A company called Kingrow is expected to launch a new E Ink smartphone soon called the Kingrow K1 that also doubles as an ebook reader.
Unlike some other E Ink smartphones with two screens—LCD on front, E Ink on the back—the Kingrow K1 is a smartphone that incorporates a single 5.2-inch E Ink screen with a frontlight.
There have been a few E Ink smartphones released over the past several years, but none have been very successful.
The Yotaphone managed to last three generations, but the company just went bankrupt.
Hisense has released a few dual-screen smartphones as well, the Hisense A6 being their latest model.
The Kingrow K1 looks a bit more promising than some of the other E Ink phones because they appear to be focusing more on making the software work with the E Ink screen.
The company is developing their own E Ink optimized software based on Android 8.1. But the device does not support the Google Play Store. It does come with some apps pre-installed, including the Kindle app for reading ebooks, and Kingrow is expected to add their own appstore.
Battery life is expected to last 2 days when using the device as a smartphone, 7 days when used as an ebook reader, and 2 weeks in standby mode.
Kingrow K1 Specs
- 5.17-inch E Ink Carta display (1280 x 720 with 283 ppi).
- Frontlight.
- 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio P23 (MT6763) octa-core processor.
- 16GB of storage space.
- 2GB of RAM.
- MicroSD card slot with support up to 64GB.
- 3100 mAh battery.
- 8MP rear camera with LED flash and auto-focus.
- Android 8.1 Oreo operating system.
- Dual SIM.
- USB-C port.
- Dual speakers.
- 138 x 72 x 8.5mm.
- Colors: black, red, and blue.
Kingrow is expected to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in May to fund the production of the K1 E Ink smartphone. The device is reportedly going to sell for around $349, but you can signup for their newsletter to get $100 off.
Kingrow K1 E Ink Smartphone
via: Notebook Italia
Hopefully it will be compatible with U.S networks
yes, it will be compatible with US networks
Interesting. I hope it will be a hit. For new and better options. Big screen. Low Price. And be on sale in other countries, like Colombia.
With no access to play store, this phone will be just you for few geeks.
And e-ink phone battery lasting for 2 days only? Are you kidding me?
No Google apps on this devices is great news !!
Google apps are terrible for privacy and terrible for battery life.
Instead of using Google play store, there are many better stores such as Yalp or Fdroid.
For you youtube, there is Newpipe..
For emails, there is K-9 mail..
For Media, there is VLC..
Free and Open Source software is the way to go on Smartphone and ereaders !
I agree for the most part but for some reason having Google Play access is one of the main selling points for some people, especially with paid apps (though most reading apps are free anyway). Onyx and Likebooks have Google apps disabled by default but people can choose to enable Google Play if they want. I think that’s the best solution. Let the user decide.