M5Stack PaperColor, also known as M5Paper Color, is an ESP32-S3 development kit featuring a 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 full-color display with a resolution of 600×400, offering low power consumption and excellent visibility in bright lighting conditions.
In addition to its standout color ePaper display, the devkit includes a microSD card slot for storage, an echo-canceling microphone, a 1W speaker, a temperature and humidity sensor, a few buttons, two RGB LEDs, and an IR transmitter—but no GPIO expansion connectors. The device is powered by a 1250 mAh battery, rechargeable via the USB Type-C port.
Specifications of the M5Paper Color ESP32-S3 Dev Kit include:
SoC: Espressif ESP32-S3R8
– CPU: Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration
– Memory: 8MB PSRAM
– Wireless: 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity
Storage:
– 16MB SPI flash
– MicroSD card socket
Display: 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 Full-Color E-Paper Display (ED2208-DOA)
Audio:
– ES8311 audio codec
– ES7210 audio ADC
– 1W @ 8Ω 2520 speaker with AW8737A audio amplifier
– MEMS microphone with integrated AEC circuit
USB: 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming
Sensor: SHT40 Temperature & Humidity Sensor
Miscellaneous:
– 3x user buttons, 1x Power button
– Infrared emitter
– 2x RGB LEDs
– RX8130CE Real-Time Clock (RTC)
Power Supply:
– 5V via USB Type-C port
– Built-in 1250mAh Battery
– Consumption: Standby: 92.53uA, Full Load: 211.97mA
Dimensions: 103.9 x 70.8 x 8.5 mm
Weight: 73.3 grams
M5Stack provides instructions for programming the PaperColor devkit with Arduino IDE using M5Unified, M5GFX, and M5PM1 libraries, along with code samples and further technical details available on their documentation website. Notably, there is no mention of the ESP-IDF framework or the UIFlow2 visual programming IDE typical for M5Stack devices. Suggested applications include smart digital photo frames, data display panels, and electronic signage.
This is M5Stack’s first color ePaper devkit, with competition from products like the Seeed Studio reTerminal E1002, which has a larger 7.3-inch color E Ink display powered by an ESP32-S3, encased in plastic. Additional color ePaper devkits without enclosures exist, identifying the reTerminal E1002 as a direct competitor.
M5Stack sells the PaperColor ESP32-S3 E Ink color devkit for $75 on AliExpress or through the M5Stack store. Compared to other products, the pricing is reasonable; a separate 4-inch Spectra 6 E Ink display costs $40 on AliExpress (or $50 with a driver board), while the reTerminal E1002 with a 7.3-inch display is approximately $118 on AliExpress, excluding shipping and taxes.