Viwoods AiPaper Reader C is a Phone That Reads Like an E-Ink Book

Viwoods debuted the AiPaper Reader C to slip neatly into a pocket right alongside your regular phone, but with a screen designed for long reading sessions without all the usual glare or battery drain. They brought out this device as a follow up to their earlier black and white model, and this time they’ve swapped in a color display which makes a big difference when handling comics, mags and illustrated guides. At $349, its placement really is where e-readers meet basic mobile tech, and the end result feels like a nice companion for everyone who’s just had it up to here with scrolling through endless feeds.

When you first pick up the AiPaper Reader C, you’ll note how small it is. It’s small, measuring 159.4 by 80.3 by 6.7 millimeters, thus it resembles a mid-sized phone. It has the same slim profile that fits nicely in your pocket, and you’ll forget it’s there when you’re on your daily commute or going for a walk. The body is a very typical plastic design in a single color, with a flat back and gently rounded sides that fit very well in your hand. The power and volume buttons are on the right side, as is a dedicated key for AI tasks, which provides a useful quick-access point without cluttering the front panel.

The screen takes up the majority of the front; it’s a 6.13-inch E ink Kaleido 3 display that renders text in black and white at 300 ppi. For color materials, the resolution is slightly lower at 150 pixels per inch, but it still supports 4,096 different hues for covers, photographs, and diagrams that stand out without overpowering the eyes. The dual front lights allow you to regulate the brightness and warmth, reducing blue light in the evenings and keeping pages visible in dimly lit environments. You also have four different modes to choose between rapid page flips and absolute maximum sharpness depending on what you’re reading (book, document, etc.). The refresh rate is intentionally kept low, so app animations may lag slightly; nonetheless, for continuous reading, the display remains entirely locked on and does not wear out.


Inside, you’ll find an 8-core processor built on a 6nm process, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is enough to store thousands of ebooks in formats such as EPUB, PDF, and MOBI. It runs Android 16, which means it has access to the Google Play Store, allowing you to download new programs from anywhere. Dual band wi-fi ensures reliable internet access, and Bluetooth 5.0 allows you to stream audiobooks or podcasts to your headphones or speakers. A data-only SIM slot allows you to connect to 4G LTE while on the go; but, you will not be able to make or receive phone calls unless you install a third-party app.


The battery life is quite good; it ca last for days and days thanks to the 2580 mAh battery, which appears to sip power off the screen like it’s going out of style. Charging is by USB-C, however the charger is left out of the box, so you’ll have to get one yourself. The extra effort went into figuring up the software side of things with Viwoods; they’ve promised updates to keep it new and stable, which is great, but the hardware is stuck with what it has.


One of the most useful additions is the integration of AI tools; simply press the button on the side and take a photo of a page, and it will spit out some comments or perhaps a brief synopsis. Most of it takes place in the cloud, although they do claim to have some offline support, although the specifics are unclear.
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