E-ink panels are great for eReaders and the like, but for smartphones and other kinds of devices where screens are constantly refreshing, they're not the most pleasant to use. But that's not stopping this smartphone from Hisense.
Hisense has launched the Hi Reader Pro, a smartphone that comes with basic budget phone specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 and 4 GB of RAM. However, there's a twist -- the phone has a 6.1-inch black-and-white e-ink panel. This means that the display only sips battery whenever the image your phone is refreshing the screen, and it won't consume battery as long as it's static. The e-ink display is also great for sunlight visibility, but might struggle in low-light situations.
The reason e-ink displays are usually limited to eReaders is the low refresh rate, which usually can't keep up with videos and other rapidly-changing content. Hisense is kind of a pioneer making these e-ink phones, and says that the display refresh rate on this phone is "faster" than in previous devices. That statement alone doesn't tell us that it'll be as smooth as the display on a regular phone (that's probably impossible), and we don't have a specific refresh rate number, but it might mean that it'll be less janky than your Kindle, maybe.
This phone is, as you might imagine, not available in the United States. It sure is cool, though.
Source: Liliputing