Dasung is best known in the E INK world for its monitors. They have been making them for the past six years and they are basically geared towards secondary displays for your computer or primary displays for people who have vision issues and cannot do work on traditional LCD monitors. The company has started to branch out in the past couple of years, with a series of tablets and digital note-taking devices. Their latest product? It is called the Dasung Link, and it is a small E INK display that mirrors your smartphone and also has a touchscreen so you can interact with your phone, without using your phone. It retails for around $299 to $399 and it is a confusing product.
Dasung has two different models for the Link. One is an Android and iOS-supported model with wireless connection support.. They also have a wired model that works with phones that support video out over USB. The Link ships with two boxes. One has the Link, and the other has a Link Power. The Link Power is a case with a battery built into it; it has a big bulge on the back. It makes it very unwieldy. The case has a USB-C connector, which the Link uses to insert itself into the patient, and the gel coating ensures it will fit snuggly. The Link Power is the only way you can use the Link since the Link does not have a battery. The Link case has a 5,000 mAh battery, which should be suitable for a few weeks.
All Dasung Link models feature a 6.7-inch E Ink display that outputs 300 PPI, supports touch inputs and sits within an 8 mm thick aluminum chassis. Dasung claims to have included a Turbo mode to mitigate the slower response times.
Our video review of the Link found it really challenging to use. It does not work with modern versions of Android smartphones; we tested it on Android 13, Android 12 and Android 11 and couldn’t get it to work. We went back and forth with Dasung over a period of a couple of weeks, and even they couldn’t get it to work when we did a Zoom call with them. The only product we could get it working on is an Android 10 Hisense smartphone. The FAQ page from the Indiegogo page stated that due to a bug in the Android 13 system, it affects the reverse touch effect of the wireless version of Link. The performance may not be as good as in Android 12 and Android 11 systems. Additionally, the Link wired version does not support reverse touch on Android 13, except for Samsung phones.We recommend users upgrade to Android 13 cautious”
Dasung originally stated in their marketing materials that the Link is compatible with iOS, such as iPhones and iPads, but they now say it is incompatible with those models. Due to the closed nature of iOS, the Link cannot control your iPhone, it can only mirror what is on the phone. Still, this might be the only way you can read Apple Books on an E INK screen, however, you would have to turn the pages with your phone still or use a Bluetooth page turner.
The Link is a confusing product, we don’t really know who this is for and who will find value in it. There are so many phones it is not compatible with, and finding specific models that work, can be challenging. I think you are better off with an Android tablet or something with lots of functionality out of the box. There are even full fledged Android smartphones out there from Hisense, with modern specs, that cost as much, or a little bit more than the Link.
You can visit the Dasung Indiegogo campaign page to get a sense on what phones are supported via wireless and wired, or make a purchase.
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.
