Espressif has expanded its latest ESP32‑S3 development board with a 4.2‑inch reflective LCD, a dual‑microphone array and an integrated speaker. The combination targets low‑power voice‑enabled devices, portable displays and rapid‑prototyping projects that need both visual feedback and audio interaction. By integrating these peripherals directly on the board, designers can cut down on external components, reduce PCB complexity and accelerate time‑to‑market. The new board also retains the robust Wi‑Fi/BLE connectivity and the dual‑core Xtensa® LX7 processor that have made the ESP32 family a staple in the maker and industrial communities.
Design and display
The centerpiece is a 4.2‑inch reflective LCD (RLCD) with a resolution of 480 × 272 pixels. Unlike back‑lit panels, the reflective technology leverages ambient light, delivering clear images while keeping power consumption under 150 mW at full brightness. The display is mounted on a sturdy PCB with a protective glass cover, making it suitable for handheld gadgets and outdoor kiosks. The board’s layout places the LCD connector on the right‑hand side, allowing easy access for ribbon cables or flexible FFC adapters.
Audio capabilities
Audio is handled by a dual‑microphone array positioned at the top edge of the board, paired with a 1‑W mono speaker soldered directly onto the PCB. The microphones support beam‑forming algorithms that improve voice capture in noisy environments, while the speaker can output alerts, prompts or short music clips without needing an external amplifier. Espressif’s ESP‑ADF framework provides ready‑to‑use libraries for voice activity detection and speech synthesis, shortening development cycles for voice‑first products.
Connectivity and processing power
Under the hood sits the ESP32‑S3 dual‑core Xtensa® LX7, clocked up to 240 MHz, with 512 KB SRAM and up to 16 MB external flash. Integrated 2.4 GHz Wi‑Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5.0 LE ensure reliable wireless links, while the board also offers a USB‑C port for power, programming and serial console access. A set of GPIOs, SPI, I²C, UART and PWM pins remain exposed, preserving the flexibility that developers expect from the ESP32 platform.
Target applications and ecosystem
The feature set makes the board a natural fit for smart displays, voice‑controlled assistants, portable translators and educational kits. Its open‑source hardware design is hosted on GitHub, where schematics, BOMs and reference firmware are regularly updated. Community‑driven tutorials already demonstrate how to combine the RLCD with ESP‑Matter for HomeKit integration, or how to deploy TensorFlow Lite models for on‑device keyword spotting.
Conclusion
By marrying a low‑power reflective screen with a built‑in audio chain, the new ESP32‑S3 board removes a common bottleneck for voice‑enabled visual devices. Its balanced mix of processing capability, wireless connectivity and peripheral integration positions it as a go‑to platform for rapid prototyping and small‑scale production. As developers continue to explore edge‑AI and multimodal interfaces, this board offers a compelling foundation that reduces hardware overhead while keeping costs competitive.
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