@ph: Kindle Paperwhite 6

• Reference price: ¥1,300

The last time I used a Kindle was more than a decade ago—the Paperwhite 2 and the Voyage. Back then, e-ink displays were still a niche market, and Kindle was almost the only option with a reasonably complete user experience in China. Everyone knows what happened later: domestic brands increasingly took over Kindle’s market share, and Kindle officially exited the Chinese market in 2022. Since then, most of my e-ink devices have been from domestic brands.

To be fair, I welcome the competition driven by local manufacturers. Today, more new e-ink products are released in a single quarter than used to appear in an entire year, and value for money has continued to improve. On the other hand, after using more than ten different domestic e-ink devices, I’ve become quite certain that the currently promoted color screens and Android systems are not what I want.

When it comes to color displays, the mainstream Kaleido panel structure today (a black-and-white e-ink layer overlaid with a three-color filter) inherently limits clarity and transparency. I don’t read comics, so for text reading, Kaleido brings more drawbacks than benefits. As for Android, while it looks open and versatile on the surface, the hardware constraints and screen characteristics of e-ink devices mean that, for reading, it can’t match a dedicated system, and for functionality, it can’t compete with a regular tablet. Add to that the general lack of system optimization and long-term maintenance commitments among domestic e-ink brands, and the result is devices that are neither worry-free nor long-lasting.

So when I recently found myself needing to read more e-books (background explained later) and started reconsidering an e-ink device, the now sixth-generation Kindle Paperwhite once again became my top choice.

Since it has been out for over a year, the Paperwhite 6 now has stable availability and pricing in China. The 32GB version is easy to find online for under ¥1,300. (Of course, a trip to Sham Shui Po could be even cheaper—but once you factor in transport and meals, it evens out.) I bought the green Signature Edition. The back cover is plastic with a slight metallic sheen—not as prone to fingerprints as the soft-touch finish on the standard version, but the overall feel is still fairly ordinary. It’s definitely no match for the metal builds that have become common on domestic devices, so don’t expect too much.

Of course, the main reasons to buy a Kindle are its screen and its services. While there are only a handful of commonly used e-ink panels, the actual experience depends heavily on optimization (refresh strategies, dithering algorithms, and so on), and results can vary widely between manufacturers. Among domestic devices, very few reach Kindle’s level. The Paperwhite 6 proves this once again—it’s clearer and more comfortable than any domestic device I’ve seen using the same Carta 1300 panel.

On the services side, even if you ignore the Kindle Store, which isn’t particularly relevant for Chinese readers anymore, the convenience of the official Send to Kindle service and the breadth of third-party support still make Kindle highly competitive. Almost any service related to reading offers some form of Kindle integration. For example, the Readwise I use can send saved content directly to Kindle and also import highlights from Kindle.

Kindle’s feature updates have always been fairly laid-back. Even after years of not using one, the core functions and interactions felt familiar, and I was able to pick it up again quickly. Over time, though, the native system has accumulated a number of genuinely useful features. Compared with the past, it’s now much easier to load external fonts, adjust line spacing and margins, and save layout settings as themes. Improvements like page preview interactions and long-press link previews also make skimming more efficient. Since 2022, Send to Kindle has supported direct EPUB uploads as well. So even though my firmware version is technically jailbreakable, I now just read EPUBs on the stock system, switching to KOReader (installed after jailbreaking) only when reading PDFs, for its more advanced cropping and contrast enhancement.

(There have been regressions too—most notably, the device no longer appears as a mass storage disk when connected to a computer, making file transfers more cumbersome. But there’s no need to install Amazon’s Send to Kindle tool either; any tool that supports the MTP protocol will do, such as the open-source OpenMTP.)

Finally, a word on e-book sources. As mentioned earlier, I’ve had a growing need for e-book reading recently, partly because I’ve found two relatively reliable ways to acquire books.

The first is the Kobo online store. Because Kobo has a strong presence in Hong Kong and Taiwan, its catalog of traditional Chinese titles (including traditional Chinese translations of English books) is extensive and updated quickly—second only to purely Chinese platforms like Books.com.tw or Eslite. Pricing for traditional Chinese editions is also significantly lower than for English versions. And because Kobo uses the widely adopted Adobe Digital Editions DRM, it remains one of the few e-book retailers whose DRM is relatively easy to remove. All you need to do is (1) choose “Download” after purchase; (2) import the file into the ADE client and right-click to select “Show File in Finder”; then (3) import the encrypted file into Calibre with the ACSM plugin installed. You’ll then get an unprotected EPUB that can be sent directly to Kindle.

The second option is mail-in scanning services. One side effect of Kindle’s exit from the Chinese market is that domestic titles are far less likely to be released simultaneously in e-book form. So recently, I’ve often used printing shops on Taobao that offer mail-in scanning services (there are many; no specific recommendations). I simply ship the physical book directly to the shop, and in most cases receive the scanned version the same day it arrives. For a typical 300-page book, the cost is around a dozen yuan, which is acceptable. From there, I compress the files and create an OCR version using methods I’ve described elsewhere. Note that this service involves cutting the book apart for scanning, so it’s probably only suitable for people like me who care solely about obtaining a digital copy. I’m sharing it here simply as an idea.

Based on recent trends, Kindles typically receive around seven to eight years of software support, so this Paperwhite 6 should be usable until around 2030. (After all, my Paperwhite 2 still powers on and works.) If you’re overwhelmed by the noise of domestic e-ink options and your primary use case is simply reading, a Kindle might be a solid, low-stress, long-term choice.

@一只索狗：

iQOO 15 Ultra

• Manufacturer review unit

Back in 2019, I bought an iQOO Pro 5G. At the time, its leading-edge 5G connectivity, powerful performance, and the excellent gaming experience enabled by the Monster Touch pressure-sensitive buttons left a deep impression on me.

I’m happy to see that, years later with the iQOO 15 Ultra, some of those standout traits have carried over. I was also able to get my hands on this new device early and spend some time with it in a brief hands-on.

Smartphone camera deco designs come in all shapes and forms, but most mid-to-high-end models are constrained by product line positioning and find it hard to differentiate stylistically. The iQOO 15 Ultra is more daring. As a gaming-focused midrange product, it adopts what’s called a “Future Capsule” design—like a spacecraft cabin straight out of the future.

On the camera module, you’ll definitely notice the shiny light strip. How long has it been since you last saw a notification light on a phone? The iQOO 15 Ultra brings it back. Officially dubbed the “Energy Light Blade,” the lighting effect is minimal and elegant. The system also offers extensive customization options, allowing you to set activation times, brightness, scenarios, and dynamic lighting effects.

At first, I assumed the openings on the mid-frame were speaker grilles. After taking a closer look, I was surprised to discover that they actually form a complete air intake and exhaust channel together with the area beneath the camera. When I set the fan to its maximum level, the sound was about as loud as a handheld mini fan—brutally powerful, to say the least. According to iQOO, the “Ice Dome Air-Cooling System” features the largest active cooling fan in the industry.

With such an aggressive cooling setup, paired with the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite, LPDDR5X Ultra Pro at 10,667 Mbps, and UFS 4.1 storage, every high-end mobile game you can think of delivers peak “gaming productivity.” For example, Honor of Kings supports native 144 FPS at maximum settings right out of the gate, and Delta Force can also run at 144 FPS with ultra graphics.

The hardware is there, and when it comes to pushing the gaming experience to the extreme, iQOO has also added plenty of thoughtful software touches to make things more comfortable for players. For instance, downloading data packs on game login screens often tests my patience, but on iQOO’s Origin OS, the system automatically suggests running downloads in the background, so you don’t have to worry about the process being killed.

Within the Game Space, there are dedicated settings for graphics, audio, background running, do-not-disturb mode, mistouch prevention, and other common pain points gamers care about—everything is covered.

Aside from imaging flagships, many midrange phones have indeed started to feel a bit boring. The iQOO 15 Ultra, however, continues to commit to the path of “ultimate gaming experience,” staying true to its product identity, which is reassuring to see. If you’re looking for a performance-driven gaming phone and also care about build quality and feel, the iQOO 15 Ultra is well worth checking out.

TRMNL Software License

Reference price: ¥355

I previously bought a YUEXINGTONG X4 in an SSPAI livestream (this product was also shared in New Stuff 226). It’s a small device, but quite a charming one—no wonder it’s attracted a lot of attention in overseas tech circles.

As a result, the Reddit community around YUEXINGTONG (XTEINK) is fairly active as well, with plenty of posts sharing third-party firmware and usage tips. I happened to come across a post mentioning that a company called TRMNL had created firmware for the XTEINK X4, turning this e-ink reader into a small information dashboard—similar in spirit to Quote/0.

TRMNL’s core business is actually selling physical hardware—essentially a roughly 7-inch e-ink display that can connect to the internet and update via plugins. Since many plugins and new ideas in this category come from DIY makers in the community, TRMNL naturally supports a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model. If you have the relevant knowledge and experience, you can absolutely build your own hardware and flash it with TRMNL’s firmware.

Which brings us to the key point: TRMNL’s software license is not cheap. It costs USD 50. Out of curiosity—and for research purposes—I went ahead and bought a license to try it out. I don’t recommend following my example. 🤣

The flashing process itself is very simple. You just connect the device with a cable and use a web-based tool for one-click flashing. After rebooting, connect the device to Wi-Fi, fill in some authorization details, and my XTEINK X4 instantly became an e-ink information dashboard.

I’ve always felt that Quote/0 has a small drawback: its screen is a bit too small, which limits how much information it can display. TRMNL plugins support larger-screen devices, allowing for much greater information density and more flexible layouts. There’s a Mash Up mode that lets you combine multiple widgets on one screen. For example, my current setup shows Steam discounts in the top-left, a GTA 6 release countdown in the bottom-left, and the weather on the right.

According to TRMNL’s website, there are currently around 800 plugins available, covering categories like daily life, calendars, news, travel, education, and finance. That said, since it’s developed primarily for overseas users, support for domestic platforms is basically nonexistent.

There are also plenty of customization options for how information refreshes and rotates. You can set the rotation interval, or get more granular and specify which days of the week and times certain views are shown. And if you don’t like the Mash Up approach of displaying multiple widgets at once, you can focus on a single view instead. Overall, it’s quite flexible.

A single TRMNL software license costs about the same as buying three Quote/0 units. So unless you’re like me—driven by curiosity and a desire to tinker—buying it just to use as an information dashboard is really not cost-effective.

That said, if you rely heavily on overseas services, already happen to own a XTEINK X4, and enjoy doing a bit of programming and DIY on the side, it’s worth studying the official plugins and developer documentation first. Once you’re sure it fits your needs, then you can decide whether it’s worth paying for the license.

@Lincoln: tomtoc passport holder

• Reference price: ¥154.16 (including government subsidy)

I used to never understand why products like passport holders—basically “oversized wallets”—even existed. That changed the year my previous passport and my Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan somehow “disappeared” at home and were never found again. Only then did I truly realize the point of a passport holder.

In the past, when traveling far, I liked to stuff my wallet, passport, a small power bank, and various tickets into a waist bag. But if, like me, you have a camera hanging on your chest and a backpack on your back, a waist bag quickly becomes inconvenient. First, the camera often blocks the waist bag, so every time you want to grab something, you have to push the camera aside to even see it. Do that often enough and it gets genuinely annoying. Second, there’s the waist bag itself: once it’s packed with too many items, it never feels comfortable around the waist. And whenever you’re rummaging through it, you either have to look down or bend forward—otherwise the backpack pulls you backward, or all the camera’s weight shifts onto your neck. There’s always something that makes the experience unpleasant.

So I bought a passport holder mainly because it’s an “oversized wallet” you can carry in your hand. When choosing this type of product, though, it’s essential to check whether it supports RFID protection. Many contactless bank cards and transit cards contain RFID chips, allowing payment simply by being near a reader (no direct contact required). If they can be read normally, there’s naturally a risk of unauthorized scanning. If someone with a reader gets close to a wallet without RFID shielding, there’s a chance of theft.

After some comparison, I found that Bellroy’s Travel Folio has excellent build quality and design, but it lacks a wrist strap and a dedicated slot for an AirTag, and it’s not officially sold by domestic distributors. So I turned to tomtoc instead. While tomtoc’s passport holder doesn’t stand out for its exterior design, the internal layout is still very well thought out and meets all the needs I mentioned above.

When you need to use it frequently, you can carry the passport holder in your hand; when you don’t, you can hang it inside your bag. On the one hand, the pull strap on the holder provides a secure grip and can also be clipped directly inside a backpack. On the other hand, there’s a hidden slot for an Apple AirTag inside the holder, so you don’t need to attach an AirTag externally. While attaching an AirTag to the outside would still allow tracking, it’s very obvious and easy for a thief to remove. As a side note: if you want to put an AirTag in a camera bag, you can find Velcro-style AirTag accessories on Taobao or 1688—they’re discreet and leave no marks.

As for the holder’s core functionality, tomtoc has designed space for four passports and four bank cards. Whether you’re traveling or at home, you can keep your (or even your family’s) important documents and cards together. Hopefully, my documents won’t mysteriously vanish again.

Tomtoc clearly remembers this is a passport holder, so it includes quick-access pockets both inside and out for boarding passes, booking confirmations, and other loose papers. Whether at the airport or at immigration, you can find what you need by “zone” instead of rummaging through a waist bag like before. The efficiency improvement is very noticeable.

This tomtoc passport holder also includes a dedicated compartment for banknotes and a mesh pocket for coins. If you don’t feel like bringing a separate wallet, it can easily double as one. And of course, no long passport holder would be complete without a place for a pen and SIM cards—this tomtoc has both. When filling out forms or swapping SIMs, these small details really come in handy.