| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GPIO Availability | ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 | The DevKitC exposes 45 GPIO pins from the ESP32-S3 chip, compared to 21 on the Thing Plus, 14 on the T-Display, 13 on the QT Py, and only 11 on the XIAO. If your project needs more than a handful of digital I/O lines beyond SPI and I2C, the DevKitC is the only viable option. |
| Form Factor | Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 | The XIAO is 21x17.5mm — roughly the size of a postage stamp and 3.3x smaller by area than the DevKitC (69x25.4mm). The QT Py is similar at 22x17.8mm. For wearables, compact enclosures, or embedded installations, the XIAO wins decisively. |
| Battery and Power Management | SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32-S3 | The Thing Plus includes a LiPo charger with power path management AND a MAX17048 fuel gauge for accurate battery percentage readings. The XIAO and T-Display have LiPo chargers but no fuel gauge. The DevKitC and QT Py have no battery management at all. |
| Storage and Memory | SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32-S3 | The Thing Plus leads with 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, and a MicroSD card slot for expandable local storage. The T-Display matches the 16MB flash and 8MB PSRAM but lacks SD. The DevKitC and XIAO have 8MB flash and 8MB PSRAM. The QT Py has 8MB flash but no PSRAM. |
| Ecosystem and Connectivity | Adafruit QT Py ESP32-S3 | The QT Py has the strongest ecosystem integration via STEMMA QT connector with access to 200+ Adafruit sensor breakouts and extensive CircuitPython tutorials. The Thing Plus matches with Qwiic (same connector standard) and SparkFun's ecosystem. The DevKitC relies on Espressif's bare reference design. |
| Display Integration | LILYGO T-Display S3 | The T-Display S3 is the only board with a built-in display — a 1.9-inch 170x320 ST7789 LCD with capacitive touch. No other board in this comparison includes a display. For UI-driven projects, it eliminates the cost and wiring of a separate display module. |
Data from PAM Finds