But how do these e-ink screens work?
What makes them so much better for reading?
How do they manage such impressive battery life?
And should you invest in one yourself?
Here’s everything you oughta know.
What Is E-Ink?
E-Ink is a display technology that replicates the appearance of printed ink on paper.
As such, most of these screens are only black and white.
However, color e-readers are becoming increasingly popular.
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It wasn’t until Amazon released the Kindle in late 2007 that E-Ink really took off.
Like the Librie, it had an 800 x 600-pixel display capable of showing four grayscale levels.
E-Ink technology has come a long way since then.
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Of course, Kindles aren’t the only devices to use E-Ink displays.
Even some smartphones used this technology in the past.
However, E-Ink displays are not limited to handheld devices alone.
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E-Ink vs. E-Paper
Before we continue, we must distinguish between E-Ink and E-Paper.
The two may sound the same, but there are some nuances you better know.
In other words, E-Ink is just one specific kind of E-Paper technology.
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The Pebble smartwatch is arguably the most popular example of an E-Paper display that doesn’t use E-Ink.
Instead, it uses an incredibly low-power liquid-crystal display with a reflective layer that looks like paper.
Other technologies include Mirasol and Electrowetting, but these have generally been relegated to niche usage.
How Does E-Ink Work?
In an E-Ink display, a clear fluid suspends millions of tiny capsules filled with black and white pigment.
Each region is one “pixel” in the display.
Together, all the white pigment appears as a single white pixel.
This results in a black pixel on display.
Unlike a liquid-crystal display, which requires constant power to keep the contents of the display on the screen.
E-Ink only requires power to change the polarity of electrodes on a per-region basis.
This phenomenon is known as “ghosting” and is usually fixed by a full-page refresh.
Also, E-Ink displays aren’t confined to e-readers.
It is possible to create your ownfascinating projects with an e-ink display.
These are some of the advantages and disadvantages of E-Ink for different applications.
you’re free to read for longer without experiencing eye strain on e-readers.
This makes them unsuitable for playing animations and videos.
2.Price: E-Ink displays are pretty pricey compared to LCDs, especially as they increase in size and resolution.
This means that e-readers remain a luxury purchase for most people.
What About Reading in the Dark?
Nowadays, upmarket e-readers have a built-in lighting feature that lets you read in the dark.
Lighting is also useful during the daytime when you’re gonna wanna adjust contrast.
This distributes the light evenly across the surface and makes the entire page legible.
Instead of four weeks per charge, you might get just around two weeks.
With added lighting built into the machine, it even lets you read at night without ruining your eyes.
In the long run, purchasing an e-ink gear is an investment that pays off over time.
