M5Stack’s PaperColor M5 is a developer board with a display that can be turned into a smart home device. This new device is based on an e-ink display, supports wireless network connectivity, and could be suitable for building a custom smart home display, among other things. The M5 Paper Color also sports a microphone.
M5Stack is offering the M5Paper Colour ESP32S3 dev kit, a unique device that can best be described as a dev board with an integrated display. Specifically, it uses a 4-inch e-ink display, making it smaller than most e-readers. The E Ink Spectra display has a resolution of 400 x 600 pixels and supports colors.
The usual advantages and drawbacks of displays based on digital ink apply here. They require minimal power and stay easy to read in bright ambient light without strong backlighting, but they aren’t particularly responsive. As a result, these displays are especially well-suited for showing information when the content doesn’t change within milliseconds.
The system relies on an ESP32-S3R8 processor with two Xtensa LX7 cores and a clock speed of up to 240 MHz. It has 16 MB of flash storage and 8 MB of PSRAM. A microSD card can also be used and is roughly required if images are to be displayed, for example.
WiFi connectivity is supported only in the 2.4 GHz band, but this wireless data transfer option enables use as a smart home display, for instance. However, users will largely have to do their own development. Thanks to a battery with a capacity of 1,250 mAh, the display can also be used without a permanent power supply. Speaker, microphone, and buttons are onboard.
The M5Paper Colour ESP32S3 Dev Kit is available directly from the manufacturer for $75.
