LILYGO T5 e-Paper Basic pairs ESP32-S3 with 4.7-inch grayscale display

LILYGO has released the T5 e-Paper Basic, a development board built around an ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor running at up to 240MHz. The board features a 4.7-inch ED047TC1 e-paper display with 960×540 resolution and 16 grayscale levels, connected via an 8-bit parallel interface. It includes 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, a microSD slot, battery monitoring via an AXP2602 fuel gauge, and five user buttons managed by an XL9555 I/O expander. The board is priced at $34.04 and targets portable information displays and wireless embedded applications where reflective, low-power screens are advantageous.

Hardware and software details

• Processor: ESP32-S3 with dual-core Xtensa LX7 at up to 240MHz, 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM
• Display: 4.7-inch ED047TC1 e-paper panel, 960×540 resolution, 16 grayscale levels, 8-bit parallel interface
• Power management: AXP2602 battery fuel gauge monitors voltage, current, state of charge, and battery health over I2C
• I/O expansion: XL9555 I/O expander manages five user buttons and peripheral inputs over I2C
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy integrated in ESP32-S3
• Storage: microSD card slot via SPI
• Other features: USB Type-C for power and programming, BOOT and RESET buttons, single-cell lithium battery connection, GPIO45/GPIO46 for display power and boost-enable control
• Development environment: PlatformIO project for Visual Studio Code with M5GFX graphics library and SensorLib; Arduino IDE also supported

Why it matters

The T5 e-Paper Basic enters a growing segment of ESP32-S3-based e-paper development boards, offering an alternative to the similarly specced M5Stack PaperDIY with different peripheral integration choices. Its sub-$35 price and open-source example repository lower the barrier for developers building low-power wireless displays, digital signage, and portable data terminals.