What are book-style foldings for? The answer is there, in the name! It is time for Samsung, the company that introduced this type of phone, to use that experience to attack the Kindle head-on.
Samsung already manufactures electronic paper screens
You can buy a digital sign for your business
Samsung’s creation of an e-reader with an e-paper display is not as far-fetched as it might seem. In fact, this is the hardware that Samsung already sells. Businesses can purchase digital signage from Samsung that is not as wasteful as paper and uses less energy than conventional displays. Simply search for the Color E-Paper EMDX series and you’ll find what appear to be slim monitors with 13 inches either 32 inches Spectra 6 E-Ink screens.
Obviously, this is not the technology that Samsung is still marketing to consumers. This digital signage is much closer in size to a TV than a phone, and a Spectra 6 screen takes more than a dozen seconds to refresh, making it ideal for posters and picture frames, but too slow even for e-books. However, it would be impressive to see Samsung miniaturize this technology and take it a step further. It is true that Samsung would not be the first to show a device of this type: the Readmoo mooInk V It’s a foldable product that was shown a year ago, but Samsung could push such a product into the public consciousness and put existing e-reader manufacturers on notice.
Samsung is a screen company.
What would be more impressive than a foldable color e-paper display?
Samsung is at its best when it impresses us with hardware that few companies can match. For all the talk of rivalry, there’s a reason Apple turns to Samsung to provide displays for the iPhone. There are few in the world that can compare.
However, it has been difficult to maintain enthusiasm for Samsung products lately. While the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 is noticeably thinner than the previous phone, most Galaxy devices look and feel more or less the same.
Samsung has settled on a design language that continues across the line, from its cheapest phones to its largest tablets. I’m always impressed by the quality of Samsung hardware, but aside from my time with the recent Samsung Galaxy XRThere haven’t been many Samsung products that have simply made me say “wow.”
Samsung could change this by betting on electronic paper screens. And it shouldn’t just compete with companies like Books and Amazon by offering an alternative Kaleido 3 panel. Samsung could surprise us with an e-paper display that folds, like its existing line of book-style foldables.
A folding book is the same size as an e-reader
Samsung hardware is already the right size
For more than a year, I absolutely love my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Reading is a big part of the reason why. I loved traveling the world with my entire collection of e-books and comics in my pocket at all times. I no longer needed to carry a book or a dedicated eReader in a separate bag.
When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is about the same size as an average Kindle. In some ways, it’s actually better. The screen is larger and the bezels are smaller, so you can see more text and watch comics easily. The device is lightweight and easy to hold for hours at a time. I’ve written about how much I enjoyed it. browsing e-books in the way you might mindlessly scroll through social media. I have argued that a book-style folding book is the The best way to read digital comics..
But as beautiful as my Z Fold 6’s screen is, there’s something spiritually different about reading on an e-paper screen. The words feel different. The experience feels different. It is easier on the eyes and less disturbing to sleep. I would love to see this same phone with a screen swapped in the same way as Hibreak Pro Color by Bigme It is simply a mid-range Android smartphone with all the features and an e-ink display.
This could also be digital note taking.
E-readers still sell well, but reading e-books is no longer the only reason we buy E-Ink devices. This technology has also emerged as a compelling way to take notes by hand. The reMarkable tablet incorporated this idea and the Kindle Scribe has carried the torch ever since.
- Screen
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Color screen on canvas
- Resolution
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2160 x 1620 resolution at 229 PPI
The reMarkable Paper Pro is the ultimate in color e-ink note taking, but don’t expect much more for the price.
Samsung has all the experience and software you need to purchase these products. My Galaxy Z Fold 6 supports an S Pen and comes with very capable software in the form of Samsung Notes. Only minor modifications would be needed to make the interface feel at home on an e-ink display. While Samsung removed S Pen support from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to create a thin device, the thickness required by a Wacom digitizer wouldn’t stick out as much on a device with an e-ink screen that already needs to be thicker anyway.
Unfortunately, E-Ink is not a competitive market. The Spectra 6 display on Samsung’s e-paper display comes from the same E-Ink Corporation that everyone else in the industry trusts. Samsung may know how to make foldable displays, but it would still have a hill to climb.
Would all that effort be worth it? A foldable e-ink reader is certainly a niche device and you wouldn’t expect Samsung to sell billions of units. But if Samsung could make a pocket-sized eReader with the same screen size as a regular one, it would be a breakthrough that many avid e-book readers would appreciate.
