The Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) brings upgraded wireless capabilities to off-grid communication with its ESP32-S3 processor and Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver. The board delivers up to 28 dBm transmit power in its high-power variant, enabling longer range than previous LoRa development boards. Built-in solar charging through a dedicated 2-pin connector (4.7-6V input) pairs with an upgraded power management IC to support extended field deployment.
The device features a dual-core ESP32-S3 running at 240 MHz with 512 KB SRAM, 2 MB PSRAM, and 16 MB flash storage. Wireless connectivity includes WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and LoRa on 433 MHz or 470-510 MHz or 863-928 MHz bands depending on the version selected. A 0.96-inch OLED display with 128x64 resolution sits behind a protective plastic bracket, while dual IPEX connectors support both LoRa and 2.4 GHz antennas. The board includes an 8-pin connector for optional GNSS modules and draws less than 20 microamps in deep sleep mode.
Developers can program the board using Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, or PlatformIO with libraries available on Heltec's GitHub. The V4 maintains compatibility with V3 projects through similar pinout and the same ESP32-S3 family, though the higher transmit power may require minor firmware adjustments. Meshtastic support is available in beta through the official flasher tool, enabling encrypted mesh networking for off-grid communication.
The board measures 51.7 x 25.4 x 10.7 mm (2.0 x 1.0 x 0.4 inches) without antenna and ships with 40-pin gold-plated headers exposing 28 GPIO pins, multiple ADC channels, and standard interfaces including UART, I2C, SPI, and PWM. USB-C connectivity includes ESD and short-circuit protection, eliminating the CP2102 bridge used in previous versions for simpler flashing and debugging. The removable battery connects via a 2-pin 1.25 mm pitch connector supporting 3.3-4.4V lithium cells.
The WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) Shell Set is available for $46-50 (€42-46). Heltec also sells an alternative expansion housing version for $50-59 (€46-54).
