M5Stack Cardputer
Also known as: M5Stack Cardputer · Cardputer · M5 Cardputer
A pocket computer with a full 56-key QWERTY keyboard and a colour screen, built on the ESP32-S3 (StampS3). Popular for badge and hacking projects, retro UIs, handheld LLM clients and as a ready-made gadget.
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At a glance
⚑ flag an error| SoC | ESP32-S3 |
|---|---|
| Vendor | M5Stack |
| Type | Finished gadget |
| Memory | 8 MB flash |
| Display | 1.14" 240x135 (ST7789V2) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, BLE |
| USB | USB-C |
| Battery | Yes (onboard LiPo charging) |
| Typical price | $30-40 (street, varies) |
Good for
Gotchas to know
- The StampS3 has 8MB flash and no PSRAM, so large framebuffers or AI models are tight.
- The chiclet keys are tiny and not meant for heavy typing.
- The internal 120mAh cell is small; the 1400mAh base extends runtime but adds bulk.
- It uses the M5 ecosystem (M5Unified / UIFlow); spare pins come out on the side Grove/HAT ports.
Variants
Two models share the same card shape: the original Cardputer (M5StampS3, 8MB flash) and the newer Cardputer ADV (M5StampS3A, bigger battery and extras).
The ESP32-S3 inside
This board is built on the ESP32-S3 . See the SoC page for the full peripheral, GPIO and security details.
Bare modules on the same SoC:
Resources
Community guides usually go deeper than this page: pinout diagrams, wiring, library setup and copy-paste example code from people who build with these boards daily.