Espressif's Tiny ESP32-H2-WROOM-07 Delivers Minimal-Footprint Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, and More

Espressif has launched two new ESP32-H2 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and IEEE 802.15.4 modules, designed for the Internet of Things (IoT): the ESP32-H2-WROOM-07-H2 and ESP32-H2-WROOM-07-H4, with 2MB and 4MB of flash memory respectively.

"ESP32-H2-WROOM-07 is a powerful, generic Bluetooth Low Energy and IEEE 802.15.4 combo module that has a rich set of peripherals," Espressif claims of its latest microcontroller and radio module design. "This module is an ideal choice for a wide variety of application scenarios related to Internet of Things (IoT), such as embedded systems, smart home, wearable electronics, etc."

The tiny module, brought to our attention by Linux Gizmos, measures just 8.5×12.7×2.6mm (around 0.33×0.5×0.1") and, admittedly, is a little lacking in general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pin-count compared to some of Espressif's other designs with just three pins brought out. These are driven by the on-board ESP32-H2 system-on-chip with a single 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller core running at up to 96MHz, 320kB of static RAM (SRAM) plus 4kB of low-power RAM (LPRAM), 128kB of on-chip flash and either 2MB of 4MB of in-package SPI flash depending on model.

The chip's integrated radio module supports Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy (BLE), including Bluetooth Mesh, and IEEE 802.15.4 protocols including Zigbee, Thread, and Matter. Use of the radio, however, requires an external antenna, not supplied with the module — and the module's somewhat unusual design means it can be mounted vertically as well as horizontally in order to deliver a reduced footprint.

The ESP32-H2-WROOM-07 datasheet is now available as a PDF download from Espressif; the company is taking orders for the modules at $2.13 for the 2MB and $2.17 for the 4MB variants respectively, plus shipping, on its official AliExpress store.