DIY dual-screen e-reader mimics real book

E-reader manufacturers often claim their products' E Ink displays are the perfect alternative to paper books. However, one key difference between e-readers and physical books is the display that only imitates a single "page". As some note, that might evoke the feeling of reading a pamphlet and not a real book.

Fortunately, there is someone who has come up with the concept of a dual-screen e-reader, one that folds in the middle and opens up to reveal two e-paper displays. Credit for this goes to Reddit user Spacerower who began searching for alternatives after damaging the display of his old e-reader.

With no e-reader in sight that would offer all the features that the OP wanted, they set out to build one themselves. That's how the dual-screen e-reader came into being. Built around an ESP32S-3 chip, the e-reader packs two 5.83-inch e-paper displays. It is not just the display that comes in pairs; there are also two 1,300 mAh batteries onboard.

E-paper displays are known for their extremely low power demands. Combine this with the highly power-efficient ESP32-S3 chip and its 7 µA deep sleep mode and you have a device that can easily last more than a month on a single charge.

There is also an SD card slot for storing books and other content; some physical buttons for navigation and turning pages; a USB-C port for charging the batteries. Also, a nice thing with the e-reader is that it is fairly slim with each side measuring 8 mm in thickness. In its closed state, the e-reader measures 16 mm. Also, an inherent positive of a dual screen e-reader is that the display is shielded and the e-reader does not need a protective case as such.

Things however are a bit laggy when it comes to the software. As the creator admits in the Reddit thread, the software is still very, very basic. As of now, the e-reader relies on custom code for ePUB parsing, text rendering, and UI.