Any color tablet with the same screen size as Kindle's Matcha?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

The old Fire HD 6 from 2014 was 6" and 16:10. It wasn't 4:3 but I'm having a hard time thinking of any tablets other than MS Surface Duo 2 that use that, and an extra hard time for anything else down at 6" at all.

The small iPads were 4:3.

A 2006 or 2007 Asus


Ubiquio tablet 2007


2006 A prototype 4G tablet, with Firefox, Thunderbird, VOIP geographic number. Touch screen. I think only 3.5" as it was only a proof of concept for the modem. The hardware was all off the shelf.

The modem was a prototype Flarion OFDMA PCMCIA card. The custom case had two off the shelf ARM based boards.
Inside view:


2007 A larger one was made, using same Samsung CPU as the 1st iPhone, but before iPhone was on sale. Debian Linux. But I can't find the photos.
Again it used readily available HW, but a larger touch screen.

The 3.5", 4.3" and 6" 4:3 aspect LCD tablets well established before there was even an iPhone.

[nana77]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I had a Gemini long ago that was Android 4.x, 6″ and 4:3.

Wasn't the Gemini PDA? Imho that was nice (but quite too pricy).

There are those things, but I wouldn't trust much the build, specially having to give them to an eldery person that has to keep onto a pocket.


The GPD Pocket 1 on ebay did lowered its price, but it's a 7" mini-laptop, not a tablet (screen also doesn't flips 180 degrees). Customizable but weird keyboard layout.

Spoiler:

[Quoth]

The Gemini I had was not a PDA, but an Android tablet. 6" 4:3 touch screen, micro SD card slot and WiFi.
The same names get reused.
Many PDAs were essentially tablets, but didn't run Android or iOS, because those didn't exist till 2008 & 2007!

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

The old Fire HD 6 from 2014 was 6" and 16:10. It wasn't 4:3 but I'm having a hard time thinking of any tablets other than MS Surface Duo 2 that use that, and an extra hard time for anything else down at 6" at all.

I have one of these and it still works.

iPads of course are all 4:3 but there will never be a 6" one.

[nana77]

If willing to do a workaraound, it seems possible to install a GNU/linux OS on Nintendo Switch, which are:

Original: 6.2-in, IPS (237 ppi), 720p
    Lite: 5.5-in, IPS (267 ppi), 720p
    OLED: 7-in, OLED (210 ppi), 720p

The OLED is 16:10, the others close to 16:9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Switch#Console

There are some folding devices, like the Galaxy z, which is 6" but costs like half a car.

@Quoth: the Nokia 1520 was 6", too: 16:9, Gorilla Glass, I've always thought it was oled, instead it seems Nokia's proprietary "ClearBlack display technology", (3400 mAh Li-Ion battery), 367 ppi, 20Mp rear camera within Carl Zeiss lens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_Lumia_1520

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I have one of these and it still works.

iPads of course are all 4:3 but there will never be a 6" one.

Perhaps the smallest iPad Mini was 7.8″. Bigger than I thought. Bigger now.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by nana77

If willing to do a workaraound, it seems possible to install a GNU/linux OS on Nintendo Switch, which are:

Original: 6.2-in, IPS (237 ppi), 720p
    Lite: 5.5-in, IPS (267 ppi), 720p
    OLED: 7-in, OLED (210 ppi), 720p

The OLED is 16:10, the others close to 16:9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Switch#Console

But it's 16:9. Also a waste of a Switch.

Also the question is historical, was there a tablet similar size to a Matcha (6″ 4:3). There was, but probably last ones over 10 years ago.

[nana77]

Not sure if the question is specifically historical, imho.
Wouldn't a Kindle Matcha costs like around 150$?
An used Switch is lower that that price too, so I don't see the waste, sorry.
Others, just as ideas:
As aspect ratio a Cowon X9 ( https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/cow...out-now-in-uk/ ) might be an interest, but's 4.3-inch.

Spoiler:

4.8" was a predecessor Cowon V5 HD PMP

Spoiler:

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by nana77

Not sure if the question is specifically historical, imho.
Wouldn't a Kindle Matcha costs like around 150$?

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Clarification: I'm not actually looking to buy one (if there is/was one), but rather to find out if such a tablet with those dimensions was ever built.

Well…


Actually someone did do an ereader app for the Switch. They are about €220 here, second hand. You'd only buy one to play the games. Which the son and the wife did.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by nana77

Not sure if the question is specifically historical, imho.
Wouldn't a Kindle Matcha costs like around 150$?
An used Switch is lower that that price too, so I don't see the waste, sorry.
Others, just as ideas:
As aspect ratio a Cowon X9 ( https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/cow...out-now-in-uk/ ) might be an interest, but's 4.3-inch.

Spoiler:

4.8" was a predecessor Cowon V5 HD PMP

Spoiler:

The Kindle Matcha is between $109.99 - 129.99 (based upon getting rid of the ads, I presume).

I bought mine new for $118.97 on Nov. 21, 2024.

[nana77]

It's possible to build a Raspberry Pi tablet within these screens (5" or 7"): https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/touch-display-2/
Total cost will be around 130$, too.
1280 x 720 on a 5" would be 293.72 PPI, for the 7" 209.8 PPI.

Edit: or there are some monitors within usb-c, if you can just connect them to a phone:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...2usa4itemAdapt
(7")
or: https://www.amazon.com/LESOWN-1024x6.../dp/B0CZ735593
(https://electronikz.com/products/7in...i-wide-monitor)

[nana77]

Errata corrige: there are is an Amazon Fire HD, 6", within lcd, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_HD (2014)
Others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...322_cm)_screen
Older: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...318_cm)_screen

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by nana77

Errata corrige: there are is an Amazon Fire HD, 6", within lcd, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_HD (2014)
Others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...322_cm)_screen
Older: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...318_cm)_screen

The Fire HD 6 (mine still works) has 1280 x 800, i.e. 8:5 aspect ratio, same aspect ratio as the current ones. So again, not 4:3. But at 6" had better DPI than their larger tablets for a few years.

[Frogm4n]

I picked up a Fire HD 6 last week and have been enjoying exploring what it can still do in 2025. Not a whole lot, but just enough to still be useful. I held it side-by-side and on top of a 6" Kindle 7 of the same era and as expected the display is slightly narrower and slightly taller. If you're used to looking at different ratios you can see it at a glance, but a casual user wouldn't notice. Physical case size, though, it's also easier to hold despite being heavier. The angular design language of the 2014 models still holds up, IMO. I've got this HD 6, the Kindle 7, and an HDX.

One of the aspects of Fires that I think got overlooked is that they can turn the brightness way, way, down. Not as low as eink usually can, but lower than most other tablets. I can use the HD 6 in a dark room without squinting or glare. It's not as comfortable as my Oasis, but far better than my iPhone is capable of.

For a cost of $12 shipped, it's been very worth it to me. It's a shame they dropped the size after just the one generation. An actually pocketable modern tablet that is very specifically *not* a phone ratio would certainly enter my EDC rotation.