Bluegen has launched a dual-screen OKPad tablet onKickstarter, joining the dual-screen PC party at a much lower price point — and with a unique caveat that the lower screen is an E-Ink display rather than a duplicate of the top screen, which is usually an IPS panel. The unit starts at $199 through Kickstarter’s Super Early Bird pricing, but the final price is telegraphed to double up to a $399 MSRP.
The unique combination of dual-screen panel types is also supplemented by a 360-degree hinge form factor that allows for tablet, tent, and stand modes adjusted precisely to your surface of choice. And of course, you can also choose to use a single screen at a time and turn off the other entirely.
The Kickstarter campaign quickly reached 321 backers and hit full funding at $84,011 of the $5,054 goal at the time of writing, so the Bluegen OKPad is already funded and should be guaranteed for a release in the coming months. Technically, it met its funding goal within two hours of the original campaign launch, but of course, the funding available to Bluegen now exceeds that number significantly and, on paper, should allow for lots of happy preorder-ers.
Bluegen’s OKPad does have a few caveats, like not running Windows or being particularly powerful compared to modern mid-range or high-end laptops, but it’s not meant to compete with those devices.
Compared to the range of most other Android tablets, the OKPad looks a lot more interesting and useful, and should still be price-competitive with those units when the Early Bird pricing wears off. With its current $199 Early Bird pricing, though, it’s genuinely a great value for anyone who appreciates E-Ink displays or just wants a super portable tablet experience adjustable to nearly any given sitting or laying position.
It is a little unfortunate that the device is still using Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 instead of newer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, respectively, but this is probably a cost-cutting measure that helps keep it affordable. We’d also like to have more RAM, a newer Android release, and an estimate of decent battery life. However, the real selling point here is the form factor, not the internals.
At the time of writing, there aren’t many OKPads left at the Super-Early Bird price of $199. The next tier up is still reasonable at $249 though, if you accept the inherent risks of crowdfunding campaigns.
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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
