E Ink has announced the next generation of its color e-paper technology, introducing Kaleido 4. This new display standard addresses several performance limitations found in its predecessor, offering faster screen refreshes, improved contrast, and better color reproduction. The company stated that the upgrade is designed to make color e-readers and tablets more practical for everyday use.
Kaleido 4 Performance Improvements
The new technology builds on the Kaleido 3 displays currently found in devices from manufacturers like Kobo, PocketBook, and Boox. Amazon also uses a customized version of this technology in its Kindle Colorsoft line. While previous generations offered color e-paper options, they often suffered from desaturated images and slower response times compared to traditional LCD or OLED screens.
E Ink claims that Kaleido 4 doubles the color gamut volume of the previous generation. This should result in more vibrant images, although the display is still limited to 4,096 colors. Modern screens can produce millions of colors, so the palette remains restricted. However, the company reports a 15 percent increase in white reflectance and a 50 percent boost in contrast. These changes aim to make plain text appear less muddy and more readable than on earlier color e-paper models.
The speed improvements are driven by a new oxide TFT backplane. This component allows the screen to refresh at rates up to 18 frames per second. This speed makes the display capable of playing back video, a feature that was difficult to achieve with earlier e-paper technologies. Other E Ink displays, such as the Gallery 3 found in the Remarkable Paper Pro, use colored pigments to form images. While those displays offer full color, they refresh too slowly for comfortable daily use. The Kaleido approach uses a color filter over black and white pigments, balancing speed with color capability.
First Device Launches in China
Major brands like Amazon and Kobo have not yet announced new devices featuring the Kaleido 4 screen. The first device to adopt the technology is the Hanvon M10C II, a note-taking tablet launching in China. Hanvon Technology will equip the tablet with a Kaleido 4 display featuring a micro-etched tempered-glass surface. This surface is designed to reduce glare and provide a texture that mimics the feel of writing on paper.
The M10C II will support a battery-free pen for note-taking. The device is currently limited to the Chinese market, leaving users in other regions waiting for global releases. E Ink has not specified when other manufacturers will integrate the new screen into their product lines. The company continues to refine e-paper technology to compete with traditional digital displays in specific use cases like reading and note-taking.
Source: The Verge
