The ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 is a development board based on the ESP32-C61 low-cost WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.0 SoC that was first unveiled in January 2024, and has just entered mass production this month (June 2025). The board is offered with two USB-C ports, two buttons, an RGB LED, and GPIO headers.
In my 2024 year in review report, I noted that Espressif would likely launch the ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC in 2025, but I completely forgot about the ESP32-C61, which is basically a cost-down version of the ESP32-C6. The ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 development board and ESP32-C61-WROOM-1 module are now available, so let’s have a closer look.
ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 specifications:
- Wireless module – ESP32-C61-WROOM-1
- SoC – ESP32-C61HR2
- CPU – Single 32-bit RISC-V core clocked up to 120MHz
- Memory – 320KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM
- Storage – 256KB ROM
- Wireless – WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.0
- Storage – 8MB QSPI flash
- Antenna – PCB antenna
- SoC – ESP32-C61HR2
- USB
- USB 2.0 (full speed up to 12 Mbps) Type-C port for power, flashing firmware, communication with the chip using USB protocols, and JTAG debugging.
- USB Type-C port for power, flashing firmware, and USB-to-UART communication via onboard chip supporting up to 3 Mbps
- Expansion – 2x 16-pin headers for all GPIOs of the ESP32-C61 SoC (up to 18x GPIO, 1x I2C, 12-bit ADC 4-channel); breadboard compatible
- Misc
- 3.3V Power LED
- RGB LED driven by GPIO8
- Boot and Reset buttons
- J5 jumper for current measurement
- 32.768 KHz (RTC) and 48 MHz crystals (Note: the 32 KHz crystal is not mounted by default, and the XTAL_32K_P and XTAL_32K_N pins are used as GPIO0 and GPIO1).
- Power Supply
- 5V via either USB-C ports or 5V and GND pins
- 3.3V via 3V3 and GND pins
- 5V to 3.3V LDO
- Dimensions – TBD
Support for early samples of the ESP32-C61 was added in the ESP-IDF 5.4, but the mass production version (ESP32-C61 v1.0) will be supported by ESP-IDF 5.5 to be released fairly soon. You can find more information in the board’s user guide.
I’ve already highlighted some of the changes between ESP32-C6 and ESP32-C61 in the specifications, but you can also refer to the side-by-side comparison in the table below (ESP32-C61H2 is the only ESP32-C61 part listed so far).
The ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 is now available on Espressif’s AliExpress store for about $9. In case it runs out of stock on the official stores, you’ll also find it on third-party stores at a premium, and it may soon become available on Espressif’s Amazon store. The ESP32-C61-WROOM-1 module and ESP32-C61 are not sold online yet, so you may need to contact Espressif sales to get samples. The product page should have more details.
Updated: The article was initially published on January 2, 2025, and updated following the start of the mass production of the ESP32-C61 SoC, and the availability of the development kit on AliExpress and Amazon.
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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