Just a couple of years ago, we would have laughed at the idea of getting an E-ink monitor, because most displays were still in black and white only, larger displays were prohibitively expensive, and nobody wanted to wait for several seconds to get a full display refresh.
But there’s been some good progress in recent years with color displays, faster refresh rate, and prices coming down somewhat which has led to the launch of devices such as the Onyx BOOX Tab Ultra C 10.3-inch color E-Ink Android tablet and a range of color eReaders such as the PocketBook Color. But DASUNG is going further with the launch of the world’s first color E-ink monitor.
DASUNG E-Ink color monitor specifications:
- 23.5-inch color E-ink Kaleido 3 color screen with 3200 x 1800 resolution
- 4096 colors through DASUNG X-Color Filter
- “Ultra-fast Turbo Refresh Tech”
- Optional frontlight and/or curved display (depends on model)
- Landscape and portrait mode orientation
- Video Input – HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB Type-C
- Audio – Stereo speakers, 3.5mm audio jack
- Wireless – Dual-band WiFi connectivity for Miracast and Airplay support
- USB – 3x USB Type-A (output) ports, 1x USB Type-B (input) port
- Power via DC jack
- Weight – 3.78 kg to 4.63 kg depending on selected model
The company actually already released a 23.5-inch E-Ink monitor, but only with a greyscale E-ink screen, a few years ago, so some of the specifications will be similar. GoodEReader has a review of that model, and refresh rates are impressive and close to regular monitors, but it depends on the mode selected, and some “staining” may appear in the faster “video mode”.
But back to the new color model. The company claims the display allows for smoother browsing, document editing, online learning, and even video watching as demonstrated in the video below. Surely not good enough for gaming, but it’s still not bad considering that it’s an E-Ink monitor, and such an E-Ink display should really help with eye strain compared to a traditional display.
DASUNG has just launched their 25.3-inch color E-Ink monitor on Indiegogo starting at $1,529 including worldwide shipping. Early backers can get quite a good deal (for an E-ink monitor) as the greyscale model currently retails for $1,898 with a front light. Shipping for the color E-ink monitor is scheduled to start in December 2023 or January 2024 depending on the exact model, and the monitor will come with a height-adjustable stand, an HDMI cable, a USB-A to USB-B cable, and a power adapter.
Via Hacker News
Updated: This article was initially published on July 31, 2023 and updated once the color E-Ink monitor launched on Indiegogo
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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But this makes no sense! Having e-ink for a portable device, OK, but for a regular display??? What’s the purpose, except to try to impress friends ?
I’m unable to read long text (like a book or a datasheet) on a computer without eye strain/discomfort. So I used to print datasheets if I needed to read them in details, and now if I get a soft copy of a user manual, I often print it to more easily read and better understand it.
So If this type of E-ink monitor can really offer a paper-like experience I might understand why some people would purchase one. The price tag is still really stiff though.
If it’s for the comfort of paper-like display (i.e. no backlight), then you make a point, I can understand, but I suspect that a part of the discomfort also comes from having to read vertically. I too strongly prefer to read from paper than a display. As a student I used to code on some SparcStation ELC which had black-and-white displays that were excellent, where you didn’t feel like there was a backlight and they felt almost like written on paper. I used to find them extremely comfortable to work on for 10+ hours a day.
Other than your needs, what are the use cases for this very expensive poor viewing quality monitor? Somebody had to be first and push the technology so it’s not all bad.
sure usecase arent that wide, but there are legitimate ones like:
any application that heavily uses natural light will need it.
IMO large e-ink is great for digital signage, especially outdoors, if only it could match lcd/amoled in price.
Side note: is it me or WP? On my PC, the date of this post is yesterday, but all the comments is dated 1 month ago.
As stated at the end of the post: “Updated: This article was initially published on July 31, 2023 and updated once the color E-Ink monitor launched on Indiegogo”
The post has been edited. There should be a sentence about that at the end of the post.
I’m surprised the grayscale versions haven’t come down in price. E-ink continues to be an expensive technology
The DASUNG model price has come down significantly. At the time of the GoodEReader review (August 2022), it sold for $2600, now it’s $1800-$1900. Still not exactly cheap.
Aah I must have missed that initial price. I spent 900 USD on a 49″ 5120×1440 curved ultra wide LCD with a built in camera, USB hub etc so double that for a niche eink display is too much for me. Shame as I spend all day reading code so have the perfect application.
The marketing on this one is just wild. “Ultra-fast Turbo Refresh Tech”? Colors that are “remarkable”? Come on, it’s just a monitor and these aren’t even its main selling points.
For those interested in just the panel itself, either the same or something very close (same size and resolution) is available from Good Display here: https://www.good-display.com/product/476.html
It’s not yet on their online shop (the ill-named buy-lcd.com), though, so you’d have to ask for pricing.
The specs show it uses a tremendous amount of power of an e-ink panel (250 mW standby, 2.2 W “typical” and 17.7 W max!). Not quite sure what the use case for that is, really.
That’s less power consumption than a typical monitor.
The use case is less eye strain, greenwashing, and video sucks so bad that the worker doesn’t try to watch Netflix on the job.