Waveshare · ESP32-S3 · 7.0" · 800×480
Waveshare ESP32-S3 Touch LCD 7.0" specifications
The Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-7 is a 7-inch 800×480 IPS display board with a bright 345 cd/m² panel, 170° viewing angles and toughened glass over a 5-point GT911 capacitive touch screen. It is the 800×480 counterpart of Waveshare's 1024×600 7B model and shares its mechanical size.
An ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 module drives the RGB display, and a CH422G I/O expander handles the backlight enable and touch reset. For wiring into larger systems there are CAN (TJA1051) and RS485 terminal blocks with 120 Ω terminator jumpers, an I2C terminal with a 3.3 V / 5 V level translator, a sensor ADC input and a UART that can be routed to UART1 or UART2 by jumper.
Two USB-C ports (native USB and a CH343 USB-to-UART), a microSD slot and a lithium battery charger with 580 mA charge current complete the board, which is rated for 0–65 °C.
- Screen
- 7.0" · 800×480
- Chip
- ESP32-S3
- Memory
- 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM
- Input
- capacitive touch
Key features
- 7-inch IPS, 800×480, 345 cd/m², 170°
- 5-point GT911 touch behind toughened glass
- ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8
- CAN and RS485 terminal blocks
- I2C with 3.3 V / 5 V level translator
- Two USB-C ports, LiPo charging, microSD
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Waveshare |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 7.0" |
| Resolution | 800×480 px |
| Colour depth | 16-bit |
| Display controller | RGB Parallel (direct, no 3-wire SPI init) |
| Display interface | RGB565 Parallel (DPI) |
| Touch | GT911 (capacitive, I2C) |
| Microcontroller | ESP32-S3 |
| Module | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 |
| CPU clock | 240 MHz |
| Internal SRAM | 512 KB |
| PSRAM | 8 MB |
| Flash | 16 MB |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Display type | IPS, 65K colours, 345 cd/m², 170° viewing angle |
| Touch | Capacitive 5-point, GT911, toughened glass |
| CAN / RS485 | TJA1051 / RS485 terminal blocks, 120 Ω jumpers |
| I2C | Terminal block, level translator 3.3 V or 5 V |
| USB | USB-C native + USB-C CH343 USB-to-UART |
| Battery | 3.7 V lithium via PH2.0, CS8501, 580 mA charge |
| Power | 5 V USB-C, about 450 mA |
| Dimensions | 192.96 × 110.76 mm (touch version) |
| Operating temperature | 0 °C to 65 °C |
| Development platforms (manufacturer) | Arduino IDE (LVGL 8.4), ESP-IDF |
GPIO pinout
The GPIOs the board itself uses — display, touch and on-board peripherals — as published in the manufacturer’s documentation.
| GPIO | Function |
|---|---|
| GPIO 0 | LCD_DATA6 (RGB) |
| GPIO 1 | LCD_DATA11 (RGB) |
| GPIO 2 | LCD_DATA12 (RGB) |
| GPIO 3 | LCD_VSYNC |
| GPIO 4 | TOUCH_INT (GT911) — the driver drives it during touch init |
| GPIO 5 | LCD_DE / USB_SEL (dual function) |
| GPIO 7 | LCD_PCLK |
| GPIO 8 | I2C_SDA (Touch) |
| GPIO 9 | I2C_SCL (Touch) |
| GPIO 10 | LCD_DATA4 (RGB) |
| GPIO 11 | SD_MOSI (microSD) |
| GPIO 12 | SD_SCK (microSD) |
| GPIO 13 | SD_MISO (microSD) |
| GPIO 14 | LCD_DATA0 (RGB) |
| GPIO 15 | RS485_TXD |
| GPIO 16 | RS485_RXD |
| GPIO 17 | LCD_DATA3 (RGB) |
| GPIO 18 | LCD_DATA2 (RGB) |
| GPIO 19 | USB D- / CAN RX (switched by EXIO5) |
| GPIO 20 | USB D+ / CAN TX (switched by EXIO5) |
| GPIO 21 | LCD_DATA10 (RGB) |
| GPIO 38 | LCD_DATA1 (RGB) |
| GPIO 39 | LCD_DATA5 (RGB) |
| GPIO 40 | LCD_DATA15 (RGB) |
| GPIO 41 | LCD_DATA14 (RGB) |
| GPIO 42 | LCD_DATA13 (RGB) |
| GPIO 45 | LCD_DATA7 (RGB) |
| GPIO 46 | LCD_HSYNC |
| GPIO 47 | LCD_DATA9 (RGB) |
| GPIO 48 | LCD_DATA8 (RGB) |
Source: www.waveshare.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 6 | GPIO, PWM | Not used by the board per the wiki — probably the Sensor AD (PH2.0) header, not confirmed |
| GPIO 43/TX | GPIO, UART_TX | UART0 TX |
| GPIO 44/RX | GPIO, UART_RX | UART0 RX |
Good to know before you start
- Same outline as the Waveshare 7B, but 800×480 instead of 1024×600 — pick the matching board in the editor.
- Waveshare's spec table lists 8 MB of flash while the feature list says 16 MB; the module name N16R8 indicates 16 MB.
- GPIO 6 is the only plain free GPIO; use the I2C terminal for more I/O.
- The UART on the terminal is selected between UART1 and UART2 by a jumper.
What it is good for
- •Large industrial HMIs on CAN or RS485
- •Wall-mounted home automation centres
- •Kiosk and information displays
- •Machine dashboards readable from a distance
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 is the difference between the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-7 and the 7B?
The 7 has an 800×480 display (345 cd/m²), the 7B a 1024×600 display; both share the 7-inch format and similar interfaces.
Does the 7-inch Waveshare board support CAN and RS485?
Yes, both on terminal blocks with 120 Ω termination jumpers.
How bright is the screen?
345 cd/m² with a 170° viewing angle.
Which free pins does it have?
GPIO 6 directly, plus UART0 and the I2C terminal on GPIO 8/9.
Sources
Specifications cross-checked against the manufacturer’s documentation (last checked 2026-10-27):
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