E Ink unveils Kaleido 4, its next-gen color e-paper tech, replacing the Kaleido 3 displays currently used by brands including Amazon, Kobo, and PocketBook

Color e-paper displays can now play video, and plain text appears clearer on the screen.

E Ink has introduced its Kaleido 4, an upgraded color e-paper display technology. Building on the Kaleido 3 used in devices from Amazon, Kobo, and PocketBook, the new Kaleido 4 offers significant improvements in color reproduction, contrast, and refresh rates. While Kaleido 3 uses a color filter over black and white pigments, resulting in desaturated colors and lower resolution, Kaleido 4 aims to address these issues. E Ink claims Kaleido 4 doubles the color gamut volume, increases white reflectance by 15 percent, and boosts contrast by 50 percent. Crucially, the new display utilizes an oxide TFT backplane, enabling refresh rates up to 18 frames per second, sufficient for video playback. Hanvon Technology will be the first to integrate Kaleido 4 into its M10C II tablet, though initially only for the Chinese market.

The advancements in Kaleido 4, particularly its improved color gamut and contrast, signal a maturing market for color e-paper. While still lagging behind LCD and OLED in color depth, the increased contrast and white reflectance address key user complaints about desaturated images and muddy text common in earlier generations. The leap to 18fps refresh rates and video playback capability, driven by the new oxide TFT backplane, dramatically expands the potential use cases for e-paper beyond static text and images, moving towards more dynamic content consumption.

This evolution directly impacts how readers experience content on e-readers and e-notes, potentially making these devices more versatile for reading magazines, comics, or even engaging with educational materials that benefit from color and smoother visuals. The faster refresh rates also suggest a more responsive user interface, reducing the friction associated with navigating menus or browsing web content. Device manufacturers now have a more compelling color e-paper option that addresses previous limitations, paving the way for more sophisticated and engaging color e-paper products in the near future.