Back in 2011, I saw a colleague reading on a Kindle during a break at work. It looked unlike anything I’d seen before no glare, no backlight, and the text sat on the screen as if it were printed on paper. They let me borrow it for a couple of hours, and that was enough. I was hooked. The simplicity of the experience reading anywhere without the harshness of a normal screen — changed how I read entirely. Within weeks, I had my own Kindle and was carrying a whole library with me wherever I went.
For years after that, my e-ink journey was mainly about e-readers, mostly Kindles. I’d upgrade every so often, usually using Amazon’s trade-in system to offset the cost of the next model. Each generation was a little sharper, lighter, and faster — but it was still all about reading. That changed in 2023 when I stumbled across a YouTube review of the Supernote. Something about it clicked with me: the idea that e-ink could move beyond reading and into note-taking, thinking, and working.
I found an A5X on eBay and was instantly taken with the experience of digital handwriting — smooth, focused, and almost meditative. Sadly, the screen met an unfortunate end (entirely my fault), and I began looking for a replacement. This was early 2024, right in the middle of the growing anticipation around Supernote’s new Manta model. I didn’t want to buy another A5X, so I decided to try a reMarkable 2 — again, second-hand from eBay — and it’s still going strong today.
Around the same time, I bought a Boox Tab Mini C, mainly as an e-reader, and that opened the door to the Boox ecosystem. I followed it up with the Go10.3, which gave me a real sense of how far e-ink tablets had come in versatility. Then came 2025 — and I finally gave in to temptation, buying both the Supernote Manta and Nomad. Each one has its strengths, and I genuinely believe they all serve different needs. What’s wonderful is that there’s now real choice in the e-ink world — whether you want to read, write, plan, or even work, there’s something that fits your way of thinking.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to see where this technology goes next. The new Bigme phones are very tempting; proper e-ink smartphones feels like a natural next step. Then there are the Pebble-style e-ink watches, which bring that same calm, minimalist feel to your wrist. There are also more and more e-ink screens appearing all the time from 13″ up to 23″ ones. All we really need now is an e-ink laptop a very niche device, yes, but one that would complete the set.
I’m also curious to see how colour e-ink will evolve, whether technologies like E Ink’s Kaleido, Gallery, or Carta 1300 displays and reMarkable’s own Canvas Colour approach continue to refine colour depth, refresh speed, and brightness, or if a completely new generation of reflective display emerges to take things further.
It’s been a long way from that first Kindle in 2011, but the journey’s only getting more interesting.
e-ink thoughts 