Daylight DC1 vs E Ink: Follow up!

How does it look outdoors? What exactly is a transflective LCD? And... is e-ink the same as e-paper? Lots to talk about in this video.

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⚠️ Disclaimers:
I am NOT affiliated with Daylight in any way. Daylight did provide the DC1 for review. Description contains affiliate links for other products.

0:00 - The aftermath
2:16 - E Ink vs E Paper
3:24 - Comparisons
5:05 - What is a transflective LCD?
6:51 - More examples
9:48 - Outdoor use
11:00 - More comparisons
11:48 - Use cases
13:33 - Final thoughts

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[toomim]

That real-world remarkable vs. daylight comparison — outside, in sun, in shade, and in the house — was super helpful and made the differences very clear. Thank you!

[DerekofBavaria]

As someone who owns a number of e-ink devices and has been watching the segment's development closely for years, I'm excited to see anyone trying something new. The current tech paradigm *needs* to be challenged and I think it's very easy to criticize a fledgling business like this over things like the price or the founder's vibe. I'm grateful for anyone that's working hard to do something they think will be better, even if the device isn't *for* me.

[WulffDen]

I think you saved me $800. I love the idea of the daylight, but the trade-offs remove a lot of what I love about e-ink. Hopefully BOOX can make their e-ink panels faster in the future.

[ChalidRaqami]

Awesome comparison and examples! I can't wait to check this one out myself. From what I've seen, E-Ink still looks like the way to go when it comes to readability, because of its better reflectance and, even more importantly, the viewing angle stability. The 60 Hz refresh rate is nice, but I wouldn’t give up those advantages for it.

[kallaway]

Great follow up video, Josh. Appreciate seeing the DC-1 outdoors and in 1:1 comparisons with E-Ink. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also a one of a kind niche project that hasn’t yet gone mass market. I hope they succeed.

[chengong]

That screen looks way worse than an actual e-paper, it has a game boy vibe to it, which makes sense because the game boy also has the same type of display

[AdamIannazzone]

The improvements are nice, but I still think that this is way too expensive. Haven't these kinds of LCDs been used for years in smart watches and the like?

[exp]

I'd still argue that to be classified as E-Paper, the display should be bistable. Content being displayed permanently without the need for power is a key differentiator I feel is needed to classify something as a paper alternative, but e-paper should definitely not be synonymous to e-ink as there are multiple panel technologies that enable this.

[paranoid_duck]

If anything, this comparison kinda made me want a Remarkable lol

[ckhicks]

You've done a great job with both of these videos. The transparency and detail is super appreciated. Great work mate.

[iclonethefirst]

So when you turn on the backlight, it is just a normal LCD? 😅

[alqmyst]

Thanks for the follow up with a side-by-side comparison to the ReMarkable. E-ink just looks so much better that the refresh rate on their custom LCD isn't enough.

I hope they sell enough gen 1 units to make gen 2 feasible, but I highly doubt it at that price. As somebody looking for this kind of device for reading research papers, annotating etc., the devices from Boox, Supernote and Remarkable are far more worth it imo. E-ink is just such a joy to use and those devices are purpose built for pen input, but the Daylight sounded like the pen was too slippery and much more like an "old school" LCD writing experience.

[existential_radish]

This product is a godsend for me, as the zero blue light is incredibly rare in the current market. Night Shift on iPad or other “amber backlight” still emit a fair amount of blue light I’d like to avoid. I’m happy to pay the $700+ price for this alone.

It’s interesting to see how this device can be easily criticized for other aspects and compromises.

[eudaemon]

Thank you, Joshua! Gold comment at the end of the video: "the price is more than most can afford, especially for a product that most people don't need". Ordered one.

[FaridAbbasbayli]

While I agree that e-paper and e-ink shouldn't be considered synonymous, I disagree that reflective/transflective LCDs should be considered electronic paper. If those qualify, then all Game Boys from original DMG up to AGS-001 model also have e-paper displays.
Being reflective is not the only criterion for an e-paper display. It should also have retention, and contrast and viewing angles comparable to regular paper. Properties that DC1's LivePaper clearly lacks, which make calling it an e-paper display deceptive.
That being said, I love transflective LCDs and miss my Pebble Time (RIP). DC1 can definitely have its use cases without deceptively marketing itself as having an e-paper display.

[rantsabouttechnology]

Great Follow-up. It shows your commitment to getting things right. Also a great explanation and examples... Invaluable. Thanks!

[VladimirKostek]

Its kind of odd they don't have accessories with keyboards etc. Without these, it's really not much of a hybrid computer it's basically just a tablet that you can buy your own keyboard or mouse for. Thanks for the updates, interesting to see.

[andyboxish]

Wow thank you for the explanation and clear breakdown, Joshua. Very impressive technology. E-paper has always been an underappreciated piece of tech in my opinion

[BareBandit]

Man it is just such a bad value compared to things like the boox note line that can run you under $400.

[qwing]

What this device seems potentially really useful for is reading and annotating papers and textbooks. It's hard to zip around a multi-page paper or textbook on an eink reader -- I imagine it's a lot easier on this.