- PocketBook has launched the InkPad One
- It’s a Linux-powered ereader with stylus support and a large 10.3-inch screen
- It’s not yet widely available, but that could change
Kindle and Kobo may be the main ereader brands, but there are all sorts of interesting alternatives emerging, one of which is PocketBook, which has just launched a new device called the InkPad One.
This is a 10.3-inch eReader with a grayscale E Ink Mobius display that has 226 pixels per pixel. It has a front light that adapts to the environment, a 3,700 mAh battery that promises up to two months of life, 32 GB of storage, 2 GB of RAM and a 1.8 GHz quad-core chipset. It is also slim and light with a thickness of 5.15 mm and a weight of 400 g.
Interestingly, it runs Linux instead of Android or a proprietary operating system, so you’re not locked into a specific ecosystem, and it supports 21 book formats, including AZW, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and many more.
In addition, it includes access to a Libby-powered app for borrowing books from libraries, and in the UK it gives you “the world’s most comprehensive English-language UK digital e-book library with easy-to-use LCP DRM-protected content of 4.5 million e-books and 90,000 audiobooks”.
It also supports stylus input (and comes with a stylus), making this a less locked down alternative to e.g. Kindle Scribe.
It also has largely comparable specs to the Kindle Scribe, including a similar-sized screen and an actually slightly thinner and lighter build — though its screen is slightly lower resolution.
Not yet widely available
Still, if you don’t want to be locked into Amazon’s ecosystem, or stuck in an arguably even more limited ecosystem like the reMarkable Paper Pro, then the PocketBook InkPad One could be a tempting choice.
We’d suggest caution, though, as we only gave the company’s InkPad Eo a two-star review, noting that it was expensive and clunky — even though that tablet was based on Android 11, not Linux.
If you like the sound of the InkPad One, you might have to wait a bit, as it’s only available in Germany right now, but the company has revealed that it’s coming to the US and UK, priced at $360 and around £270 respectively.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
