XIAO Display Gadgets Series
XIAO ESP32-S3 Series
| XIAO 1.47'' IPS Display (ESP32-S3) | XIAO 1.14'' IPS Display (ESP32-S3) | XIAO 0.96'' IPS Display (ESP32-S3) |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
XIAO nRF52840 Series
| XIAO 1.47'' IPS Display (nRF52840) | XIAO 1.14'' IPS Display (nRF52840) | XIAO 0.96'' IPS Display (nRF52840) |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Introduction
The XIAO Display Gadgets series is a family of compact expansion boards that pair a Seeed Studio XIAO main controller with a small color LCD. Six models are available across three screen sizes — 0.96", 1.14", and 1.47" — and two XIAO controllers — the XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus and the XIAO nRF52840 Plus — ranging from a pocket-friendly 80×160 display to a 172×320 capacitive-touch display with MicroSD storage.
Product Comparison
| Specification | XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus Series | XIAO nRF52840 Plus Series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.47'' | 1.14'' | 0.96'' | 1.47'' | 1.14'' | 0.96'' | |
| Product Positioning | Touch & Full Interaction | Sensing & Expansion | Ultra-Compact | Touch & Full Interaction | Sensing & Expansion | Ultra-Compact |
| Core Controller | Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus | Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 Plus | ||||
| Processor | ESP32-S3R8, Dual-Core, up to 240 MHz | Nordic nRF52840, ARM® Cortex®-M4 32-bit processor with FPU, 64 MHz | ||||
| Memory | 8 MB PSRAM + 16 MB Flash | 256 KB RAM + 1 MB internal Flash + 2 MB onboard Flash | ||||
| Wireless Connectivity | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi + BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.4 | ||||
| Display Type | 1.47" IPS TFT LCD | 1.14" IPS TFT LCD | 0.96" IPS TFT LCD | 1.47" IPS TFT LCD | 1.14" IPS TFT LCD | 0.96" IPS TFT LCD |
| Resolution | 172 × 320 | 135 × 240 | 80 × 160 | 172 × 320 | 135 × 240 | 80 × 160 |
| Display Driver | JD9853A | ST7789 | ST7789 | JD9853A | ST7789 | ST7789 |
| Display Interface | SPI | |||||
| Touch Input | Capacitive Touch | No | No | Capacitive Touch | No | No |
| 6-Axis IMU | Yes | |||||
| PDM Digital Microphone | Yes | |||||
| MicroSD Card Slot | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Grove I2C Connector | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| User Buttons | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Battery Connector | 2-pin JST, 3.7 V LiPo | 2-pin JST 2.0 Connector for 3.7 V LiPo | ||||
| Battery Monitoring | Battery voltage monitoring via D16 ADC; battery level can be estimated from the measured voltage. Battery status detection is not supported. | Battery status detection supported; battery voltage can also be monitored for battery-level estimation. | ||||
| Expansion Interfaces | 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads 1x SWD pads 2x user-button pads | 1x Grove I2C Connector 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads 1x SWD pads 3x user-button pads | 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads | 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads 1x SWD pads 2x user-button pads | 1x Grove I2C Connector 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads 1x SWD pads 3x user-button pads | 1x I2C pads 1x I2S pads |
| Board Size | 26.4 × 51.4 × 12.6 mm | 26 × 48 × 10.6 mm | 18.8 × 43.6 × 10.6 mm | 26.4 × 51.4 × 12.6 mm | 26 × 48 × 10.6 mm | 18.8 × 43.6 × 10.6 mm |
| Best For | Touch UI, portable HMI, local media & data logging | Sensor dashboards, Grove projects, physical controllers | Tiny IoT devices, wearables, status displays | Touch UI, portable HMI, local media and data logging | Portable sensor displays, Grove devices, physical controllers | Smart badges, tiny wearables, BLE status displays |
| Power Consumption (Dashboard) | 130.53 mA @ 3.7 V | 160.05 mA @ 3.7 V | 159.76 mA @ 3.7 V | 83.32 mA @ 3.7 V | 39.07 mA @ 3.7 V | 28.69 mA @ 3.7 V |
Power consumption is measured with a Nordic Power Profiler Kit II (PPK2) in Source meter mode, supply voltage set to 3.7 V, sampling 100 samples per second for 60 seconds. Values are the 60-second average while running the factory Dashboard firmware.
How to Choose
Pick a model in two steps: first choose the controller, then choose the screen size.
Step 1: Choose the Controller
Every screen size is available with either controller, and the display hardware — screen, touch, MicroSD, buttons, and onboard sensors — is identical between the two variants. The only difference is the XIAO on board.
| XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus | XIAO nRF52840 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi + BLE 5.0 | BLE 5.4 |
| Memory | 8 MB PSRAM + 16 MB Flash | 256 KB RAM + 1 MB internal Flash + 2 MB onboard Flash |
| Best for | Wi-Fi-connected IoT devices and data dashboards | Battery-powered, BLE-focused wearables and sensor nodes |
- Pick the ESP32-S3 Plus when you need Wi-Fi connectivity or more memory — for example pushing sensor data to the cloud, a remote dashboard, or a wireless IoT prototype.
- Pick the nRF52840 Plus for a low-power BLE design where battery life matters — for example smart badges, BLE status displays, or long-running wearable sensors.
Step 2: Choose the Screen Size
Once you have settled on a controller, choose the screen size based on the features you need:
- 1.47" — the only size with a capacitive touchscreen and MicroSD storage. Choose it for touch-driven HMIs, portable photo frames, SD audio recording, or local media and data logging.
- 1.14" — a mid-size screen with three user buttons and a Grove I2C connector. Choose it for sensor displays, Grove projects, or physical controllers where you want a balance of compactness and expandability.
- 0.96" — the smallest form factor. Choose it for wearables and space-constrained designs such as smart badges or keychain gadgets.
Shared Features
All six models share the same onboard hardware:
- Color IPS TFT LCD (SPI) — 80×160, 135×240, or 172×320 depending on the screen size
- PDM digital microphone
- 6-axis IMU (LSM6DS3, 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope)
- User buttons — 2 or 3, depending on the model
- 2-pin JST connector for a 3.7 V LiPo battery
- Battery voltage detection (the nRF52840 models additionally detect charging status)
All models are programmed with the Arduino IDE using Seeed's Seeed_GFX2 graphics library.