Modos Flow is a 13.3-inch Open-Source 13.3-inch 60Hz E-Paper Monitor

Designed for reading, writing, and development, this USB-C e-paper monitor is suitable for daily productivity.

Displays 2 hours ago by Debashis Das

Modos Tech has introduced Modos Flow, an open-hardware, 13.3-inch e-paper monitor designed for daily productivity. Designed to reduce eye strain during long hours of reading, writing, and coding, the display bridges the gap between the static nature of traditional e-readers and the responsiveness required for modern desktop computing.

Unlike conventional e-paper displays that rely on slow full-screen refreshes and heavy ghosting, the Modos Flow achieves a refresh rate of up to 60 Hz with a sub-100 ms latency. It accomplishes this through an AMD Zynq 7000 SoC FPGA-based controller that intelligently updates only the pixels that change (such as a moving cursor or text entry) rather than triggering a full panel refresh.

Modos Flow, an open-hardware, 13.3-inch e-paper monitor, supports a stylus on the color model

Modos Flow Specifications

Processor: AMD Zynq 7000 SoC (XC7Z010-CLG400)
Display: 13.3-inch E Ink Carta™ 1300 (Monochrome) or E Ink Kaleido 3 (Color)
Color Support: 4,096 colors / 16 levels of grayscale (Color model)
Resolution: 3200 x 2400 pixels (300 PPI)
Refresh Rate: Up to 60 Hz (at desktop with extra power) / 40 Hz (single cable mobile)
Latency: Sub-100 ms
Connectivity: USB Type-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode
Interactivity: Touchscreen support; Stylus support available on the color model
Lighting: Built-in amber-tinted frontlight (Color model)
Dimensions: 31.5 x 25.4 x 1.6 cm
Weight: 0.69 kg (panel only)

The monitor operates over a single USB Type-C cable when connected to compatible hosts, while an optional external power input enables full-performance operation. The included software API also allows keyboard shortcuts or custom applications to switch display modes automatically depending on the current workload.

Four display modes optimize Modos Flow for reading, writing, browsing, and video.

It also includes dedicated hardware buttons for switching between four display modes: Reading, Browsing, Watching, and Writing. Each mode adjusts the display refresh behavior to prioritize image quality, responsiveness, or typing latency. Users can also switch modes programmatically through the Modos Flow API or assign keyboard shortcuts for faster access.

Modos Flow is released as open hardware with open-source firmware. The project provides hardware schematics, firmware source code, documentation, and design files available on GitHub, enabling developers to modify the display controller or integrate it into custom applications. The software stack supports development in Rust, Python, and C; more information about which is available on their docs.