E-reader champion
October 28, 2022 8:47 AM Subscribe
If cost is no option, what's the absolute best e-reader available today?
I have has some extra money in a grant I need to spend. I've always had kindles, but am willing to switch platforms if there's a reason to.
I have has some extra money in a grant I need to spend. I've always had kindles, but am willing to switch platforms if there's a reason to.
Other questions -
What are you reading and what do you want to read? (epub/kindle ebooks? PDFs? comics?)
Do you want anything besides reader functionality? (notetaking, web browsing, apps?)
I haven't really been in the market for a couple years, but I think e-readers still a land of compromises. There isn't a good way to identify the "best" without it being "best for a specific purpose".
I really like my Onyx Boox Nova Pro because it has fantastic notetaking abilities, is extremely configurable for reading, and is basically an android tablet so I can use it for music, maps, and occasionally email. However, it's got only marginal compatibility with Amazon et. al. and isn't the most privacy/security conscious device. The Nova is reasonably priced, but if you want to read & annotate PDFs regularly the Boox Max series with a display the size of actual paper (and similarly-sized things from other companies like reMarkable) cost a pretty penny.
posted by sibilatorix at 9:05 AM on October 28, 2022
What are you reading and what do you want to read? (epub/kindle ebooks? PDFs? comics?)
Do you want anything besides reader functionality? (notetaking, web browsing, apps?)
I haven't really been in the market for a couple years, but I think e-readers still a land of compromises. There isn't a good way to identify the "best" without it being "best for a specific purpose".
I really like my Onyx Boox Nova Pro because it has fantastic notetaking abilities, is extremely configurable for reading, and is basically an android tablet so I can use it for music, maps, and occasionally email. However, it's got only marginal compatibility with Amazon et. al. and isn't the most privacy/security conscious device. The Nova is reasonably priced, but if you want to read & annotate PDFs regularly the Boox Max series with a display the size of actual paper (and similarly-sized things from other companies like reMarkable) cost a pretty penny.
posted by sibilatorix at 9:05 AM on October 28, 2022
How important is size to you? What about color? Boox has large and color options - I have the 13.3 inch version, which is massive but fits my specific use cases, mostly reading technical books which is impractical on my paperwhite, and they have smaller ones. They're running Android so you can run apps that aren't just reading apps (I've used it to bring Android versions of board games on vacation, for example). If you're a masochist, you can even watch videos on it. It also means you can use the Kindle app in addition to the native reader which has all kinds of annotation capability.
posted by Candleman at 9:06 AM on October 28, 2022
posted by Candleman at 9:06 AM on October 28, 2022
Depending on how deep your connections to Amazon are, it's probably going to be either a Kindle Scribe, or one of the top-of-the-line Kobo models like an Elipsa (10" screen), Sage (8"), or Libra (7").
posted by box at 9:07 AM on October 28, 2022
posted by box at 9:07 AM on October 28, 2022
Response by poster: Color not important. Size as big as possible. Mostly novels and academic texts. Being able to markup would be a plus. I currently have a kindle and mix purchases plus side-loaded stuff.
posted by signal at 9:07 AM on October 28, 2022
posted by signal at 9:07 AM on October 28, 2022
i love love love my kindle oasis. it's the most expensive model, but it's easier for me to hold and gives me less hand pain turning pages and such.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:10 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:10 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Another enthusiastic Kindle Oasis owner. I don't love being tied to the Amazon ecosystem (not a Prime member, avoid using them except for eBooks), but it's a real pleasure to use (I did find it very slippery though so I use it with a cover).
posted by mskyle at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
It also depends on what sort of interface you want - things like this, the $1800 PadMuLUMI2, are out there, but it runs Android, and might not be quite as smooth an experience as a Kindle. On the other hand, it'll let you do a lot more with it; automatic page turning for sheet music, for example.
There are also eInk monitors, typewriters, and various other things - I'd take a look through the Good e-Reader shop, and maybe sort by "latest", too, to see what's available - I'd be tempted by the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra.
posted by sagc at 9:42 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
There are also eInk monitors, typewriters, and various other things - I'd take a look through the Good e-Reader shop, and maybe sort by "latest", too, to see what's available - I'd be tempted by the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra.
posted by sagc at 9:42 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I own a 10" Pocketbook and could never go back to anything smaller.
posted by gakiko at 9:47 AM on October 28, 2022
posted by gakiko at 9:47 AM on October 28, 2022
Serious question, not intended to be sarcastic: if cost really isn't an issue, why not get a big iPad?
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:56 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:56 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you define best by reliability, my kindle paperwhite is ten years and 2 months old and still works great. I drop it all the time, I use it hard, it's never spent even a day in a case, and it's never done me wrong. I am a heavy HEAVY user of e books and I keep telling myself I'll upgrade, but there's simply no reason to. It is genuinely a perfect device.
posted by phunniemee at 10:01 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 10:01 AM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
As large as possible mostly means 13.3 inches. As noted, I like mine (the Max Lumi), but it is huge and not something you can hold one handed on the metro or something like that. If your primary interest is novels, I'd suggest that 10" is fine, but if you're more interested in annotating academic texts on a desk and continuing to use your existing Kindle at least part of the time for fiction, it's worth considering the 13.3.
I went with Boox because compare to other makers in the space, it had one of the more current versions of Android and uses USB C. There's only a few makers of 13.3 inch e-ink screens so there's several similar models from different makers.
if cost really isn't an issue, why not get a big iPad?
Reading, particularly for long periods of time or outside, is easier with e-ink rather than a standard color display. Going with e-ink is not a cost savings thing - the 13.3" ones around about $900.
posted by Candleman at 10:07 AM on October 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I went with Boox because compare to other makers in the space, it had one of the more current versions of Android and uses USB C. There's only a few makers of 13.3 inch e-ink screens so there's several similar models from different makers.
if cost really isn't an issue, why not get a big iPad?
Reading, particularly for long periods of time or outside, is easier with e-ink rather than a standard color display. Going with e-ink is not a cost savings thing - the 13.3" ones around about $900.
posted by Candleman at 10:07 AM on October 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
If you read pdfs, I've heard great things about the ReMarkable tablet. It gets great reviews, and a friend who works at a college where they have been provided for faculty says everybody loves them. They allow for reading and marking up pdfs, as well as note-taking.
The Kindle Scribe seems like an effort to get into the e-ink tablet market; ReMarkable isn't the only one on the market, and presumably would be compatible with epubs, which, IIRC, Kindle is switching to rather than continuing its own propriatory mobi format.
posted by Well I never at 10:30 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Kindle Scribe seems like an effort to get into the e-ink tablet market; ReMarkable isn't the only one on the market, and presumably would be compatible with epubs, which, IIRC, Kindle is switching to rather than continuing its own propriatory mobi format.
posted by Well I never at 10:30 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I avoid buying things from Amazon, even if I pay more somewhere else, and after using a Sony PRS 2012-2019 and it becoming steadily less useful as the ecosystem condensed into Kindles and Nooks and getting books on it got harder, I got a Kindle and it works great. Searching my annotations works well. I wish I wasn't part of the Amazon ecosystem, but it is what it is.
I would consider another device if I was still marking up pdfs on it (The academics I know pretty universally use iPads for this, I use a desktop. I would be frustrated by the refresh time on e-ink).
posted by momus_window at 10:53 AM on October 28, 2022
I would consider another device if I was still marking up pdfs on it (The academics I know pretty universally use iPads for this, I use a desktop. I would be frustrated by the refresh time on e-ink).
posted by momus_window at 10:53 AM on October 28, 2022
I always recommend Kobo because they're very easy to use and just drop books, documents etc onto.
The ReMarkable is good but having a light built in really does improve readability. So I would recommend the Kobo Ellipsa (I reviewed it here), which is large but not unwieldy and does markup as well.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:30 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
The ReMarkable is good but having a light built in really does improve readability. So I would recommend the Kobo Ellipsa (I reviewed it here), which is large but not unwieldy and does markup as well.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:30 AM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'd like to replace my old Kindle paperwhite, and I find my 11" iPad Pro iffy for marking up PDFs -- but have read too many mixed reviews of the ReMarkable and the Kobo to go for those, and the Sony ecosystem seems to be dying.
I've been waiting for reviews of the Scribe to come in.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:30 AM on October 28, 2022
I've been waiting for reviews of the Scribe to come in.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:30 AM on October 28, 2022
As someone who buys academic textbook in e-versions, many of which are not available in Amazon's format, I'd say an iPad or other tablet that will run both a Kindle reading app and an Adobe Digital Editions app, and a browser that will allow you to log in to whatever other academic e-publishing platforms are used.
I love my Kindle because of the e-ink--when I have headaches, I can't stare at screens that project light, but e-ink reflects it and is much better--but I have to repair to my iPad for DRM-bound epub files* and a couple of proprietary formats for academic books that I can only access via a browser.
*Kindle recently switched to epub, but as far as I know I can't check out library books that are limited to Adobe epub .acsm files.
posted by telophase at 12:08 PM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I love my Kindle because of the e-ink--when I have headaches, I can't stare at screens that project light, but e-ink reflects it and is much better--but I have to repair to my iPad for DRM-bound epub files* and a couple of proprietary formats for academic books that I can only access via a browser.
*Kindle recently switched to epub, but as far as I know I can't check out library books that are limited to Adobe epub .acsm files.
posted by telophase at 12:08 PM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
+1 for the platform-agnostic, ad-free and beautifully well-designed Onyx Boox, which allows you to install library apps, Google play, Kindle, Nook, and whatever other platforms exist for ereading.
If you google around for ereader recommendations most of the hard core ereader aficionados recommend them. But also pay attention to the pros and cons of any ereader you buy, it will help hone down what will really work for you.
posted by Violet Blue at 1:35 PM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you google around for ereader recommendations most of the hard core ereader aficionados recommend them. But also pay attention to the pros and cons of any ereader you buy, it will help hone down what will really work for you.
posted by Violet Blue at 1:35 PM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Since it may be relevant: Kindles still don't directly support EPUB. What Amazon did was add DRM-free EPUB to the list of formats supported by the Send to Kindle function. If you send an EPUB file using that function (whether by email or using an Amazon app) the EPUB will be converted to an Amazon-specific ebook format. If you're side loading to a Kindle you'll still have to use Calibre or whatever other tool to convert the EPUB to a format the Kindle understands. And if the EPUB is protected by DRM the Amazon tool won't be able to convert it.
posted by fedward at 1:36 PM on October 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by fedward at 1:36 PM on October 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
Just as a frame of reference of how large and cumbersome 13.3" can be, I was reading with mine in my lap last night. I'm 6'3" and it nearly reaches my knee in that position.
posted by Candleman at 10:26 AM on November 1, 2022
posted by Candleman at 10:26 AM on November 1, 2022
Shorter than an actual 8.5x14" legal pad...and if you want 1:1 display of a letter size page, then the device will always have to be at least a bit bigger (until they start making e-readers like phones, anyway).
Common magazine sizes can be useful comparison too.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:09 AM on November 3, 2022
Common magazine sizes can be useful comparison too.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:09 AM on November 3, 2022
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posted by terrapin at 8:55 AM on October 28, 2022