Back in 2024, Espressif Systems introduced the ESP32-C61 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE (BLE) SoC as a low-cost variant of the ESP32-C6 without an 802.15.4 radio, a single RISC-V core, and lower-capacity SRAM (320KB vs 512KB).

We had first seen the ESP32-C61 in the Wireless Tag ESP32P4C61 board introduced last June in a Kickstarter campaign last June, but Espressif has now started to sell samples of the ESP32-C61-MINI-1 and ESP32-C61-MINI-1U on AliExpress for $10.7 for a pack of 5 pieces, or around $2 per module.

ESP32-C61-MINI-1/1U Module specifications:

• SoC – ESP32-C61
  • CPU core – Single-core 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor up to 160 MHz
  • Memory
    • 320KB SRAM
    • Up to 8 MB PSRAM
  • Storage
    • 256KB ROM
    • Up to 8 MB Quad SPI flash
  • Wireless
    • 2.4 GHz WiFi 1T1R
      • Frequency: 2412 ~ 2484 MHz
      • IEEE 802.11ax-compliant
        • 20 MHz-only non-AP mode
        • MCS0 ~ MCS9
        • Uplink and downlink OFDMA
        • Downlink MU-MIMO
        • Target wake time (TWT) that optimizes power saving mechanisms
      • Backward compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n
        • 20 MHz and 40 MHz bandwidth
        • Data rate up to 150 Mbps
        • Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
        • TX/RX A-MPDU, TX/RX A-MSDU
        • 4x virtual Wi-Fi interfaces
        • Simultaneous support for Infrastructure BSS in Station mode, SoftAP mode, Station + SoftAP mode, and promiscuous mode
        • 802.11mc FTM
    • Bluetooth
      • Bluetooth LE 5.3 certified
      • Bluetooth mesh
      • High power mode (20 dBm)
      • Speed: 125 Kbps, 500 Kbps, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps
      • Advertising extensions
      • Multiple advertisement sets
      • Channel selection algorithm #2
      • LE power control
    • Internal co-existence mechanism between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to share the same antenna
• Peripherals via 53 pads
  • GPIO, SPI, UART, I2C
  • I2S
  • LED PWM
  • USB
  • Serial/JTAG controller
  • GDMA
  • On-chip debug functionality via JTAG
  • Event task matrix
  • ADC, temperature sensor, brown-out detector, analog voltage comparator
  • General-purpose timers, system timer, and watchdog timers
• Misc
  • 40 MHz crystal oscillator on-module
  • Antenna options
    • On-board PCB antenna (ESP32-C61-MINI-1)
    • External antenna via a connector (ESP32-C61-MINI-1U)
• Supply Voltage – 3.0 ~ 3.6 V
• Dimensions
  • 13.2 × 16.6 × 2.4 mm (ESP32-C61-MINI-1)
  • 3.2 × 12.5 × 2.4 mm (ESP32-C61-MINI-1U)
• Temperature Range – -40 ~ 85°C
• Certifications – Various RF, Green, and Test certifications

You’ll find the full technical details in the datasheet. Software-wise, the ESP-IDF v6.0 framework added support for the ESP32-C61 when it was released in March 2026. Arduino is supported, but at this stage it’s not straightforward, as explained in the getting started instructions:

ESP32-C2 and ESP32-C61 are also supported by Arduino-ESP32 but require using Arduino as an ESP-IDF component or rebuilding the static libraries.

Besides the ESP32-C61-MINI-1/1U module, you can also use the ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1-N8R2 development board to get started, sold for $9 on AliExpress, or $12 on Amazon. Besides the ESP-IDF framework and Arduino, I can also see an alpha version of the CircuitPython firmware for the board.

In other news, Espressif Systems also announced mass production for the more powerful ESP32-S31 SoC and modules, following the availability of two ESP32-S31 development kits last May. The ESP32-S31-WROOM-3 module is sold for $4.95 with 16 MB of flash and 16MB of PSRAM, and the ESP32-S31NRV16 SoC for $3.76.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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