Why ILI9488 is slower over SPI
In serial mode the ILI9488 only supports 18 bits per pixel. A full 320×480 frame is therefore 460,800 bytes, versus 307,200 bytes in RGB565. At 40 MHz SPI that is roughly 11 fps versus 16 fps before any overhead.
When to choose it
ILI9488 is a good fit when you drive it over 8080 parallel or RGB, or when an existing design already depends on it. For new SPI designs we usually recommend an ST7796S-based 3.5″ module instead.
ILI9488 library support
| Library | Driver / class | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TFT_eSPI (Arduino) | ILI9488_DRIVER | |
| LovyanGFX (Arduino / ESP-IDF) | lgfx::Panel_ILI9488 | |
| Note | Over SPI the ILI9488 needs 18-bit colour (3 bytes per pixel). |
User_Setup_ILI9488.h · LGFX_ILI9488.hpp. Pins are placeholders; we email updates when we add tested configurations.
ILI9488 troubleshooting & FAQ
ILI9488 vs ST7796S: which is better for SPI?
ST7796S accepts RGB565 over SPI, so it moves one-third less data per frame than ILI9488 in 18-bit SPI mode. For SPI-driven 3.5″ displays ST7796S usually gives noticeably higher frame rates.
Why are colors wrong on my ILI9488 over SPI?
Your code is probably sending 16-bit pixels. In SPI mode ILI9488 expects 3 bytes per pixel (COLMOD 0x66). Convert RGB565 to RGB666 before sending or use a library that does it.