VIEWE ESP32-S31 Display: $39 Wi-Fi 6 Touch Panel for Makers

The VIEWE ESP32-S31 display is an early look at what Espressif's newest microcontroller can do in a real product. CNX Software reports that the 4.3-inch touchscreen board, now on sale for $38.99 from VIEWE's store, "appears to be the first third-party development board" built on the ESP32-S31. It pairs the chip's Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 and Thread/Zigbee radios with a bright IPS screen, audio and industrial-style RS485 and CAN connectors.

• Chip: ESP32-S31 module with a 320 MHz RISC-V core plus a low-power core, 16 MB PSRAM and 16 MB flash.
• Display: 4.3-inch 800 x 480 IPS, 400 nits, with a GT911 capacitive touch panel.
• Wireless: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 for Zigbee, Thread and Matter.
• Price: $38.99 from the VIEWE store, with an AliExpress listing expected soon.

What Is the ESP32-S31?

The ESP32-S31 is Espressif's latest wireless microcontroller, and it is still officially in preview. We have been following it since Espressif's announcement, and it has already picked up an ESP32-S31 Linux BSP developer preview. Its appeal is that it combines modern radios, including Wi-Fi 6 and 802.15.4, with enough memory and processing to drive a rich touch interface on a single chip.

That combination is ideal for smart home panels. A Matter-over-Thread wall controller, for example, needs both a capable radio stack and a responsive screen, and this board offers both in one package.

What Ports and Features Does the Board Have?

According to CNX Software and VIEWE's product listing, the 105 x 67 mm board is generously equipped:

• Audio: an ES8389 codec with two Class-D amplifiers, two onboard microphones and left/right speaker connectors, enough for a voice assistant panel.
• Storage: a microSD slot with 4-bit SDMMC support.
• USB: USB-C for power, programming and serial debugging, plus a USB 2.0 High-Speed Type-A port with OTG.
• Industrial I/O: a terminal block for RS485 and CAN, and a 20-pin GPIO header.
• Extras: four ADC keys, a WS2812B RGB LED, a buzzer, and an operating range of -20 to 70 degrees Celsius.

The RS485 and CAN connectors make it a natural fit for HMI (human-machine interface) work, such as a control panel for a small machine, a greenhouse controller or a building system. If you have looked at last week's Wireless-Tag ESP32-P4 touch display, think of this as the wireless-first counterpart.

How Do You Program the VIEWE ESP32-S31 Display?

Because the ESP32-S31 is still a preview chip, the board currently needs ESP-IDF, using the master branch with the preview flag enabled, according to CNX. VIEWE publishes examples on GitHub covering the LCD, touch, audio playback, SD card, RS485 and CAN, along with a complete LVGL demo interface. VIEWE's listing notes that Arduino support is still in progress, so beginners may want to wait for that, while ESP-IDF developers can start building today.

The Bottom Line

At under $40 with a touchscreen, audio and industrial connectors, this is an approachable way to start experimenting with the ESP32-S31 before the chip goes mainstream. Expect more S31 boards to follow as Espressif's tooling matures. For more maker hardware, see our mini computers section.

Sources: CNX Software, VIEWE 4.3-inch ESP32-S31 display development board — October 14, 2026; VIEWE product page, 4.3-inch ESP32-S31 Wi-Fi 6 touch display — accessed October 14, 2026.