The Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.69-inch touch display is a development board that uses an ESP32-S3 as the main controller. The board features a 240×280 touchscreen LCD that supports 262K colors and is equipped with an accelerometer, gyroscope, RTC, battery management IC, and a USB-C port for programming and power.
Previously we wrote about the Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 1.28-inch fully rounded LCD screen that is also built around an ESP32-S3 MCU, and we have also recently written about the similar-looking Waveshare 1.69-inch IPS touch LCD with no onboard MCU that is meant to connect to Raspberry Pi, ESP32-S3, Raspberry Pi Pico, Arduino, STM32, and other boards with I2C or SPI interfaces.
ESP32-S3 1.69-inch touch display board specifications:
- Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8.
- CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration.
- Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM
- ROM – 384KB
- Connectivity – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE with support for long-range, up to 2Mbps data rate, mesh network.
- Storage – 16MB Flash memory (W25Q128JVSIQ).
- Display
- 1.69-inch semi-round IPS Touch LCD.
- Resolution – 240×280 pixels
- 262K color.
- Display controller – ST7789V2 display driver and CST816T capacitive touch chip, using SPI and I2C.
- IMU Parameters
- Sensor – QMI8658 6-axis IMU.
- Accelerometer resolution – 16-bit; Range (Optional): ±2, ±4, ±8, ±16g.
- Gyroscope resolution – 16 bits; Range (Optional) – ±16, ±32, ±64, ±128, ±256, ±512, ±1024, ±2048°/sec.
- GPIO – 4 x multi-function GPIO with I2C and UART.
- Power
- Onboard MX1.25 battery header with ETA6096 lithium battery recharge/discharge management chip.
- USB Type-C connector for charging and data.
- Other Features
- PCF85063 RTC chip with reserved SH1.0 RTC battery header (supports charging)
- Buzzer
- Onboard solderable antenna
- Solderable GPIO, I2C, and UART pads onboard.
- Supports low power consumption modes.
- BOOT and RESET buttons.
- PWR Button with single-press, double-press, multi-press, and long-press operations.
The WaveshareESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-1.69 development board is compatible with CircuitPython and MicroPython, as well as C/C++ programming using Arduino and ESP-IDF. Users can easily download the MicroPython firmware and find additional resources on the Waveshare Wiki page to get started.
The Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.69-inch touch display development board is available on Amazon for $30.99 with shipping included, at least to the US. Alternatively, the development board can be purchased on Aliexpress for $26.50 excluding shipping, or directly on the Waveshare store for $21.99 plus shipping.

Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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