E-ink smartphone users, what has your experience been like so far?

einkuser

I'm interested in getting one of those but I'm wondering how practical they are as a daily driver. I don't want to use multiple phones.

The A6L would be the most recent dual screen phone but it has already aged badly.

The A9 has just come out but has yet to be rooted.

The A5C has a true Google Play version (as opposed to the 2 account trick)

Maxx

Is rooting necessary to use apps like Whatsup or Facebook messenger or Twitter?

einkuser

It depends entirely on the specific app. Whatsapp offers its .apk on their official website. Some apps need root, which is necessary for google services to run. There's also the two account system that is used on unrootable phones such as the A7 or A5 pro editions.

You will have to do your own research for each of your most used apps. However, the good news is that many major apps do not need gapps. The biggest roadblock is usually banking apps. It's possible to use the Aurora store to bypass some of those issues, though be aware that installing paid apps is going to be a hassle.

A5 and A5C are rootable as they use snapdragons which means they can be sold directly with full Google play support. It's recommended to remove the bloatware on there however.

ensete

Haven't used an eink smartphone, but eInk monitors offered no relief when used with Windows 10 for me. Make sure if you do try it, you purchase from a place with a liberal return policy

einkuser

ensete If you don't mind me asking, could you describe your experience in a bit more detail? I use an e-ink reader for well… reading but don't have a monitor as they are too expensive for me at the moment. I can really feel the difference between staring at a screen and reading on the e-ink device. Was there really no difference (even vague and subjective) in your case?

ensete

einkuser Symptom wise, using the eInk monitor for Windows 10 was the same as using a non eInk monitor. It surprised me, but thats what happened

Bassiehetkoekje

TLDR: Good experience with the Hisense A5

I have a Hisense A5. Had to root it and thought I bricked it at one point. But it pulled through 😄 It's now the only phone I (need to) use. Very happy with the change. It saves me quite a lot of eyestrain. The screen feels like the Onyx Boox screens in my opinion.

In comparison: I also tried an e-ink monitor (the Paperlike 3), but although better than the screen I had before, it was not great because it was too small, had too much glare, and I needed color more than on my phone.

maestromodesto

Bassiehetkoekje hi, do you still use your a5? If not what do you use as a phone? I'm looking for an eink phone or tablet and concerned about glare.

mashedpotato

ensete It happened to me too, i thought i was crazy, but e-ink also caused me to have the same symptoms

reaganry

Hisense A9 coming out this week. should be the fix. A5pro cc was perfect until they turned off the networks(US)

reaganry

some things dont work, but all in all, life's better without google

thorpee

reaganry

I think we'd all be better off with a rest from phone screens altogether. even from safe devices. So much so i'm considering shelving my safe Galaxy S7 and buying a dumb phone like a Nokia 225 4g. Just so all I can do is phone calls and text messages. Maybe load up some mp3's on it like the old days. Has anyone tried a Nokia 225 4g?

thorpee

There's also the Light Phone 2 (minimalist e-ink phone) that I'd been keen to try. Not really a smart phone.
https://www.thelightphone.com/

mashedpotato

The only e ink tablet i could afford, gave me migranes, it was similar to this one

https://www.amazon.com/Meebook-Reader-P78-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B09Q37DFJ7/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=boox

looking at a real page doesn't give me any migraine, if there was a device that could be somewhat similar to a page i don't think it would give me eye strain.

KM

mashedpotato most, most probably the eye strain had nothing to do with "E Ink". The device you linked seems to have a light. I highly suspect the light was the culprit.