Seeed Studio recently introduced the XIAO nRF54L15 series, which includes the XIAO nRF54L15 and XIAO nRF54L15 Sense USB-C development boards. Built around Nordic’s 128MHz nRF54L15 Cortex-M33 wireless SoC with 1.5MB NVM, 256KB RAM, these modules are suitable for wearables, smart home, IIoT sensors, and low-power wireless devices.
Both boards support BLE 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Amazon Sidewalk, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. The Sense variant adds a digital microphone and a 6-axis IMU. Common features include 16 GPIOs and a USB Type-C port for power, programming, and charging. Security features include TrustZone, secure boot, firmware update support, side-channel protection, and tamper detection.
XIAO nRF54L15 Series Specifications
- Wireless MCU – Nordic Semi nRF54L15 wireless SoC
- CPU
- Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 128 MHz
- RISC-V coprocessor for “software-defined peripheral”
- Memory – 256 KB SRAM
- Storage – 1.5MB Non-volatile Memory (NVM)
- Wireless
- Bluetooth LE 6.0 (includes Channel Sounding)
- Thread, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4-2020)
- Matter
- Amazon Sidewalk
- Proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols with a new 4 Mbps mode
- NFC support
- CPU
- Antennas – Ceramic antenna + IPEX4 connector for external antenna
- USB – USB Type-C port (power, programming, battery charging)
- Expansion
- 2x 7-pin 2.54mm pitch headers and castellated holes with
- 11x PWM-capable GPIOs
- 6x Analog inputs
- 2x I2C
- 2x SPI
- 1x UART
- 8x solder pads with
- 5x GPIOs (3x on the Sense)
- SAMD11 SWD interface
- NRF SWD interface
- 2x 7-pin 2.54mm pitch headers and castellated holes with
- Sensors (Sense version only)
- 6-axis IMU
- PDM digital microphone
- Security
- Designed for the PSA Certified Level 3 IoT security standard
- TrustZone isolation, side-channel protection, and tamper detection
- Debugging – SMD solder pads for SAMD11 SWD and NRF SWD interface
- Misc
- User LED
- Battery charge indicator LED
- Reset button, User button
- Power
- Input Voltage – 5V via USB Type-C port
- Operating Voltage – 3.3V
- Ultra-low-power mode
- 3.1 μA (System-on mode, preliminary)
- 0.6uA in the chip’s System OFF mode (Nordic Semi’s data)
- 3.8V battery input via battery pads (BAT +/-) on the bottom of the board
- Dimensions – 21 x 17.8 mm
- Operating Temperature – -40°C to +105°C
The XIAO nRF54L15 development boards support Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK and PlatformIO, along with Zephyr RTOS, for developing low-power, multi-protocol IoT applications. The company mentions that the Arduino IDE is not currently supported, and more information can be found on the company’s Wiki. The boards are also compatible with popular location and connectivity services such as Amazon Sidewalk, Apple Find My, and Google Find My Device through the nRF Connect SDK.
All hardware and software materials are fully open-sourced, including hardware schematics, KiCAD libraries, DXF dimension files, and pinout sheets for both the standard and Sense variants, which are accessible through the products page or the wiki.
We have previously written about the XIAO nRF52840 series and the XIAO Plus series with a 64 MHz nRF52840 Cortex-M4 and Bluetooth 5.4 SoC. The new XIAO nRF54L15 boards upgrade to a 128 MHz Cortex-M33, add a RISC-V coprocessor, support more wireless protocols like Matter and Amazon Sidewalk, and offer lower sleep current (0.6 μA). They also come with more GPIOs and a wider operating temperature range.
The XIAO nRF54L15 Series boards sell for $9.90 and $15.99 (Sense), and the XIAO nRF54L15 can also be purchased on AliExpress for $10.48. If you plan to review a unit on YouTube, TikTok, or your own platform, or publish a project on sites like Hackster.io or Hackaday.io, you may also get two free boards after submitting your idea.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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