Top 10: Android e-Ink e-readers

2024. New 10.3″ Bigme inkNoteX Color with Android 13 is now available



The newly launched Bigme inkNoteX Color, featuring a sizable 10.3-inch color E Ink display, is now purchasable on Amazon albeit at a steep price tag of $699, making it one of the priciest eNotes available presently. Despite the cost, it boasts premium specifications for an E Ink gadget, running on open Android 13 with the capability to install third-party applications. Equipped with an octa-core 2.4GHz MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage with expandability via a memory card slot, the inkNoteX Color also incorporates advanced features like a fingerprint sensor, wireless charging stylus, dual speakers, a microphone, USB-C port, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Additionally, it sports both front (5MP) and rear (8MP) cameras, a 4000mAh battery and measures 225.6 x 191 x 6.6mm in size. Although its weight remains unspecified, it appears to include a leather case as part of the package.


2024. iReader Neo 2 provides a 35% increase in overall performance vs the previous generation



The new iReader Neo 2 utilizes the latest generation E INK technology, Carta 1300 and provides a massive 35% increase in overall performance vs the previous generation. This means if you thought the 11th generation Kindle Paperwhite was fast, this trounces it. It even supports English, so there is a massive market for it. The iReader Neo 2 features a 6-inch E INK Carta 1300 black and white e-paper panel. It has a resolution of 1072×1448 with 300 PPI. It features a recessed bezel design, providing a superior reading experience. Most e-readers on the market have a glass layer protecting the screen. There is a USBC port for charging and transferring documents and it is powered by a 1700 mAh battery. The iReader Neo 2 runs Android 11 as the operating system but doesn’t have an app store. I have heard that you can sideload in apps on this model, but you couldn’t on the first gen Neo. The main UI is at the bottom and has links to the library, store and settings menu. It retails for $239.99.

2023. Onyx Boox Note Air3 is now available



Onyx BOOX has released the Note Air3, an exceptional black and white E-Ink notepad designed for distraction-free note-taking. The Note Air3 series offers users a choice between the Note Air3 and Note Air3 C, offering a monochrome screen or a colour screen, respectively. The Note Air3 is available with a free magnetic case and the Boox Pen 2 Plus stylus for $399.99 The Note Air3 boasts a 10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen offering a crisp reading experience while minimizing eye strain. There is WIFI to connect to the internet and it has a USB-C port for transferring data or charging. It is powered by a 3700 mAh battery. Running on the Android 12 OS, the Note Air3 gives access to numerous apps for note-taking and reading. Equipped with the latest firmware, the Note Air3 comes preloaded with the game-changing Smart Scribe feature, empowering users to refine their note-taking skills effortlessly. With this innovative addition, users can annotate books with handwritten notes and seamlessly transform them into perfect shapes, highlights, underlines, or even easily erase their handwriting. Furthermore, the Note Air3 features a more realistic handwriting experience. It also offers comprehensive note-taking tools, including keyword search to find relevant notes instantly, converting handwritten notes into editable text and seamless integration with related files or websites for quick reference.


2023. Bigme released new colour e-note S6 Color+


In the vast, swirling chaos of the digital cosmos, where decisions about what to read next can feel more daunting than vogon poetry, Bookhound emerges like a benevolent guide dog with impeccable literary taste. With a simple click, you can declare your undying love for a particular genre, and Bookhound will promptly send you a charmingly curated bundle of four splendidly tangible paperbacks—all without the faintest whiff of a galactic credit crisis. This month, the clever chaps at Bookhound present the July Bestselling Feel Good Fiction Bundle, a delightful quartet of romance novels destined to make your heart sing. Among its treasures lies Tessa Bailey's "Hook, Line and Sinker," a rom-com marvel wherein an ex-player hopelessly and hilariously falls for his best friend while gallantly attempting to pair her with someone else—a story so well-loved it’s practically demanded by interplanetary treaty. So why wait? Snag your bundle, fall in love with love, and let Bookhound guide you to romance enlightenment.


2023. MobiScribe released color waterproof eNote - MobiScribe Wave Color



In a move that might cause even the most stoic of scribes to raise an eyebrow, MobiScribe, earlier this year, unveiled the MobiScribe Wave with its black-and-white 7.8-inch E Ink screen—surely a marvel to those who find color a bit too exciting. But now, in a gesture that screams, "Oh, go on then, let’s jazz things up a bit," they've introduced the MobiScribe Wave Color, a dazzling contraption priced at $320 (the grayscale version, for the less flamboyant, is $285). This colorful upstart flaunts a 7.8-inch E Ink Kaleido Plus screen and runs Android 12 with a built-in speaker for those moments when silence simply won’t do. A frontlight with adjustable color temperature ensures you can scrawl your musings in any lighting, and its 2500mAh battery promises not to leave you high and dry too soon. Naturally, it comes armed with a stylus, allowing you to summon 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity via its Wacom touchscreen—because, really, why settle for 4095? Oh, and for the adventurous, it’s waterproof with an IPX7 rating, which means it can bravely endure a dunking in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, in case you feel like journaling underwater or just really can’t put it down during a bath.


2023. Onyx Boox launches compact e-reader Onyx Boox Page running Android



The Onyx Boox Page is, to put it mildly, an absurdly delightful e-reader that comes with all the conveniences one might need for conquering the wilds of digital reading. It’s got manual page-turn buttons, which are astonishingly satisfying in their simplicity, and boasts the shiny new E INK Carta 1200 e-paper technology, presumably for the sort of person who can distinguish between the subtleties of pixels with great emotional investment. Measuring a tidy 7 inches, this device runs on Google Android 11, offering full access to the Google Play Store — which, let’s face it, is as close to a near-infinite library as you’re likely to get without a Babel fish. Yours for $249.99, and it even comes with a case so fetching it practically begs to be shown off. Beneath the surface lurks a Qualcomm 2.0GHz Octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 32GB storage capacity for hoarding all manner of media, from tomes to tunes. And yes, there’s a speaker (for the talkers and the tuners), Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless escapades, and a WiFi (802.11b/g/n/ac) 2.4G + 5G chip to make it suitably internet-savvy. A USB-C port handles charging and data transfers with a certain effortless aplomb, while a microphone and g-sensor prove it’s more socially versatile than one might expect from a slab of tech, flipping between portrait* and landscape views as if it had a mind of its own. Powering it all is a 2300mAh battery, tucked neatly into a design that is 156 X 137 X 6.0mm and a feathery 195g, making it lightweight enough to hold but substantial enough to make you feel rather tech-savvy and futuristic, as any good e-reader should.


2023. iReader Neo e-Readers come with AI for Text-to-speech function



The iReader Neo series, a recent debut in the brand's line-up, is what one might call e-readers with a touch of existential minimalism—they steadfastly eschew note-taking in favor of simply being, well, readers. The range includes two models: the Neo, with a perfectly adequate 212 PPI for everyday existential crises, and the Neo Pro, which flaunts a near-outrageous 300 PPI for those who like their text crisp enough to cut reality itself. At $230, the Neo Pro will set you back $40 more than its contemplative sibling, but both share an Android-powered soul. Their pièce de résistance is a suite of AI wizardry that seems uncannily clever: an intelligent edge-trimming function that tames unruly PDFs, letting you fiddle with fonts, font sizes, and typesetting to your heart’s content. The Neo series even whispers your books aloud with text-to-speech, spruces up contrast, and performs the digital alchemy of one-click PDF watermark removal, ideal for indulging in the visual splendor of magazines and comics. As if that weren’t enough, these devices speak English quite fluently, armed with a dictionary that instantly translates words as if it were an old friend looking over your shoulder. For the linguistically adventurous, there's even a language learning mode with real-time translations, making the Neo series as cosmically clever as an improbability drive in paperback form.


2023. iReader launches 6-inch iReader Neo



In a move that could only be described as delightfully inevitable, the Chinese manufacturer iReader has unveiled the Neo series of Android e-readers—the Neo and its slightly snazzier sibling, the Neo Pro. At first glance, the two gadgets appear as alike as two bookish peas in a pod, but a closer inspection reveals that the Neo Pro has a touch more sparkle. While the base Neo hums along with a 6-inch E Ink panel at a respectable 212 PPI resolution, the Pro steps up with a 300 PPI display—sharper, crisper, and altogether more inclined to smugness. Both models come with a "smart flip cover," which is less about flipping and more about being a clever accessory: doubling as a protective shell and offering customizable buttons for flipping back to Home or refreshing the display. This cunning contraption is, naturally, sold separately, because why not? The Neo and Neo Pro are priced at $125 and $140, respectively—a small price to pay for avoiding the existential horror of e-readers without buttons.


2023. Xiaomi brings back the Inkpalm Mini 2



Xiaomi has collaborated with digital stationery company Kinbor to revive the second generation InkPalm Mini 2, which retains its original hardware but comes with several additional features. These include a luggage tag and stickers featuring an owl reading books, a high-quality traveling pouch made from super high-grade plastic and a ledger with a pen for note-taking and drawing. The unboxing experience is truly unique, offering a plethora of discoveries. The Xiaomi mini e-reader boasts a 5.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and a pixel density of 284 ppi, runs on Google Android 8.1 and supports the installation of third-party apps such as F-Droid or the Amazon App Store for updates. While the device includes a dedicated e-reading app for sideloaded English ebooks, the majority of the UI is in Chinese.


2021. Onyx Boox launches an affordable Leaf eReader



Onyx may not be widely known, but the brand produces some of the most dependable gadgets on the market at a reasonable price. Their latest offering is the new 7-inch e-book reader, officially named the Onyx Boox Leaf. This e-reader features a 7-inch display and lacks stylus support. It’s a more lightweight option, weighing only 170 grams, for those who prefer a less cumbersome device. Primarily designed for reading, it allows you to focus on your books. It comes with a lightweight magnetic cover also made by Onyx, enabling you to hold the device like a traditional book and use the page-turn buttons, simulating the experience of flipping through pages. The Leaf e-book reader supports audiobooks and text-to-speech features and connects via Bluetooth, allowing you to pair it with headphones or Bluetooth speakers for enhanced audio. The Onyx Boox Leaf eReader operates on Android 10.


2021. New PocketBook InkPad Lite 970 has cheap 9.7-inch E Ink Screen



PocketBook has introduced a new e-reader featuring a 9.7-inch E Ink Carta display, named the PocketBook InkPad Lite. It’s essentially a budget-friendly e-reader with a large screen, slated for release in autumn 2021. The price is rumored to be $299, making it the most affordable large-screen e-reader on the market by about $50. The PocketBook InkPad Lite is somewhat unusual in 2021 because PocketBook chose to use a low-cost display with the same 1200 x 825 resolution that 9.7-inch E Ink screens had over a decade ago. This results in a resolution of only 150 ppi. Even the Likebook P10 offers a better screen with 200 ppi and is just about $50 more expensive, featuring an upgraded quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and a more versatile Android OS.


2021. inkBOOK Focus - the new high-spec e-Ink reader



Polish company Inkbook has introduced a new flagship e-reader, the inkBOOK Focus, priced at €229. It features a larger 7.8-inch screen that displays 30% more text. You can turn pages using the touchscreen or configure the navigation buttons to suit your preference, whether you are right- or left-handed. Running on Android, it allows you to use apps without restrictions, including Kindle, Skoobe, Onleihe, Storytel and more. The inkBOOK Focus provides functionality that other e-readers lack, allowing you to use a single device for multiple services such as Kindle, Kobo, Onleihe, Tolino, Thalia, Skoobe, Nubico, Legimi, Pocket and others. Additionally, if you enjoy listening, you can use Storytel or Audible. The inkBOOK Focus lets you switch between reading and listening on various services. You can connect Bluetooth headphones to listen to audiobooks or synchronized books if available.


2019. Tolino Page 2 running Android OS is available



Tolino has introduced four new eReaders this week, including the Tolino Page 2, which features a 6-inch E Ink display and operates on an Android-based system. Although details on pricing or global availability have not yet been released, we will keep you informed as soon as this information becomes available. Meanwhile, here are the specifications for the new Tolino eReader: a 6-inch, 768 x 1024 pixel E Ink Carta touchscreen display (212 ppi), a 1 GHz NXP i.MX6 processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB storage, a 1,000 mAh battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a micro USB port.


2018. Arta Tech announces InkBook Explore



Arta Tech, a Polish firm specializing in e-readers for the past five years, has just introduced a new device: the Inkbox Explore. It features a 7.8-inch E Ink Carta screen with a resolution of 1872 x 1404 pixels and 300 PPI. The device includes a front light with an adjustable color temperature, allowing for comfortable reading in low light and reducing screen brightness. It is powered by an i.MX6SL processor (with an integrated E Ink controller), 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, plus a MicroSD slot that supports up to 32GB. This model stands out as one of the few e-readers equipped with USB-C, with Onyx being another brand offering this feature. The Inkbox Explore is equipped with a 3000 mAh battery, promising several weeks of use. Bluetooth functionality is included, enabling users to install their preferred audiobook apps for listening at any time. Running on Android 4.4.4, the device does not have a built-in app store, so users will likely need to download the Good e-Reader App Store for E Ink to access additional applications. It is priced at $189 USD and can be purchased from the Inkbook website.


2015. The new e-ink reader inkBOOK Obsidian is now available



Arta Tech (formerly the European distributor of Onyx Boox) has released the new inkBOOK Obsidian e-reader. The Obsidian features a flush capacitive screen with the bezel and a six-inch display. The resolution on this model is relatively modest, with 1024 x 758 pixels and 212 PPI, compared to the Kindle Voyage, Nook Glowlight, or the Ultimate e-reader, which offer 1430 x 1080 pixels and 300 PPI. One of the main attractions of this device is that it operates on Android 4.2.2, allowing you to install your own apps. You can download them from the Midiapolis App Store created by Aras, which only offers around 10 apps and relies on the Aptoide App Store for content. This e-reader is currently available for €145.