Xiaomi launches the InkPalm 5 mini e-reader for 599 yuan (~$91)

[pata]

This has very similar specs to the Kingrow K1 I bought 18 months ago (2019) for $250! The Xiaomi appears to have the exact same 5.2” screen but with a warmer frontlight upgrade. It have only 1GB RAM though, compared to the 2GB RAM of the K1.

I found the K1 screen pleasant enough for reading via the Kobo and Kindle app. The problem with the K1 was all the hurdles before reading. My carrier cellular bands wasn’t supported and it could only access 2.4GHz Wifi, and it couldn’t run Google Play store, so I had to do a lot of side loading. If Xiaomi can remove those pain points then I’m interested. I much prefer smaller one-hand readers to the ever the wider Kindle Paperwhite or enlarging Hisense phones even though Hisense have prettier screens

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I’m skeptical that a reading app such as Kindle or Kobo would run without issues on this. The color themes are not designed with monochrome displays in mind, and depending on Android version, it might need to be an older version.

Why?
Each color has a brightness value and this can be displayed in grayscale.
And an application that juxtaposes colors with similar brightness value for shapes to be distinguished is poorly programmed anyway and worth nothing.

[pata]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Why?
Each color has a brightness value and this can be displayed in grayscale.
And an application that juxtaposes colors with similar brightness value for shapes to be distinguished is poorly programmed anyway and worth nothing.

It should also be noted that the inkpalm 5 is preloaded with an optimized official Kindle reader app. The worry seems unwarranted if you’re comparing to a kindle paperwhite.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

A 4:3 5” device with even 1024x768 would appeal to me more.

I’m skeptical that a reading app such as Kindle or Kobo would run without issues on this. The color themes are not designed with monochrome displays in mind, and depending on Android version, it might need to be an older version.

The low end Kindle is perfectly fine. Text seems a bit clearer to me than Paperwhite 4, ironically. It’s a bit lighter and smaller, and more comfortable to hold. And it now has 8GB for the same price as before. No Dark Mode, otherwise CPU speed and RAM is the same as the others, it is of the latest and greatest Kindle generation (10th). I suppose the sneering is that it’s only 800x600 (167 PPI), but it has its place.

I will have to disagree that the Kindle Basic is clearer then the PW4. 800x600 6" screens are very much obsolete. Amazon is the only big Reader maker that has such. It's rubbish an really should go away. For $10 more then the add supported Basic, you can get a Kobo Nia. The Nia has a 1024x758 screen and costs less then the Basic without ads.

[binaryhermit]

If this can read Kindle eBooks fairly well and sync with Amazon (like, say, through the Kindle Android app. I seem to remember one of the major ebook bloggers that isn't goodereader saying that the best big screen kindle was one of the eInk Android tablets with the kindle app), it might be interesting to me.

And regarding the current basic kindle, I find the screen on mine be better than my PW4 as someone who doesn't read graphic novels much and is more sensitive to stuff like contrast than resolution differences.

[Quoth]

PW3 and Kobo Libra are clearer than the PW4. The original H2O is better contrast with no frontlight than all, because it's IR rather than extra layers of capacitive.

They should have kept selling the PW3 and discontinued the Basic instead of adding LED front light.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Quoth

PW3 and Kobo Libra are clearer than the PW4. The original H2O is better contrast with no frontlight than all, because it's IR rather than extra layers of capacitive.

They should have kept selling the PW3 and discontinued the Basic instead of adding LED front light.

Each additional layer reduces the edge sharpness and the contrast - this cannot be changed physically.

[Luffy]

I would really like this Inkpalm e-reader. Hope its screen is flushed.

[pata]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I would really like this Inkpalm e-reader. Hope its screen is flushed.

It is

[Ladyrixx]

I'd love one! I LOVED the form factor of my kobo mini, but the touch screen was flakey. It would be fairly easy to disable wifi if security was a concern.

[kyteflyer]

I wonder if they will release with an English option. My knowledge of Chinese characters is... well... none.

[rowe]

I will only use Moonreader+, so I’m thinking it might be ok if the OS is only Chinese. I could use a camera translator app to set it up.

[Quoth]

It's Android based, so may also have English?

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by tomsem

A 4:3 5” device with even 1024x768 would appeal to me more.

I’m skeptical that a reading app such as Kindle or Kobo would run without issues on this. The color themes are not designed with monochrome displays in mind, and depending on Android version, it might need to be an older version.

The low end Kindle is perfectly fine. Text seems a bit clearer to me than Paperwhite 4, ironically. It’s a bit lighter and smaller, and more comfortable to hold. And it now has 8GB for the same price as before. No Dark Mode, otherwise CPU speed and RAM is the same as the others, it is of the latest and greatest Kindle generation (10th). I suppose the sneering is that it’s only 800x600 (167 PPI), but it has its place.

Complexity of some Chinese characters really benefit from higher PPIs. If you're familiar with the characters its still readable but it IS nice to easily see every stroke at standard book font sizes.

Android is fine with eInk reading. My Oynx stuff works great. Scrolling/page turn animations is a bigger issue than color palette but Oynx at least has modes to deal with it and most apps let you turn off page turn animations. The only thing I miss from a dedicated Kindle is the better Japanese dictionary support. Otherwise Android has so many benefits with the ability to use multiple stores/apps with ease, more file formats, better web browser that it totally makes up for the handful of little issues like scrolling to pick a book in the Kindle app being a bit janky.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure the latest Kobo/Kindle apps still only require Android 6. So for the time being this should be good.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Complexity of some Chinese characters really benefit from higher PPIs. If you're familiar with the characters its still readable but it IS nice to easily see every stroke at standard book font sizes.

Android is fine with eInk reading. My Oynx stuff works great. Scrolling/page turn animations is a bigger issue than color palette but Oynx at least has modes to deal with it and most apps let you turn off page turn animations. The only thing I miss from a dedicated Kindle is the better Japanese dictionary support. Otherwise Android has so many benefits with the ability to use multiple stores/apps with ease, more file formats, better web browser that it totally makes up for the handful of little issues like scrolling to pick a book in the Kindle app being a bit janky.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure the latest Kobo/Kindle apps still only require Android 6. So for the time being this should be good.

Good point about CJK characters on 800x600, but that isn’t ever going to be my use case. I wish I could read any of these languages, but it would take a lot more time and motivation than I have. My point was that I don’t find the display unpleasant (it’s noticeably better than the 8th generation Kindle’s).

I was very disappointed last time I tried an Android eReader, and this Xiaomi device is not something I’m interested in apart from the possibility that Kobo or Amazon might be inspired to release a dedicated eReader with similar hardware specifications.

My main complaint about my Kindles is that the UI can be laggy, and may even have gotten worse over the course of the firmware updates. For example, if I close a book and immediately tap on Filter, it can take several seconds to present the choices. Most things are fine most of the time, but it’s not uniformly so. A little more oomph could help smooth it out. And I would like a smaller form factor.