Chip vs Chip

nRF5340 vs STM32WB55

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Side-by-side comparison of nRF5340 and STM32WB55 BLE SoCs.

    
    

      
    

  


  
  
  

    
      

        A
        
nRF5340

      

      

    
    
      

        B
        
STM32WB55

      

      

    
  

  

  
  

  






  
  

    
nRF5340 vs STM32WB55


The Nordic nRF5340 and STMicroelectronics STM32WB55 are both dual-core BLE SoCs targeting connected devices that require hardware isolation between the wireless stack and user application. Despite sharing this architectural philosophy, they diverge significantly in ecosystem integration, peripheral depth, and multi-protocol capabilities.




Overview


Nordic nRF5340 features an Arm Cortex-M33 application core (128 MHz) and a separate Cortex-M33 network core (64 MHz). The network core runs Nordic's pre-certified SoftDevice or open-source Bluetooth controller, while the application core is entirely free for user code. It supports BLE 5.3, Thread, Zigbee, and Bluetooth Mesh simultaneously via a hardware-arbitrated radio. Security is provided by TrustZone and ARM CryptoCell-312. The nRF5340 is accompanied by the nRF Connect SDK (Zephyr RTOS-based) with extensive BLE sample applications.


STMicroelectronics STM32WB55 is ST's dual-core wireless SoC combining an Arm Cortex-M4 (64 MHz, application) with a Cortex-M0+ (32 MHz, network/RF). The M0+ core runs ST's proprietary wireless stack in firmware binaries. It supports BLE 5.0 (later updated to 5.4 via firmware), Zigbee 3.0, Thread, and OpenThread. The STM32WB55 sits within the vast STM32 ecosystem, enabling engineers already familiar with STM32 microcontrollers to add wireless capabilities with minimal relearning.




Key Differences


    

  • Application core performance: nRF5340 application core (Cortex-M33, 128 MHz) is substantially faster than STM32WB55's Cortex-M4 (64 MHz). For compute-intensive application tasks, nRF5340 has a clear edge.
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  • Network core: nRF5340 uses two identical M33 cores; STM32WB55 uses M4 + M0+ — the M0+ has less compute headroom for custom RF task customization.
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  • BLE version: nRF5340 natively supports BLE 5.3 with LC3 codec and Auracast." data-category="LE Audio">LE Audio; STM32WB55's BLE 5.x support is delivered via firmware binary updates that depend on ST's release cadence.
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  • Multi-protocol concurrency: nRF5340 handles BLE + Thread + Zigbee simultaneously with hardware time-sharing. STM32WB55 supports concurrent BLE + Zigbee or BLE + Thread but with limitations in simultaneous operation.
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  • Peripheral richness: STM32WB55 benefits from the entire STM32 peripheral library (USB FS, SAI audio, ADC, timers, SPI, I2C). nRF5340 has strong peripherals but the STM32 ecosystem is unmatched in peripheral variety.
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  • Flash/RAM: nRF5340 provides 1 MB + 512 KB (app core), 256 KB + 64 KB (net core). STM32WB55 offers 1 MB Flash + 256 KB SRAM shared between cores.
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  • Power consumption: Both achieve similar deep sleep currents (~1–2 µA). nRF5340 separates core power domains more cleanly, allowing finer-grained power gating.
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  • Certification path: nRF5340 uses Nordic's pre-certified SoftDevice; STM32WB55 uses ST's certified wireless firmware stacks.
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Use Cases


nRF5340 Strengths


    

  • High-performance BLE applications: Devices requiring fast application processing alongside wireless communication (HMI + BLE, audio + BLE) benefit from nRF5340's faster M33 application core.
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  • LE Audio: Nordic leads in LE Audio ecosystem maturity, making nRF5340 the first choice for BLE LC3 codec implementations.
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  • Complex multi-protocol products: Simultaneous BLE + Thread + Zigbee on a single chip is more deterministic on nRF5340.
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  • Security-first medical and industrial: CryptoCell-312 and TrustZone provide hardware-grade security.
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STM32WB55 Strengths


    

  • STM32 ecosystem integration: Teams with STM32 experience can leverage the same HAL libraries, STM32CubeIDE, STM32CubeMX tools, and peripheral drivers.
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  • Rich peripheral set: USB Full Speed, SAI, advanced timers, and full STM32 peripheral depth make STM32WB55 suitable for complex embedded systems with many interfaces.
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  • Existing STM32 product migration: Adding BLE to an existing STM32-based design is straightforward with STM32WB55.
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  • Cost: STM32WB55 is competitively priced for mid-range BLE applications, particularly in high-volume smart home and industrial IoT.
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Verdict


The nRF5340 outperforms the STM32WB55 in application core speed, BLE version support, LE Audio maturity, and multi-protocol determinism. It is the better choice for performance-demanding wireless applications and LE Audio. The STM32WB55 wins for teams deeply embedded in the STM32 ecosystem, applications requiring rich peripheral integration, or products where leveraging existing STM32 tooling significantly reduces development time. If you are starting a new project without STM32 heritage, nRF5340 is the stronger technical choice.

  

  

  
  

  
  

    




  
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Our comparisons use verified datasheet specifications to create side-by-side tables. Each comparison includes a verdict explaining when to choose each option based on your project requirements.