diff --git a/cpu/esp32/Makefile.include b/cpu/esp32/Makefile.include
index 87bb89ff16..fdf445a7c0 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/esp32/Makefile.include
@@ -142,11 +142,6 @@ LINKFLAGS += -T$(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/ld/esp32.rom.ld
 LINKFLAGS += -T$(RIOTCPU)/$(CPU)/ld/esp32.rom.nanofmt.ld
 LINKFLAGS += -nostdlib -lgcc -Wl,-gc-sections
 
-ifneq (,$(filter stdio_uart,$(USEMODULE)))
-    LINKFLAGS += -Wl,-wrap,putchar
-    LINKFLAGS += -Wl,-wrap,getchar
-endif
-
 # The ELFFILE is the base one used for flashing
 FLASHFILE ?= $(ELFFILE)
 
diff --git a/cpu/esp32/include/syscalls.h b/cpu/esp32/include/syscalls.h
index 0151453b70..038492d2cb 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/include/syscalls.h
+++ b/cpu/esp32/include/syscalls.h
@@ -35,9 +35,6 @@ extern "C" {
 /** Necessary initializations of system call functions */
 void syscalls_init (void);
 
-/** System standard printf function */
-int printf(const char* format, ...);
-
 /** Determine free heap size */
 unsigned int get_free_heap_size (void);
 
diff --git a/cpu/esp32/log_module.c b/cpu/esp32/log_module.c
index 9d1659e273..b90b26850f 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/log_module.c
+++ b/cpu/esp32/log_module.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "syscalls.h"
 
-extern char _printf_buf[PRINTF_BUFSIZ];
+char _printf_buf[PRINTF_BUFSIZ];
 bool _new_line = true;
 
 void log_write(unsigned level, const char *format, ...)
diff --git a/cpu/esp32/startup.c b/cpu/esp32/startup.c
index 747fdc5e46..1b85a1e041 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/startup.c
+++ b/cpu/esp32/startup.c
@@ -279,12 +279,6 @@ static NORETURN void IRAM system_init (void)
     /* Disable the hold flag of all RTC GPIO pins */
     RTCCNTL.hold_force.val = 0;
 
-    /* initialize newlib data structure */
-    esp_reent_init(_GLOBAL_REENT);
-    _GLOBAL_REENT->_stdin  = (FILE*) &__sf_fake_stdin;
-    _GLOBAL_REENT->_stdout = (FILE*) &__sf_fake_stdout;
-    _GLOBAL_REENT->_stderr = (FILE*) &__sf_fake_stderr;
-
     /* execute constructors */
     do_global_ctors();
 
diff --git a/cpu/esp32/syscalls.c b/cpu/esp32/syscalls.c
index cd484aed97..4691564b83 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/syscalls.c
+++ b/cpu/esp32/syscalls.c
@@ -64,61 +64,6 @@
 
 #define MHZ 1000000UL
 
-#ifdef MODULE_STDIO_UART
-#include "stdio_uart.h"
-
-int IRAM __wrap_putchar(int c)
-{
-    char tmp = c;
-    if (stdio_write(&tmp, 1) > 0) {
-        return c;
-    }
-    return -EOF;
-}
-
-int IRAM __wrap_getchar(void)
-{
-    char tmp;
-    if (stdio_read(&tmp, 1) > 0) {
-        return tmp;
-    }
-    return -EOF;
-}
-#endif /* MODULE_STDIO_UART */
-
-int IRAM puts(const char *s)
-{
-    if (!s) {
-        return EOF;
-    }
-    int len = strlen(s);
-    for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
-        __wrap_putchar(s[i]);
-    }
-    __wrap_putchar('\n');
-    return len;
-}
-
-char _printf_buf[PRINTF_BUFSIZ];
-
-int IRAM printf(const char* format, ...)
-{
-    va_list arglist;
-    va_start(arglist, format);
-
-    int ret = vsnprintf(_printf_buf, PRINTF_BUFSIZ, format, arglist);
-
-    if (ret > 0) {
-        for (int i = 0; i < ret; i++) {
-            __wrap_putchar(_printf_buf[i]);
-        }
-    }
-
-    va_end(arglist);
-
-    return ret;
-}
-
 #ifndef MODULE_PTHREAD
 
 #define PTHREAD_CANCEL_DISABLE 1
diff --git a/cpu/esp32/vendor/esp-idf/esp_funcs.c b/cpu/esp32/vendor/esp-idf/esp_funcs.c
index 9f929d0756..204eaea107 100644
--- a/cpu/esp32/vendor/esp-idf/esp_funcs.c
+++ b/cpu/esp32/vendor/esp-idf/esp_funcs.c
@@ -50,34 +50,6 @@
 
 #include "syscalls.h"
 
-/* This function is not part on newlib API, it is defined in libc/stdio/local.h
- * There is no nice way to get __cleanup member populated while avoiding __sinit,
- * so extern declaration is used here.
- */
-extern void _cleanup_r(struct _reent* r);
-
-/**
- * This is the replacement for newlib's _REENT_INIT_PTR and __sinit.
- * The problem with __sinit is that it allocates three FILE structures
- * (stdin, stdout, stderr). Having individual standard streams for each task
- * is a bit too much on a small embedded system. So we point streams
- * to the streams of the global struct _reent, which are initialized in
- * startup code.
- */
-void IRAM_ATTR esp_reent_init(struct _reent* r)
-{
-    memset(r, 0, sizeof(*r));
-    r->_stdout = _GLOBAL_REENT->_stdout;
-    r->_stderr = _GLOBAL_REENT->_stderr;
-    r->_stdin  = _GLOBAL_REENT->_stdin;
-    r->__cleanup = &_cleanup_r;
-    r->__sdidinit = 1;
-    r->__sglue._next = NULL;
-    r->__sglue._niobs = 0;
-    r->__sglue._iobs = NULL;
-    r->_current_locale = "C";
-}
-
 /* source: /path/to/esp-idf/components/esp32/panic.c */
 void IRAM_ATTR esp_panic_wdt_stop (void)
 {