ELEGOO’s 2-pack (about 4.3 stars from 95 ratings) gives you two CYD-style ESP32 boards with a 2.8-inch ILI9341 screen, resistive touch and USB-C. Two boards make sense for touchscreen projects: one for a permanent dashboard and one for experiments, or a pair for a two-room setup. ELEGOO’s tutorials are aimed at beginners, which helps if this is your first display project.

Hosyond’s 2.8-inch ESP32 board (about 4.1 stars from 256 ratings, shared with its 3.5-inch sibling) follows the same CYD recipe of an ESP32, an ILI9341 screen and resistive touch, and it’s one of the most widely sold versions on Amazon. It’s a good alternative when the original listing is out of stock. CYD clones can differ in small details such as the display driver or touch pins between batches, so if a CYD example shows a blank or mirrored screen, check the vendor’s pin and driver settings first. Only 10 were in stock when we checked.

For more screen area without changing chips, this 3.5-inch, 320×480 board pairs an ESP32-32E module with an ST7796U display and resistive touch. The extra space makes room for bigger buttons and more data on one page, which is better for wall controls and status screens. The trade-off is that the original ESP32 is driving twice as many pixels as a 2.8-inch CYD, so full-screen redraws are slower; design interfaces that update only the changing areas. 16 were in stock when we checked.

Waveshare’s ESP32-S3 2.8-inch board (about 4.2 stars from 66 ratings) has 5-point capacitive touch and broken-out peripheral interfaces, and its biggest advantage is Waveshare’s wiki: schematics, pin tables and working Arduino, ESP-IDF and LVGL examples for each board. That documentation saves hours compared with no-name displays. It’s a strong choice for a compact capacitive controller you’ll actually program yourself. 17 were in stock when we checked.

Elecrow’s CrowPanel HMI displays are built for dashboards. The 5-inch, 800×480 model uses an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N4R8 with 8 MB of PSRAM to drive an RGB-parallel panel, and it ships in an acrylic case so it’s presentable straight away. Elecrow supports LVGL with SquareLine Studio examples, and it’s popular for Home Assistant control panels. Elecrow’s 3.7-star average is shared across its range and reflects mixed experiences with documentation and touch calibration, so plan some setup time. 12 were in stock when we checked.

The 7-inch CrowPanel has the same ESP32-S3 N4R8 and 800×480 resolution as the 5-inch, on a larger panel that reads well from across a room. That makes it the natural choice for a wall-mounted smart home panel, a 3D printer monitor or a workshop status board. At 800×480 the pixels are larger than on the 5-inch, so text looks slightly softer up close. Use LVGL with partial refresh for smooth animation. Only 5 were in stock when we checked.

Waveshare’s 7-inch ESP32-S3 board (about 3.8 stars from 179 ratings) is the most reviewed large panel here, with an 800×480 screen and 5-point capacitive touch. Like the Elecrow, it’s a bare board rather than a cased unit, but it comes with Waveshare’s detailed wiki and examples. It’s well suited to developers building LVGL interfaces who want capacitive multi-touch on a big screen. Only 3 were in stock when we checked, so check availability first. If you need even more graphics power, our ESP32-P4 guide covers MIPI-DSI HMI boards.

Rotary-knob displays are ideal for thermostats, dimmers, volume controls and smart home “one-knob” remotes. Elecrow’s 2.1-inch, 480×480 round IPS display (about 4.0 stars from 100 ratings) is surrounded by a rotating knob that also presses, and it adds capacitive touch on the screen, all driven by an ESP32-S3. Turning to adjust and pressing to confirm is faster and more satisfying than tapping a small screen. M5Stack’s Dial is a similar idea; see our pocket and wearable kits guide.

The highest-rated board in this guide (about 4.9 stars from 53 ratings), Waveshare’s 1.75-inch round AMOLED has a sharp 466×466 resolution with true blacks and vivid colour that TFTs can’t match. It runs on an ESP32-S3 over a fast QSPI interface, adds touch, and includes dual digital microphones for voice projects. It’s perfect for smartwatch-style faces, desk gadgets, AI voice assistants with an animated face, or a premium status display. AMOLED’s black background also saves power when most of the screen is dark.

First touchscreen project

The original CYD, or the ELEGOO 2-pack.

Phone-like touch, small size

Hosyond ESP32-S3 2.8″ or Waveshare 2.8″.

Wall-mounted smart home panel

ELECROW 7″ (cased) or Waveshare 7″ (capacitive).

Thermostat or dimmer knob

The ELECROW 2.1″ Rotary.

Watch faces and desk gadgets

The Waveshare 1.75″ AMOLED.

What is the Cheap Yellow Display?

“Cheap Yellow Display” (CYD) is the community nickname for the ESP32-2432S028R, an ESP32 board with a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen on a yellow PCB. A large open-source community maintains pinouts, examples and projects for it, which is why it’s so popular.

My CYD shows a white or mirrored screen. What’s wrong?

This is almost always a driver or configuration mismatch. CYD clones sometimes use a different display driver variant or touch pin mapping, so check the vendor’s settings and try the alternative driver or rotation options in your graphics library configuration.

Can I use these with ESPHome and Home Assistant?

Yes. ESPHome supports common display drivers, touchscreens and LVGL, and the CYD has well-known community configurations. The large ESP32-S3 panels are popular as Home Assistant wall controllers, though RGB-parallel panels need more careful configuration.

Why does PSRAM matter for displays?

A full 800×480 frame buffer in 16-bit colour is about 750 KB, which is more than the ESP32-S3’s internal RAM. PSRAM holds the frame buffers that large RGB panels and smooth LVGL animations need. Small SPI screens like the CYD can work without it by drawing in smaller chunks.

How do I mount one on a wall?

Cased panels like the Elecrow can sit on a stand or be screwed to a wall plate. For bare boards, use a 3D-printed frame or a project box with a cut-out window; our enclosures guide covers options. Powering from USB-C behind the wall plate keeps it tidy.