Two years ago, we looked at the state of the ESP32 family of microcontrollers. Well, a lot has changed since then - more ESP32 boards, more protocols, and 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
So here it is - the updated 2026 version of the ESP32 Guide.
We will begin by going over the different ESP32 variants; there are eleven of them, each with a unique set of features. Selecting the right one is vital to your project, and you can get more information and a downloadable spreadsheet on the article at https://dronebotworkshop.com/esp32-2026/
Then we will look at boards, broken down into the following categories:
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General Purpose / Experimenter Boards
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Display & Multimedia Boards
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Compact & Portable Boards
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IoT & Smart Home Boards
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Budget & Starter Boards
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Unique Boards
This should help you pick out the best ESP32 for your application.