4.3 Inch TFT LCD Displays

480×272 or 800×480?

Both resolutions are common at 4.3″. The choice comes down to the memory and bandwidth your host has, and how sharp the text needs to look.

Frame buffer. An RGB panel has no memory of its own, so the host keeps the whole frame in RAM and streams it out continuously. In RGB565 (2 bytes per pixel):

• 480 × 272 × 2 = 261,120 bytes, about 255 KB.
• 800 × 480 × 2 = 768,000 bytes, 750 KB.

Double buffering doubles both figures. For example, the ESP32-S3 has 512 KB of internal SRAM, so an 800×480 frame does not fit in it; ESP-IDF's RGB LCD driver can place the frame buffer in PSRAM instead (fb_in_psram).

Pixel rate. At 60 Hz the panel needs at least 480 × 272 × 60 ≈ 7.8 million pixels per second, or 800 × 480 × 60 ≈ 23 million for 800×480, plus the blanking periods in the panel's datasheet. Use the timing table of the exact model you order.

Sharpness. On a 4.3″ diagonal, 480×272 works out to about 128 pixels per inch and 800×480 to about 217. At handheld viewing distance, 800×480 makes small text and thin lines noticeably cleaner.

Rule of thumb: choose 480×272 when the host is a small MCU without external RAM or the UI is mostly large digits and icons. Choose 800×480 when you have PSRAM or SDRAM and the screen shows dense text, charts or a keyboard.

TN or IPS?

In our 4.3″ range most 480×272 models are TN panels, and all 800×480 models are IPS. A TN panel has an optimum viewing direction, given in the datasheet as 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock. Pick the direction that matches how the product is mounted and viewed. IPS panels look the same from all directions. The catalog lists the viewing direction for every model.

Brightness and touch

Our 4.3″ models range from 150 to 1050 nits. For use near windows or outdoors, see how bright a sunlight-readable display needs to be. Touch options are none, resistive, or capacitive, depending on the model.

Driving a 4.3-inch RGB panel

See the RGB interface page for wiring and timing, and best display for ESP32-S3 if you are building on Espressif. For larger HMIs, compare with 7-inch displays; for SPI-friendly sizes see 3.5-inch.