DISPLAYS & UIs


Why a Ready-made STM32 Display is a smarter choice


A


s embedded systems evolve toward smarter, more interactive applications, the display interface is no longer just a “nice- to-have” – it’s a vital component of the user experience.


Performance and responsiveness


UART Display: • All graphical control and user input must be transmitted serially, introducing system response latency.


• Any animation, GUI update, or touch feedback depends on how quickly the UART display processes incoming commands.


• Unexpected behaviour can occur if UART messages are lost or not properly handled.


STM32 Display: • The display is directly driven by the MCU through high-speed parallel interfaces (e.g. LTDC). You can control the display down to pixel level


• Real-time rendering using hardware acceleration (DMA2D, Chrom-ART) on STM32H7


• Ultra-smooth animations, fast screen refresh rates, and real-time touch response


• No latency caused by UART control Result:  responsiveness and visual performance.





UART Display: • GUI development is typically limited to the manufacturer’s proprietary editor


• Limited options for UI customisation, fonts, widgets and logic behaviour


• Adding new features (e.g. dynamical QR- code, real-time graphs, gesture control) may be constrained by the built-in widgets and command set


STM32 Display: • Complete control over UI/UX with customisable graphics, themes, fonts and animations


• Full support for open-source and commercial GUI frameworks


• Developers can create custom widgets


than a UART Display by Keith Wong, Inelco Hunter technical development manager


from scratch


• Easy integration with other system components like sensors, networking, or audio


Result: STM32 displays provide unlimited  user interfaces.


Cost and BOM optimisation


UART Display: • A master MCU or control module is required, introduce complexity and hidden BOM cost


•


 duplicating resources without improving system performance


STM32 Display: •


 can handle application logic and UI


• Optimised BOM: No need for a second processor or separate development ecosystem


• Centralised control improves overall 


Result: STM32 displays reduce duplication and streamline cost-effective production.


 UART Display:


18 NOVEMBER 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS


• Acts like an independent system  asynchronously


• Getting status updates or triggering UI changes from internal logic (like interrupts or real-time data) can involve complex UART protocols and delays


• Common issues include lost communication, unresponsive GUIs, or system halts due to UART failure


STM32 Display: •


 sensor threshold, UART message, GPIO trigger) can instantly update the screen


• Direct access to data buffers, timers, DMA and RTOS resources


Result: Seamless real-time feedback and interaction with other system functions.





UART Display: • Locked into one vendor’s ecosystem with limited upgrade paths


• Upgrading to higher resolution, adding audio, animation, or advanced UI features can be very limited


STM32 Display: • Easy to scale up performance (e.g., STM32H750) or features (Ethernet, audio


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46