It’s possible to get one of these e-ink display boards with an ESP32 microprocessor for not much more than the display alone. It has onboard WiFi and makes for an even smaller unit since there is no need to attach it to a Pi. It also ditches the operating system so you get an instant boot.

Programming is via PlatformIO, MicroPython or Rust (if you’re adventurous! - Rust is not quite ready for ESP32). Has reignited my interest in coding after a hiatus, and there is something that feels special about these eink displays.