Elecrow Pico W5: a Better Raspberry Pi Pico Alternative?

Hey everyone! Welcome back to the blog. Today, we’re taking a look at the Pico W5 microcontroller development board from Elecrow. They were kind enough to send over this board for review, and I’ve been quite eager to see how it compares to the popular Raspberry Pi Pico W and other similar boards.

The Pico W5 brings several impressive upgrades to the table, including dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB-C connectivity. The board is available in two versions: one with the well-known RP2040 chip, and the other featuring the newer RP2350.

The version I received comes with the RP2040, so let’s dive right into the unboxing and first impressions

Inside the package, you’ll find the Elecrow Pico W5 Development Board, which sticks closely to the Raspberry Pi Pico form factor. This is great news because it means the board is compatible with most Pico accessories and modules already out there.

1. Available in two variants: RP2040 and RP2350
2. Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
3. Bluetooth 5.0
4. Larger flash memory (almost double the Raspberry Pi Pico W)

8MB

1. USB Type-C port
2. 26 GPIO pins with support for SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, and PWM
3. Onboard LED and a convenient reset button
4. Supports C/C++, MicroPython
5. Open-source resources and tutorials available
6. 
   

Here are the key differences better connectivity dualband Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 window was only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi on the Pico W usb type-C instead of the micro USB more flash storage and added reset button same GPIO pin out so it works with most Pico modules overall it's a more powerful alternative if you need better connectivity and performance

To test the board, I used the Arduino IDE to blink the onboard LED. Here’s a brief rundown:

Connect the Pico W5 via USB-C to your computer.

Open the Arduino IDE.

Add the following board URL in Preferences:

Go to Boards Manager, search for Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040, and install it.

Select the Raspberry Pi Pico board.

Upload the standard Blink sketch.

On Linux, the board mounted as a device (e.g., RP2040) with config files visible.

It works smoothly with MicroPython as well, for those who prefer scripting!

The Elecrow Pico W5 basically checks off all the boxes that the Raspberry Pi Pico W misses:

1. Better connectivity
2. More flash memory
3. USB-C (finally!)
4. Reset button
5. Same affordable price – just $6.9

If you're a hobbyist, maker, or electronics enthusiast looking for an upgrade or an alternative to the Pico W, this board is a solid pick.

You can grab the Pico W5 directly from Elecrow’s website.👉Pico W5 Microcontroller Development Board RP2040 Microcontroller Board Support Wifi 2.4GHz/5GHz & Bluetooth5.0

That’s it for this review! If you found this blog helpful, consider following to me on social media for more hands-on tech, microcontroller reviews, and DIY electronics content.