Skagen's Jorn Hybrid HR is a smartwatch with an E Ink display, that features a battery life of over two weeks, a heart rate sensor, sleep tracking and notification support.
The Jorn Hybrid HR will ship by the end of January 2021 for $195.
Wearables with e-paper displays
Article last updated on: Nov 06, 2020
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 wearable market, mostly for smartwatches and fitness bands.
The latest wearables with ePaper displays
Fossil Monroe
The Fossil Monroe is a hybrid manual / E Ink smartwatch that features an always on customizable display, activity and heart rate tracking and Fossil's own operation system.
The Monroe is joined by other similar watches, like the Charter Brown Leather HR with a blue-background E Ink and the Neutra Brown Leather Hybrid HR with a green watch face.
SQFMI Watchy
SQFMI's is an open source (hardware and software) smartwatch that features a small 200x200 E Ink display and a low-power dual-core chipset (ESP32-S) - the watch should last for about 2 weeks on a single charge.
You can download all the documentation for Watchy on Github to produce your own device, or buy an assembled one for $55 (it will soon be available through SQFMI's web store).
Fossil Hybrid HR
The Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch HR (Heart Rate) is a smartwatch that features mechanical hands placed on top of a 1.06" E Ink display. The watch tracks your heart rate, activity and sleep and provides in-depth wellness stats and lasts for two weeks between charges.
The Fossil Hybrid HR is now shipping globally starting at $170.
GLIGO E Ink smartwatch
The GLIGO smartwatch combines a mechanical watch with an E Ink display. The watch connects to your smartphone to show notifications and can monitor your sleep, steps, running distance and heart rate.
The GLIGO raised over $150,000 in a crowdfunding campaign in 2018.
Verily life Sciences study watch
The Study Watch by Verily Life Sciences (ex Google-X division) is a health-tracking smartwatch that features an always-on E Ink display, environmental and physiological sensors and long-lasting battery.
The study watch will used in observational health studies - it will not be sold to consumers.
POP-I E Ink backpack
POP-I's E Ink backpacks use an E Ink panel on the back. You can customize the image via an application on your phone (iOS or Android). There are several backpacks available, with a display size of either 4.7" or 10" (HD). The bags themselves are made from either canvas or leather.
POP-I said it was to ship those bags at the summer of 2017, for $99 to $399.
Sony FES Watch U
Sony's FES Watch U is the successor to the popular (in Japan) Sony FES watch. This is an E Ink watch that also has E Ink on the wrist-band, so you can change the design at will. There are 12 basic designs, but this is software based and will increase as Sony makes available an iOS companion application.
The FES Watch U started shipping in Japan for around $400 to $550 depending on the model. It seems no longer to be in production - although you can find a product page at Amazon.co.uk and some watches are still available over at eBay.
iSport W194
iSport's W194 is a fitness tracker that sports a flexible E Ink display. The watch monitors steps, distance walked, speed, calories and also your sleep. It can connect to both iOS and Android devices.
iSPort's E Ink watch started shipping in 2016 for $55. It is no longer available. You can find more info at Amazon.com.
The Calendar Watch
The Calendar Watch is a simple smartwatch that uses an E Ink display below analog clock hands to show what parts of the day are busy. The watch is controlled by your smartphone - both the calendar display and the clock itself.
The Calendar Watch was originally crowdfunded in 2016, but is now available at retailers such as Amazon starting at $230.
