OP's Timeframe looks rad, but yes on the pricy side. check out trmnl .com for smaller / less expensive options and self hosted options. (disclaimer: i'm on the team)

I’m a big fan of TRMNL! The big difference with the Boox device is real-time updates, which make the smart home status information much more useful.

thanks for the support and i hear you. a few folks pointed their Boox at TRMNL[1], and we’re finally in the smart home arena now with free 5 min refresh rate for Home Assistant. aiming for JIT refresh by summer.

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/Onyx_Boox/s/ZSLF7u5pm8

Yo Ryan! I get your emails! I was just reading this thinking “man he should’ve tried TRMNL”

I love my original one and am planning to get a model X when budget permits

lol, €17.95 for a Developer "Unlock"[1].

[1]: https://shop.trmnl.com/products/developer-edition

That's just a perpetual license to use their hosted server. You are free to use your own self hosted server for free.