Summery:
- Size: 27 × 40.5 × 19 mm
- Package: DIP-16
- Power Supply Voltage Range: 4.75 V – 5.25 V
- Operating Temperature: –20°C to +70°C
- Storing Environment: –40°C to +125°C, >90% RH
- SPI Flash: 32 Mbit (default)
- RAM: Internal 520 KB + external 8 MB PSRAM
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2 BR/EDR and BLE standard
- Serial Port Speed: Default: 115200 bps
- Camera module: G2145
- Image Output Format:
- JPEG (supported only by OV2640)
- BMP
- GRAYS
- WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n/e/i
- Supporting Ports: USART, SPI, I2C, PWM
- Quantity of IO Ports: 9
- Spectrum Range: 2400 – 2483.5 MHz
- Antenna Type: Built-in PCB antenna with 2 dB gain
Overview
The Hiwonder ESP32 S3-Cam is an AI-vision camera module based on the ESP32-S3 chip, designed for real-time image capture and wireless video transmission. It is suitable for IoT, robotics, smart-home, and other embedded-vision applications. The module supports WiFi streaming, basic on-board image recognition (e.g. face recognition, color detection, line tracking), and can interface with microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi) for expanded functionality.
Key Features
- Built on the powerful ESP32-S3 chip (dual-core 32-bit CPU up to ~240 MHz)
- Integrated 2-megapixel camera
- Real-time video streaming over WiFi (module acts as AP or STA)
- On-board support for AI vision tasks: face recognition, color detection, line tracking (with appropriate firmware)
- Communication ports: USB-C (for power and firmware upload), I²C/UART for secondary controller connection
- Compact size and simple wiring — ideal for robotics and DIY embedded projects
- Easy firmware upgrade via USB-C cable
Technical Specifications
Camera & Imaging
- Camera: 2 MP module
- Video/Image Output Formats: JPEG/BMP/Grayscale (format depends somewhat on sensor used)
- Field of View (FOV): ~62° (for the listed S3-Cam module)
Module Hardware & Memory
- Processor: ESP32-S3 dual-core 32-bit CPU, up to 240 MHz, ~600 DMIPS performance
- RAM: 520 KB internal + external 8 MB PSRAM
- Flash (on-board SPI flash): 32 Mbit (default)
Connectivity & Interfaces
- WiFi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/e/i (2.4 GHz) — supports AP (hotspot) mode or STA (network) mode for video streaming
- Ports: USB-C (power/firmware upload / serial), I²C / UART for external controllers or additional sensors/devices
- IO: Several general IO pins (depending on module revision) for expansion and custom control
- Serial port speed: Default: 115200bps
Power & Physical Parameters
- Power supply range: ~4.75 V – 5.25 V DC
- Module size: ~27 × 40.5 × 19 mm
- Operating temperature: −20 °C to +70 °C
- Typical Applications / Use Cases
- Real-time video streaming over WiFi (e.g. robot camera, remote monitoring, mobile camera for IoT)
- Embedded vision tasks: face detection/recognition, color detection, line-tracking, basic AI-driven vision processing (with appropriate firmware)
- DIY robotics projects integrating vision + microcontroller logic
- Smart home cameras, surveillance cameras, IoT devices with camera + wireless communication
- Rapid prototyping for AI vision applications where compact size + WiFi connectivity are required
NOTE About Camera GC2145 & OV2640
Upgraded Camera Sensor: GC2145 vs OV2640
This ESP32-S3 camera module integrates the latest GC2145 (GalaxyCore) 2-MP CMOS sensor, offering a significant upgrade over the legacy OV2640 used in earlier ESP32-CAM modules.
Both sensors provide 2-megapixel resolution, but GC2145 features a larger pixel size (1.75 µm) and a newer generation imaging architecture, resulting in improved low-light performance, reduced noise, and more accurate color reproduction. The sensor supports higher frame rates and smoother video capture, achieving up to 60 fps at optimized resolutions and significantly better motion performance compared to the OV2640 (typically up to 15 fps at full resolution).
Thanks to its advanced ISP (Image Signal Processing), GC2145 delivers more stable automatic exposure, white balance, noise reduction, and color correction, enabling clearer and more realistic images in a wide range of lighting conditions.
In terms of power efficiency and product lifecycle, GC2145 offers lower operating and standby power consumption, making it ideal for modern IoT, AI vision, and battery-powered devices. While OV2640 has been largely discontinued and is mainly used for maintaining legacy systems, GC2145 is the current mainstream 2-MP DVP sensor with stable mass production, better availability, and lower supply risk.
For new designs and future-proof applications, GC2145 is the recommended and technically superior choice.
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