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 mobile phone market.
Some phone makers are adopting ePaper displays in both smartphones (usually as a second display) or feature phones. ePaper displays can be used to extend battery lifetime, increase readability and also down-feature your phone - as some people prefer phones with less distractions and less features.
Find ePaper phones at Aliexpress.com - shipping globally!
There are also some smartphone cases that include an ePaper display - again as a second screen, usually to serve as an easy to carry and use mobile e-reader.
The 2025 TCL 60 smartphone family includes three models with NxtPaper displays, the TCL 60 SE NxtPaper, and the TCL 60 Nxtpaper.
The TCL 60 SE NxtPaper offers a 6.7" 120Hz 1600 × 900 NxtPaper display, while the TCL 60 NxtPaper offers a slightly larger 6.8" 2220x1080 120Hz display.
The Bigme HiBreak is a range of smartphone with a monochrome and color E Ink display, 5.84" in size. The company did not yet release all information, but it seems there will be four models, two with color E Ink displays and two with monochrome. The internal specifications include a MediaTek Helio P35 (2.3Ghz), Android 11, 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. The premium model offers a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chip (2.4 GHz) , 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and Android 14.
Bigme did not yet announce the release date or price of the new smartphones.
The Minimal Phone is an android phone that offers a square touch E Ink display and a QWERTY keyboard. The phone offers front-lighting, Wi-Fi, 4G communication and a camera.
The Minimal Phone will soon launch a crowdfunding campaign for the first units, the price will be around $400.
The TCL 40 NXTPAPER smartphone sports TCL's NCVM reflective LC display. The phone comes in two models: the standard is based on a 6.78” FHD+ panel while the 5G model has a smaller 6.6" HD+ display. Other features include a 32MP selfie camera, triple camera system, 8 GB of RAM (6GB in the 5G model) and 256 GB of storage.
The 49 NXTPAPER display has received a reflection-free TÜV certification, and it offers anti-glare functionality achieved by "producing a paper-like matte effect texture". The display is covered by a fingerprint smudge-resistant material, to make reading more comfortable.
The Hisense A9 is the company's latest E Ink smartphone, that features a 6.1" 1648x824 monochrome E Ink display, a Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4/6/8 GB of RAM, 128/256 GB of storage, and 4G network support.
The Hisense A9 is now shipping in China (note that cellular support may be limited outside of China), you can order it internationally here.
The Hisense A7 is an Android smartphone that use a 6.7-inch 300 ppi E Ink display with touch input and front-light. Other features include 5G connectivity, Octa core chipset (Unisoc Tiger T7510), 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage and a dual camera setup.
The A7 is now shipping in China for 1,999 Yuan (around $300).
HiSense's A5C is an Android smartphone with a 5.84" 1440Ã720 (278 PPI) color E Ink display. This is the world's first color E Ink smartphone. Other specifications include a Snapdragon 439 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and a 4,000 mAh battery that can last up to 62 hours of continuous reading.
The HiSense A5C is now shipping in China, starting at around $250.
The Mudita Pure is a simple mobile feature phone that features a 2.84" 60x480 (270 PPI) E Ink display, long battery life and ultra-low SAR (radiation).
The Mudita Pure is crowdfunding on Kickstarter where you can buy it for $258 (down from the $369 it will cost when live).
The Hisense A5 is an Android smartphone with a 5.8" HD+ E Ink display, which sports a battery life of 10 days.
The A5 is now shipping globally from China, starting at around $230. Here's a nice video review of this phone.
NTT DoCoMo's Card Keitai is the company's lightest phone ever at only 47 grams, and it features a single 600x480 E Ink display. It's a feature phone (cannot add applications) that supports simple functions.
The Card Keitai will ship in Japan by the end of November 2018 for around $280.
