Waveshare has recently released the ESP32-S3 2.06-inch AMOLED Touch, an ESP32-S3-based watch devkit with Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5, and offline voice recognition in a watch-style enclosure.
We have written about various ESP32-S3-powered smartwatches in the past. Some examples include the TinyWatch S3 open-source device with various sensors, but no battery or a strap, and the more complete LILYGO’s T-Watch S3 with LoRa, audio, and a built-in battery. Compared to both of those, the Waveshare ESP32-S3 watch stands out with a 2.06-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, a 6-axis IMU, two digital microphones, an ES8311 audio codec, an RTC (PCF85063), and AXP2101 PMIC with lithium battery support. The watch also features a microSD card slot, a USB Type-C port, programmable buttons, and reserved I2C/UART/USB headers for communications.
ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.06 specifications:
- SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8
- CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration
- Memory – 8MB PSRAM
- Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity
- Storage – 32MB SPI flash, microSD card socket
- Display
- 2.06-inch AMOLED, 410 x 502 resolution, 16.7M colors, 600cd/m² brightness (CO5300 QSPI controller)
- Capacitive touch with FT3168 controller (I2C)
- Audio
- Dual digital mic with ES7210 echo cancellation via ES8311 codec
- Speakers for audio out
- USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming
- Sensor – QMI8658 6-axis IMU (Accel + Gyro)
- Misc
- PWR & BOOT buttons
- Reserved pads for UART, I2C, USB
- PCF85063 RTC
- Power
- 5V via USB-C port
- 2-pin Li-ion battery connector
- AXP2101 PMIC
- Dimensions
- Watch body – 50.80 x 42.00 mm
- Watch face – 40.51 x 33.09 mm
- Straps – 250 x 20 mm
- Thickness – 13.60 mm
- Weight – TBD
The watch can be programmed with either the ESP-IDF framework or the Arduino IDE. More information, including example code setup instructions, hardware documentation, etc., can be found on the wiki. The factory firmware has a graphical interface (shown in the top photo) based on esp-brookesia with touch, display, audio capture, audio playback, clock, gyroscope, photo/video playback, and PMU control.
The ESP32-S3 watch development kit is available on AliExpress for $31.49 or $34.19 with battery, on Amazon for $38.99, and on the Waveshare official store for $29.99/$31.99.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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Looks like the battery is optional, no mention of capacity or battery lifespan.
Yes, the battery is optional and adds about $2. I can see a few photos of the battery, but no capacity information. I would only expect it to last several hours on an ESP32-S3 board.
Quite useless then if it only lasts hours, for me a watch should last like a week for even to bother putting it on.
It’s a devkit, not a consumer product. If you want the battery to last longer, design a complete product that will allow that.
Its a devkit for something that isn’t viable, its already to thick and the s3 is a power hog so nobody is gonna develop a real watch based on it, i think they just better remove the shell and market it differently.
Agreed, battery capacity may not be ideal, but this is still a tech to follow. Improvement are an inevitable evolution and these devices could potentially attract interest. Admittedly, this is a bit of a slab, but hopefully size and battery life will improve. I’d certainly prefer a custom built device like this to an Apple or Samsung watch.
I just got mine today – a little disappointed. I was hoping for at least a functional watch system that could connect to your home WiFi for date/time sync to NIST (not present). Pretty much a bunch of useless screens that really does not provide a “jumping in” point to begin development. You would think waveShare would provide a stronger DEMO package for their system