Waveshare ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box Targets AI-Enabled Smart Home and HMI Projects

Waveshare has recently introduced ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4B, an ESP32-S3-powered Smart 86 Box designed for smart home, industrial control, and HMI applications. It features a 4-inch 480×480 IPS touch display supporting 5-point capacitive touch, various sensors, and AI support. An all-in-one platform for rapid development of IoT, interactive control, and other smart living and automation scenarios.

The board features 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM, and various peripherals, including an ES8311 audio codec, ES7210 echo cancellation chip, QMI8658 6-axis IMU, AXP2101 PMIC, and PCF85063 RTC. It supports AI voice with support from Doubao and DeepSeek. On top of that, it features dual USB Type-C ports for programming and power, microphone and speaker interfaces, and lithium battery charging support. The device also includes an I²C-based touch controller, GPIO expansion, and low-power control functions, making it ideal for developing smart switches, home terminals, and industrial IoT dashboards.

ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box Microphone and Speaker Setup

Waveshare ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box Specifications:

• Wireless module: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 with Xtensa® LX7 dual-core 32-bit
  • SoC: Espressif Systems ESP32-S3
    • CPU: Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads
    • RAM: 512KB SRAM
    • Storage: Up to 16MB flash
    • Wireless: WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5
  • Antenna: Internal
• Display:
  • 4-inch IPS LCD, 480 × 480 resolution, RGB interface
  • 65K color depth, 160° wide viewing angle
  • Capacitive 5-point touch, controlled via I²C
• USB:
  • USB Type-C for power, programming, and log output
  • USB-to-UART Type-C can also be used for power, flashing, and debugging
• Audio:
  • ES8311 low-power audio codec (audio playback & recording)
  • ES7210 echo cancellation chip
  • Onboard microphones for voice capture
  • Speaker header (MX1.25 2P connector, supports 8Ω 2W speaker)
• Expansion: Expansion header (2.0mm pitch) for peripherals
• Sensors: QMI8658 6-axis IMU (3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope)
• Misc:
  • PWRKEY button – on/off or user-programmable
  • BOOT button – startup and debugging
  • Battery charging status LED
  • TCA9554PWR GPIO expander
  • PCF85063 RTC (real-time clock chip)
• Power:
  • USB Type-C (5V) or 3.7V Li-ion/LiPo battery
  • Onboard power management and charging
• Dimensions: 86.5 mm x 86.5 mm

ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box Hardware Overview

The ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box works with ESP-IDF, Arduino, and MicroPython. It also supports the LVGL graphics library for touchscreen interfaces on the 4-inch display. The board can connect to AI and cloud services such as Doubao and DeepSeek for voice and AI features. Waveshare provides a Wiki page with setup guides, code examples, and firmware flashing instructions to get started quickly.

We have previously we have written about other ESP32-S3-based development boards and unique products like the ESP32-S3 EchoEar, the LILYGO T-Beam BPF, the LILYGO T-Display Bar, and many other unique ESP32-based products. Feel free to check those out if you are interested in other ESP32-S3-based products.

The ESP32-S3 Smart 86 Box is available on AliExpress for $36.20. It’s also available on Amazon for $44.15. You can also get it directly from the Waveshare store for $33.99

Images used courtesy of waveshare.com