In our age of digitalization, the paper book is gradually turning from everyday life into a luxury item. Does this mean that Russians have stopped reading? Of course not! They also read on the screen of a computer or laptop, on a smartphone, in printouts, but it is most convenient to have a special gadget for reading.
And we will show you which readers take the highest positions in the ranking of e-books in 2020. The review of the best models is based on user preferences and feedback on Yandex.Market.
10. ONYX BOOX Euclid
- e-reader 9.7 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1200 × 825
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- memory cards are not supported
Onyx's marketers like to call their products after great people of the past - for example, Caesar or Darwin. So the Onyx reader, which entered the top of the e-books of 2020, was named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid. The model belongs to the series with a large screen, and it has a really impressive 9.7 inches.
In addition to the size itself, readers can enjoy special illumination, thanks to which the letters can be distinguished even in the brightest light and the eyes do not get tired of reading. This was done for a reason - first of all, the device is intended for those who have to view large volumes of text for their work, and not just letters, but also drawings, graphs, and tables.
For rendering speed, the book is equipped with a quad-core processor, 16GB of RAM and touch controls. This makes it easy to read large PDF and DjVu files. True, it is not entirely clear why, having given touch control, the creators have deprived their brainchild of the stylus, because it just asks for a company.
pros: large screen, battery life, powerful processor, "omnivorous" in book files.
Minuses: "Raw" software.
9. PocketBook 641 Aqua 2
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1024 × 758
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- memory cards
Do you want to take an e-book with you on vacation, to the seashore, or on a hike, but are you scared for it? No problem, PocketBook has created a special model that is not afraid of anything - no sand, no dust, no water. It is waterproof to the IP57 standard, which means that you can safely spill a cup of tea on the book and it will not get anything from it (but this does not mean that we recommend it).
In addition to moisture protection, the book has all the hallmarks of a good e-book: customizable font and screen backlighting (although some users complain about its unevenness), there is Wi-Fi. And in general, in terms of price / quality ratio among waterproof e-books, this is one of the best offers on the market.
pros: "Omnivorous", the ability to customize the screen for yourself, moisture protection.
Minuses: weak processor, slow browser, small amount of memory.
8. Amazon Kindle 8
- e-book 6 ″
- E-ink pearl
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 800 × 600
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- memory cards are not supported
The G8 is a relatively inexpensive solution from the giant Amazon. Its functionality is simple, no frills, and the software is traditionally high for the company - convenient and practical.
A pleasant innovation - the G8 supports Bluetooth, and thanks to the VoiceView technology, it is possible to read the text of the book and listen to it through wireless headphones when it is impossible to read. It is a pity that this technology does not support Cyrillic.
pros: operating speed, weight, size, voice acting, there is support for wireless communication.
Minuses: Low resolution screen, no backlight.
7. Bookeen Saga
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 768 × 1024
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- memory cards
The French Saga from Bookeen is not yet as popular with us as e-readers from PocketBook or Amazon, but the device is interesting in itself. It immediately comes with a silicone cover, which slightly reduces the risk of damage to the book if dropped (as opposed to a regular pseudo leather).
In addition to boring black, Bookeen Saga's cover can be blue, yellow or green, which increases the gift value of the book at times. It is interesting that the control buttons are located directly on the case, apparently, the creators of the device do not assume that it will be taken out of the protective shell at all.
There is backlighting, and the text can also be inverted (turned into white letters on a black background), which also reduces eye strain.
pros: protective silicone cover, quality, design, screen.
Minuses: Due to the cover art, it may be difficult to press certain areas of the screen.
6. Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch
- e-book 6 ″
- E-ink pearl
- touch input
- resolution 800 × 600
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
Barnes & Noble's debut in the e-book market was successful. In many ways, the success of the Nook Simple Touch lies in the very high-quality touch screen, which is developed using new technology, so it does not glare like the previous generation touch screens. In general, this is a good e-book for reading with a simple and intuitive interface, excellent and well-thought-out ergonomics and light weight.
By the way, a small hint to craftsmen: when unlocking (which does not void the warranty), the reader can be turned into almost a full-fledged tablet based on Android 2.1.
pros: screen, ease of setting, design, ergonomics.
Minuses: not reads all file formats in an unlocked state, difficulties with a return under warranty.
5.Gmini MagicBook H6HD
- e-book with b / w screen 6 ″
- E-Ink Pearl HD
- resolution 1024 × 758
- microSD cards
A simple and handy e-book with nothing superfluous. Its screen is standard for most inexpensive models - 6 inches, E-Ink Pearl, but the resolution is quite high for a budget employee - 758 × 1024. The control is push-button, there is no backlight, no Wi-Fi, but you can put another memory card.
And the price of the MagicBook H6HD is small. In general, in terms of price / quality ratio, this is one of the best options for those who need "just a reader", but don't want a very low resolution.
pros: price, screen resolution, case included.
Minuses: badly unpacks archives
4. ONYX BOOX Livingstone
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1448 × 1072
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
And here is another representative of the models included in the top e-books from Onyx Boox. This time it is named after the African explorer David Lingviston. Its diagonal is smaller than that of its mathematical predecessor - only 6 inches versus 9.7 - but it's easier to carry with you.
The model is intended primarily for everyday use (for example, reading in the subway or in line at the doctor). And the book fulfills this function 100% thanks to double backlighting (there is an adjustment of the “temperature” of the backlight) and an excellent screen, from which the eyes do not get tired. And to ensure that books are loaded quickly, a quad-core processor and 1 GB of memory are responsible.
There is an option to connect to a Wi-Fi network and a browser.
pros: good screen, backlight modes, case included, dimensions, weight.
Minuses: small battery capacity.
3. PocketBook 614 Plus
- e-book with b / w screen 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta
- resolution 800 × 600
- 16 shades of gray
- microSD cards
In third place in the ranking of e-books in 2020 is another model from PocketBook. 614 Plus is one of the most budgetary solutions in the line of this manufacturer.And although this reader appeared on the market about three years ago, it does not lose its popularity.
The secret is simple: the company deduced from the popularity of the previous version of the budget employee “just” 614, and released a “plus” version. All characteristics of the 614 have been improved - instead of the E Ink Pearl screen, the E Ink Carta became, instead of 4 GB of RAM, the model received 8 GB, the plastic of the case became more pleasant to the touch, a version appeared in white light, and the weight, oddly enough, became lower.
In general, a good device came out from a top e-book company. And although it does not have some important functions for the modern reader, such as a touchscreen and access to Wi-Fi, it is very comfortable to read books on it.
pros: price / quality ratio, abundance of text settings, "omnivorous".
Minuses: push-button control, no wifi
2. Amazon Kindle PaperWhite 2018
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1440 × 1080
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- memory cards are not supported
This is the fourth model in the series of the same name. Compared to her predecessors, she has lost a lot of weight, becoming very thin and light (her weight is less than 200 grams). That is, even a paper book of the same format weighs more!
At the same time, they managed to cram 512 MB of RAM, from 8 to 32 GB of main memory and a good Cortex-A9 processor into the baby. It even downloads PDF files almost instantly. In addition, PaperWhite 2018 supports audio, so now you can not only read from it, but also listen to audiobooks (headphones must be wireless).
This e-reader is also waterproof. According to the IPX8 standard, it can withstand even a short immersion in water if, for example, you accidentally drop it in the bathroom.
pros: operating speed, customizable backlight, compactness.
Minuses: may be annoying with ads, but can be turned off for non-US residents, small battery size, inconvenient to read PDF.
1. DIGMA E63W
- e-book with b / w screen 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta
- resolution 800 × 600
- 16 shades of gray
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
The giant Amazon in popularity on Yandex.Market has overtaken a simple, small and inexpensive e-book. The device has a diagonal of only 6 inches and is easy to hold with one hand. A nice touch - this model is white, which sets it apart from the crowd of black and gray clones.
It itself is very simple, both externally and internally, but at the same time pleases both with its speed of operation and ease of control. The interface is easy to understand, a capacious battery allows you to forget about recharging for two weeks, even if you read it 24/7. You can adjust both the font size and the line spacing, and after some time of inactivity, the book will go into sleep mode or turn off altogether.
In general, in terms of price / functionality ratio, this is one of the best offers on the market. The E63W does not have any extra features that would increase its cost, but at the same time it has all the features a user needs from an e-book.
pros: price / quality ratio, color, ease of use.
Minuses: Small size will not allow you to read PDF and DJVU comfortably.