NRF52840 vs ESP32-S3 Dual Core (for Meshtastic use)

NRF52840 - ultra-low power, extremely stable BLE, limited CPU, no WiFi
ESP32-S3 - high performance, WiFi + BLE, more features, higher power draw.

1. Power Consumption

NRF52840 (RAK4631, WisMesh Tag, WisMesh Pocket)

  • Much lower idle and active power
  • Designed for wearables and sensors

ESP32-S3 (LILYGO T-Deck, T-Echo, T-Beam S3)

  • Higher power draw, even when optimized.
  • Dual-core + WiFi radio = more current usage.
  • Better suited for powered nodes, not ultra-low-power wearables.

Verdict: For battery endurance, NRF52840 wins

2. Radio Performance (LoRa)

Both platforms rely on the same SX1262 LoRa chip, so LoRa performance is basically identical when antenna design is equal.
The difference comes instead from MCU behavior:

NRF52840

  • Very stable timing on low duty cycle
  • Slightly better low-power radio wake/sleep behavior

ESP32-S3

  • More CPU overhead
  • Not an issue in real-world Meshtastic use

LoRa range/performance is similar, with minor efficiency edge to NRF.


3. WiFi Capability

NRF52840

  • No WiFi

ESP32-S3

  • Built-in WiFi 2.4 GHz → enables WiFi client + AP modes
    Important for:

    • MQTT
      Using a node as a base station
      Web UI access without needing BLE
      Cloud integrations

Verdict: If someone wants WiFi or MQTT, they need ESP32-S3.

4. Processing Power & Features

NRF52840

  • Modest single-core ARM M4F
  • Enough for Meshtastic basics
  • Limited room for future features
  • Excellent stability

ESP32-S3 Dual Core

  • A lot more processing power
  • Can handle:
    • Displays (e.g., T-Deck)
    • Keyboards
    • Audio features
    • More complex encryption workloads
    • Packet routing while doing WiFi

Verdict: If the device has a screen, keyboard, camera, or complex UI, it needs ESP32-S3.