Differences Between ESP32-C3 and ESP32-S3
ESP32-C3 and ESP32-S3 both are advanced variants of ESP32. However, ESP32-S3 is a state-of-the-art microcontroller and flagship product of Espressif. It is better than ESP32-C3 in terms of core, memory, peripherals, and low-power management. The Wi-Fi connectivity and security level of both microcontrollers is the same.
1. Core and Processor
ESP32-S3 has a low-power Xtensa dual-core 32-bit LX7 microprocessor with a five-stage pipeline that has a clock frequency of 240MHz. It has a 32-bit instruction set and a 128-bit data bus that gives high computing performance.
On the other hand, ESP32-C3 has a low-power 32-bit RISC-V-based single-core microprocessor. It has a four-stage pipeline that supports a clock frequency of 160MHz.
In terms of core and processor, ESP32-S3 is more advanced than ESP32-C3.
2. Memory
ESP32-S3 has 512 KB on-chip SRAM for data and instructions and 384 KB ROM to perform functions like booting. It has 8 KB SRAM Real-Time Communication (RTC) memory each for fast and slow communication. It also supports external flash and RAM of 32 MB at a time and 1 GB in total.
ESP32-C3 400 KB on-chip SRAM for data and instructions and 384 KB ROM for boot function. 16 KB SRAM is configured for cache and 8 KB SRAM is used in fast Real-Time Communication (RTC) memory. In the case of external memory, ESP32-C3 supports a maximum of 16 MB external flash. At a given time, it can support up to 8 MB of data memory or 8 MB of instruction memory.
Therefore, in terms of memory, ESP32-S3 outclasses ESP32-C3.
3. Bluetooth
Both ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 have support for low-energy Bluetooth. The difference lies in their power mode. The power mode of ESP32-S3 is 20dBm (decibel milliwatts) whereas that of ESP32-C3 is 21dBm (decibel milliwatts). In this respect, ESP32-S3 is better than ESP32-C3 because its Bluetooth has greater signal strength due to its low dBm value.
4. Advanced Peripheral Interfaces
The peripherals of ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 have multiple differences. These differences are explained in the comparison table below:
| ESP32-S3 | ESP32-C3 |
| It has 45 programmable General Purpose Input Output Pins(GPIOs) | It has 22 programmable General Purpose Input Output Pins(GPIOs) |
| It has 4 pins for Serial Programmable Interfaces (SPIs) | It has 3 pins for Serial Programmable Interfaces (SPIs) |
| It has 3 (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) UART pins | It has 2 (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) UART pins |
| The LED PWM controller of ESP32-S3 has 8 channels of communication | The LED PWM controller of ESP32-S3 has 6 channels of communication |
| The Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller of ESP32-S3 has 5 Receiving and 5 Transmitting channels. | The Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller of ESP32-C3 has 3 Receiving and 3 Transmitting channels. |
| ESP32-S3 has an LCD interface | ESP32-S3 does not have an LCD interface |
| The Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) has 20 channels in ESP32-S3 | The Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) has only channels in ESP32-C3 |
| It has an additional 14 touch-sensing IO pins | ESP32-C3 does not support touch sensors |
| ESP32-S3 has 4×54 General Purpose Timers | ESP32-C3 has 2×54 General Purpose Timers |
5. Low Power Consumption
The ESP32-S3 has five modules for low-power consumption. On the other hand, ESP32-C3 has four modules for low-power consumption. Therefore, ESP32-S3 is more efficient than ESP32-C3.
6. Voltage and Current Ratings of ESP232-S3 and ESP32-C3
The ESP32-S3 and the ESP32-C3 have the same voltage and current ratings. Each of them has an operating voltage range of 3.3V to 3.6V and a current handling capacity of 40mA.
7. Programming Environment
The ESP32-S3 and ESP-32 C3 can be programmed either with Arduino IDE or ESP-IDF. It’s up to the user which open-source platform he wants to use for programming his board.
8. Connector Used in ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3
To establish a serial connection with ESP32-S3 or ESP32-C3, they are required to be connected to the PC via a USB cable. There are USB to serial converter chips installed on these boards. Given below are the names of mostly used connectors on the ESP32 boards.
9. Applications
ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 are used to automate industries, homes, health care systems, agriculture, sales and purchase systems, and electronics. However, ESP32-S3 has more up-to-date features that allow it to be used in image recognition, touch sensing, speech recognition, proximity sensing, and robotics.
Conclusion
We have drawn a detailed comparison between ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3. It is clear from the comparison that ESP32-S3 is the most advanced version of ESP32. ESP32-S3 has enhanced features that make it synchronous with the latest technology.
