This AI-powered E Ink iPhone and Android case could become a traveller's best friend

Reetle's new phone case has the potential to be one of the most useful ever created. That's because, not only does it protect your phone, it turns it into a dictation device with an additional E Ink display for good measure.

You can use it as a boarding pass that doesn't constantly need woken up from sleep mode, as a mobile voice recorder that automatically turns your speech into editable text, or as a pocket sized e-reader.

The big benefit of E Ink is that it doesn't constantly refresh like a traditional phone display, so it uses very little energy.

Here that means 10 hours of continuous reading or voice recording, and it has a standby time of seven days. It's MagSafe too, charging via passthrough as you recharge your phone.

Reetle Smartlink I: key features and pricing

According to Reetle, the Smartlink "merges AI, display and recording technology into one". That includes one-tap voice and text capture, customisable widgets and automatic syncing via the companion app to create transcriptions and AI summaries.

It works with the iPhone 13 series onwards, including the iPhone Air, and there is also a "Universal Version" for Android phones from the likes of Samsung – although individual models aren't specified.

The Reetle Smartlink I is currently on Kickstarter (via Yanko Design) with an early bird price of $119 (about £89 / €101 / AU$179) although there are very few slots left at that tier so if you want one, you'll need to be quick before the price goes up. Delivery worldwide is planned for February 2026.

There is one little detail to watch out for though – the voice transcription is via an AI subscription service. There is a free tier, which offers 50 minutes of transcription, 20 summaries and 10 AI-generated images per month, but the next step up is $99.99 (about £75 / €85 / AU$151) per year.