I spend more than half my day in front of screens. Given that I write for a living, my working hours are all spent in front of my laptop and iPad. I’m majoring in Computer Science, and my entire degree revolves around, well, computers. And once I’m finally done with the working and studying part of the day and want to wind down, that time is often spent… staring at another screen. I either catch up with my friends by facetiming them, or I choose to watch some Netflix or TikTok before heading to bed.
Of course, all this screen time isn’t healthy and by the end of the day, both my eyes and brain are often begging for a break. So, I figured I needed to find a way to reduce the strain on my eyes. With my current commitments, cutting down on my screen time wasn’t an option. So, I started looking for alternatives that would allow me to work and study as I typically do, without the glare. That’s when i came across e-Ink tablets, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this: it’s simply the best investment one can make.
My eyes and head are no longer exhausted
They thank me every day
This summer, I realized I hadn’t picked up a book (outside academics) in years, and I went on a mission to revive my reading habit. I tried reading on my iPad that I use for college initially, and it didn’t take me long to realize that that wasn’t the greatest idea.
I now no longer use my iPad for reading and don’t even use a Kindle. Instead, I use Onyx’s Boox Note Air 4C, which is an e-Ink tablet that essentially brings the best of the Kindle and iPad into a single device. As the name suggests, e-Ink tablets come with e-ink displays, a technology designed to mimic the look of real paper. While I think reading and studying on a tablet that looks like paper is certainly a more enjoyable visual experience, the benefits go much further than just aesthetics.
E-ink screens reduce eye strain significantly, especially during long reading or writing sessions. It’s the sort of thing you don’t realize until you’ve experienced it yourself. Initially, I thought a screen wouldn’t feel much different from my iPad or laptop, but the moment I started using an e-Ink tablet myself, I noticed a huge difference. I no longer got headaches or felt nauseous after hours of using the tablet, and my eyes felt far less fatigued.
A couple of years ago, color e-ink displays weren’t all that popular, and eReaders and e-ink tablets were only available with black-and-white screens. For the longest time, I refused to invest in an e-ink device because I thought I’d need a color display for my studying, and the options were either limited or prohibitively expensive. Thankfully, color e-ink devices are now becoming increasingly common.
E-ink tablets have impeccable battery life
Weeks on end without needing a charge
Even if you get the best iPad model there currently is, you still need to charge it pretty much every day. I have a 5th-generation iPad Air, and I typically need to charge it the night before to last me through around six hours of classes. I then need to plug it in as soon as I get home so I can use it for assignments or work. I need to plug in my phone, MacBook, AirPods, iPad, power bank — the list goes on.
So, if there’s even one device I can drop from this list, I’d take it. That’s another of the biggest benefits of E-ink devices. Most E-ink tablets, including the Onyx Boox Note Air4C, last you days and days of usage. The Note Air 4C specifically packs a 3700 mAh battery, and I typically only need to charge it once every two weeks.
I often spend a few minutes every night reading, and use it for most of my classes, where I need to take handwritten notes like linear algebra. I don’t watch Netflix or YouTube on my e-ink tablet since the display isn’t exactly built for fast motion or vibrant visuals. That’s likely one reason why the battery lasts even longer.
I’m not constantly distracted anymore
No more doomscrolling
As I mentioned above, I don’t watch Netflix or YouTube on my e-ink tablet. This brings me to my favorite part about using it — there are barely any distractions. The e-ink tablet I use runs Android 13, which means I’m free to download any app I want from the Google Play Store. And while I can certainly download the apps, I don’t.
Funnily enough, it’s not because I’m suddenly more disciplined. Instead, it’s because using those apps on an e-ink display just isn’t enjoyable. Scrolling through Instagram or watching reel after reel feels sluggish and dull, and even playing something childish like Subway Surfers loses its appeal when every animation looks like it’s lagging on purpose. The display itself kind of forces you to focus, which I honestly appreciate.
The writing experience is unmatched
Feels just like pen and paper
When you’re notetaking on an iPad using an Apple Pencil or another stylus, you’re essentially writing on glass. You can get a matte screen protector to make it feel a bit more natural, but I’m not the biggest fan of them. They tend to get scratched easily and wear down the Apple Pencil’s tips. They’re also fairly expensive, and while that wouldn’t matter too much if you only had to buy one, they need replacing every few months if you use your iPad regularly.
With an e-ink tablet, you don’t have to worry about any of that. The surface already feels like paper, and the writing experience is smooth, natural, and incredibly satisfying. Writing on an e-ink tablet is the closest thing it gets to writing on actual paper, without the mess, wasted pages, or constant need for new notebooks. And while I absolutely love the feel of writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil and have gotten used to it, I often miss the old school feeling of using pen and paper. At the same time, I’m not ready to leave the ease of digital organization.
No regrets whatsoever
With any device, I often have at least a couple of complaints. Maybe the battery life isn’t as great as promised, the display feels off, or the software is buggy. But with my e-ink tablet, I genuinely can’t think of anything I dislike. I didn’t expect it to make such a big difference in my day-to-day life, but now that I have it, I can’t imagine going back.