Where is Bluetooth?

[giordanocm]

I'm curious about why the new ESP32-S2 IC didn't come with Bluetooth support. Actually, some old ESP32 modules are Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND) and the new ones doesn't come with Bluetooth support anymore. There is one module, though, that comes with it: ESP32-WROVER-IB. However, the most part of the new Espressif ICs and modules are not coming with Bluetooth support anymore.

What is happening? Is Bluetooth losing its market position? Or is this "only" an Espressif pontual decision?

[ESP_Sprite]

Wrt modules: It depends on the chip inside them. There are older modules not recommended for new design, but that's mostly because they are using an obsolete PCB design, IC packaging, etc. There will always be equivalent, current variations of them (at least for the 12 year minimum that we support the ESP32) and as they still have the 'old' ESP32 in them they will be able to do Bluetooth.

As to why the -S2 does not have BT: The -S2 is a lower-cost chip, intended to sit somewhere between the ESP8266 and the ESP32. As such, we removed some features to shrink the die size: BT is one of them. Note that the S2 only is the first one in a range of chips, from ultra-low-cost to ultra-well-featured; as such there will also be chips that have BT/BTLE again.

[WiFive]

Actually, some old ESP32 modules are Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND) and the new ones doesn't come with Bluetooth support anymore.

There are new versions of all those modules for example ESP32-WROOM-32E

[giordanocm]

There are new versions of all those modules for example ESP32-WROOM-32E

Thanks! Actually, I found this part number at Mouser, but the website doens't show Bluetooth support, only Wi-Fi support. However, Espressif tells that this module (ESP32-WROOM-32E) contains Bluetooth support.

Thanks a lot!

[giordanocm]

Wrt modules: It depends on the chip inside them. There are older modules not recommended for new design, but that's mostly because they are using an obsolete PCB design, IC packaging, etc. There will always be equivalent, current variations of them (at least for the 12 year minimum that we support the ESP32) and as they still have the 'old' ESP32 in them they will be able to do Bluetooth.

As to why the -S2 does not have BT: The -S2 is a lower-cost chip, intended to sit somewhere between the ESP8266 and the ESP32. As such, we removed some features to shrink the die size: BT is one of them. Note that the S2 only is the first one in a range of chips, from ultra-low-cost to ultra-well-featured; as such there will also be chips that have BT/BTLE again.

Thank you! I appreciate your answer.