Digma P6 E-Book Review: A Game Changer for Bookworms?

I've been reading reviews on various e-books, including the one I'm reviewing here, and I've noticed that some people just don't get the point of these devices. They think an e-book can replace a tablet PC, which is just not the case. As a result, they leave negative reviews.

The e-ink technology has been around since the 1970s, and the first e-readers with e-ink screens started appearing around 2007. Since then, the concept of devices using this technology hasn't changed much – they're still designed to display text and sometimes graphics.

So, the star of this review is the Digma P6 e-book.

Display type: E-Ink Kaleido 3

Screen diagonal: 6 inches

Display resolution: 1448x1072

Tactile display: Yes

Supported formats: EPUB, PDF, MOBI, DJVU, FB2, DOC, DOCX, HTML, RTF, TXT, CHM

RAM: 3072 MB

Internal storage: 32768 MB

MicroSD card support: Yes

MicroSDHC card support: Yes

Text-to-speech: Yes

Bluetooth support: Yes

USB interface: USB Type-C

Battery capacity: 2200 mAh

Operating system: Android 11

I initially planned to order a similar e-book from a Chinese brand, but the seller just couldn't get my order together, so I decided to go with a Russian version instead. This device is fully Russian-ized, officially sold in Russia, and comes with a guarantee – it's essentially the Meebook M6c version. There are no differences whatsoever. The case isn't officially available, but the one from the Meebook M6c should fit perfectly (and probably the standard M6's magnetic sensor will work too).

The box looks solid, simple, and not too flashy.

Simple boxBack of the box with device specsInside, everything is neatly packed.The contents of the package include the e-book, a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, a manual, and a guarantee. All the competitors have similar packages, even at a higher price, so we're not surprised. Screen protector is applied on topThe back of the device has a textured surface, so it doesn't slip out of your hands. However, given its size and fragile screen, I highly recommend getting a protective case.

The screen is completely exposed, with no bezels to protect it. And let's be real, e-ink screens are always the weak point of these devices. Even a minor scratch can lead to a costly repair, which might end up being half the price of the book.

Without the backlight, the screen looks a bit dull, which is due to the e-ink kaleido technology that displays color images. But with the backlight on, it's a whole different story – it's much more comfortable to read.Speaking of the backlight, it's really nice, with a wide range of settings and some pre-set options to get you started.

The screen itself has a decent resolution, and the text doesn't break apart into pixels. However, reading comics on the color screen can be a bit of a challenge – the images are a bit too small, and the colors aren't as vibrant as I'd like them to be (I guess that's just the technology not being perfect yet).

As for the touchscreen, it's pretty responsive, but the screen and bezels are super prone to smudges, so eating and reading at the same time is a recipe for disaster.

Overall, it's a no-frills device, but it does come with Android on board, which is a nice touch. You can install your own apps, but not all of them will be optimized for this type of screen. There's a huge selection of third-party e-readers and apps like Litres, Yandex Books, and more to choose from.

The book menu is pretty straightforward, with some functions activated by tapping on the corresponding icon in the top-left corner of the screen – that's where you'll find the backlight settings, screen refresh, and 'back' and 'home' buttons. The 'back' button is also a touchscreen button located below the screen. You can also access the Android quick settings by swiping down from the top of the screen.

I've found that turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can really help extend the battery life - any Android app just loves to go online and sync all the time. To put the device in sleep mode, you can either press the power button or close the case (if you've got that model). Sleep mode lets you get back to reading quickly, but keep in mind that the battery still drains a bit even when it's 'asleep'. Weirdly, when you turn the device off completely and then back on again, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth just turn themselves back on.

Android gives you a bunch of advanced settings to play with, but some of the menus can be a bit confusing - like 'settings' and 'user settings'.

If you swipe right, you'll get to the Android settings menu. To be honest, the interface can be a bit clunky, and the settings are scattered all over the place. But you can customize the display settings, font sizes, screen refresh rate, lock screen intervals, and even the home screen.

If you're a Yandex Plus subscriber, you can use the Yandex Books app. It's not the most intuitive way to navigate your book list, but you can just use the search function. To search for books in the app, you need an internet connection, but once you've saved them to your device, you can read them offline.

"Blistatelnies Years" by Archibald Cronin With 32GB of storage, even accounting for Android's needs, you've got plenty of room to breathe and enjoy your reading experience.

Of course, you can load books as regular files, and the device is pretty versatile, but you'll probably have to find a reading light that suits your taste (I haven't tried the built-in one, so I can't say whether it's good or bad). There are even a few pre-loaded titles already.

Russian classics are timeless One potential issue is the 3GB of RAM, which can get a bit cramped. You'll need to periodically clear out running apps, and luckily, there's a dedicated button in the top-right corner of the screen to help with that.

It's basically just a familiar Android list of recent apps The 2200mAh battery should last me around 1.5 to 2 weeks of heavy reading, but unfortunately, the device doesn't have fast charging. I think it really needs a 1A or even 0.5A charger, according to the manual. But, to my surprise, it charged just fine with a universal charger from COMMO.

In general, despite being a Digma, the device is actually quite solid. It's not lightning-fast, but that's just a characteristic of this type of device. The reader itself doesn't lag, although it does occasionally freeze when entering sleep mode and turning off the backlight. Otherwise, I haven't encountered any issues during use.

I think it's a great value for the price, and I'm not sure there are many competitors that can match it.