ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box – A 86-Type IoT Controller With 4-inch Display, Audio, IMU & Battery

ESP32-S3 86-type IoT controller. Image used courtesy of  Waveshare

The ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box is a compact touch-enabled 86-type IoT controller built around the ESP32-S3 module with Wi-Fi, BLE 5, and an onboard GUI-capable display. It targets smart home control panels, HMI terminals, gateways, and industrial IoT.

The device features a 4-inch 480×480 IPS capacitive touchscreen (5-point touch), and a full audio subsystem with ES8311 codec, ES7210 echo cancellation, dual microphones, and speaker output. Connectivity includes 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, BLE 5, USB-UART, and native USB-C, plus battery support via a Li-ion connector with AXP2101 PMIC. Additional peripherals include a 6-axis IMU (QMI8658), RTC, GPIO expander, and a 2.0 mm expansion header for external devices.

ESP32-S3 86-type IoT controller Overview. Image used courtesy of  Waveshare

ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box Specifications:

• SoC: Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8
  • Dual-core Xtensa LX7 @ up to 240 MHz
  • Integrated 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 Low Energy
  • 512 KB SRAM, 384 KB ROM
  • Onboard 16 MB Flash + 8 MB PSRAM
• Display:
  • 4-inch IPS LCD, 480 × 480 resolution, 65K colors
  • RGB interface
  • Capacitive 5-point touch, I2C-controlled
  • ~160° wide viewing angle
• Audio:
  • ES8311 low-power audio codec
  • ES7210 echo-cancellation chip
  • Dual onboard microphones
  • Speaker output header: MX1.25 2-pin (supports 8Ω 2W speaker)
• Sensors
  • QMI8658 6-axis IMU (3-axis accel + 3-axis gyro)
  • PCF85063 RTC
• Expension
  • TCA9554 GPIO expander
  • 2.0 mm expansion header for external peripherals
• USB:
  • USB Type-C (ESP32-S3 native USB): power, programming, logging
  • USB-to-UART Type-C port for flashing and debugging
• Misc:
  • Onboard antenna for Wi-Fi/BLE
  • CHG LED indicator
  • PWRKEY (programmable, power on/off)
  • BOOT button
  • Onboard RGB interface connector for the included 4” display
  • Supports online AI models and voice interaction (e.g., Doubao, DeepSeek, etc.)
• Power:
  • AXP2101 PMIC
  • PH2.0 connector for 3.7V Li-ion/Li-Po battery
  • Supports charging + discharging
• Dimensions: 86.50 mm x 86.50 mm

ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4B features. Image used courtesy of  Waveshare

After going through the specification, it looks like a cost-down version of the earlier ESP32-P4-based Smart 86 Box, and looks very similar to the LILYGO T-Panel, which we have written about earlier.

In terms of software support, the ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box works with ESP-IDF, Arduino, and LVGL for building full-featured GUIs and applications on the 4-inch display. It includes driver support for the ES8311 audio codec, ES7210 echo cancellation, QMI8658 IMU, and PCF85063 RTC, along with access to Wi-Fi/BLE stacks and the native USB interface. Waveshare provides example projects, configuration files, and documentation through its wiki for fast integration of AI voice services and connected IoT functions.

The ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box is available on AliExpress for $32.90. It’s also available on the Waveshare store for $33.99.