The Smartbook T1 is made by a company called Guoyue. This is their second device, the Smartbook V1 came out last year and was Chinese only, which limited its appeal. This new model is in English and it is a dedicated digital note taking device that has an excellent drawing app, you can also annotate PDF documents and digital books. One of the big key selling points is that it is running Google Android 8.1 and supports sideloading of apps and alternative app markets.
The Guoyue T1 features a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1680×1624 with 300 PPI. The screen is completely flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of durable glass. It has 29 LED white and amber LED lights. These are used to power the front-lit display and color temperature system. The lights are positioned alongside the bezel and project light evenly across the screen. The design of the body is piano black, it surrounds the e-paper display and also the back.
Underneath the hood is a Quad-Core 1.8 GHZ processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It has speakers on the side of the display, this is useful for listening to audiobooks, podcasts or music. If you don’t feel like using them, it also supports Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless headphones or earbuds. You can charge the T1 with the USB-C port and also transfer data. The entire device is powered by a respectable 2300 mAh battery, which typically will provide about 3 weeks of battery life.
Drawing and taking notes is why you want to buy this this device. The included pen has 4,096 degrees of pressure sensitivity, which means the lighter or harder you press, the thicker/thinner the lines will become. Many pens for Wacom screens are battery free, but not this one. The top of the pen is removable, with a USB port, you can connect up a USB cable to your MAC/PC and charge it. The cap is magnetic, so it is easy to remove. The design of the pen is grey, it has a power button to turn on or off, helps conserve battery life. It also has a back, forward and eraser button on the sides. I think the stylus has a very interesting design and its free.
You can buy this unit today from the Good e-Reader Store. We are now an authorized dealer of Guoyue, so the price all in is $399.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.