Arduino MKR Boards Compared: WiFi 1010 vs Zero vs WAN 1310 vs NB 1500 vs Vidor 4000

The Arduino MKR family was designed around a compact 32-bit form factor with battery support and strong connectivity options.

Most of the core MKR boards share the same:

What changes is the specialist hardware added around the SAMD21.

The five most useful boards to compare are:

Quick MKR Board Comparison

Board	Main specialist feature	Wireless	Extra storage / hardware	Status
MKR WiFi 1010	General IoT	Wi-Fi + Bluetooth	NINA-W102 + ATECC508	Current
MKR Zero	Storage / audio	None	microSD + dedicated SPI1 + I2S	Current
MKR WAN 1310	Long-range LoRa	LoRa / LoRaWAN	2 MB SPI Flash + secure element	Current
MKR NB 1500	Cellular IoT	LTE-M / NB-IoT	SARA-R410M-02B + secure element	Current
MKR Vidor 4000	FPGA / video	Wi-Fi + Bluetooth	Cyclone 10 FPGA + 8 MB SDRAM	End of Life

Shared MKR Architecture

The conventional MKR boards are built around the:

with:

This means most MKR sketches share a very similar:

• GPIO model;
• ADC behaviour;
• DAC support;
• PWM system;
• native USB stack;
• UART/I2C/SPI layout.

Shared Logic Voltage

The entire family should be treated as:

This is one of the biggest differences from classic:

• UNO R3;
• Mega 2560;
• Leonardo;
• Micro;
• UNO R4.

Do not apply 5 V directly to MKR GPIO unless the exact board documentation explicitly permits it.

Shared Main Pin Layout

The conventional MKR boards use the same basic user-facing communications layout:

This means moving a simple sensor project between MKR models is often easier than moving between unrelated Arduino families.

Shared Analogue Layout

Most of the SAMD21 MKR boards expose:

as seven analogue inputs.

The digital aliases are:

A0 Is Usually a True DAC

A0 is connected to the SAMD21:

and can provide a genuine:

rather than PWM.

This is useful for:

• control voltages;
• waveform generation;
• audio experiments;
• analogue references.

MKR WiFi 1010

The MKR WiFi 1010 is the general-purpose connected board in the family.

It combines:

with:

When MKR WiFi 1010 Makes Sense

Use it for:

• home and office IoT;
• sensor gateways;
• Arduino Cloud projects;
• BLE sensors;
• portable Wi-Fi devices;
• secure connected nodes.

It is the most straightforward MKR choice when conventional IP networking is the priority.

MKR WiFi 1010 Radio Architecture

The main application still runs on:

while the:

acts as the wireless co-processor.

This differs from an ESP32 development board where the ESP32 itself usually runs the application.

MKR Zero

The MKR Zero has no wireless radio.

Instead it focuses on:

and is particularly well suited to:

• audio projects;
• data logging;
• offline sensors;
• portable instruments;
• file-based applications.

MKR Zero Has a Dedicated SD SPI Bus

The onboard microSD slot uses:

on internal SAMD21 pins.

This leaves the normal external:

SPI bus free for another peripheral.

Why That Matters

A project can use:

without forcing all devices onto the same SPI bus.

MKR Zero and Audio

MKR Zero also exposes:

signals for digital audio.

This makes it a natural fit for:

MKR WAN 1310

The MKR WAN 1310 adds long-range, low-data-rate radio through the:

module containing:

for:

LoRa Frequency Plans

The board can be configured around regional bands such as:

depending on regulatory region and network configuration.

The exact LoRaWAN frequency plan must match the country and network.

MKR WAN 1310 Is for Small, Infrequent Messages

It is best suited to applications such as:

• agricultural sensors;
• environmental monitoring;
• water meters;
• remote alarms;
• asset status;
• low-rate telemetry.

It is not a replacement for Wi-Fi when the project needs:

• large data transfers;
• video;
• continuous high-rate telemetry.

MKR WAN 1310 Includes 2 MB Extra Flash

The board adds a:

which is useful for:

• offline logging;
• message queues;
• configuration;
• storing data while the gateway is unavailable.

This is data storage, not additional SAMD21 program Flash or SRAM.

MKR WAN 1310 Is the Low-Power Specialist

Arduino redesigned the WAN 1310 power architecture compared with the older WAN 1300.

In a carefully configured low-power design, Arduino quotes standby consumption around:

under suitable conditions.

MKR NB 1500

The MKR NB 1500 replaces unlicensed long-range radio with cellular connectivity.

It uses:

for:

When MKR NB 1500 Makes Sense

Use it when:

• Wi-Fi is unavailable;
• a LoRa gateway is unavailable;
• the cellular operator provides LTE-M or NB-IoT coverage;
• the project needs direct wide-area Internet connectivity.

Cellular Has a Different Cost Model

Unlike LoRa point-to-point or local Wi-Fi, cellular normally requires:

This adds operating cost but removes the need to install your own gateway.

LTE-M vs NB-IoT

LTE-M is generally better when the project needs:

• higher data rate;
• lower latency;
• mobility;
• more conventional IP communication.

NB-IoT is often better for:

• stationary sensors;
• very small messages;
• deep indoor coverage;
• low-rate telemetry.

Important MKR NB 1500 Modem Detail

The fitted:

is an:

modem.

Do not design around 2G fallback simply because older Arduino material sometimes mentions EGPRS around the MKR NB family.

Cellular Power Peaks Are Much Higher

Cellular transmission can require brief current peaks around:

and u-blox documents approximately:

under demanding transmit conditions for the R410M family.

The power supply and battery therefore matter much more than for a simple SAMD21 sensor node.

MKR Vidor 4000

The Vidor is the most unusual MKR board.

It combines:

Vidor FPGA Resources

The FPGA subsystem provides approximately:

plus programmable I/O on:

What the FPGA Changes

Unlike the other MKR boards, Vidor can implement custom hardware logic such as:

• multiple UARTs;
• multiple SPI controllers;
• custom I2C peripherals;
• parallel capture engines;
• PWM banks;
• quadrature decoders;
• video pipelines;
• DSP blocks;
• camera interfaces.

Vidor Is Not Just a Faster SAMD21

The SAMD21 still runs at:

with:

The FPGA is a separate programmable-logic subsystem.

The:

belongs to the FPGA side and is not normal SAMD21 RAM.

Vidor Is Now End of Life

Arduino currently marks:

so it remains useful for:

• existing projects;
• learning FPGA concepts;
• maintaining deployed hardware;

but availability should be considered before using it in a new production design.

Connectivity Comparison

Board	Wi-Fi	Bluetooth	LoRa	LTE-M / NB-IoT
MKR WiFi 1010	Yes	Yes	No	No
MKR Zero	No	No	No	No
MKR WAN 1310	No	No	Yes	No
MKR NB 1500	No	No	No	Yes
MKR Vidor 4000	Yes	Yes	No	No

Storage Comparison

Board	Special storage	Best use
MKR WiFi 1010	No large onboard user storage	Connected IoT
MKR Zero	microSD socket	Files / audio / logging
MKR WAN 1310	2 MB SPI Flash	Offline telemetry queue
MKR NB 1500	No large onboard user storage	Cellular telemetry
MKR Vidor 4000	FPGA SDRAM + QSPI	FPGA/video workloads

Shared 3.3 V Electrical Limits

The conventional SAMD21 MKR pinouts generally use a board-level maximum around:

which is far lower than users may remember from classic AVR boards.

Always use external drivers for power loads.

Native USB

All five boards use the SAMD21 native USB capability for:

• programming;
• USB CDC serial;
• compatible HID functions;
• other supported USB device classes.

Most of these boards use:

rather than the USB-C connectors found on newer Arduino families.

Li-Po Battery Support

Battery operation is a major MKR design feature.

The family includes support for a:

with onboard charging on the applicable boards.

This makes MKR boards suitable for:

• portable sensors;
• remote telemetry;
• battery-backed gateways;
• field instrumentation.

MKR VIN Is Not UNO VIN

A common migration error is treating the MKR:

like a classic UNO/Mega wide-range input.

MKR boards generally expect a much narrower regulated input around the 5 V domain.

Do not assume a:

supply is safe without checking the exact board datasheet.

Security Hardware

Several connected MKR boards include an:

secure element for:

• device identity;
• certificate storage;
• cryptographic keys;
• secure cloud authentication.

Which MKR Board for Wi-Fi?

MKR WiFi 1010 is the straightforward answer.

It provides:

without the complexity or EOL status of Vidor.

Which MKR Board for Data Logging?

MKR Zero.

The onboard:

makes it the cleanest storage-oriented board.

Which MKR Board for LoRaWAN?

MKR WAN 1310.

It is specifically designed around:

Which MKR Board for Cellular?

MKR NB 1500.

Choose it when your operator supports:

and direct cellular coverage is preferable to running a LoRa gateway.

Which MKR Board for FPGA or Video?

MKR Vidor 4000 is the only MKR board in this comparison with:

but it is now EOL.

Which Board Is Best for Battery Life?

The answer depends heavily on:

• radio duty cycle;
• sleep strategy;
• sensor load;
• network coverage;
• transmit power;
• battery chemistry.

For very small, infrequent messages over long range, the:

is particularly well suited.

Cellular can also be efficient with proper sleep modes, but modem registration and transmission peaks complicate the power design.

Which Board Is Easiest to Deploy?

That depends on existing infrastructure:

Older MKR Boards

The MKR family also included older specialist boards such as:

• MKR 1000 WiFi;
• MKR GSM 1400;
• MKR FOX 1200;
• MKR WAN 1300.

Several of these are now legacy or End of Life.

Arduino currently explicitly marks:

as End of Life in its hardware documentation.

MKR Shields Still Matter

The family also supports MKR-format shields such as:

• MKR CAN Shield;
• MKR ETH Shield;
• MKR Relay Proto Shield;
• MKR Motor Carrier;
• MKR IoT Carrier.

This can extend a simple MKR base board with:

• CAN;
• Ethernet;
• relays;
• motors;
• displays;
• sensors.

Decision Table

Requirement	Best fit
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth IoT	MKR WiFi 1010
Data logging / microSD	MKR Zero
Audio / I2S	MKR Zero
LoRa point-to-point	MKR WAN 1310
LoRaWAN telemetry	MKR WAN 1310
LTE-M	MKR NB 1500
NB-IoT	MKR NB 1500
FPGA	MKR Vidor 4000
Camera + HDMI	MKR Vidor 4000
New production design using currently supported specialist MKR hardware	WiFi 1010 / Zero / WAN 1310 / NB 1500 depending connectivity

Quick Reference

Final Thoughts

The MKR family is less about choosing a different processor and more about choosing a different connectivity or specialist subsystem.

The core SAMD21 experience remains very similar across the family.

For conventional connected IoT:

is the general-purpose option.

For local storage and audio:

is the cleanest choice.

For long-range low-data-rate telemetry:

is the LoRa specialist.

For direct wide-area cellular connectivity:

provides LTE-M and NB-IoT.

For FPGA experimentation, camera and HDMI:

is unique, but its EOL status now matters for new designs.

For detailed pin mappings, see our MKR WiFi 1010 pinout, MKR Zero pinout, MKR WAN 1310 pinout, MKR NB 1500 pinout and MKR Vidor 4000 pinout.