32: the ESP8266

Espressif released the ESP8266EX in 2014. It made low-cost Wi-Fi practical for many embedded and maker projects and established the path to the ESP32 family.

• Espressif company milestones: ESP8266 and ESP32 releases

ESP32 arrives

ESP32 followed in 2016 with a 32-bit MCU, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Espressif also provides ESP-IDF as the official development framework.

Compared with the ESP8266 generation, ESP32 broadened the available processing, peripheral and connectivity options for connected devices.

• Espressif company history: ESP32 and ESP-IDF milestones

From one chip to a family

The family later expanded with ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3 and newer variants for different connectivity, performance, security and power requirements. Choose the exact chip or board from the project requirements, not from the ESP32 name alone.

• Need Wi-Fi/Bluetooth in a compact prototype: start with an ESP32-family board.
• Need USB, more memory or different wireless features: compare the exact S/C-series board documentation.
• Do not assume every ESP32 board has the same pinout, peripherals or power behavior.

• Espressif — Introducing ESP32-C3