Dasung’s latest color E ink monitor is portable

It may look like another e-note tablet, but Dasung’s Paperlike Color is actually a portable monitor featuring a 12-inch color E Ink screen with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. For those working remotely, it can provide extra screen real estate for a laptop or a smartphone, or its reflective e-paper panel can serve as an alternative to staring at an LCD for hours, thus reducing eye strain.

The Paperlike Color is Dasung’s second dedicated display product featuring an E Ink Kaleido 3 color screen, following a 25.3-inch desktop version that debuted last September. The desktop version sells for $1,649, while the new portable version is available now for $849.

The Kaleido display technology works by applying a color filter over a black and white E Ink panel, but that approach has some limitations. In black and white mode, E Ink’s Kaleido 3 screens have a resolution of 300 ppi, but in color mode, that drops to 150 ppi. In addition, Kaleido 3 technology can also only display 4,096 colors, compared to the millions that LCD or OLED screens can display.

The most compelling reason to use an E Ink monitor is that it’s designed to reflect ambient light, instead of emitting its own. That can make the screens easier to concentrate on for longer periods, and it’s why reading devices like the Amazon Kindle have remained so popular. But the Paperlike Color can also be used in the dark, thanks to an optional neutral-colored front light that illuminates the screen.

Other features include touchscreen functionality, physical buttons on the bezel for adjusting various display settings, and Dasung’s “Turbo Refresh Tech,” which boosts the refresh rate of the E Ink panel so users can watch videos on it. And thanks to a housing made from CNC carved aluminum alloy, the portable Paperlike Color weighs 439 grams (about 15.5 ounces), which is lighter than both the 11 and 13-inch iPad Air.

The biggest sticking point is the Paperlike Color’s $849 price tag, which is more expensive than either iPad Air model. The monitor doesn’t include a rechargeable battery (it must be physically connected to your device with a USB-C cable), limiting where you can use it, and despite looking the part, it doesn’t function as a standalone tablet. If you’re specifically looking for an LCD or OLED alternative, the Paperlike Color will give you that in a portable package. But if you’ve already got a tablet, there are plenty of apps allowing you to repurpose it as a second screen.