Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
for Hardware 2.0
| October 6, 2021
| Topic: Hardware
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
The best of the best
$190 at Amazon
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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
A premium e-reader at a not-so-premium price
$140 at Amazon
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Amazon Kindle
A basic e-reader at a decent price.
$60 at Amazon
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Amazon Kindle Kids
An Amazon Kindle with a kid-friendly twist
$70 at Amazon
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Kobo Nia
Not all e-readers are amazon e-readers
$100 at Amazon
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Kobo Elipsa
An e-reader you can draw on
$400 at Amazon
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Books take up a lot of space, but an e-reader can allow you to carry hundreds of books (along with audiobooks) in a small, convenient form factor.
Also, unlike smartphones and tablets, e-readers are fitted with e-ink displays and look — and even feel — like paper. They’re glare-free and are suited to both indoor and outdoor reading. E-ink displays even feature a subtle backlight, which means that you can read in bed without needing a light on.
Combine this with a battery life measured in weeks, and you have the perfect device to replace your big, chunky books.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
The best of the best
Amazon
Amazon’s newest e-reader offers the ultimate e-reader experience.
Tech specs:
Beautiful 6.8-inch 300 ppi glare-free display that looks just like paperAdjustable warm lightAuto-adjusting light for the right reading experience for you32GB of storageNo ads on the lock screenWaterproof10-week battery lifeUSB-C and wireless charging
Pros:
Everything you could want from an e-readerSolid and reliable
Cons:
Price
$190 at Amazon
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
A premium e-reader at a not-so-premium price
Amazon
A modern twist on the e-reader experience. It offers pretty much everything that the Signature Edition Paperwhite but comes with 8GB of storage.
Tech Specs:
Beautiful 6.8-inch 300 ppi glare-free display that looks just like paperAdjustable warm light8GB of storageWaterproof10-week battery lifeUSB-C charging
Pros:
Better price point than the Signature Edition
Cons:
No ads option available for $20 extraPrice
$140 at Amazon
Amazon Kindle
A basic e-reader at a decent price.
Amazon
This is a great e-reader for those who want a cheap and cheerful device to throw into a bag for travel or keep next to the sofa for a quick read in the evening.
Tech Specs:
Purpose-built 6-inch 167 ppi glare-free display8GB of storageBattery life measured in weeks
Pros:
Cheap priceA reliable, time-tested design
Cons:
Not waterproofNo ads option available for $20 extra
$60 at Amazon
Amazon Kindle Kids
An Amazon Kindle with a kid-friendly twist
Amazon
Everything you get with the Amazon Kindle, with a few special options aimed at kids.
Tech Specs:
Purpose-built 6-inch 167 ppi glare-free display8GB of storageBattery life measured in weeks
Pros:
None of the distractions of a smartphone or tabletNo adsIt also comes with 1 year of Amazon Kids+ (FreeTime Unlimited), a kid-friendly cover, and 2-year worry-free guarantee
Cons:
Not waterproof
$70 at Amazon
Kobo Nia
Not all e-readers are amazon e-readers
Amazon
An alternative for those who don’t want to be in the Amazon ecosystem.
Tech Specs:
6-inch 212 ppi glare-free display8GB of storageBattery life measured in weeks
Pros:
You’re outside the Amazon ecosystemNo ads
Cons:
Not waterproofNot as cheap as the Amazon offering
$100 at Amazon
Kobo Elipsa
An e-reader you can draw on
Amazon
This is an e-reader with some significant differences compared to Amazon’s Kindle line. A huge “tablet-sized” display and a stylus help set it apart.
Tech Specs:
Huge 10.3-inch 227 ppi glare-free displayIncluded Kobo Stylus allows you to write directly on the screen32GB of storageBattery life measured in weeks
Pros:
Huge displayIt comes with a handy stylusNo ads
Cons:
Very expensiveNot waterproof
$400 at Amazon
Why do you need an e-reader?
If you like books, then an e-reader gives you the closest “book reading” experience while using an electronic device.
Also, if you’re someone who likes to have multiple books on the go, then an e-reader helps to lighten the load — whether you have one book or a hundred, the e-reader stays the same size and weight.
I also like the ability to change the page layout to suit me — I can tweak the page layout and the font size, and I can even change the font to suit me.
My only remaining wish is that e-readers could smell like paper books!
How these products have been chosen?
I read a lot, and that’s allowed me to test all the devices in this listing.
Each product has been chosen because it offers a good reading experience:
The display is nice to look at for extended periodsThe e-reader provides good battery lifeThe controls are easy and intuitive to useThe e-reader is durable enough to put up with being treated like a book
Isn’t a smartphone or tablet a good enough e-reader?
Well, maybe. I do read a lot on my iPhone or iPad, but I find that e-readers have three huge advantages:
The e-ink display is much nicer to look at, especially for extended periods of timeThe battery life of e-readers is much better than any smartphone or tablet, lasting for weeks between rechargesThere are far fewer distractions on an e-reader — no emails, social media, phone calls, and so on
Are the ads on the “Ad-supported” Kindles annoying?
I don’t find them to be annoying, but if you think that they will be, you can pay extra to make them go away.
How much storage does my e-reader need?
It depends. 8GB is cavernous for books but can fill up quickly if you start to add audiobooks. Also, if you want to keep every book and audiobook, you can find your storage getting full after a couple of years.
Are some books badly suited to e-readers?
I find that books with a lot of diagrams or color images are better suited to smartphone or tablet viewing.
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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
for Hardware 2.0
| October 6, 2021
| Topic: Hardware