LilyGO · ESP32-S3 · 2.33" · 222×480
LilyGO T-Display-S3-Pro 2.33" specifications
The LilyGO T-Display-S3-Pro is the premium member of the T-Display family. Its 2.33-inch IPS panel has an unusual wide format of 480×222 pixels at 221 PPI, driven by an ST7796U over SPI, with 450 cd/m² brightness, 1000:1 contrast and capacitive touch from a CST226SE controller.
An ESP32-S3R8 provides 8 MB of octal PSRAM, alongside 16 MB of flash. Power is handled by an SY6970 charger with a programmable charge current, there is an LTR-553ALS ambient light sensor for automatic brightness, a microSD slot and three buttons, and a hardware power switch disconnects the battery.
Two Qwiic connectors make expansion easy: the left one can be UART, a second I2C bus or plain GPIO, the right one is I2C on the same bus as the touch, charger and light sensor. Camera-shield variants of the board also exist.
- Screen
- 2.33" · 222×480
- Chip
- ESP32-S3
- Memory
- 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM
- Input
- capacitive touch
Key features
- 2.33-inch IPS, 480×222, 221 PPI, 450 cd/m²
- Capacitive touch (CST226SE)
- ESP32-S3R8: 8 MB octal PSRAM, 16 MB flash
- SY6970 battery charger, power switch
- LTR-553ALS ambient light sensor
- Two Qwiic connectors, microSD, three buttons
Specifications
| Manufacturer | LilyGO |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 2.33" |
| Resolution | 222×480 px |
| Colour depth | 16-bit |
| Display controller | ST7796 (SPI) |
| Display interface | SPI |
| Touch | CST226SE (capacitive, I2C, addr: 0x5A) |
| Microcontroller | ESP32-S3 |
| Module | ESP32-S3R8 |
| CPU clock | 240 MHz |
| Internal SRAM | 512 KB |
| PSRAM | 8 MB |
| Flash | 16 MB |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Display type | IPS, 262K colours, 1000:1 contrast, 70% gamut, −20 to 70 °C |
| Touch | Capacitive, CST226SE (I2C 0x5A) |
| Charger | SY6970 (I2C 0x6A), programmable charge current |
| Light sensor | LTR-553ALS (I2C 0x23) |
| Battery | ACHL 1.2 mm connector, recommended charge current under 200 mA |
| USB-C input | 3.9–6 V |
| Buttons | BOOT (GPIO 0), GPIO 12, GPIO 16, RESET |
| Qwiic | Left: GPIO 43/44 (UART/I2C/GPIO); right: I2C on GPIO 5/6 |
| Development platforms (manufacturer) | PlatformIO (recommended), Arduino IDE |
GPIO pinout
The GPIOs the board itself uses — display, touch and on-board peripherals — as published in the manufacturer’s documentation.
| GPIO | Function |
|---|---|
| GPIO 5 | I2C_SDA (CST226SE Touch, shared with PMU/light sensor) |
| GPIO 6 | I2C_SCL (CST226SE Touch, shared with PMU/light sensor) |
| GPIO 8 | TFT_MISO |
| GPIO 9 | TFT_DC |
| GPIO 12 | BUTTON2 |
| GPIO 13 | TOUCH_RST (CST226SE) |
| GPIO 14 | SD_CS (microSD) |
| GPIO 16 | BUTTON3 |
| GPIO 17 | TFT_MOSI |
| GPIO 18 | TFT_SCLK |
| GPIO 21 | TOUCH_INT / sensor IRQ (shared) |
| GPIO 38 | Green LED / camera fill light |
| GPIO 39 | TFT_CS |
| GPIO 47 | TFT_RST |
| GPIO 48 | Backlight (TFT_BL, PWM) |
Source: github.com. Always check against your board revision before wiring.
Free GPIOs and connectors
These GPIOs are not used by the display, touch or on-board peripherals, so you can wire your own sensors, buttons or relays to them.
| Pin | Capabilities | Note |
|---|---|---|
| GPIO 0 | GPIO, BOOT | BOOT button (BTN1) |
| GPIO 1 | GPIO, PWM | Camera bus on the camera models — not on a connector |
| GPIO 2 | GPIO, PWM | Camera bus on the camera models — not on a connector |
| GPIO 3 | GPIO, PWM | Camera bus on the camera models — not on a connector |
| GPIO 4 | GPIO, PWM | Camera bus on the camera models — not on a connector |
| GPIO 7 | GPIO, PWM | Camera bus on the camera models — not on a connector |
| GPIO 19 | GPIO, USB_DM | USB D- |
| GPIO 20 | GPIO, USB_DP | USB D+ |
| GPIO 43/TX | GPIO, UART_TX | QWIIC LEFT connector (UART / I2C / GPIO) |
| GPIO 44/RX | GPIO, UART_RX | QWIIC LEFT connector (UART / I2C / GPIO) |
- QWIIC LEFT — GPIO 43, 44
UART, a second I2C bus or plain GPIO
- QWIIC RIGHT — GPIO 5, 6 (SDA, SCL)
I2C only — same bus as the touch, the PMU (SY6970) and the light sensor
Good to know before you start
- The right Qwiic port shares the I2C bus with touch (0x5A), charger (0x6A) and light sensor (0x23).
- The power switch only works with a battery connected; OFF disconnects the battery.
- The microSD slot shares the SPI bus with the display.
- On camera-shield models, GPIO 1–4 and 7 belong to the camera bus.
What it is good for
- •Pocket dashboards with a wide layout
- •Battery-powered instruments with auto-brightness
- •Status panels with Qwiic sensors
- •Premium handheld controllers
LVGL support in LCD Ultra Pro
| Driver status | Matched to the manufacturer’s official demo, compile-tested |
|---|---|
| Arduino export | Complete LVGL 8.4 project with the display driver |
| USB Live preview | No |
| Orientations | 0°, 90° |
| Brightness control | Hardware backlight dimming |
Pick this board in the editor and the canvas matches its exact resolution and shape. Build the interface with widgets, add events without code, try it in Live Preview, then export it as a ready-to-compile Arduino project. See the documentation for the workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What resolution is the T-Display-S3-Pro?
480×222 pixels on a 2.33-inch IPS panel (ST7796U), 221 PPI.
Which touch controller does it use?
A CST226SE capacitive controller at I2C address 0x5A.
What can the Qwiic ports be used for?
The left port (GPIO 43/44) can be UART, a second I2C bus or GPIO; the right port (GPIO 5/6) is I2C, shared with touch, charger and light sensor.
How is the battery charged?
By an SY6970 charger IC with a programmable charge current; LilyGO recommends under 200 mA for the supplied cell.
Sources
Specifications cross-checked against the manufacturer’s documentation (last checked 2026-10-27):
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