The PocketBook InkPad Color line of eReaders have been around for a few years, with each model packing a 7.8 inch E Ink color display. Now the company has launched the first model featuring an E Ink Kaleido 3 display.
After launching in Europe in October, the new PocketBook Inkpad Color 3is now available in the US from Amazon for $329.
In most ways, the new PocketBook Inkpad Color 3 is virtually identical to the previous-gen InkPad Color 2 that launched just a few months ago. But its upgraded display should bring sharper images and text when viewing color content.
In a nutshell, E Ink Kaleido displays apply a color filter over an E Ink grayscale display. That allows these screens to display 4096 colors rather than the 16 shades of grey you get on black and white screens. But it also means that color content is displayed at lower resolutions than greyscale content.
The InkPad Color 2 had a Kaleido Plus display that could show 300 pixels per inch for black and white content, but just 100 pixels per inch in color. The new InkPad Color 3 has a Kaleido 3 display that offers 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in color.
If you’re wondering what that means in terms of resolution, both eReaders have 7.8 inch, 1404 x 1872 pixel screens, but you only get that full resolution when viewing greyscale content. In color modes, the InkPad Color 2 basically has a 468 x 624 pixel screen, while the newer InkPad Color 3 has a 702 x 936 pixel color screen.
Other features are pretty much the same for both models. They both have 1.8 GHz quad-core processors, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, 2,900 mAh batteries, USB Type-C ports, a built-in mono speaker, and support for WiFi and Bluetooth.
Both are rated IPX8 for water resistance, and both feature capacitive touchscreen displays, G-sensors, cover sensors (for turning the display on and off when a cover is detected), and a custom operating system with a Linux 4.9.56 kernel.
And both models measure 134 x 189.5 x 7.95mm, although the new InkPad Color 3 is a tad heavier, at 270 grams. The 2nd-gen model weighs in at 267 grams.
via NotebookCheck and The EBook Reader (1)(2)
This article was first published October 23, 2023 and most recently updated November 14, 2023.Â