Which eBook Reader to Buy?

MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 15:28
Last edited 10/08/2020 - 16:59 by 2 other users

Hi guys!

I’m thinking to buy my first eBook reader and I need some suggestions!

  1. BRAND: I was thinking to buy a Kindle because is the most diffused brand and looks good to me. The only thing I would probably miss will be a physical button to flip the pages.

  2. MODEL: Now there are two possibilities: the Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite. From what I understood they both have 8gb of storage and backlight; 4 LED on the Kindle and 5 on the Paperwhite (what’s the difference?!), so the only substantial difference is the density of the screen: 167ppi vs. 300. Does it makes any difference in the real world?

  3. PRICE: Kindle is 139 and Paperwhite is 199 (189 on Kogan so I can maybe price beat it in Officeworks and get it for 180), do you know any other deal? I can find nothing at all!

Thank you!

Entertainment eBook Reader

Comments

  • tebbybabes on 10/08/2020 - 15:56
    +1

    I've had multiple generations of Kindles and have pretty much stuck to my 3rd gen 2017 paperwhite. I don't know what sort of resolution it has, but it's definitely better than 3rd generation Kindle (kindle keyboard 2010). However, that being said, I'm still more than satisfied with the resolution of my first kindle even if it is lower, just because the reading experience is basically the same for me.

    I didn't even realise that the base kindle now has a light. If I were in the market today, I'd probably be quite happy with the base kindle. The only feature I need with a kindle is a light and all the other things are just gravy.

    Finally, all my kindles still work beautifully. They just kept getting shared and eventually claimed by the recipients!

    Amazon do sales on the Kindle and OW still have them for as low as $169, just not now.

    Good luck in your search.

  • jallen89 on 10/08/2020 - 16:04
    +2

    I just brought my first Ebook reader a couple of weeks ago. I went with the Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon as at the time they included 90 days of Kindle Unlimited.
    I decided on the Paperwhite for two reasons… the grippy rubbery back (the regular Kindle is just hard plastic) and the 300 PPI screen.
    Absolutely love it. The text is the sharpest and clearest out of any digital display I’ve seen. It’s kind of eerie how it literally looks like a real paper book.
    Unfortunately I haven’t seen a regular Kindle model so I can’t compare how the lower PPI screen looks.
    From the research I did prior to buying, reviews and forum posts seem to think the Paperwhite is worth the premium over the regular Kindle.
    Plus the Paperwhite is IPX8 rated.

  • pe arl on 10/08/2020 - 16:04
    +2

    The extra LED backlight would mean more even lighting across the screen. If you're planning on doing a lot of reading on this device I'd say the extra ppi (density/clarity of the text) is worth it. The Paperwhite is a very popular middle ground between the budget Kindle and the premium Kindle Oasis. It used to go on sale quite regularly (e.g. with 20% TGG coupons), not sure if any deals are coming up.
    If you like physical buttons, a warm light option, and a slightly bigger screen, I definitely recommend the Oasis, although the price tag is pretty eyewatering and I've never seen it go on sale except when the previous gen was being cleared out. You could also consider the Kobo Libra H2O which is similar but cheaper.
    There are heaps of Kindle vs Kobo / Kindle vs Paperwhite reviews out there so they can help you decide.

    • trex on 10/08/2020 - 20:13
      +3

      +1 for Kobo, especially if your local library offers Overdrive. I've had 2 kindles and recently move to Kobo. No looking back since.

  • [Deactivated] on 10/08/2020 - 16:29

    Oasis if can afford it and will use it a lot.

    • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 16:31

      Na, too expensive for me, I don’t read that much!

      • [Deactivated] on 10/08/2020 - 16:33

        Buy books then off Amazon, no need for a kindle and are same price theses days.

        • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 17:04

          …and you can have books fo free in the library!
          But lately I always have to save space in my luggage for books, that’s stupid, Kindle would make reading much lighter!
          Plus I’m Italian and, if I want to read an Italian book, without Kindle, I can just get it physically just from Italy, not much practical!

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 10/08/2020 - 16:45

    I'm still using my Kindle Gen 3 Keyboard model, had since new. It still has great battery life and is used regularly (daily for an hour or so), much more when traveling. The wife had the same model but recently damaged the screen when it suffered a nasty drop. She now has the latest base model. Improvements over the previous version are built in lighting, smaller overall despite a similar/same screen size. She loves it despite its lack of physical page turning buttons.
    The only thing worth considering is if you wish to read eBooks from your local library, look at the Kobo. It has native software enabling this. The downside is that is reputedly less reliable, but that is hearsay, not personal experience.

    • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 17:09
      +1

      I heard that, but I’ve been told that with Calibre ( https://calibre-ebook.com/ ) you can load every ePub to a Kindle.

      • blindwilly on 10/08/2020 - 17:29
        +2

        That's correct - Calibre allows you to sideload content to any e-reader including Kindle.

        Having used a Kobo and now a Kindle Paperwork my impressions on accessing books are:
        Buying Books
        - Kindles play well with the Amazon eco-system so buying and downloading books is easy.
        - Kobo has its own bookshop but its not as simple as Amazon and seems to have less content.

        Borrowing Books
        - Kobo integrates well with libraries and borrowing is relatively simple, but your experience may vary (ask your library)
        - Kindle has no library integration yet.

        Converting Books
        I still get free books from places like Project Gutenberg, and author offers, so sideload them via Calibre anyway because the usual sources don't have them available and Calibre works with every e-reader I have connected to it, including a range of Kobos, Kindles and the odd Sony e-reader.
        It also converts them into formats that suit each reader eg: Mobi or AZW3 for Kindle, epub for Kobo.

        • spersephone on 11/08/2020 - 14:42

          I can borrow e-books from my library, download them with Adobe Editions, convert them with Calibre and then send them to my Kindle. There are ways to do this. Technically this is perfectly legal, as long as you delete the book after you have finished reading it.

  • CyberMurning on 10/08/2020 - 16:52
    +1

    kobo…
    buying kindle is like buying apple….

    and "Which eBook Reader TO Buy?"

    • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 16:59

      oops, I’ll fix it!

      About Kobo dunno, sounds like a cheaper version of Kindle…but it’s not that cheaper! Plus I would like to see one but every shop has just Kindles…

      • blindwilly on 10/08/2020 - 17:43

        JB Hifi still have Kobo on display.

        • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 17:46

          Not in Cairns, they have just one paperwhite!

          • blindwilly on 10/08/2020 - 17:51

            @MatteCar: Okay…I will admit the JB near me has a token Kobo display. Its wedged between the bargain bin and a pillar off to the side of the store.

            • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 17:55

              @blindwilly: The JB I went has an empty stand next the Kindle, maybe use to be for Kobos…

      • spersephone on 11/08/2020 - 14:47

        I started off with a Kobo Glo and I hated the light - it was too bright for me. I tried the Kindle out at Dick Smith (years ago) and was hooked. I went and bought a Paperwhite that same day and since then I have gone to a Voyage and recently an Oasis. I really like having the buttons or page press (Voyage), as I read fast and would be swiping constantly otherwise. I like the range available through Kindle better too.

        I tried to buy my Dad a Paperwhite last year and bought what I thought was one, but it was much cheaper. It turned out that I'd picked up the wrong box (far too similar) and got the all new Kindle with backlight. I checked it out and was pretty happy with it so gave it to him anyway.

  • Headless on 10/08/2020 - 17:33
    +2

    Kindle
    Email books to your kindle email account and they appear when you connect to a network.
    Kindle can read pdf nativly, otherwise use the free program Calbre to change the format

    Also register for a US Amazon account, so you get 100x the book selection at reduced costs.
    Can be a pain at times, but it is so worth it.

    Get a cheap case, not the amazon expensive one, I've had both and don't notice much difference in quality

    also wait until Amazon have a sale to buy one, don't pay retail!

    • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 17:41

      Oh ye, didn’t knew about the email service, that’s handy!
      Thank you also for all other suggestions!
      Hopefully they’ll do a sale quickly, I need it pretty soon

      • spersephone on 11/08/2020 - 14:48
        +1

        Being able to send my Dad a book via his kindle email address has been great, particularly now!

    • blindwilly on 10/08/2020 - 17:48

      Can you pay in $AUD on the US account, or have to factor in the conversion rate?
      And +1 for the email to Kindle facility. It's a great way to share books with family who are not tech savvy and find sideloading too much hassle.

      • Headless on 11/08/2020 - 09:35

        There is always a conversion somewhere, Amazon conversion or credit card conversion, but I'm usally buying the .99c books which are ~$10 here.

        Often I can find the books on piratebay for free, but I have bought a few too ;)

        And to mirror the comments below, having a copy of my passport and flight tickets on the kindle is quite handy

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 10/08/2020 - 19:32
    +1

    I also use the Kindle as storage for all all of my travel docs, saved as PDFs. Open travel docs on a laptop, save as PDF, connect by USB to Kindle, use as an external drive, save. Done.

    • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 20:28

      How does it work?
      Do you have a file manager so you can create folders from your computer then just drag and drop documents in like an USB key?

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 10/08/2020 - 20:35
        +1

        I'm using Win10, and just use File Manager.

        Create a folder, drop the required PDFs in the folder. Connect Kindle. Drag and drop.

        As the Kindle can read PDFs, when selected, they open. You can also use it like a USB key, so it can be a back up of your docs.

        • MatteCar on 10/08/2020 - 20:40

          Cool! So if you upload a PDF of an A4 paper with pictures you’ll see as it is (including pictures and page layout but, of course, scaled!) on the kindle? Can you zoom it?

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 10/08/2020 - 21:21
            +1

            @MatteCar: Sorry, posted a reply earlier, but I must have hit Cancel instead of Post.

            So if you upload a PDF of an A4 paper with pictures

            Yes.

            Can you zoom it?

            Yes, but don't forget that Kindle has a much lower resolution than a laptop / tablet device. It is also slower, due to software & hardware.

            I downloaded info on a travel destination from various online sites, pasted into MS Word, edited, saved as PDF. Transferred to Kindle, opened and worked like a treat. To avoid having to zoom, I played around with text sizes (a couple of test runs) and made images full page in Word.

            • MatteCar on 11/08/2020 - 00:29

              @DashCam AKA Rolts: That’s cool!
              I’ll never use it as I always travel with my iPad but is good to know that you can do so much things! Thank you!

              • [Deactivated] on 11/08/2020 - 07:32

                @MatteCar: Just use the kindle app on iPad.

  • Sunshines bright on 11/08/2020 - 07:57

    why buy a reader? You can download many reader apps including Kindle and calibre which will run on any phone or tablet you have currently use and with Amazon.com you just register your items(hardware) and you can send them to all of them. I use my laptop(mac),my desktop(windows), my phone (Iphone) and my Tablet (samsung) to read books. Though, with the samsung you really can't read PDF's very well using the kindle app as it won't allow you to maintain your current page for opening next time.

    • Headless on 11/08/2020 - 09:37
      +2

      Two words - Eye Strain

      Much easier reading a kindle screen due to zero glare.

      Unfortunatly I spend alot of time staring at screens throughout the day, my eyes just can't handle yet another screen before bed, but with the kindle its better on the eyes :)

    • MatteCar on 11/08/2020 - 09:39

      I tried to read on my iPad but I just can’t! Those screens are not made for reading: reflection, not bright enough during the day and opposite in the night, too much distractions, too heavy, ecc… I
      I would like to try something made for reading.

    • spersephone on 11/08/2020 - 14:49

      Much more enjoyable to read on a dedicated reader device. Far better for battery life too.

    • AncientWisdom on 13/08/2020 - 16:48

      I use my Nexus 7 2013 as an ebook reader and it's perfect! So much so that I'm worried with what I'd replace it with.

      I always put the screen to dark mode and I get no eye strain from it.

      The benefit is that you can buy your ebooks from any source (Amazon, Google etc.) and use their dedicated apps.

  • jayboi on 11/08/2020 - 21:29

    If you can find a near new one on Gumtree, I found a 2015 4 GB paper white on there for $70, I bought it and realised that the battery lasts days and not weeks as advertised by amazon so I called them and they said the battery would be slightly defective and they said that they could send me a new one and they proceeded to ask for the receipt and I said I don't have it and then they asked was it purchased from amazon or a retail store, I contacted the seller and he said it was from jbhifi and they said since the retail stores get them from amazon US site, they can't process warranty unless I contact amazon US or the store, and then they proceeded to tell me that they will send me a new 2019 model kindle paper white and I would have to pay for it first and they would refund it when it arrives and I can keep my old kindle, So basically I got a 2019 kindle paper white brand new + a 2015 kindle paper white for $70, I let my brother have the 2015 one. So that's why if you get one from gumtree it might be a safe bet, even maybe you'd find a paper white 2019 with receipt barely used for Sub $110 if you are lucky so maybe keep your eye out, and maybe even look at Facebook marketplace

  • ECE on 11/08/2020 - 21:33

    Kindle is a good e-book reader 😷

  • adnan on 11/09/2020 - 15:14

    I would advice for Onyx Boox Poke 2 for it’s versatility compared to both Kindle and Kobo.

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