I’ve been interested in E Ink displays for quite a while. After noticing that my eyes felt strained while reading on my tablet at night, I decided to explore E Ink e-readers. After a month of consideration, I took the plunge during the pre-sale event for the Boyue Tab10c. As part of the pre-sale offer on JD.com, the first 200 customers who placed orders and paid a 100 RMB deposit before 20:00 on the 7th would receive a 100 RMB rebate, and the first 20 customers to pay the remaining balance before the 9th would receive a 200 RMB rebate. The pre-sale price was 4099 RMB.
To my surprise, even after I placed my order after 20:00, I found myself among the first 40 customers (JD.com displayed the number of pre-orders). By the 10th, the sales volume hadn’t reached 200 yet, confirming that this e-reader was indeed niche. During the payment process for the remaining balance, I selected the wrong payment method, so I had to exit and pay again. The actual payment was made at 20:00:21, still within the first 20 payments. Thus, the final price after discounts was 3799 RMB (4099 – 100 – 200).
The official dispatch by SF Express was on the 10th, and the device arrived on the 11th morning, a decent delivery time. My initial impression was that the colors were quite faint, as this was my first experience with an E Ink display. Within 10 minutes of setting it up, I noticed a problem: there was a noticeable dark area on the left side near the edge when the light was on. This issue disappeared when the light was turned off. I contacted customer service, and they explained that the dark edge on the left side was due to the ComfortGaze technology component of the Tab10c. This was different from the typical dark edges seen on e-ink screens. After researching online, I found that Huawei’s E Ink displays had similar issues. It seemed to be a common problem, more pronounced with stronger backlight settings. Customer service suggested I place a new order to receive another device for comparison and then return one of them, to save time.
So, on the same day, I placed another order. The second device arrived through SF Express the next day. After setting it up, I encountered the same issue. Frustrated, I decided not to pursue this any further and returned the newly ordered device.
The Tab10c features 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, running an open Android system. However, its performance wasn’t smooth in practical use due to the refresh rate. For example, while using it for basic calculations for my child, even opening a single word document with eight pages resulted in sluggish performance when scrolling or flipping pages. Nonetheless, the included screen protector provided a comfortable writing experience with a stylus.
Originally, I intended to settle for its imperfections, primarily for the sake of eye comfort. However, while practicing handwriting in the evenings, I encountered another problem. A certain area in the upper left corner of the screen caused the stylus to draw curved lines instead of straight ones. Even using a ruler to guide my strokes resulted in curved lines. I recalibrated the electromagnetic settings in the system as advised by customer service, but the problem persisted across various note-taking apps and stylus brushes. This issue was also present in the device I had returned, eliminating the possibility of it being related to screen protectors.
Another drawback was that the Boyue Tab10c lacked the option to set a dedicated black and white mode. I found the text display quality for reading to be inferior to that of the iPad mini. The black text appeared relatively light.
Despite these significant drawbacks, there were notable advantages.
Firstly, the Boyue Tab10c invested considerably in its design and accessories. The product packaging was exquisite, exuding a high-end atmosphere in terms of materials and design. It supported a hard-connected keyboard, enhancing productivity and catering to users’ multifunctional tablet needs. Its packaging design also made it suitable for gifting. Additionally, the Tab10c featured an all-metal back cover and a magnetic keyboard design, adding a sense of quality and convenience.
Secondly, the device adopted the latest Carta 1200 color E Ink screen. While its color display quality didn’t match that of the iPad, it was still acceptable. The E Ink screen’s eye-protection feature provided a comfortable reading experience, offering clear display whether presenting PDF texts, colored comics, learning apps, or market charts.
Special system features. The Boyue Tab10c was the first E Ink device to directly connect to cloud storage services, enabling users to access content conveniently. It also provided an RSS subscription function, offering stable and swift subscription services. Alongside its split-screen and translation API capabilities, the Tab10c proved practical for both work and learning.
However, the two major flaws overshadowed these advantages, leading me to initiate returns for both devices.
And thus, my first experience with E Ink displays came to an end.
After returning the Boyue Tab10c, I ordered the Bigme Galy3, which boasted 30,000 colors. Despite its slower refresh rate, it seemed promising. Unlike the Boyue Tab10c, which had a standard 4096-color display. Once I’ve tried it and am satisfied, I’ll share an unboxing experience.