What is the cost of a 1.14 inch 240x135 IPS module?

If you’re looking for a straight answer on the price of a 1.14 inch 240x135 IPS module, expect to pay anywhere from $2.50 to $8.00 per unit when buying in small quantities, with the price dropping to around $1.20 to $2.00 per piece for bulk orders of 100 or more. This range depends heavily on the supplier, whether you’re sourcing from Chinese manufacturers like those on Alibaba or AliExpress, or from Western distributors like Adafruit, SparkFun, or specialized display retailers. The most common variant you’ll encounter is the ST7789V-based driver, which is used in the vast majority of these modules, and it’s the same chip found in many budget-friendly smartwatches and small IoT devices. For a specific example, you can check out the 1.14 inch 240x135 ips display from DisplayModule, which typically retails around $5.99 to $7.99 depending on whether you need the breakout board, pre-soldered header pins, or just the bare LCD panel.

Let’s break down the cost structure in more detail. The raw LCD panel itself, without any PCB or driver board, can be sourced for as low as $0.80 to $1.50 in volume from factories in Shenzhen. But once you add the ST7789V controller, the SPI interface board, the FPC connector, and the backlight LEDs, the BOM (bill of materials) jumps to roughly $1.50 to $2.50 per unit. Then you have to factor in assembly, testing, packaging, and shipping. A single unit from a US-based distributor will include a markup for handling, inventory, and customer support, so you’re looking at $5 to $8. On AliExpress, you can find these modules for $2.50 to $4.00 with free shipping, but you’ll wait 2 to 4 weeks, and the quality might vary—some sellers use thinner PCBs, cheaper connectors, or lower-brightness backlights. On Amazon, the same module might be $7 to $10, but you get Prime shipping and easier returns. For a professional project, I’d recommend sticking with a reputable supplier like DisplayModule or Adafruit because the documentation, pinout diagrams, and driver library support are significantly better, which saves you hours of debugging.

Now, let’s talk about the technical specs that justify the cost. The 1.14 inch diagonal size with a 240x135 resolution gives you a pixel density of about 240 PPI (pixels per inch). That’s not retina-level, but it’s sharp enough for text, icons, and simple graphics. The IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology means you get 178-degree viewing angles, both horizontally and vertically, with consistent color reproduction and contrast. This is a huge upgrade over the older TN (Twisted Nematic) displays, which wash out when you look at them from an angle. The ST7789V driver supports 16-bit (65K) or 18-bit (262K) color depth, and the SPI interface runs at up to 64 MHz, so you can refresh the entire screen in about 10 to 15 milliseconds. That’s fast enough for animations, scrolling text, or even basic video playback if you’re using a microcontroller with sufficient RAM. The backlight is typically driven by 2 to 4 white LEDs, drawing around 20 to 40 mA at 3.3V, which translates to about 66 to 132 mW. That’s very efficient for a battery-powered device like a wearable or a sensor tag.

Here’s a quick comparison table of some common suppliers and their pricing as of early 2025:

Supplier	Single Unit Price (USD)	Bulk Price (100+ units)	Shipping Time	Notes
DisplayModule	$5.99 – $7.99	$3.50 – $4.50	3–7 days (US)	Includes breakout board, header pins, and documentation
Adafruit	$7.50 – $9.50	N/A (retail only)	2–5 days (US)	Excellent library support and tutorials
AliExpress (generic)	$2.50 – $4.00	$1.20 – $2.00	15–30 days	Variable quality; check seller ratings
Amazon (third-party)	$6.00 – $10.00	N/A	Prime 1–2 days	Easy returns but higher markup
LCSC (component distributor)	$3.00 – $5.00	$1.80 – $2.50	5–10 days (China)	Bare module; no breakout board

One thing that often surprises people is the cost of the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) connector and the breakout board. The bare LCD panel uses a 0.5mm pitch FPC with 14 to 16 pins. If you’re hand-soldering, you’ll need a hot air station or a fine-tipped iron, and even then, it’s easy to bridge pins. That’s why most modules come with a small PCB that breaks out the pins to 2.54mm headers, which adds about $0.50 to $1.00 to the cost. Some suppliers also include a voltage regulator and level shifter on the board, allowing you to run the display at 5V logic while the ST7789V operates at 3.3V. That’s a nice feature if you’re using an Arduino Uno or a Raspberry Pi Pico, but it adds another $0.30 to $0.50 to the BOM. If you’re designing a custom PCB, you can buy the bare LCD for $1.00 to $2.00 and integrate the driver directly, but that requires careful layout to avoid signal integrity issues with the SPI lines.

Let’s get into the practical side of using this module. The SPI interface uses 4 pins: SCK (clock), MOSI (data), DC (data/command), and CS (chip select). You also need a reset pin (RST) and a backlight pin (BL). That’s 6 pins total, which is manageable even on a small microcontroller like an ESP8266 or an ATtiny85. The operating voltage is 2.8V to 3.3V for the logic, but the backlight can handle up to 5V if you use a current-limiting resistor. The typical power consumption in active mode is about 10 to 15 mA for the display logic and 20 to 30 mA for the backlight, depending on brightness. That’s a total of 30 to 45 mA at 3.3V, or about 0.1 to 0.15 watts. In sleep mode, the ST7789V draws less than 1 µA, which is great for battery-powered applications. The refresh rate is 60 Hz by default, but you can overclock the SPI bus to 80 MHz or even 100 MHz with some microcontrollers, though you might start seeing glitches if your wiring is too long.

Here’s a typical pinout table for the 1.14 inch 240x135 IPS module with the ST7789V driver:

Pin Number	Pin Name	Function	Typical Connection
1	VCC	Power supply (3.3V)	3.3V rail
2	GND	Ground	Ground
3	SCL	SPI clock	GPIO 18 (ESP32)
4	SDA	SPI data (MOSI)	GPIO 23 (ESP32)
5	RES	Reset (active low)	GPIO 4 (ESP32)
6	DC	Data/Command select	GPIO 2 (ESP32)
7	CS	Chip select (active low)	GPIO 5 (ESP32)
8	BL	Backlight control	GPIO 22 (ESP32) or PWM pin

One thing I’ve learned from building dozens of projects with these modules is that the backlight pin is often the most inconsistent across different suppliers. Some modules expect you to pull the BL pin high to turn on the backlight, while others have a built-in transistor that inverts the logic. I’ve seen modules where the backlight is always on if you leave the pin floating, which is annoying. The best practice is to check the datasheet or use a multimeter to measure the voltage on the BL pin when you apply power. If you’re buying from a reputable source like DisplayModule, they usually provide a schematic and a sample code that handles all these quirks.

Now, let’s talk about the cost of ownership beyond the initial purchase. If you’re prototyping, you’ll likely need a breadboard, jumper wires, and a microcontroller. The total cost for a test setup with an ESP32 or a Raspberry Pi Pico is around $15 to $25, including the display. If you’re using a breakout board with a voltage regulator, you can run the display directly from a 3.7V LiPo battery, but you’ll need a boost converter if you want to use a 5V source. The backlight current is the biggest factor in battery life. For example, if you’re using a 200 mAh LiPo battery, and the display draws 30 mA with the backlight at full brightness, you’ll get about 6.6 hours of continuous use. If you dim the backlight to 50% (which is still readable indoors), you can cut the current to 15 mA, giving you 13 hours. If you use the sleep mode and only update the display every few seconds, you can stretch that to days or even weeks.

Let’s look at some real-world data from a batch of 100 modules I sourced from a Chinese manufacturer in 2024. The unit cost was $1.85 per piece, including the FPC connector and the breakout board. I tested 20 of them for defects, and the results were: 18 units worked perfectly, 1 had a dead pixel, and 1 had a flickering backlight due to a cold solder joint on the LED resistor. That’s a 90% yield, which is typical for budget modules. The dead pixel was barely visible at normal viewing distance, but if you’re building a product for sale, you’d want to set a higher quality threshold. The supplier offered a 2% defect replacement, but you have to pay return shipping. In contrast, modules from Western distributors like Adafruit or DisplayModule have a much lower defect rate (I’ve seen less than 1% in my experience), and they offer straightforward returns or replacements. That peace of mind is worth the extra $2 to $4 per unit, especially if you’re building a commercial product or a prototype for a client.

Another factor that affects cost is the glass thickness and the touch layer. Some versions of this module include a capacitive touch panel (CTP) on top of the IPS display. That adds about $1.00 to $2.00 to the cost, and it requires an additional I2C interface (usually the FT6336 or GT911 touch controller). The touch panel is 1.14 inches in the same form factor, so it fits perfectly. If you’re building a smartwatch or a remote control, the touch layer is a game-changer, but it also increases the power consumption by about 5 to 10 mA during active touch scanning. The touch response time is typically 50 to 100 ms, which is fine for taps and swipes but not for fast gestures. I’ve used the touch version in a few projects, and the main issue is that the touch controller’s firmware can be finicky with some microcontrollers, especially if you’re using interrupts. You might need to add a level shifter if your MCU runs at 5V, because the touch controller is 3.3V only.

Let’s talk about the physical dimensions and mounting options. The module is 1.14 inches diagonally, which translates to a width of about 18.5 mm and a height of 32.5 mm (including the FPC tail). The active area is 14.7 mm x 24.5 mm. The breakout board is usually 20 mm x 34 mm, with 2.54mm pin headers on the edge. The thickness of the display itself is about 1.5 mm, and the breakout board adds another 1.6 mm, so the total thickness is around 3.1 mm. If you’re mounting it in a 3D-printed enclosure, you’ll need to account for the FPC bend radius (at least 1 mm) and the clearance for the header pins. I usually design a recess in the enclosure that’s 0.5 mm deeper than the module to avoid pressure on the glass. The viewing window should be slightly larger than the active area, say 15.5 mm x 25.5 mm, to avoid clipping the edges.

One more thing: the cost of the module can vary based on the backlight color. Most modules come with white LEDs, but you can also find them with blue, green, or RGB backlights. The RGB backlight version is more expensive (about $1.50 to $2.00 extra) because it uses three separate LED channels, each with its own resistor and control pin. That gives you the ability to change the backlight color dynamically, which is great for notifications or ambient lighting. However, the RGB version consumes more power (about 50 to 60 mA at full brightness) and requires three PWM pins on your microcontroller. I’ve only seen the RGB version from a few niche suppliers, so availability is limited.

Here’s a quick comparison of different backlight options:

Backlight Type	Typical Cost Premium	Power Consumption (Full Brightness)	Control Interface	Use Case
White LED	Base price	20–30 mA	Single PWM pin	General purpose
Blue LED	+$0.50	25–35 mA	Single PWM pin	Night vision or aesthetic
Green LED	+$0.50	20–30 mA	Single PWM pin	Low power or retro look
RGB LED	+$1.50 – $2.00	50–60 mA	3 PWM pins	Notifications, color effects

From a software perspective, the cost of integrating this module is minimal if you’re using popular platforms like Arduino, ESP-IDF, or CircuitPython. The ST7789V library is well-documented, with examples for drawing text, shapes, bitmaps, and even GIFs. The memory footprint is about 2 to 4 KB for the frame buffer, depending on whether you use 16-bit or 18-bit color. If you’re using a microcontroller with limited RAM, like an ATmega328P (2 KB RAM), you’ll need to use a partial buffer or a direct write mode, which is slower but works. The SPI bus speed is the main bottleneck. At 64 MHz, you can update the entire screen in about 10 ms, which is fine for most applications. If you need faster updates, you can use a parallel interface (8080 or 6800 mode), but that requires more pins and is rarely used with these small modules.

Let’s talk about the reliability and longevity of these modules. The IPS panel itself has a typical lifetime of 20,000 to 30,000 hours for the backlight, which is about 2 to 3 years of continuous use. The ST7789V driver is rated for 100,000 hours of operation, so the backlight is the limiting factor. The FPC connector is the most fragile part—bending it more than 10 times can cause the traces to crack. I always recommend using a strain relief or a small dab of hot glue to secure the FPC to the breakout board. The glass is also sensitive to pressure; if you press too hard on the center of the display, you can cause mura (