Waveshare has listed the ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5, a display development board built on Espressif's dual-band ESP32-C5. It combines a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, motion and environmental sensors, a real-time clock, an audio path and power management on one board, and it comes in four variants with or without a battery and a camera. CNX Software covered the board on September 30, 2026.
The module and radios
According to Waveshare's product page, the main module is the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U, with a RISC-V 32-bit CPU at up to 240 MHz, 384 KB SRAM, 320 KB ROM, 8 MB PSRAM and 32 MB flash. Wireless support covers 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 (LE) and IEEE 802.15.4 for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread. The SoC is listed as the ESP32-C5HR8, and the module connects to an included FPC dual-band Wi-Fi antenna through an IPEX Gen 1 connector. CNX gives the full module part number as ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U-N32R8 and adds that the chip has a 40 MHz low-power RISC-V core and supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with Wi-Fi 4 fallback.
CNX calls this the largest display it has seen on an ESP32-C5 devkit so far, ahead of boards such as the LILYGO T-DONGLE-C5 with a 0.96-inch OLED, Waveshare's ESP32-C5-LCD-1.47 and the LILYGO T-Display C5 with a 1.9-inch LCD. It describes the board as similar to Waveshare's ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8, but with a larger, higher-resolution display, an IPEX antenna, an optional camera, a 32-pin header and a more advanced PMU.
Display, sensors and audio
Waveshare lists these onboard components:
- Display: 3.5-inch IPS, 320 × 480, 262K colors, 450 cd/m² brightness, 1100:1 contrast, ST7796 driver over SPI
- Touch: FT6336 capacitive touch controller over I2C
- Sensors: QMI8658 6-axis IMU (3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer), SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor
- Timekeeping and power: PCF85063 RTC, AXP2101 power management IC
- Audio: ES8311 codec, NS4150B amplifier, onboard microphone, MX1.25 2-pin speaker header
- Storage: TF card slot
- Controls and I/O: Type-C port with full-speed USB, PWR, RESET and BOOT buttons, UART, I2C and a 2.54 mm female expansion header
The Waveshare wiki adds that the PWR and BOOT side buttons support custom functions and that the Type-C port handles power, program download and communication through an integrated full-speed USB serial port. An MX1.25 2-pin header accepts a 3.7 V lithium battery, with charging and discharging handled by the AXP2101 and a charging indicator on the board. CNX describes the expansion connector as a 32-pin, 2.54 mm header and lists the board at 95.11 x 63.67 x 14.10 mm.
Four variants
The variants differ only in whether they include a battery and a camera:
| Variant | Battery | Camera | SKU |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5-EN | No | No | 35416 |
| ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5 | 3.7V | No | 35417 |
| ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5-C-EN | No | BF3901 | 35418 |
| ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5-C | 3.7V | BF3901 | 35419 |
The BF3901 camera on the -C models has a 1/13-inch lens type, 248 × 328 resolution, a 1.7 mm focal length, f/2.8 aperture and a 55° field of view.
Price and availability
As of October 20, 2026, the Waveshare store lists the board at US$31.99 to US$35.99 depending on variant, and every variant is out of stock. CNX links to third-party listings priced at US$37.99 to US$43.99 on AliExpress and US$43.99 to US$47.99 on Amazon; those are retailer prices, not Waveshare's, and CNX notes that it uses affiliate links in its articles.
Software
Waveshare supports ESP-IDF and the Arduino IDE, with the wiki covering ESP-IDF from the command line or in VS Code with the Espressif IDF plugin. According to CNX, Waveshare's factory firmware appears to be based on ESPBrookesia, and the wiki includes an AI section on the XiaoZhi voice assistant, with OpenClaw and ESP-Claw mentioned as possible future additions.
What It Means for Makers
The board is aimed at makers who want a touchscreen device on dual-band Wi-Fi or on a Thread or Zigbee network without wiring up a separate display, IMU, RTC and audio stage. The XiaoZhi material in the wiki points to voice-assistant projects, and ESP-IDF and Arduino IDE support means existing ESP32 workflows carry over.
CNX cautions that SPI displays like this one may become sluggish with complex user interfaces, and it points to ESP32-P4 plus ESP32-C5 combinations for smoother, higher-resolution GUIs with Wi-Fi 6. Check the header pin assignments in Waveshare's wiki before committing to a design.
The -EN and -C-EN variants ship without a battery. For battery selection and charging details, follow Waveshare's documentation rather than guessing at compatible cells. The camera is only on the -C and -C-EN variants, so pick one of those if the project needs image capture. With Waveshare's own store out of stock, the AliExpress and Amazon listings CNX cites are the alternative, at higher prices.
