- Ugreen has announced an iPhone 18 Pro case with an E Ink screen on it
- Rather than being an ereader, it is designed to display photos
- Prices and availability are still to be confirmed
I’m a big fan of technical innovation, so when a phone case that has a second screen for the back of your device is announced, I pay attention. And while that in itself is not a completely new concept, the new Ugreen Magic E Ink Screen Case takes a different approach than most.
While second screens designed for the back of phones are usually either focused on ebooks or – if they are more closely integrated into the phone’s operating system – widgets, this one, announced on Ugreen’s Weibo feed, is designed simply to display photos.
It’s a nice idea, providing both the protection of a case – in both iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max sizes – and the ability to sync photos to the color E Ink screen. But it also sounds quite limited compared to some e-paper accessories.
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I’m thinking primarily of the Xteink line, and especially the Xteink X4 Pro, which is currently stuck on the back of my iPhone. With this I can read ebooks on an eye-friendly display, and if it doesn’t show color and wouldn’t be great for photos, I’m not convinced that the Ugreen Magic E Ink Screen Case will excel in this either.
Images and especially color on e-paper screens tend to leave something to be desired, even on high-end products like the Kindle Colorsoft, which delivers rather muted shades. And we’ve already seen image-focused e-paper accessories, like the VidaBay E Ink fridge magnets, which in my opinion display most images quite poorly.
Still, you never know; the Ugreen Magic E Ink Screen Case might surprise me, and if the price is right, it might be more attractive to some buyers than a regular case. The price is still unconfirmed, however, as is availability, with this product only announced for China so far. So it remains to be seen whether you can buy it at all.
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