The e-reader industry is doing very well; more e-readers and e-notes were released in 2023 than in any other year. This is thanks to innovative new technologies, such as the Kaleido 3 colour e-paper, 256 levels of grey scale are becoming the norm, and e-book readers now come in all shapes and sizes. What are the trends to look out for in 2024, and what is the Good e-Reader Staff excited about?
Carta 1300 (E INK Carta Plus)
The first new thing that will dominate 2024 is the latest generation E INK Carta 1300, which is known as E INK Carta Plus. The core of this tech is unknown; all of my contacts at E INK have never even heard of it, and all of the booth people who travel worldwide, hyping all the new stuff, haven’t even heard of it. Nor has E INK issued any press release to make its existence known.
There have been two companies to release products so far, the iReader Smart X3 and the Onyx Boox Livingston. Both companies told me that the new panel allows for 20 percent higher contrast and 25 percent faster response time vs Carta 1200, which increased all these things by 30%. Carta 1300 screens will provide truer blacks, better grayscale, vibrant picture quality and lower power consumption. So if you have an e-reader over three years old, this new wave of e-readers and e-notebooks using Carta 1300 will be a night and day difference, whether the device is running Android or Linux.
Color E-Paper
Kaleido 3 is not ready for prime time; only fringe players in the e-reader industry employ it on commercial book readers. Most releases stem from Chinese companies such as the iReader, Onyx Boox, Bigme and the European giant Pocketbook. The main reason is that the colour PPI is still not up to snuff; no matter the large or small screen size, you will only get 150 PPI. I noticed that colours tend to be darker and not as bright and vibrant as a typical smartphone, computer monitor or tablet. E INK will have to go beyond 4096 colours and have 300 PPI for Kaleido 4 if they ever hope to land a big contract with Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo or Tolino.
Amazon
2023 was the first year that Amazon did not release a new Kindle e-reader. Instead, the company focused on the software experience. They completed the home screen experience on the Paperwhite and issued many updates and new features for the Kindle Scribe, their first digital note-taking device. Amazon made it easier to push out updates since all Kindles are now using the same software since they got rid of JavaScript.
Will Amazon release a new e-reader in 2024? I don’t expect anything earth-shattering, just an incremental update. I have a feeling they will update the Kindle Basic that came out in 2022, and the 11th Generation Kindle Paperwhite, which came out in 2021. I can see more storage variants available since more people download audiobooks, and Kindle books are increasingly becoming larger, mainly non-fiction. I see the company starting at 16GB for the base model (instead of 8GB) and going to 64 GB. I also expect the 12th generation Paperwhite to employ Carta 1300. Amazon was one of the early adopters of Carta 1200 on the Paperwhite and Signature Editions, although they were never publicly announced.
E INK Monitors are growing up
In the first few months of 2024, we will finally see computer monitors use E INK Kaleido 3 colour e-paper. Bigme is crowdfunding one on Kickstarter that introduces the product. Their upcoming project is an All-in-one PC with 25-inch throughout throughout the past few years, have pivoted to dedicated monitors. Their 253 monitor was the first one in this regard, and their second monitor is in the crowdfunding stage; it is a 25-inch monitor with E INK Kaleido 3 colour e-paper, making it the first full-colour monitor using this technology. The monitor is on Indiegogo, The Dark Knight version is $1500, and the curved version is $1600.
The Dasung Paperlike Color features a 25.3-inch Kaleido 3 display, Paperlike Color is available in two versions, the Dark Knight edition, which, as you might have guessed, features an all-black exterior, and the Curved Screen edition featuring 4000R curvature while measuring just 8mm at its thinnest point. The underlying technology, along with everything else, happens to be the same with both models.
That includes a 16:9 aspect ratio, 4096 colours, and 3K ultra-high definition resolution. Then there is also the Dasung X-Color Filter technology at work, which ensures enhanced levels of ‘color contrast, brightness, text clarity, and dynamic color effects’, allowing a more realistic and comfortable viewing experience. Apart from this, the Turbo High Refresh Rate technology adds to the viewing experience by ensuring smoother displays with less ghosting. The display has both warm and cool lighting, which means you can continue with your work even in dimly lit or dark conditions.
Dasung and Bigme are the first confirmed computer monitors to have Kaleido 3. Hopefully, this will encourage Onyx to release a Mira and Pro colour version.
Small e-readers
The typical e-reader and e-note are getting more extensive, and this trend will continue into 2024. The vast majority of people are split into two camps. One wants something portable to bring while commuting to work or waiting for appointments, something that fits in a bag or purse. The other camp wants a large screen so more text can fit on the display anytime. This is why the typical e-notebook is 10.3 inches and scales to 13.3 inches. These products can read A4 and A5 documents, which are essential for replicating PDF files to fill the entire screen.
Some people like small, portable e-readers, which fit in your pocket. Xiaomi Moaan has released multiple generations of the InkPalm, and their latest product is the InkPalm Mini 5 Pro, which retails for $299. It has a pocket-friendly 5.2-inch display, reasonable specs and a good form factor.
Onyx Boox got on the tiny e-reader bandwagon and released the Palma in late 2023. The Onyx Boox Palma features a 6.13-inch capacitive touchscreen display and utilizes E INK Carta 1200 for fast page refreshing. The resolution is 824 x 1648 with 300 PPI. The screen is flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of glass. The device colour scheme is a piano black on the front and back platting. It has two speakers, two microphones, a volume rocker (which can double as page-turn buttons), and an ambient light sensor to adjust the front-lit and colour temperature system based on the environment. It does not have a front-facing camera but does on the rear with a 16 MP snapper and LED light. A USB-C port will charge it and also transfer data.
Underneath the hood are a Qualcomm Octa-core processor, a staggering 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It does have a MicroSD card, capable of an additional 2TB of storage. You can connect to the internet with Wi-Fi (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and have Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless earbuds or headphones to listen to audiobooks, music or podcasts. It is powered by a 3,950mAh Li-ion Polymer battery, which should be good enough for a couple of weeks of light reading or using Android apps. The dimensions are 159 x 80 x 8.0 mm and weighs 170 G.
The Palma uses Google Android 11 as the operating system and fully supports the Google Play Store, so you can download your favourite apps or discover new ones. Users will likely want to download their preferred e-reading ecosystem, such as Kindle, Kobo or Nook, and library apps like Libby or Hoopla. Since it has Google Play Services, you can also access all official Google apps such as Maps or Google Books. This device retails for $279.99 and can be bought on the Good e-Reader Store.
A more minor player in the more miniature e-reader world is Hisense, although their future is questionable. They have a series of devices ranging from 5 inches to 6.7 inches. The Touch HIFI is packed with chips to make listening to music the best in the business. The Hi Reader is a dedicated e-reader, and the A9 smartphone is an excellent replacement for your daily driver. You can check out our side-by-side comparison to see which one is right for you.
What would I like to see on small e-readers in 2024? I would like to see a Palma Mini with a four-inch screen that is even smaller. I know many people who would bring this with them everywhere if it fit in their pocket easily. Kobo should bring back the Kobo Mini. Their portfolio has multiple 6-inch e-readers and larger screens, and everyone loves the Kobo Mini.
New e-readers that will likely come out in 2024
Kobo has at least one new e-reader planned out in early 2024. It is currently unknown what model it will be, but everything points to a new Kobo Libra or Sage. Barnes and Noble will likely release a new tablet but not an e-reader. They are having supply chain issues, and their latest generation, NOOK Glowlight 4 Plus, is out of stock until late May. Pocketbook will release 3-4 new e-readers, and Bigme will refresh most of their product line and ditto with Onyx Boox.
I believe one of the dark horse releases 2024 will be the Remarkable 3. The company tends to refresh their products every three years. The Remarkable 2 came out in 2020 and the original Remarkable 1 debuted in 2017. I believe a new Remarkable will come out sometime in 2024. The company has not filed any FCC applications, so it will likely hit the market in the fall or winter.
SuperNote plans on updating its entire product lineup. The company just released the Nomad, and their 10.3-inch will come out in a few months; they are also working on a new 13.3-inch variant, which will be suitable for people who need to work on A4-sized documents and a larger screen to draw.
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