Pros
- Small
- Lightweight
- Inexpensive
- Frontlight
- Decent native note-taking app
- Handwriting search
- Handwriting-to-text conversion
Cons
- Small canvas size
- Sunken screen
- Stylus feels cheap
- Screen size limits reading capabilities
- Not as 'snappy' as more premium tablets
The Mobiscribe Origin is perhaps the most portable of E-ink tablets, with a 6.8" screen and weighing just 228g. It has since been superseded by the Mobiscribe Wave and Mobiscribe Wave Color, which are waterproof.
Last updated: September 2023
We have not yet reviewed this tablet, and it is unlikely that we will purchase a review unit because it is an older generation model which has now been replaced with the Mobiscribe Wave and Mobiscribe Wave Color.
The differences between these models can be seen in the table below:
| PRODUCT | MOBISCRIBE ORIGIN | MOBISCRIBE WAVE | MOBISCRIBE WAVE COLOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specs & ratings info |  Not yet rated |  Okay |  Okay |
| My Rating | |||
| Price (approx) | $240 Limited availability | $285 | $350 |
| Manufacturer | Mobiscribe | Mobiscribe | Mobiscribe |
| Release year | 2021 | 2023 | 2023 |
| SCREEN | MOBISCRIBE ORIGIN | MOBISCRIBE WAVE | MOBISCRIBE WAVE COLOR |
| Screen type | Carta ? | Carta | Kaleido Plus |
| Screen size | 6.8" | 7.8" | 7.8" |
| Screen resolution (B/W) | 1080 x 1440 | 1404 x 1872 | 1404 x 1872 |
| Screen density (B/W) | 265dpi | 300dpi | 300dpi |
| Colour | ⨯ | ⨯ | ✓ (Kaleido Plus) |
| Screen resolution (Colour) | n/a | n/a | 468 x 604 |
| Screen density (Colour) | n/a | n/a | 100dpi |
| Frontlight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wacom compatible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Buy | |||
| HARDWARE | MOBISCRIBE ORIGIN | MOBISCRIBE WAVE | MOBISCRIBE WAVE COLOR |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz quad-core | 1.5 Ghz Quad-core | 1.5 Ghz Quad-core |
| RAM | 2Gb | 4Gb | 4Gb |
| Storage | 32Gb | 64Gb | 64Gb |
| Battery | 2050mAh | 2500mAh | 2500mAh |
| Super Refresh | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Keyboard folio | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Speakers | ⨯ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microphone | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| G-Sensor | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Ceramic Tip | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Bluetooth | ⨯ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fingerprint scanner | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| SD card slot | ✓ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Rear camera | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Front camera | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Waterproof | ⨯ | ✓ | ✓ |
| USB-C | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Width | 132mm | 148.3mm | 148.3mm |
| Height | 173mm | 193mm | 193mm |
| Thickness | 9.65mm | 8.1mm | 8.1mm |
| Weight | 228g | 0g | g |
| Buy | |||
| SOFTWARE | MOBISCRIBE ORIGIN | MOBISCRIBE WAVE | MOBISCRIBE WAVE COLOR |
| Operating system | Android 8.1 | Android 12 | Android 12 |
| Google Play Store | ⨯ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kindle support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Handwriting search | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Handwriting conversion | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insert shapes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insert images | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Split screen | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| Custom templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| No. templates | 50+ | 50+ | 50+ |
| Brush types | Pencil, Fountain Pen, Paintbrush | Pencil, Fountain Pen, Paintbrush | Pencil, Fountain Pen, Paintbrush |
| Screen share | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ADE support | ⨯ | ⨯ | ⨯ |
| File formats | MOBI, PDF, EPUB, TXT | PDF, EPUB, TXT, FB2, AZW3, MOBI, PRC | PDF, EPUB, TXT, FB2, AZW3, MOBI, PRC |
| File formats (image) | PDF, EPUB, TXT, FB2, AZW3, MOBI, PRC | PNG, JPG | PNG, JPG |
| File formats (Audio) | PNG, JPG | - | - |
| Buy | |||
| Where to buy | eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US | MobiScribe Amazon DE Amazon US eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US | MobiScribe Amazon DE Amazon UK Amazon US eBay AU eBay CA eBay DE eBay ES eBay FR eBay IE eBay IT eBay UK eBay US |
| PRODUCT | MOBISCRIBE ORIGIN | MOBISCRIBE WAVE | MOBISCRIBE WAVE COLOR |
About the author
Dan Dutton is passionate about E-ink writing tablets, which bring together the pleasure of writing on paper with the power of digital technology. When he bought his first tablet, he realised that there wasn't a lot of unbiased information available for people that were considering buying an E-ink tablet, and so he built eWritable.