There’s not a lot competitors relating to smartphones with E INK e-paper shows. Hisense was once the gold customary. Nonetheless, they appear to have deserted this house, and no new units emerged in just a few years. The Litephone had an E INK display for the primary few generations, however the upcoming Litephone 3 goes with a typical OLED display. Bigme seems to be the brand new torchbearer; their new HiBreak telephones are delivery quickly. They’ve two fashions, one with a black and white E INK show and the opposite with an E INK Kaleido 3 color e-paper display. Two new fashions of the identical telephone might be launched later this 12 months, with higher {hardware}. The Minimal Cellphone is thrilling; it seems to be like a Blackberry, however with an E INK display, however no phrase on a launch date. Mudita has just a few new telephones on the horizon, however they’re primarily dumb telephones with restricted performance. The place does this depart Onyx Boox? Have they got a plan for a brand new telephone?
Onyx Boox has a brand new piece of {hardware} that appears like a telephone, however it’s only a devoted e-reader, the Palma. This makes it simple to tug out of your pocket and browse ebooks or manga. Onyx is making an attempt to compete on this market section in opposition to the Hisense Hello Reader, which has the identical design. Nonetheless, what makes the Palma compelling is the complete entry to the Google Play Retailer and Google Play Companies. Customers can set up any app they need, and the Onyx Boox refresh engine will guarantee apps carry out nicely on an E INK display.
Onyx released a telephone in 2014, again when {hardware} specs and E INK e-paper expertise wasn’t glorious. They used a Mobius display, and the refresh system was abysmal. It used Android, however the model quantity was 2.3. This telephone had poor gross sales, and just a few hundred items have been made. Onyx Boox teased a brand new telephone at CES in 2020, however they determined to desert it for some cause they by no means disclosed.
Provided that the smartphone marketplace for e-paper screens is virtually non-existent, Onyx Boox would possible promote a boatload of them in the event that they ever determined to enter this sector once more. The corporate has matured since its final smartphone flop, and many purchasers like their model; they’re nicely revered within the e-reader and e-notebook areas. E INK expertise and screens have additionally come a great distance, and if Onyx needs to dominate smartphones, now’s the time.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the previous fifteen years. Newspapers and web sites such because the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Put up and the New York Occasions have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
