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Use the tablet’s per-app refresh controls rather than one global setting. Choose HD for books, still pages and image inspection; choose Speed for browsers, feeds and ordinary scrolling; and choose Smooth for continuous motion or video only when your model offers it. Turn on Auto Full Refresh if available, and invoke a manual Full Refresh when after-images build up. This is the practical way to reduce ghosting without expecting color E Ink to behave like an LCD.

Exact labels and available modes vary by model, firmware, app and region. BOOX treats NeoReader, system apps and third-party apps differently, so set and test the mode in the app where you notice the problem.

What ghosting is on a color E Ink tablet

Color E Ink uses electrically moved pigment particles instead of a continuously lit LCD backlight. When a page changes, some particles do not reach their final positions immediately. Faint remnants of the previous text, image or interface can therefore remain until a stronger refresh moves them again.

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“Ghosting is when faint remnants of previous content, like text or images, remain visible after the screen refreshes.” — BOOX Help Center, Understanding E Ink Technology in BOOX Devices

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Ghosting is consequently an inherent artifact, not automatically a defective panel. A faster mode shortens the time spent moving particles, but it does so by accepting a less complete transition. A slower, higher-quality refresh produces a cleaner page and usually more flashing. The useful goal is not zero ghosting in every situation; it is choosing the least distracting compromise for each app.

Pick the right refresh mode for each app

Open the tablet’s Control Center or E Ink Center/EinkWise while the problem app is in the foreground. The setting is normally stored per app, so a choice that works in a browser does not necessarily carry over to NeoReader or another Android app.

Mode Perceived motion Residual ghosting Text and colour quality Flashes and battery Best starting point Availability
HD Slowest of the three Lowest Highest display quality Fewer forced refreshes may be needed; normal panel power use Books, still pages, documents and inspecting images Check the model and firmware
Speed Faster response for ordinary scrolling Some after-image is expected Some reduction in clarity compared with HD May require more full refreshes as artifacts accumulate Web pages, social feeds and most scrolling-heavy apps BOOX recommends it for third-party apps on colour devices; verify on your tablet
Smooth Fastest, where offered Highest likelihood of visible residue Lower quality than HD Can increase refresh activity and power use Continuous scrolling and video on supported models Not exposed on every colour model, app or firmware

HD: use it when the page is mostly still

HD is the clarity-first setting. It is the appropriate default for long-form reading, a static PDF, a page you are studying, or an illustration where colour and fine edges matter. Page turns and scrolling feel less immediate than in Speed mode, but the more complete update leaves fewer remnants behind.

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If a reading app looks clean but feels sluggish, keep HD for the document itself and switch only that app to Speed when you need to move rapidly through a long page. There is no benefit in forcing HD on a feed that is constantly changing if the delay is more distracting than the small amount of residue.

Speed: the practical browsing setting

Speed reduces the delay between input and visible movement. Use it for a browser, social timeline, news feed, maps or another interface in which you repeatedly swipe. BOOX specifically recommends Speed for third-party apps on colour devices. Expect a compromise: text edges and colour transitions are less clean than in HD, and repeated interactions can leave a stack of faint previous frames.

Speed is not a guarantee of LCD-like animation. It is a faster E Ink waveform, and the panel still has to move pigment. If the screen becomes progressively dirtier during a session, keep Speed for navigation and use a full refresh before returning to a static page.

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Smooth: reserve it for supported high-motion use

Smooth is intended for the most fluid scrolling and, on models that expose it, video. It is not universal: colour and monochrome devices can expose different modes, and an individual app may not offer the same behaviour as a system screen. Select it only when the extra motion benefit outweighs the visible loss in clarity and the need for more frequent cleanup.

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If Smooth is absent, do not try to recreate it with random settings. Use Speed, confirm that the app is using its intended refresh profile, and rely on a manual or automatic full refresh to clear residue.

Configure refresh behavior step by step

1. Set a mode for the current app

  1. Open the browser, reader or other app where ghosting or slow motion is noticeable.
  2. Pull down the Control Center, or open E Ink Center/EinkWise. The exact panel name depends on the BOOX model and firmware.
  3. Select the refresh-mode control.
  4. Choose HD for a static page, Speed for scrolling, or Smooth if your model and app support it.
  5. Scroll, turn a page and open a few screens. Judge the result in the actual workload rather than on a single transition.

Because profiles are app-specific, repeat these steps for every app that needs a different compromise. A setting that makes a browser usable can make a book unnecessarily soft or slow.

2. Enable Auto Full Refresh when available

In the same E Ink controls, turn on Auto Full Refresh if the option is present. BOOX documents this feature as a way to manage accumulated ghosting. The tablet periodically performs a stronger update instead of allowing remnants to build indefinitely. The interval and label can differ by firmware; use the available control rather than assuming another BOOX model has the same choices.

3. Use NeoReader’s own refresh control

  1. Open a book or document in NeoReader.
  2. Open the reading settings.
  3. Choose Refresh.
  4. Use Full Refresh after a page turn or passage leaves obvious artifacts.

NeoReader’s controls can be separate from the system panel. If the document remains clean in HD but becomes marked after repeated page turns, a full refresh clears the residual image without changing the document or annotation data.

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4. Make a full refresh easy to reach in third-party apps

For a colour tablet running a third-party Android app, start with Speed according to BOOX’s guidance. Then add a Full Refresh action to a convenient entry point such as the Navigation Ball, a bottom gesture or the navigation bar, depending on what your firmware provides. This avoids leaving the app every time the screen needs cleaning.

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How and when to perform a Full Refresh

A full refresh drives a more complete transition and removes accumulated after-images. It also produces a conspicuous flash and consumes more power than a partial update. Use it as a cleanup tool, not after every tap.

Use a manual refresh when

  • Text or icons from a previous page remain visible after changing screens.
  • Several swipes in Speed or Smooth mode have layered faint images.
  • A video or animated page has left a persistent frame behind.
  • You changed from a high-motion app to a static document and want the cleanest page.

Adjust the automatic interval to your tolerance

Repeated taps and partial updates can accumulate ghosting before the next full refresh. A lower full-refresh interval improves clarity sooner, but it causes more flashes and increases power use. A higher interval reduces interruptions and saves energy while accepting more visible residue. Set the interval according to what distracts you: readers who notice every after-image should refresh more often; readers who find the flash more disruptive can allow a longer interval and invoke a manual refresh only when needed.

If one refresh is not enough

  1. Invoke Full Refresh once and wait for the flash to finish.
  2. Repeat the full refresh several times if a strong residual image remains.
  3. Return to the app’s profile and choose HD for a static page or Speed for scrolling.
  4. If the artifact still appears in the same location, test another app and a different refresh mode to determine whether it is app-specific or present across the display.

Do not interpret the extra flash as evidence that the panel is failing. It is the visible cost of the stronger waveform. Persistent marks after several full refreshes in multiple apps, however, should be documented and raised with the device manufacturer or seller, especially if they do not change with mode selection.

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App-by-app settings that usually work

Books, PDFs and static documents

Start in HD. The lower-motion workload benefits from the cleaner update, and the slower response is usually acceptable for page turns. If a particular document contains large images and you need to inspect them, stay in HD and use a manual full refresh after leaving an image-heavy page.

Web browsers and social feeds

Use Speed for the active app. Scrolling becomes more responsive, while some faint residue is a normal trade-off. Keep Auto Full Refresh enabled when available, or place Full Refresh on the Navigation Ball, bottom gesture or navigation bar so you can clear the screen without opening another menu.

Continuous scrolling and video

Choose Smooth only if the tablet exposes it for that app. Smooth prioritizes fluid movement, so image quality and ghosting are less favourable than HD. If Smooth is unavailable or produces too much residue, Speed is the next practical choice.

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System screens and colour inspection

System apps can use different waveforms from third-party apps. For a still settings page, gallery image or colour chart, select HD where the model allows it. If the same screen looks different after an update, recheck its profile rather than assuming the panel changed; BOOX can alter labels and behaviour through firmware.

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Why colour E Ink cannot match LCD motion

The panel itself sets a ceiling below conventional LCD animation. In E Ink Corporation’s 2022 Gallery 3 technical announcement, the company reported colour refresh figures of 500 ms in fast colour display mode, 750 to 1000 ms in standard mode and 1500 ms in optimal mode. The same announcement contrasted those figures with colour refresh times of up to 10 seconds for first-generation technology.

Those are panel-technology figures, not a promise that every tablet, firmware version or app will reach them. A tablet’s controller, waveform choice, software workload and colour mode all affect the result. Faster settings can make interaction feel better, but they cannot remove the physical time needed for electrophoretic particles to move. If your priority is uninterrupted animation, an LCD or OLED remains better suited; if your priority is reflective reading with low backlight dependence, colour E Ink’s compromises are part of the technology.

Refresh speed, clarity, flashes and battery: the decision trade-off

There is no setting that maximizes all six useful criteria at once. HD gives the strongest quality and the least residue, but its response is slower. Speed improves ordinary interaction while accepting lower clarity. Smooth, when available, pushes motion further and normally makes the quality trade-off more apparent. Full Refresh restores a clean state, but every forced flash is visually intrusive and uses additional energy.

  • Choose HD when a clean page is more important than immediate scrolling.
  • Choose Speed when delayed movement is the main problem and a small amount of ghosting is acceptable.
  • Choose Smooth only for supported continuous motion where fluidity matters more than crisp transitions.
  • Use Auto Full Refresh to control accumulation without manually interrupting every interaction.
  • Use manual Full Refresh when a page has become visibly contaminated by previous content.

Frequent full refreshes and high-motion modes can increase power use. Battery life therefore depends on how often you scroll, how aggressively the tablet refreshes and how often you force a cleanup, not simply on the name of the selected mode.

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Troubleshooting by symptom

Scrolling feels slow, but the page is clean

Switch the current app from HD to Speed. If Smooth is available and the workload is continuous motion, test it briefly. Keep the mode change limited to that app so reading and image inspection remain in HD.

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Scrolling is acceptable, but text looks dirty

Move from Smooth to Speed, or from Speed to HD if the page is mostly static. Perform a Full Refresh, then reassess after several interactions. A one-time cleanup cannot make a fast waveform permanently behave like HD.

Ghosting appears after a few taps

Enable Auto Full Refresh or shorten the full-refresh interval if your firmware exposes that control. Alternatively, add Full Refresh to a Navigation Ball, bottom gesture or navigation bar and invoke it when residue becomes distracting.

NeoReader is clean but another app is not

Set the other app’s profile independently. BOOX says behaviour differs between NeoReader, system apps and third-party apps, and recommends Speed for third-party apps on colour devices. Test HD and Speed in that app rather than copying NeoReader’s setting.

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Smooth is missing

Availability differs by colour model, monochrome model, firmware and app. Use Speed for scrolling, keep Auto Full Refresh enabled when available, and check the model’s current E Ink controls before concluding that a feature is broken.

Ghosting remains after repeated full refreshes

Try several full refreshes, then compare a static system page with the affected app. If the mark persists across apps and modes, record the model, firmware, app and conditions and contact BOOX support or the seller. Do not assume that a mode setting can correct a mark that survives the tablet’s strongest refresh.

Checklist before changing or buying a colour E Ink tablet

  • Confirm the exact model and firmware, because refresh modes and labels are not uniform.
  • Check whether the tablet offers HD, Speed, Smooth and Auto Full Refresh.
  • Verify that your main apps expose the desired mode; app support can differ from system support.
  • Make sure a Full Refresh can be reached quickly through the Navigation Ball, a bottom gesture, the navigation bar or the app’s own controls.
  • Decide whether you prefer fewer flashes and longer battery life or cleaner pages with more frequent full refreshes.
  • For a BOOX colour tablet, verify the exact model before buying a replacement stylus or other accessory; compatibility is model-specific.

A practical daily workflow

  1. Open the app you intend to use and set its profile in Control Center or E Ink Center/EinkWise.
  2. Use HD for reading and still content, Speed for normal scrolling, and Smooth only where supported and worthwhile.
  3. Turn on Auto Full Refresh when available.
  4. During a long scrolling session, invoke Full Refresh as soon as residue becomes more distracting than the flash.
  5. When you return to a book or image, switch that app back to HD and refresh once if remnants remain.
  6. If the result still looks wrong, repeat the test in another app and note the model and firmware before seeking support.

This workflow accepts the physical limits of colour E Ink while putting the choice where it belongs: per app, per task and per reader’s tolerance for ghosting, delay, flashes and battery use.

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