ESP32-C6-DevKitM-1 vs ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 — MIni module or WROOM, 30 or 32 pins
Same chip, same two-Type-C USB story, different module: the DevKitM-1 carries the ESP32-C6-MINI-1 (4 MB flash in the chip package) on 30 contacts; the DevKitC-1 carries the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 (8 MB module flash) on 32 contacts. Verified against both pinned user guides.
Question this page answers: "Both are official ESP32-C6 boards — which one should land on my desk?"
The comparison
| ESP32-C6-DevKitM-1 | ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-board module | ESP32-C6-MINI-1 (PCB antenna) or -1U (external antenna connector), built around the ESP32-C6FH4 chip — 4 MB flash inside the chip package | ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 or -1U (external-antenna option), 8 MB module SPI flash (ordering variant -N8) | M-1 guide component table; C-1 guide + variant table |
| Board size / headers | smaller board, dual 1x15 headers (J1/J3, 30 contacts, several power/ground) | full-size dev board, dual 1x16 headers (J1/J3, 32 contacts) | both guides, header block |
| USB ports | two USB Type-C ports: the ESP32-C6 USB Type-C port — the chip's native USB Serial/JTAG controller, USB 2.0 full speed up to 12 Mbps (power, flashing, USB communication, JTAG) — plus a USB Type-C to UART port through the on-board bridge (up to 3 Mbps) | two USB Type-C ports with the same two roles: the native ESP32-C6 USB port (power, flashing, CDC-ACM serial, JTAG) and a USB-to-UART bridge port (up to 3 Mbps) | both guides, component tables |
| Native USB role | fixed-function USB Serial/JTAG | same, and explicitly not reconfigurable to generic USB/OTG (guide wording) | both guides |
| Radio | Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz) + Bluetooth 5 + IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3) — on the module | identical radio set on the WROOM module | both guides |
| Same extras | addressable RGB LED on GPIO8, J5 current-measurement header, strapping pins GPIO4 (MTMS) / GPIO5 (MTDI) / GPIO8 / GPIO9 / GPIO15 | same on all counts | both guides |
Note what is not a difference: both boards bring two Type-C connectors with the same role split, and both drive their RGB LED from GPIO8. The choice is module (and with it flash), contact count, and physical size — not the USB story.
How to decide
- Compact builds, castellated mounting, 4 MB is enough → DevKitM-1. The MIni module keeps the board small; 4 MB in-package flash covers typical Wi-Fi/BLE/Thread firmware.
- More flash and the WROOM ecosystem → DevKitC-1. 8 MB module flash (the -N8 ordering variant) and the full-size 32-contact layout suit heavier firmware and reuse of WROOM-era wiring.
- External antenna builds: both have a -1U ordering option with an external antenna connector — pick the module variant, not the board, for that need.
- Either way, respect the strapping pins (GPIO4/5/8/9/15 on both boards) and remember GPIO8 is shared with the on-board RGB LED.
What this page cannot tell you
- RF performance or antenna gain differences between the PCB antennas — datasheet territory.
- Which revision you hold: both boards track production changes by PW batch numbers (printed on packaging labels) rather than by a user-visible revision silkscreen; see the two board pages for the change boundaries.
Boards
- ESP32-C6-DevKitM-1 — 30 contacts, both USB ports, ordering code.
- ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 — 32 contacts, v1.1/v1.2 revisions and PW batch boundaries.
Next: ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1 or ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 — which one? for the cross-generation comparison.
Sources
- ESP32-C6-DevKitM-1 User Guide (esp-dev-kits commit
5f14b8dc) — module (ESP32-C6-MINI-1/-1U on ESP32-C6FH4, 4 MB in-package flash), both USB Type-C ports and their roles, J1/J3 header block, RGB on GPIO8. - ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 v1.2 User Guide (esp-dev-kits commit
1b4c83bc) — WROOM-1 module and -N8 variant, both USB ports, fixed-function native USB note, strapping footnotes.