Dasung has boldly planted its flag in the world of full-color E Ink computer monitors. The company is now launching a portable E-Ink monitor, the Paperlike Color, which promises to relieve eyestrain and reduce power consumption when working on the go.
Color E-Ink has ballooned in popularity over the past few years. This is primarily due to falling prices, though it’s also the result oftechnological improvements. Early color eReaders looked unimpressive and sold at prices of $1,000 or more, but you can now find some very compelling color eReaders foras little as $150.
The potential benefits of an E-Ink computer monitor were noted as far back asthe 1990s. E-Ink panels are said to greatly reduce eyestrain and fatigue, as they do not emit light and tend to boast a higher resolution than similarly-priced LCDs—the Dasung clocks in at 150 PPI in color mode and 300 PPI in black and white mode. For professionals who deal with static documents or text, a product like theDasung Paperlike Colorcould make work more enjoyable or less headache-inducing.
That said, E-Ink is still a relatively poor choice for aconsumercomputer monitor. E-Ink panels refresh at a chugging pace and look bad when scrolling through web pages, watching videos, or performing other actions that require a lot of on-screen movement. They’re also far less colorful than LCD or OLED screens, which greatly limits their utility in creative settings.
And while E-Ink tablets are now quite cheap, E-Ink monitors are undeniably expensive. The new Dasung Paperlike Color costs $849—roughly five times the price of an LCD portable monitor. The high price is likely a consequence of the monitor’s Kaleido 3 panel, which offers touchscreen functionality, a “Turbo Refresh” mode forsemi-acceptablevideo playback, and a relatively large 12-inch viewing area.
Interestingly, Dasung chose to omit something that would further drive up the monitor’s price—a built-in battery. I would normally cite this as a downside, but E-Ink draws so little power that it doesn’t matter. If you plug the Dasung Paperlike Color into a laptop, it should have an almost negligible impact on the laptop’s battery life.
Those in need of a Color E Ink monitor for professional work should look into theDasung Paperlike Color, as it’s clearly a capable option. It’s just hard to justify the $849 price tag. While this portable monitor is cheaper than Dasung’sE Ink desktop monitors, it’s more expensive than an iPad Pro (which can serve as anexternal monitor). And if you just want a cheap portable monitor,LCD modelsregularly go on sale for less than $100.
