After a soft launch shaped by badge-community roots, the Tanmatsu handheld has reached a point where software matches the hardware. With a stable operating setup, a growing app repository, and a toolkit aimed at hackers—plus a compact keyboard, bright MIPI dis
For more than a year, the Tanmatsu has lived in that familiar tech in-between—half-built promise, half-unfinished software. It first showed up in the Dutch conference badge scene. and when we caught sight of it about 18 months ago. the hardware looked like it had direction. The operating side wasn’t quite there for a fair verdict.
Now it is.
With a stable operating system and a growing library of apps. the Tanmatsu finally feels like the device it was meant to be: a handheld terminal built around an ESP32-P4 application processor from Espressif. wrapped in a PCB and PETG 3D-printed sandwich. and designed from the start for people who want a tiny computer that can grow with them.
The board itself carries an expansion connector at the bottom centre, while the front face does the part most people will care about first—a silicone QWERTY keyboard and an 800×480 MIPI DSI display.
Under the hood, the ESP32-P4 brings two 400MHz RISC-V cores plus 32MB of PSRAM and 16MB of Flash. Connectivity is handled separately: an ESP32-C6 provides Wi‑Fi, BLE, and IEEE 802.15.4 mesh networking. There’s also an Ebyte LoRa module with an SMA antenna. available in 868MHz or 915MHz versions depending on where you live.
For ports and expansion, you get USB A and C, an SD card socket, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Expansion is split across three additional ports: on the right there’s a Qwiic compatible socket. on the left there’s a socket with PMOD and SAO capabilities. and on the rear under a cover there’s a CSI camera connector in the same style as the Raspberry Pi. Beneath that rear cover is a much larger expansion socket planned for add-ons with various signals. Power comes from a 2500 mAh LiPo battery, charged through the USB-C port.
The device’s origin story still matters because it explains why the Tanmatsu feels designed for tinkering. It started life as part of a souped-up version of the MCH2022 badge. The commercial Tanmatsu is made and sold by Renze Nicolai, while its community cousin is called the Konsool. Because of those origins, the Tanmatsu is open-source, with mechanical hardware, electronics, and firmware available online.
Before any app can make the handheld feel alive, the setup has to get out of the way. On first start-up there are no apps installed. The first step is connecting to Wi‑Fi, then updating firmware through the Settings menu. The update process takes time because it updates the P4, the C6, and the microcontroller used for housekeeping.
One feature lands as more than a convenience. Instead of forcing you to change Wi‑Fi settings every time you move, the Tanmatsu can store more than one set of Wi‑Fi network details.
After that, the app repository—this device’s version of an app store—opens up. It’s a long-standing badge.team feature, with downloadable apps going back to badges such as the SHA 2017 offering. Apps are organized into categories. and in a practical test it’s easy to see how quickly you can get to “working. ” not “experimenting.”.
From the repository. the Tanmatsu supports at least two kinds of apps: ones written in an interpreted scripting language such as MicroPython. and ones compiled directly for the P4. It doesn’t ship with a script engine installed, but MicroPython is available as an app you can download. After an app runs. there’s a brief blue flash on the screen as it loads—simple. obvious. and consistent with the device’s launcher-first design.
The Tanmatsu isn’t built as a multitasking machine. The front-end is a launcher. and after you run an app the interface behaves like a dedicated tool rather than a general-purpose desktop replacement. Each app comes with metadata that tells the Tanmatsu what to do. an icon file. and a folder containing its executable components. There’s also a comprehensive online guide for anyone who wants to develop their own apps.
In everyday use, the device earns its keep. It’s convenient to hold and type with using two hands, and the 800×480 display is described as clear and bright. The keyboard is small, but it has a positive click action. The exact workflow depends on the developer, but the interface conventions are straightforward. For this review, the Tanmatsu is used with Meshcore, and the device is described as making a handy terminal.
The repository has plenty of room for growth. and one of the key questions is whether the software library can keep pace with what people want from a handheld computer for hackers. The device’s screen, ports, and expansion options are ready. What’s changed is that the operating side is now stable enough to make that hardware actually useful without constant frustration.
Still, the Tanmatsu’s story isn’t a straight line toward mainstream. The assembled Tanmatsu costs 99 Euros, plus Dutch sales tax if you live in the EU, and shipping. For Americans—caught up in uncertain tariffs—the news is that shipping from a US warehouse is planned within the next few months.
Price is where the niche becomes real.
Making a handheld Linux cyberdeck from parts like a Raspberry Pi is possible, but once you factor in the cost of new peripherals and components, it isn’t necessarily cheap. Similar-sized Linux devices on the market often land at about twice the Tanmatsu’s price.
That’s why the Tanmatsu is positioned between two extremes: development boards that come without a screen. keyboard. and battery. and Linux handhelds that are all-singing. all-dancing packages. The device’s advantage is that it’s. as far as the reviewer knows. the only P4 device on the market with a mature operating system and a particularly developed app repository.
The limitation is equally clear. If someone only wants Linux, the Tanmatsu can’t deliver that.
So the pitch becomes narrower. and more human: it’s aiming to be simple and low power enough to act as a reliable. capable hacker’s communicator and general-purpose toolkit. without requiring the budget of full Linux handheld setups. For now. it stands alone in that niche—and whether it can hold it will depend on the pace of software growth and how many people decide they want this specific kind of handheld terminal.
Tanmatsu ESP32-P4 ESP32-C6 LoRa hacker handheld cyberdeck MicroPython Meshcore open source hardware MIPI DSI QWERTY keyboard