Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3
Waveshare
Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 development board featuring an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, 4.3-inch 800×480 IPS RGB touchscreen, capacitive GT911 touch, 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM and interfaces for CAN, RS485, I2C, USB and TF card storage.
Specifications
| Processor | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, dual-core Xtensa LX7 up to 240 MHz |
|---|---|
| Flash | 16MB |
| PSRAM | 8MB |
| Display Size | 4.3 inches |
| Display Type | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 800 × 480 pixels |
| Display Interface | RGB |
| Display Colors | 65K colors |
| Viewing Angle | 160° |
| Brightness | 270 cd/m² |
| Touch Type | Capacitive |
| Touch | 5-point touch with interrupt support |
| Touch Interface | I2C |
| Touch Controller | GT911 |
| Wireless | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 5 LE |
| Communication Interfaces | CAN, RS485, I2C and USB |
| Storage | TF card slot |
| USB | USB Type-C |
| Power Supply | 5V via USB Type-C |
| Power Consumption | Approximately 5V / 450mA |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to 65°C |
| Dimensions | 106.1 × 67.8 mm (touch version) |
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Resources
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The Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 is an ESP32-S3 development board with an integrated 4.3-inch 800×480 IPS RGB touchscreen.
It combines a high-performance ESP32-S3 with 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM, capacitive 5-point touch, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, CAN, RS485, I2C, USB and TF card storage, making it suitable for graphical embedded interfaces and HMI applications.
The board is particularly interesting for projects using LVGL, dashboards, smart-home interfaces, control panels and other applications that need a larger touchscreen than a typical 2.4-inch or 2.8-inch SPI display.
Key Features
- 4.3-inch IPS LCD
- 800 × 480 pixel resolution
- RGB display interface
- Capacitive 5-point touchscreen
- GT911 touch controller
- I2C touch interface
- ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8
- Dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor up to 240 MHz
- 16MB Flash
- 8MB PSRAM
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5 LE
- CAN interface
- RS485 interface
- I2C interface
- USB Type-C
- TF card slot
- LVGL-compatible platform
Waveshare documents the board as a GUI/HMI platform for applications such as IoT, mobile devices and smart-home interfaces. citeturn0search0turn0search1
ESP32-S3 Controller
The board uses the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, combining the ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 processor with 16MB Flash and 8MB PSRAM.
The additional PSRAM is particularly useful for graphical applications. An 800 × 480 RGB565 framebuffer alone requires approximately 768KB of memory, and more memory may be required when using multiple draw buffers, images, fonts or complex GUI elements.
4.3-inch 800 × 480 Display
The integrated display uses an IPS panel with an 800 × 480 resolution, RGB interface, 65K colors, approximately 160° viewing angle and 270 cd/m² brightness.
This makes it considerably more capable for graphical interfaces than compact 240 × 320 SPI TFT modules.
Capacitive Touch
The touch version uses a capacitive touchscreen supporting up to 5-point touch.
The touch interface uses I2C, with interrupt support. The GT911 is the touch controller used by the board.
This provides a different user experience from the resistive XPT2046 touch commonly found on small ILI9341 modules.
LVGL and GUI Applications
The ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 is designed to run graphical interfaces such as LVGL.
Typical applications include:
- Touchscreen dashboards
- Smart-home control panels
- IoT interfaces
- Sensor dashboards
- Thermostats
- HMI panels
- Network monitoring displays
- Portable instruments
- Touch-based control systems
Waveshare provides Arduino and ESP-IDF examples and hardware resources for the board. citeturn0search0turn0search3
Interfaces
The board includes several interfaces that make it useful beyond the touchscreen itself:
| Interface | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | IoT and network connectivity |
| Bluetooth 5 LE | Wireless peripherals |
| CAN | Automotive and industrial communication |
| RS485 | Industrial and long-distance communication |
| I2C | Sensors and peripherals |
| USB | Programming and communication |
| TF card | Data and file storage |
ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 vs ILI9341 + XPT2046
The board occupies a different position from the smaller ILI9341 + XPT2046 2.8-inch Touchscreen.
| Feature | ILI9341 + XPT2046 | ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 2.8” | 4.3” |
| Resolution | 240 × 320 | 800 × 480 |
| Touch | Resistive | Capacitive |
| Touch points | Single-touch | Up to 5-point |
| Display interface | SPI | RGB |
| Touch interface | SPI | I2C |
| Controller | ESP32 / Arduino | ESP32-S3 |
| PSRAM | Not normally included | 8MB |
| Best suited for | Compact GUIs | Larger GUIs and HMI |
The ILI9341 + XPT2046 remains a good low-cost option for small projects. The Waveshare board is better suited when a larger display, capacitive touch and more graphical memory are important.
Power and Physical Size
Waveshare specifies a 5V Type-C power supply, approximately 5V / 450mA power consumption, and an operating temperature range of 0°C to 65°C.
The touch version measures approximately 106.1 × 67.8 mm. citeturn0search0
Development Resources
Waveshare provides:
- Board schematic and design files
- ESP32-S3 documentation
- ST7262 display documentation
- GT911 touch documentation
- Arduino examples
- ESP-IDF examples
- LVGL-related resources
The official resources page provides access to the schematic, component datasheets and example projects. citeturn0search3
Things to Consider
This board is more capable than a small SPI touchscreen, but that also comes with additional complexity.
- RGB displays require more resources than small SPI TFTs.
- GUI applications can use significant RAM.
- The 8MB PSRAM is valuable for larger graphical applications.
- Power consumption is higher than a small OLED.
- Hardware details can differ between Waveshare product variants, so check the exact model and revision before relying on revision-specific pin assignments.
Recommended For
The Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 is a strong choice for:
- ESP32 touchscreen projects
- LVGL projects
- Touchscreen dashboards
- HMI development
- Smart-home control panels
- IoT interfaces
- Sensor monitoring systems
- Larger embedded GUIs
It is especially attractive as a step up from a small ILI9341 + XPT2046 touchscreen when the project needs a larger, higher-resolution and capacitive display.
Related Embedded Nerd Products
This board fits naturally into the Embedded Nerd ESP32 display and touchscreen cluster.
The ILI9341 + XPT2046 2.8-inch Touchscreen is the compact, low-cost resistive-touch option, while the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 provides a larger capacitive touchscreen with an integrated ESP32-S3 and PSRAM.
Specifications are based on Waveshare’s documentation for the ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3, SKU 25948. Check the manufacturer’s documentation for the exact hardware revision before using revision-specific electrical details. citeturn0search0turn0search3
