Electronic paper (or e-paper) is a collective name for display technologies that offer paper-like performance - high display clarity and sunlight readability, and all that with very low power consumption (usually ePaper displays do not require any power while the image is not changing).
ePaper displays are found in many devices (most people will associate ePaper displays with e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle). ePaper displays are slowly entering the consumer laptop market.
Some laptop makers are adopting ePaper displays in their designs, to act as secondary screens. In the image above you can see Lenovo's Yoga Book C930, a windows laptop/tablet hybride that sports a 8-inch E Ink display that can serve as a dynamic keyboard, a notepad or an e-reader.
Some laptop designers are exclusively using an ePaper (usually E Ink) display as the main display in the laptop. These devices are usually offered as mobile 'type writers' - to remove distractions and enhance battery life.
Bluegen's OKPad is an Android tablet with two displays, a main 8.9" 1280x800 LCD and a second 7.8" 1872x1404 monochrome E Ink display. Both are touch enabled, and the E Ink also supports Wacom stylus.
The OKPad has been launched via a crowdfunding campaign, with prices starting at $199 (at a 50% discount to the retail price).
Lenovo's ThinkBook Twist laptop has a swiveling base that you can use to choose from two displays: a 13.3" 400 nits 60Hz 2.8K OLED touchscreen, or a color 13.3" E Ink display. The E Ink will offer a much longer battery life (Lenovo says 21 hours) compared to the OLED display.
The ThinkBook Twist offers Windows 11 OS, Intel's 13th-Gen chipset, up to 16GB of RAM and 1T of storage. Lenovo says the ThinkBook Plus Twist will ship in June 2023, starting at $1,649.
Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 is an update to the original ThinkBook Plus with the E Ink display on the back. The Gen 2 device has a 12-inch 2560x1600 resolution E Ink panel, and also updates the chipset and specifications.
The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 will ship globally in Q1 2021 starting at $1,549.
Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus is a 13.3" Windows Laptop that includes a 10.8" E Ink touch display on the outside of the laptop, designed to work when it is closed to take notes, read documents an books, and more.
The ThinkBook Plus is now shipping globally.
Atrohaus' Traveler is a portable writing device that is designed for distraction-free writing. It has a 6" E Ink display, keyboard and WiFi and can last for about 30 hours (about 4 weeks of 30 minute a day).
The Traveler is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo for $309. The full retail price will be $599. Asrohaus aims to ship the first devices in June 2019.
Lenovo's 2018 Yoga Book (C930) is a Windows 10 tablet/laptop hybrid that features a 10.8" 2560x1600 LCD display and a large (around 8", it seems) E Ink display that operates as a dynamic keyboard, a notepad or an e-reader. Other features include an Intel m3-7Y30 or Core i5-7Y54 processor, 4GB RAM and up to 256GB of SSD storage.
The Yoga Book C930 is now shipping (note: affiliate link to Amazon.com).
Japan's King Jim Pomera D30 is a "minimalist writing computer" that adopts a 6" E Ink display to enable long lasting battery life (20 hours on two AA batteries) and a portable design.
The Pomera DM30 will launch in November 2018 for $500 - providing that it will succeed in its crowdfunding campaign.
The Onyx Boox Typewriter is a laptop device that uses a 9.7" E Ink display. This is an interesting design that may appeal to writers and many others if it is executed correctly.
The Onyx Boox Typewriter is not official yet, but this interesting device was spotted in an official company brochure.
