Why Hisense's E-Ink phone isn't the novelty it seems

There is fresh movement around Why Hisense’s E-Ink phone isn’t the novelty it seems, and the story is worth a closer look.

We pulled together what is known so far and what it could mean for the people following it.

We’ve seen some phone-sized e-readers in the past, like the compact Boox Palma 2 Pro, which I used as a phone for a little while, but genuine e-reader phones like the new Hisense A10 are a rarer breed.

This new mobile from the company uses a 6.13-inch E Ink panel as its primary screen, tasking you with doing your usual phone business from this kind of display.

There’s also an LCD panel which magnetically snaps to the back, but the E Ink screen is the main one.

While the phone hasn’t properly been unveiled yet — it’s likely to only release in China and is set to have a full specs-heavy reveal in the near future — it’s already prompted plenty of reactions from readers curious about this kind of phone.

However, the Hisense A10 isn’t as much a novelty as people think. The company has released a few of these devices now, incorporating the E Ink experience into smartphones in various ways.

In 2019, I tried the Hisense A6 for a while. This mobile had an AMOLED screen as its main one, as well as an E Ink one on the back.

Again, this seemed like a novelty, and it wasn’t designed for high-end tasks like gaming or photo editing.

However, the more I used it, the more I discovered the light tasks at which it excelled. For certain users, it could be a fantastic alternative to a traditional mobile.

Most people will buy the best e-book reader if they want an E Ink device they can read on. Kindle, Onyx, Kobo, and more cater to this audience.

But e-readers aren’t ideal for everyone. Not only can they be slow and bulky, but they’re an added expense which many people might not be able to afford.

Instead, many people use their mobiles in place of a dedicated reading device. Some will argue that your smartphone sucks for reading, but I disagree.

I see countless people on public transport reading on their phone, and they all seem perfectly happy.

An E Ink phone like the Hisense A10 makes this all moot. Your daily driver has a display dedicated to eye strain reduction, which you can look at for long periods of time without wearing you down, giving it a massive battery life.

That seems like a win in my eyes. And with how many reading apps exist for phones, like Kindle or Google Play Books, getting reading material is incredibly easy.

One of the problems with E Ink displays is their relatively low screen refresh rate, making them challenging for quick dashes through social media or research tasks.

But that isn’t an issue for jobs that require you to stare at things for ages, without it changing.

I’m talking about emails, which you have to read for work. I’m talking about spreadsheets, which you have to parse for ages as you crunch the numbers. I’m talking about scanning documents to make sure there are no typos before you send them out.

Something like an e-reader is absolutely perfect for this. You can keep your eyes glued to the screen, without the E Ink Achilles’ Heel rearing its head, and without worrying about eye strain from doing so.

As a bonus, e-readers’ relatively light battery consumption means you can keep the display on for ages while doing so.

The Hisense A10 may not be the best business phone in the world — its screen is a little smaller than the average Android, which might cause some buyers consternation — but I see its E Ink display making it perfect as a work phone that’ll keep going for ages.

From Kindles to smart displays — how well do you really know the science behind electronic ink?

Which company is widely credited with inventing and commercializing E-ink display technologies?

What are the tiny capsules in an E-ink display filled with to create the black-and-white image effect?

Which product, launched in 2007, is widely regarded as the device that brought E-ink screens to mainstream consumer attention?

Why do E-ink displays consume significantly less battery power than LCD screens during normal reading use?

What is the term for the property that allows E-ink displays to hold a static image without continuous power?

What major visual limitation has historically made E-ink screens less suitable for video playback or fast-paced gaming?

Color E-ink displays that use a filter array to produce color — such as Kaleido-based screens — work by placing what on top of a standard E-ink panel?

Which of the following is a real-world application of E-ink technologies beyond e-readers that has seen significant commercial adoption?

Like many people, I get battery anxiety, and so flying can be a chore. When you’re on the go for 30-plus hours, requiring your mobile for your boarding pass and onward travel, every percentage drop can be a worry.

As I’ve already mentioned, e-readers have fantastic battery lives. E Ink isn’t a big power drain, so devices that use it naturally last a lot longer than ones which don’t.

You see where I’m going with this, don’t you? E Ink phones like the Hisense A10 make natural travel phones. They’ll last far longer before you need to plug them in.

I won’t pretend that e-reader-phone hybrids will literally last forever, and I imagine my aforementioned 30-hour transit would still force me to charge my phone. But a slower rate of charge drop would drastically reduce that battery anxiety.

That’s not to mention the other part of travel. If you’re in the air for ages, or waiting at airports, you’re naturally going to be staring at your phone for a long time.

If you’re looking at an E Ink phone, you won’t need to jump into the Android settings to reduce eye strain. It happens by default.