New ESP32-C5 touchscreen board packs built-in sensors, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee

We’ve previously covered smart displays—screens powered directly by an integrated development board—and Waveshare has just introduced a compelling new option. The ESP32-C5 2.8-inch IPS capacitive touch display development board features a 240 × 320-pixel resolution and supports touch input for intuitive operation. At its core lies the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 SoC. Based on the RISC-V architecture and clocked at up to 240 MHz, the board can be programmed via ESP-IDF or the Arduino IDE.

While it isn’t built for highly demanding applications, it is suited for tasks like smart home control or basic media playback. When it comes to connectivity, the ESP32-C5 is well-equipped, supporting dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5, ZigBee 3.0, and Thread. Power and programming are typically handled via USB-C, though an integrated charging circuit allows for 3.7 V battery operation. Waveshare offers a bundle that includes such a battery, raising the $26 base price to just $27. Designed to interface easily with external sensors and actuators, the board features a microSD card slot alongside several built-in components. These include an SHTC3 sensor for temperature and humidity, a QMI8658 module providing gyroscope and accelerometer data, and an integrated microphone.