Last week, I wrote about the ESP32-C5-LCD-1.47 as one of the first ESP32-C5 devkits with a built-in display enabling dual-band WiFi 6 connectivity for IoT and HMI projects. However, one reader lamented the lack of touch-capable screens, at which point kwchow pointed to the ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 model offering just that by pairing an ESP32-C5 with a 2.8-inch IPS  display with capacitive touch and 320×480 resolution.

The new board also features a microSD card slot, a USB-C port for power and programming, a built-in microphone and a speaker connector, a few sensors, and various I/Os connectors for expansion. Let’s have a closer look.

ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 specifications:

• Wireless module – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5-WROOM-1-N32R8
  • SoC – ESP32-C5HR8
    • CPU
      • Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz
      • Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications
    • Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, 8MB PSRAM
    • Storage – 320 KB ROM
    • Wireless Connectivity
      • Dual-band (2.4GHz/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi 6, with 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 standard fallback
      • Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE)
      • 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3
  • Storage – 32MB flash
  • Antenna – PCB antenna
• Storage – MicroSD card slot
• Display
  • 2.8-inch 262K color IPS display with 320×240 resolution, capactivity touchscreen function
  • ST7789 4-wire SPI display controller
  • CST3530 capacitive touch controller
• Audio
  • Onboard microphone
  • 2-pin speaker connector
  • ES8311 low-power audio codec
  • NS4150B audio power amplifier 
• USB – USB Type-C port for power, programming, and data
• Sensors
  • SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor
  • QMI8658 6-axis IMU (3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer)
• Expansion
  • 4-pin UART connector (3.3V)
  • 4-pin I2C connector (3.3V)
  • 12-pin connector with up to 7x GPIO, USB, Reset, Boot, 5V (VBUS), 3.3V, and GND;  note: 2x GPIOs (EXIO) through CH32V003 RISC-V MCU
• Misc
  • Power on/off
  • Battery power button
  • Reset and Boot buttons
  • Charging LED
  • PCF85063 RTC chip
  • 2-pin RTC battery connector
• Power Supply
  • 5V via USB Type-C port
  • 2-pin header for 3.7V Lithium battery; supports charging and discharging via ETA6098 power management chip
• Dimensions  – PCB: 69 x 49.9 mm; display: 73.06 x 50.54mm

Besides touchscreen support, the ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 also features a higher capacity flash (32MB vs 4MB), 8MB PSRAM, a speaker interface and a built-in microphone for media playback and voice interaction, a few sensors (6-axis IMU and T&H sensor), and battery support.

The company mentions support for the ESP-IDF framework and the Arduino IDE, and lists applications such as AI chat, a music player, two games (gravity ball and 2048), a photo album, and a weather app.  However, we don’t have the code for it since the documentation website currently lacks the new devkit. I suspect this is just based on ESPBrookesia firmware from the ESP-IDF framework.

Waveshare sells the ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8-EN (without battery) and ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 (with battery) for $30.99 – $32.99 on AliExpress, $35.99 – $37.99 on Amazon, and $25.99 – $26.99 on its own online store. While browsing AliExpress, I also noticed a cheaper board named the NM-CYD-C5 with the same ESP32-C5 + 2.8-inch touch display features, going for $21.53, but the catch is that it offers resistive touch instead of capacitive touch. It also lacks sensor and audio support, and comes with 16MB of flash (and 8MB PSRAM).

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.