Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W
The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W upgrades to the RP2350 with switchable dual ARM Cortex-M33 or dual RISC-V Hazard3 cores at 150MHz, 4MB flash, 520KB SRAM, 12 PIO state machines, and ARM TrustZone security. It addresses every weakness of the original Pico W — more memory, better deep sleep, and hardware security — while maintaining the same $7 price point and form factor.
Best budget microcontroller overall, replacing both the Pico W and rivaling the ESP32-C3 on most metrics.
Where to Buy
Pros
- Switchable dual-architecture: ARM Cortex-M33 or RISC-V Hazard3 (selectable at boot)
- 520KB SRAM (2x the Pico W) and 4MB flash (2x the Pico W)
- ~25uA deep sleep — massive improvement from the Pico W's 1.3mA
- 12 PIO state machines (up from 8) for more simultaneous custom protocols
- ARM TrustZone, secure boot, and OTP fuses for production security
Cons
- Still Micro-USB instead of USB-C
- 25uA deep sleep is still 5x higher than the ESP32-C3's 5uA
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz only) — no WiFi 5/6
- New chip means some Pico W libraries may need updates
Dual Architecture: ARM or RISC-V, Your Choice
The RP2350 contains both ARM Cortex-M33 and RISC-V Hazard3 core implementations. At boot, you choose which architecture runs your firmware. This is not emulation — both are physical silicon on the same die. ARM Cortex-M33 offers the mature ARM ecosystem (CMSIS, Mbed, FreeRTOS ARM ports). RISC-V Hazard3 offers the open ISA with growing Rust and GCC toolchain support.
For most users, ARM is the practical choice today due to broader library support. For researchers and developers investing in the RISC-V ecosystem, the Pico 2 W is the cheapest dual-core RISC-V board with WiFi available — and you can always switch back to ARM if a library doesn't support RISC-V yet.
Pico 2 W vs ESP32-C3: The New Rivalry
The Pico 2 W closes most gaps with the ESP32-C3. SRAM is now 520KB vs 400KB (Pico wins). Flash is 4MB vs 4MB (tie). Deep sleep is 25uA vs 5uA (ESP32-C3 still wins by 5x). Both have WiFi and BLE. The Pico 2 W adds 12 PIO state machines and TrustZone security that the ESP32-C3 lacks.
The ESP32-C3 remains the better choice for battery-powered sensors where every microamp matters. The Pico 2 W is the better choice for projects needing PIO custom protocols, hardware security, or the option to run RISC-V. At similar prices, both are excellent — the ecosystem preference (Raspberry Pi vs Espressif) may be the deciding factor.
Full Specifications
Processor
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Architecture | ARM Cortex-M33 / RISC-V Hazard3 |
| CPU Cores | 2 |
| Clock Speed | 150 MHz |
| cpu_switchable | Dual ARM Cortex-M33 or dual RISC-V Hazard3 (selectable) |
Memory
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Flash | 4 MB |
| SRAM | 520 KB |
Connectivity
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 |
I/O & Interfaces
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| GPIO Pins | 26 |
| ADC Channels | 4 |
| SPI | 2 |
| I2C | 2 |
| UART | 2 |
| USB | Micro-USB (native USB 1.1) |
| pio | 12 PIO state machines |
| security | ARM TrustZone + OTP + secure boot |
Power
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Input Voltage | 1.8-5.5 V |
| Deep Sleep Current | ~25 uA |
Physical
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 51 x 21 mm |
| Form Factor | Pico (breadboard-friendly) |
Who Should Buy This
ARM TrustZone + secure boot + OTP fuses at $7. No ESP32 board offers hardware-backed secure boot at this price point. 520KB SRAM and 4MB flash match the ESP32-C3's specs.
Switch to Hazard3 RISC-V cores at boot. Cheapest way to develop on RISC-V with WiFi. Same board runs ARM or RISC-V — compare architectures on identical hardware.
25uA deep sleep is 52x better than the Pico W's 1.3mA but still 5x worse than the ESP32-C3's 5uA. For maximum battery life measured in years, the ESP32-C3 remains the leader.
Better alternative: ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1
Same form factor, same price, same pinout, 2x memory, 1.5x PIO, 50x better deep sleep, and TrustZone security. There is no reason to buy the original Pico W over the Pico 2 W.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pico 2 W vs Pico W: should I upgrade?
Yes. Same price, same form factor, 2x RAM (520KB vs 264KB), 2x flash (4MB vs 2MB), 50x better deep sleep (25uA vs 1.3mA), 50% more PIO, and TrustZone security. There is no reason to buy the original Pico W.
Can I switch between ARM and RISC-V without re-soldering?
Yes. The architecture is selected at boot time via a configuration in the firmware image. You flash ARM firmware for ARM mode, RISC-V firmware for RISC-V mode. No hardware changes needed.
Pico 2 W vs ESP32-C3: which is better?
ESP32-C3 for battery life (5uA vs 25uA deep sleep). Pico 2 W for PIO state machines, TrustZone security, more SRAM (520KB vs 400KB), and dual-architecture flexibility. Both are excellent at the $6-7 price point.
Does MicroPython work on the Pico 2 W?
Yes. MicroPython supports the RP2350 on both ARM and RISC-V cores. The official Raspberry Pi MicroPython documentation covers the Pico 2 W specifically.
What is TrustZone and why does it matter?
ARM TrustZone creates a hardware-isolated secure execution environment on the chip. Secure boot ensures only authorized firmware runs. OTP fuses store encryption keys permanently. This matters for production IoT devices that need to resist firmware tampering and key extraction.