iFlytek is starting to make a name for themselves in the e-reader world. They have a full color iFlytek C1 e-reader and now a 10.3 inch digital note taking device that has AI for TTS and voice to text. The company has disclosed to Good e-Reader that although both of their products have initially launched in China, they are working on a multilingual firmware update for support for dozens of languages, including English. Once this happens, both their consumer and pro models will be solid buys.
The iFlytek AI Note X1 features a 10.1 inch E INK Carta HD display with a resolution of 1872×1404 with 226 PPI. This is standard for a large screen devices, there is no such thing as a 300 PPI display on a 10.3. It doesn’t seem to have a frontlight. It does have a WACOM layer, used in conjunction with the stylus to take notes and edit PDF files. The stylus has 4096 degrees of pressure sensitivity.
It is powered by a 4,000 mah battery and has Bluetooth 4.2, for wireless headphones, or you can use the 3.5mm headphone jack. You can charge the X1 or transfer documents via USB-C.
One of the best things about this device is that it has a TTS engine, that sounds natural. It will read ebooks aloud in EPUB, and there are a bunch of other languages. It also has a writing to text feature in the note taking app.
This device is in Chinese to start, but iFlytek is working on some English firmware. Once it is done, Good e-Reader will conduct a comprehensive review and produce some videos.
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.
