It's been introduced, and it has nothing to do with the big printers...
The new printer is the SureColor P600, and it had already turned up at Photokina.
9-ink,13x19", 26 ml cartridges. The biggest difference from its predecessor the R3000 is that they are now calling the inkset "Ultrachrome HD with Vivid Magenta" The claim is slightly higher DMax (2.84 under some ideal circumstance - I think the prior inkset is 2.75 or so, again in ideal circumstances). No mention of enhanced gamut other than black, so I'd suspect it's a reformulated Photo Black, and perhaps a Matte Black or the Light Blacks as well, with the other colors unchanged?
Some articles have mentioned PrecisionCore heads, but Epson themselves call the heads MicroPiezo AMC, specifically NOT mentioning PrecisionCore. They have been using the term "MicroPiezo AMC" for several generations, so it's impossible to tell whether this is a new head. It is a 180 nozzle head, same as the R3000 and 3880, but not the higher-precision TFP head (360 nozzles per channel) of the 7900/9900.
It has a claimed resolution of 5760x1440 (the R3000 also claims this resolution, nothing bigger claims over 2880x1440).
Still 9 inks in 8 channels, so pretty much the same black ink dance as any other modern Epson.
Otherwise, looks a LOT like an R3000 - same non-powered roll feed, same ink configuration, almost identical looking chassis.
Overall, it seems to be a R3000 with a touchscreen (probably borrowed from the consumer 4 ink printers - looks identical), some new cell phone printing capabilities (if I had to guess, these came with the touchscreen - they probably just grabbed the user interface module pretty much intact from one of the new WorkForce printers), and one or more slightly reformulated black inks?
Unless those black inks are better than I think they are, an underwhelming upgrade. Unfortunately, it probably sets the pattern for whatever 3880 upgrade is due - we won't be seeing orange, green, gloss enhancer, an additional black level or non-switching black inks unless the "3890" diverges from the close relationship with the R3000.
For anyone printing from a computer, the only advantage is the new black ink(s) - the touchscreen is mostly helpful for printing from phones, and the only other new capability is AirPrint and Google's equivalent for sending print jobs direct from a phone!
