E-Paper device for Navigation only
I am looking for an e-paper device with a polychromatic screen, with a GPS chipset, able to run OSMAnd, enough storage for offline maps (64GB+) and preferably an option to flash LineageOS or any other de-googled OS. Or is there maybe even a dedicated e-paper GPS navigation device not reliant on Android? Any recommendations or tips?
8 replies
I really want one too.
edit: open OS compatibility is a hard requirement for me, so this is wishful thinking for now I think. Plus, I only buy cheap phones so maybe another 20 years wait for me.
What I found up to now:
https://euroshop.bigme.vip/collections/tablet
And:
https://shop.boox.com/products/noteair5c
I am not sure about their OS though, is it good to use?
They all run some version of Android. I think you'll have to get an actual phone variant if you want GPS though, I'm not sure the tablets have it.
Good point! The bigme chatbot says only the simple Hibreak has a GPS chipset. It does also come in a color screen variant. So I will investigate that one for now. Android 11 sound shitty though... https://euroshop.bigme.vip/products/bigme-hibreak-smartphone?variant=41760806305881
I'm just adding to my other comment, that the Hibreak S says "GPS supported" in the very bottom of the product page in the image of the comparison table. The chatbot can't read images it seems. The S model is based on Android 14, while the older one is based on 11. https://euroshop.bigme.vip/collections/smartphone/products/bigme-4g-color-epaper-smartphone-hibreak-s-with-android-14-os?variant=42834538889305
maybe that fits: https://remarkable.com/
I think your best bet might be some of the Chinese e-ink android phones. Hisense and Bigme offer some, there are a couple other brands too. But I doubt you'll be able to flash a different OS on any of those.
The minimal phone probably has GPS too, but I didn't see it directly mentioned. It's only black & white though
https://minimalcompany.com/collections/frontpage
Getting a second e-ink screen for your regular phone could also be an option.
The Hisense and the Minimal Phone both have been owned and flashed with some variant of LineageOS. As it's not meant to be a daily driver I am not focusing on security. Maybe I could set up an external GPS device through USB-C with one of the tablets. The good thing about the tablets is that they have a bigger screen, which I imagine to be quite practical for mapping.