Waveshare ESP32-C5 Touch LCD 3.5 Kit Adds Wi-Fi 6 and Zigbee

Waveshare has put a full touchscreen interface around the ESP32-C5, and the result is a compact dev kit for anyone building smart-home panels, gateways or small wireless controllers. The ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5, covered by CNX Software on September 30, 2026, combines a 3.5-inch capacitive display with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and the low-power mesh radios that home automation projects tend to want.

• The module is the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U-N32R8 with a 240 MHz RISC-V core plus a low-power core, 384 KB SRAM, 8 MB PSRAM and 32 MB flash.
• Wireless covers dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5 LE, Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3.
• The display is a 3.5-inch 480x320 capacitive IPS touchscreen; an optional camera and an optional 500 mAh battery are available.
• Waveshare lists pricing from $31.99 to $35.99 on its own store, according to its product page.

What is inside the ESP32-C5 Touch LCD 3.5?

The board is a single-board computer in the loosest sense: a microcontroller module with generous memory, a screen and a bundle of sensors. Waveshare adds an ES8311 audio codec with microphone and speaker connector, a QMI8658 six-axis motion sensor, a temperature and humidity sensor, a microSD slot and a 32-pin GPIO header. The board measures 95.11 x 63.67 x 14.10 mm, so it fits behind a wall plate or inside a small enclosure.

Factory firmware is based on ESPBrookesia, and development works through the Arduino IDE or ESP-IDF, which are the two paths most ESP32 makers already use.

Why does dual-band Wi-Fi 6 matter on a microcontroller?

The ESP32-C5 is the first chip in Espressif's line to combine 5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 with 802.15.4 radios for Zigbee and Thread. On a crowded 2.4 GHz network, a second band gives a device somewhere quieter to live, and having Zigbee and Thread on the same chip means one board can talk to IP networks and to mesh sensors. Together with a screen, that makes a tidy local control panel.

We have followed this chip family closely, from the ESP32-C5 devkits with touch displays in July to Waveshare's ESP32-C5 Pico board. This new kit is the most complete one from Waveshare so far, with the display, audio and sensors built in.

How much does the kit cost?

Waveshare's page shows $31.99 to $35.99 depending on configuration. CNX Software also lists higher prices on AliExpress ($37.99 to $43.99) and Amazon ($43.99 to $47.99), so buying direct is the cheaper route. Camera resolution figures differ between sources, so check the listing for the option you want.

Who should consider it?

If you want a programmable smart-home dashboard, a Matter or Zigbee bridge with a status display, or a small voice and sensor node, the built-in audio and IMU save a lot of wiring. See more boards in our mini computer coverage.

Sources: Waveshare: ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-3.5 — September 2026; CNX Software: ESP32-C5 devkit features 3.5-inch touch LCD, optional camera and battery — September 30, 2026.