The Sony Digital Paper tablet is technically nothing new. It was introduced way back in 2014 with little fanfare but that didn’t mean a second iteration wasn’t in the works. In short, in the past three years, the then DPT-S1 has gone $999 to $699 (DPT-RP1) and gained a host of new features. For those wanting a more detailed breakdown, you can read my original preview from April here. As a more general overview, Devin Coldewey from TechCrunch wrote this:

 The screen itself, built with E Ink’s Mobius display tech, has been upped from 1200×1600 to 1650×2200, which should make text considerably clearer (206 DPI — pretty good). The increased resolution doesn’t seem to have affected the battery life, though: like other e-paper displays, it’s super-long, at least a week or two.

The touchscreen layer has been improved, as well, and the texture of the surface; e-paper displays aren’t very responsive, so anything that can be done to improve that experience is welcome. This has presumably enabled the new note taking and annotation features the device has.

And, of course, the hardware itself has gotten a fresh coat of paint: it’s the same weight, but the design has been cleaned up and the bezels are slightly thinner. 

What’s interesting about the RP1 is the new price point it hits. At $1,000, the justification is hard for an individual and even harder for an institution, but at $700, it is placed in the basic iPad Pro price range. Yes the two are very different beasts but there are some intersecting markets they both reach and the new lower prices means Sony can better compete for that business. On top of that, it’s been confirmed that the Digital Paper will come to the US this June. It’s unlikely you’ll see it at your local Best Buy, but B&H and Amazon will be a safe place to purchase one.

From Sony:

• Side Note function – users can page through a document on one side of the screen while taking notes on the other.
• Parallel Reading/Review – enables display of separate documents in two-page view for easy review/comparison of multiple documents.
• Zoom function – zoom into small text by touching or circling the desired area and annotated in zoomed area.
• Advanced search function – for searching by Title, Text, Author and Handwritten Symbols (Star/Asterisk)
• Advanced security – prevent unauthorized access to Digital Paper using a screen lock password and secure all content using 128-bit, AES, encryption technology
• Marvell 64 bits Quad-core processor – for improved page turning and document management speed
• Marvell MIMO Wireless Technology – transfer documents easily between PC and Digital Paper using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless technology.

Do you think the Digital Paper has an audience or is it far too niche of a product?