May 29, 2022 By Michael Kozlowski Leave a Comment
The iReader Ocean 2 features the same asymmetrical design as the Amazon Kindle Oasis 3, including the manual page turn buttons. However, unlike the Oasis, the iReader is bristling with modern hardware and has a new E INK Carta 1200 display panel, which increases page turns and performance by 20%. It is running Google Android 10.
The iReader Ocean 2 features a 7-inch E INK Carta 1200 e-paper display panel. E INK Carta 1200 is primarily used in e-readers that have electronic paper displays. This technology is only in a handful of products right now, such as the new Kindle 11th generation Kobo Libra 2 and Kobo Sage. The technology provides 20% faster response time and enables smoother handwriting and animations. It also support for E INK Regal technology for image updates. Regal virtually eliminates the need for a full refresh, giving the viewer smoother viewing transitions. The resolution is 1680×1264 with 300 PPI and has an impressive 72% screen body ratio. The screen is protected by a layer of glass. It has a front-lit display and color temperature system to read in the dark, three are around 36 white and amber LED’s.
Underneath the hood is a 2.0 GHZ dual core processor, 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 128GB of internal storage. There is a USB-C port for charging or transferring ebooks or other files to your device. It has Bluetooth 5.0 and a single speaker, so you can listen to audiobooks, podcasts or music with the speaker or you can pair wireless headphones or earbuds. You can connect up to the internet with the webkit browser. The dimensions are 154.2x136x3.5mm and weighs 170g.
On a software level it is running Google Android 10, but there is no Google Play Store. In fact, there is no apps of any kind that are available on the Ocean 2 and it is not possible to sideload in your own apps. The software is even more restrictive for an international audience, because it only has a few language options and English is not one of them, just a few different Chinese options. So, if you want to read or sideload in your own books, no matter the language this is actually a good option. It supports TXT, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, EKB2, EBK3, UMD, DJVU, AZW, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX. Sadly, it does not support CBR/CBZ which are manga formats, but most of the manga sold on online bookstores are actually in ZIP files or EPUB, which this reader supports. However, there is the iReader online bookstore that can be used to purchase books, comics and manga.
I really like the formfactor and design of the Ocean 2, I think it is ideal for people who speak Chinese, but don’t live in China. There is no need to make an account or register for anything, and you don’t need a Chinese phone number, just to use it, like iFlytek does. If you want to signup for the bookstore, it is a very good place to find the latest bestsellers. People who do not speak Chinese, might not find a ton of value here, unless you don’t mind just sideloading everything and using it as a dedicated e-reader and nothing else. There really isn’t that many Carta 1200 readers on the market, so that makes this really compelling. The physical page turns are raised, and I think they are better than the Kindle. You can can order it today from the Good e-Reader Store.
Michael Kozlowski ( Editor-in-chief ) Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Share 7 Tweet 3 Share Reddit Vote Email 10 Shares
Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.