Summary
- Color e-ink displays offer eye comfort but lack vibrancy, unimpressive for color-sensitive work.
- Boox Mira Pro Color’s slow refresh rate and pricing cast doubt on its practicality as a primary monitor.
- Despite limitations, Boox secondary monitor has potential for less demanding tasks and unique niche uses.
Color e-ink on a desktop monitor? Depending on who you are, it may sound ridiculous or very appealing, especially if your eyes have had enough of the usual screen glare. Regardless, the Onyx Boox Mira Pro Color is that product, and it’s available now.
On first thought, a big 25-inch e-ink display sounds awesome. However, we should probably pump the brakes a bit on the excitement. While 4,096 colors sounds good on paper, the reality of color e-ink is that the saturation and vibrancy aren’t going to match your smartphone or even a standard LCD monitor. In fact, it’s even a far cry from the 50,000 colors you can see on the Remarkable Paper Pro’s color e-ink display.
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Then there’s the refresh rate. If you’ve ever used a Kindle, you know e-ink is inherently slower than other display technologies. Boox does include four customizable display modes, one of which is intended for watching videos, but you’re likely going to see noticeable ghosting and motion blur. That’s the trade-off when you bump up the refresh rate on e-ink screens. The Mira Pro Color has a button on the side to force refresh the screen, but that’s not something you’ll want to be constantly reaching for.
In terms of standard monitor connectivity options, we’re looking at HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. The resolution of the 25.3-inch screen is 3,000 x 1,800. E-ink displays of this size are not cheap, either. The Mira Pro Color costs a whopping $1,899.99, and it could cost even more with tariffs if you live in the US.
Ultimately, the Boox Mira Pro Color is an interesting alternative to traditional monitors, particularly for those prioritizing eye comfort above all else. But it’s probably not going to replace most people’s LCD or LED monitors for daily usage. Especially if you have a job that deals with color, like a photo or video editor, however, for writers or people who spend all day in spreadsheets, it could work just fine.
There’s also potential for this to be a nice secondary display off to the side of your main monitor. It would make a perfect “dashboard” for weather, social media, or anything else that isn’t constantly refreshing and needing your attention. Boox even shows how it can be used in portrait orientation alongside a landscape monitor. All in all, it’s a unique product that isn’t for everyone, but it will likely find its place for some niche purposes.
Source: The Verge
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