ESP32-H2 vs ESP32-S3: which to choose

Differences

Feature	ESP32-H2	ESP32-S3
CPU	1 × RISC-V, 96 MHz	2 × Xtensa LX7, 240 MHz
Low-power core	No	ULP RISC-V + FSM
SRAM	320 KB	512 KB
PSRAM	No	In-package or external, quad or octal
Wi-Fi	No	Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n), 2.4 GHz
Bluetooth	LE 5.3	LE 5
Thread / Zigbee	Yes (802.15.4)	No
USB	Serial/JTAG (flash, serial, debug)	OTG full speed + Serial/JTAG
GPIO	19	45
ADC channels	5	20 (ADC1: 10)
Touch pins	No	14
Camera	No	Parallel (DVP)
Display interface	SPI only	Parallel RGB and i80
AI / DSP	No	128-bit SIMD (PIE)
ESPHome	Yes (ESP-IDF, over Thread)	Yes (ESP-IDF or Arduino)

Same on both: DAC, TWAI (CAN), Ethernet MAC, Deep sleep, and Arduino-ESP32.

Choose the ESP32-H2 if you need

a lean radio for battery end devices on Thread or Zigbee (no Wi-Fi to power or set up)
Thread or Zigbee, including Matter over Thread

Choose the ESP32-S3 if you need

Wi-Fi on the chip (Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz)
USB OTG, to act as a keyboard, a MIDI device or a USB drive
a camera interface (parallel)
a display interface (RGB)
capacitive touch (14 pins)
PSRAM for large buffers (camera, display, audio)
vector instructions for AI and DSP
a second CPU core
a faster CPU (240 against 96 MHz)
more internal SRAM (512 against 320 KB)
more GPIO (45 against 19)
more analog inputs (20 against 5)
a low-power core that works while the main CPU sleeps
the Arduino framework in ESPHome, as well as ESP-IDF

Open the ESP32 comparison →Tick what your project needs and see which of the eight chips fits best.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the ESP32-H2 and the ESP32-S3?

The ESP32-H2 has a lean radio for battery end devices on Thread or Zigbee (no Wi-Fi to power or set up) and Thread or Zigbee. The ESP32-S3 has Wi-Fi on the chip (Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz), USB OTG, a camera interface (parallel), and a display interface (RGB).

Which uses less power in deep sleep, the ESP32-H2 or the ESP32-S3?

Both are rated at 7 µA in deep sleep, for the chip alone. On a board the regulator and the LEDs make the difference.

Can I move my project from the ESP32-H2 to the ESP32-S3?

Arduino-ESP32 and ESP-IDF support both chips, so most code builds for either; pin numbers, strapping pins and some peripherals change. Anything that uses Thread or Zigbee won’t carry over: the ESP32-S3 doesn’t have that hardware.

Other comparisons

ESP32 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32-C3 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-C5 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32-C5 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-H2 ESP32-C6 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-H2 vs ESP32-P4 ESP32-H2 vs ESP32-S2 ESP32-P4 vs ESP32-S3 ESP32-S2 vs ESP32-S3

Figures from Espressif datasheets, ESPHome and Arduino-ESP32 documentation, checked in November 2026.