Our favourite E Ink pill simply bought larger with the launch of the Supernote Manta

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Abstract

  • Supernote’s A5 X2 Manta E Ink pill is lastly obtainable for $460 with spectacular specs like a quad-core chip and 4GB RAM.
  • The Manta competes with the reMarkable Paper Professional, providing customers a extra open ecosystem and simpler integration with outdoors providers.
  • With an Android-based Chauvet OS, the Manta permits for sideloading apps, making it a productivity-friendly machine amidst a busy 12 months for E Ink units.

Fewer teams of {hardware} fans (barring Swap 2 stans) have been ready for the discharge of a product as avidly as Supernote followers have been ready for the next-generation A5 X E Ink pill. Supernote confirmed it was engaged on a follow-up all the best way again in 2023, and on the time, it hinted at a March or April launch. That date has been pushed again plenty of occasions over 2024, main some to despair that we wouldn’t see the A5 X2 till someday in 2025. Regardless of these delays, Supernote has come by way of with a Christmas miracle as a result of the brand new A5 X2 Manta is now obtainable to order, and you will get it earlier than Christmas!

Supernote Nomad sitting on top of Matrix navi keyboard with pen out laying on top of device

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What’s contained in the Manta

Respectable specs, however not one of the best

Due to plenty of leaks and disclosures, there’s not quite a bit we didn’t already find out about Supernote’s A5-sized writing pill. An important bits to know are that the value will begin at $460 with a quad-core, 1.8GHz chip, 4GB of reminiscence, 32GB of onboard storage (plus an SD card slot), and a 3,600mAh battery. Not dangerous.

The $460 value makes it a tad costlier than its Kindle counterpart, the Scribe, which runs $390 for the 32GB mannequin however doesn’t have the identical horsepower with only a 1GHz chip and 1GB of RAM. Likewise, Kobo’s Elipsa 2E is simply $350 and runs on the identical chip the Scribe does. The Boox Go 10.3 is $380 and barely extra highly effective with a 2.4GHz chip and 4GB of RAM.

All that’s to say that there are cheaper choices on the market, and though Supernote doubtless would haven’t any downside consuming a few of its market share, its actual competitors is the $580 reMarkable Paper Professional. Each the Manta and the Paper Professional are writing-first units and dedicate important engineering to making a first-class writing really feel. The 2 greatest variations between them are the show and the ecosystem.

The Paper Professional makes use of the most recent full-color Gallery 3 expertise from E Ink, whereas the Manta makes use of E Ink’s newest black and white show, the Carta 1300. Which one is best is strictly a matter of style and necessity. The place the Manta will clearly dominate is its rather more open ecosystem. The Paper Professional places its greatest performance behind a subscription paywall and doesn’t combine with outdoors providers. The Manta, however, will combine with outdoors providers from the likes of Google and Microsoft, that means you may test your e-mail and save paperwork to your cloud. Supernote additionally guarantees Kindle app integration, which is able to make studying a lot simpler.

About that open ecosystem

One other main promoting level for the Supernote is its Android-based working system. Whereas the large gamers like Kindle and Kobo provide an in-house OS that may’t be modified besides through an OTA firmware replace from headquarters, smaller gamers like Supernote, Boox, and Bigme use an Android OS on their e-readers, which suggests they will set up third-party apps.

Supernote makes use of a customized Android 11 construct it calls Chauvet, and, in comparison with Boox or Bigme, it’s not as permissive about which apps it would run. You in all probability received’t have the Google Play Retailer in your Manta as you’ll on a Boox machine, however there are a selection of apps you can sideload, together with the Aurora and F-Droid shops. In different phrases, as a productiveness machine, the Manta goes to be a lot simpler to combine into your workflow than a Kindle or Kobo.

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A terrific 12 months for E Ink units

There’s by no means been a greater time to purchase an e-reader

In relation to e-readers, 2024 has been one of many busiest years shortly. This previous spring, Kobo launched its first shade e-readers, with the Clara Color undercutting the value of each shade machine in the marketplace earlier than or since. In the summertime, Boox launched its Go line of e-readers, bringing its Android lineup to file low costs. Then this fall, reMarkable launched its new Paper Professional with E Ink’s cutting-edge Gallery 3 tech, simply earlier than Amazon launched the much-anticipated Colorsoft together with a brand new technology of Paperwhites and Scribes.

It is exhausting to think about a greater finish to this unbelievable 12 months of units than Supernote’s A5 X follow-up. Positive, coping with what felt like interminable delays was disheartening, however as tech fans, we regularly see what occurs when a product is rushed to market with out thorough testing. So if the Manta lives as much as its hype, the wait could have been value it. We’re optimistic.



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