I’ve been running this website long enough to remember when the 6″ Kindle 2 sold for $369, and there was a time when Sony’s eNotes sold for more than $1100 when they first came out, but I still can’t believe how much some of these eNotes with E Ink screens are selling for these days.
Some units are so expensive it’s hard to imagine how anybody is buying them. I still get sticker shock every time I see Amazon selling the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for $679.99, and it’s not even the most expensive eNote. But I never thought I’d see a $700 Kindle—that’s insane!
The most expensive eNote on the current market is the Boox Tab XC with a 13.3″ color E Ink screen. Onyx is selling it for $819.99 on Amazon. It has a larger screen than other eNotes, but for crying out loud you can buy a name brand 55″ OLED TV for $799. How are E Ink screens so much more expensive, and why are people willing to pay that much for them?
I get the writing feel is better on E Ink than something like an iPad, but E Ink devices have such low-end hardware compared to iPads, and they are far more limited from a functionality standpoint. I don’t understand how a basic E Ink eNote can sell for more than a new iPad Air M4, which can be had for $519 on sale right now. Add an Apple Pencil for $69 and that’s still $90 cheaper than the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
And don’t get me started on the Remarkable Paper Pro that sells for $679 with a stylus. At least the Kindle Scribe and Boox devices have excellent reading software. The Remarkable tablets are just notebooks. The reading software is so basic it’s a joke. I have no idea how they became so popular.
It’s amazing how much some people are willing to pay for an E Ink notebook. At least they’re not all that expensive. The new PocketBook InkPad One is reasonably-priced at $359 with a 10.3″ BW screen. But the cost of color eNotes has gotten out of hand.
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