E-Ink paper type displays for other things.

[frahse]

My wife had a little watch (like a fit-bit) that tells her when she gets a phone call or a text and also does some health related things. It is the standard LCD type very difficult to read in daylight).

Well the band broke, and instead of replacing it, she is ready to move up.

We are looking at the Pebble like watches that use E-Ink to produce a paper like display that is easy to read.

Have other people had experience with these type of displays on watches as well as phones?

[azayn]

I have an Amazfit Bip watch which has a color e-ink display. It overcomes the problem you just described with LCD displays - visibility outdoors in direct sunlight. The e-ink screen provides other advantages as well. The display is always on and it can go over a month without needing to be charged. While it's not as high tech as the Apple watch, it tracks my fitness and displays notifications which is all I really need from a smartwatch.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by azayn

I have an Amazfit Bip watch which has a color e-ink display. It overcomes the problem you just described with LCD displays - visibility outdoors in direct sunlight. The e-ink screen provides other advantages as well. The display is always on and it can go over a month without needing to be charged. While it's not as high tech as the Apple watch, it tracks my fitness and displays notifications which is all I really need from a smartwatch.

As far as I am aware the Amazfit Bip actually has a transflective LCD display, it is not E-Ink although it may look like it is.

The display specification is: 1.28 inches, 176 x 176 pixels, transflective LCD color display, 2.5D glass.

As you say, LCD transflective displays are perfectly readable in daylight and can have very low battery drain giving long life between charges; I think Xiaomi claim 45days, from memory.

[AnotherCat]

Seems like no one is going to add much more with respect to watch or tracker recommendations. So while I cannot comment on which specific watches are best, I don't have any need for one, but from my interest in display types I can add the following focused on that aspect. Apologies for any mention by me of what you know already.

There are plenty of cheap E Ink display watches around, their complete repertoire of functions I wouldn't know except that they at least tell the time. As far as I know almost all the better multifunctional (fitness tracking, message notifications, etc.) watches and trackers use either transflective LCD or AM/OLED displays - so Fitbit, Samsung, Nokia, Sony, Apple, etc.

Nokia do make the Go which is E Ink but it has very limited functions and seems expensive for what it is; as far as I know it does not do notifications. Sony make the Talk which is also E Ink and does notifications and calls, but is limited on the health and tracking functions compared to the more capable Sonys. These are both bottom of the range devices.

The Pebble that you mention--Pebble was bought out by Fitbit (Xaomi) a little while back--used a transflective LCD display.

I think it is correct to say, there may be exceptions, that any display one sees on such devices that includes color, will be either transflective LCD or AMOLED. If the display is black and white then it may be E Ink but most likely transflective LCD or AM/OLED (as the higher end watches and trackers are).

You mention experience with phones - I have used transflective LCD sometime back on a phone (I think all the non AMOLED Nokia Symbian era phones used them) and used AM/OLED also (again a Symbian era Nokia phone). I never had a problem with them but like tablets they have very polished surface displays so if one angles the display at a very low angle of incidence to the sun one gets specular reflection. Other than that it only means having a screen with enough nits to be easily viewable in sunlight with the brightness cranked up. I assume that because transflective LCD and OLED watches attract no negative comment about daylight visibility (and azyan says theirs is fine outdoors) there is no real problem with these displays.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

Seems like no one is going to add much more with respect to watch or tracker recommendations. So while I cannot comment on which specific watches are best, I don't have any need for one, --- --------------

Excellent points.

I have tasked myself to find a great one for my wife for Christmas so I will have more to say. [I say "great one" because I believe that different people have different requirements and will have different opinions about the "BEST ONE" .]

[azayn]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

As far as I am aware the Amazfit Bip actually has a transflective LCD display, it is not E-Ink although it may look like it is.

The display specification is: 1.28 inches, 176 x 176 pixels, transflective LCD color display, 2.5D glass.

As you say, LCD transflective displays are perfectly readable in daylight and can have very low battery drain giving long life between charges; I think Xiaomi claim 45days, from memory.

Ah, I didn't know it's called a transflective display. Many of the reviews describe it as color e-Ink. That makes sense since true color e-Ink hasn't officially rolled out yet.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by azayn

Ah, I didn't know it's called a transflective display. Many of the reviews describe it as color e-Ink. That makes sense since true color e-Ink hasn't officially rolled out yet.

Yes I am finding that confusing myself.

How to decide which is better is the next step.