Lightweight and easy to use, modern readers can hold thousands of books while maintaining the visual appeal and feel of a real paper page to your eyes. In this article, we will tell you which e-book is better for the price and features, and help you choose an e-reader based on your preferences.
10. Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight 3
Average price - 7 990 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Pearl HD, backlit
- touch input
- resolution 1448 × 1072
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- memory cards are not supported
Front lighting that changes from cool blue to warm yellow and physical page turning buttons greatly enhance the reading experience when using this reader.
Battery life depends on how hard you use the backlight. According to the manufacturer, at 10% backlight level and disabled wireless communication, you can get up to 1500 page turns on a single charge.
Nook GlowLight's interface is very simple. If you tap on the screen, a menu and a page slider will appear. You can go to the table of contents, change the font size, jump to a specific page, search a book, add or link to basic bookmarks. That's all.
pros: pleasant to the touch plastic, uniform illumination, quickly opens even "heavy" files.
Minuses: difficult to find on sale in Russia, part of the memory (1.5 GB out of 8 GB) is available only for books purchased from Barnes & Noble, but this is not the largest library of e-books.
9. Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus (2019)
Average price - 14,000 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-reader 7.8 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1448 × 1072
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- memory cards are not supported
Another model from the Barnes & Noble brand in the ranking of e-books. It differs from its colleague Nook GlowLight 3 not only in support of memory cards, but also water resistance according to the IPX7 standard, so you can read it while lying in the bathroom or by the pool.
You can connect wireless or wired headphones to the Nook GlowLight Plus via Bluetooth and a standard 3.5mm jack.
Like the Nook GlowLight 3, the "plus" version has a backlight that changes from blue to yellow. You can change the color manually or have the device change it on a timer. So this is perhaps the best Android reader if you like big and bright screens.
pros: mechanical buttons for turning pages, large screen, battery will last a month when reading up to 30 minutes a day, disabled Wi-Fi and 10% backlight level.
Minuses: hard to find on sale in Russia, 6.4 GB of 8 GB of internal memory is available to users.
8. Kobo Aura H2O 2017
Average price - 18 990 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-reader 6.8 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1430 × 1080
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- memory cards are not supported
The latest version of Kobo Aura H2O comes with HZO Protection technology. It is covered with an extremely thin layer of a special material that protects the device from damage when immersed in water for an hour. This is twice the depth and dive time compared to the 2014 version.
Many good e-book lovers prefer the Kobo Aura H2O for its 1430 x 1080 pixel screen size. Plus, the display is glare-free when read in bright sunlight.
Another feature that differentiates the updated KoBo H2O model from the old version, as well as from other Kindle readers, is the ComfortLight Pro technology. The device automatically increases the amount of blue light emitted from the screen when the sun is bright and reduces it when night falls. This prevents eye fatigue while reading.
An important difference from the first version of Kobo Aura H2O was the refusal to support microSD memory cards. Instead, the new version has more internal memory. Now it is 8 GB.
pros: intuitive software, in reading mode 30 minutes a day (with Wi-Fi and ComfortLight Pro turned off) the device will last about 2 months.
Minuses: high price, no Russian menu and no hyphenation of Russian words. However, this is "cured" by installing CoolRider, a description of the step-by-step installation can be found on w3bsit3-dns.com in the topic "Discussion of Kobo Aura H2O".
7. Kobo Forma
Average price - 27 990 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-book with b / w screen 8 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- resolution 1920 × 1440
- Wi-Fi
- memory cards are not supported
One of the largest models in the top ebooks of 2019. It has an asymmetrical form factor with physical page turning buttons.
You can also orient this reader vertically or horizontally - a nifty trick that many competitors haven't learned yet.
ComfortLight PRO technology allows you to set a comfortable brightness level and backlight color either manually or automatically.
This model is waterproof to the IPX8 standard, which means that if you drop it to a depth of 1 meter, it will continue to work for an hour.
pros: support for 11 fonts, the reader is very light and thin, it can work for a month on one charge.
Minuses: when flipping, the letters of the previous page are visible, when the backlight is on, the lamp is visible from the side.
6. Tesla Viva
Average price - 4,990 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-book with b / w screen 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- resolution 1024 × 758
- 16 shades of gray
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
In our rating-review of the best e-books of 2019, there is a cheaper option, but there is no backlight in it. But Tesla Viva does. At the same time, it works just as fast as more expensive readers.
Support for 8 text formats will allow you to download and read your favorite book without "dancing with a tambourine" looking for a third-party program that supports the desired format.
pros: fits comfortably in the hand, simple and convenient control and navigation, page turning buttons on the sides, a capacious 1700 mAh battery.
Minuses: No Wi-Fi, No Bluetooth, 6 font sizes in total.
5. ONYX BOOX Darwin 5
Average price - 10 190 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-book 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1024 × 758
- 16 shades of gray
- Wi-Fi
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
Everything is good in this e-book - from lighting to packaging. To begin with, the backlight color can be changed from a cool blue to a more pleasing yellow. A wide range of brightness allows you to adjust the screen for reading both in bright sunlight and at night.
Unlike most models, Darwin 5 comes with a case. The right little thing, you must agree.
This model works very smartly, well-assembled, and if you don't have enough 8 GB of internal memory, you can read books from a memory card.
pros: comfortable mechanical buttons on the sides of the screen, a capacious 3000 mAh battery, supports 9 text formats.
Minuses: no bluetooth.
4. ONYX BOOX MAX 2 Pro
Average price - 65,990 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-reader 13.3 ″
- E-Ink Carta
- touch input
- resolution 2200 × 1650
- 16 shades of gray
- built-in mp3 player
- 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- HDMI input
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
This giant stands out among the many e-readers, both in screen size and price. And it serves one purpose: reading scientific articles and other materials in PDF format.
If you've ever tried reading a PDF file on a Kindle or any other 6-inch screen, agree with me: it's below average pleasure.After all, text and pictures in it do not always fit on the screen.
Small e-readers are handy and portable and are great for reading other formats, but just not designed for PDF.
So if you are a student with a lot of heavy textbooks to read, or a professional who has to work on tons of technical documentation in PDF format, then you should definitely enjoy the Onyx BOOX MAX 2 Pro. It displays PDFs in perfect form and in the correct size, almost the same as on real A4 paper.
Thanks to the HDMI input, this device can be used instead of a PC display or other video source, which is very convenient for those who quickly get tired of the monitor.
pros: battery with a capacity of 4100 mAh, included with a case, support for 16 book formats, compatibility with various Android applications, dual touchscreen that allows you to control the device with both fingers and a stylus (included).
Minuses: high price, heavy (550 g), no backlight, Google Play is not available (for it to appear, you need to add the device to the exceptions on the Google website and enable Play in the settings of the book itself).
3. Digma e63S
Average price - 3 992 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-book with b / w screen 6 ″
- E-Ink Carta
- resolution 800 × 600
- 16 shades of gray
- microSD memory cards, microSDHC
This is the cheapest e-book in our ranking. Compared to luxury models from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, it looks "pale", as it is devoid of backlighting and has a low screen resolution.
But if you need a simple interface, long battery life and support for many formats from an e-reader, then Digma e63S is in no way inferior to more expensive models. It supports 9 text formats (including fb2, PDF, TXT, DOC and PalmDOC), and 4 graphics. And even though the built-in memory is only 4 GB, there is support for memory cards.
pros: large screen, flip buttons are on both sides, non-marking plastic, convenient font setting, works quickly.
Minuses: no backlight, no wifi.
2. PocketBook 740 Pro
Average price - 17 490 rubles
Characteristics:
- e-reader 7.8 ″
- E-Ink Carta, backlit
- capacitive touch input
- resolution 1872 × 1404
- 16 shades of gray
- built-in mp3 player
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- memory cards are not supported
If you are thinking which e-book is better in 2019, then PocketBook already has an answer - the 740 Pro model.
It has a large backlit screen with automatic rotation, allows you to connect wireless headphones and listen to audio texts or music. And all this for a price lower than that of a comparable competitor - Kobo Forma.
pros: 14 supported text formats, 16 GB internal memory, IPX8 waterproof, 1900 mAh capacious battery.
Minuses: no.
1. Amazon Kindle PaperWhite 2018 8Gb
Average price - 8 790 rubles
Characteristics:
- 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
Released in 2018, the model is still one of the best e-books in 2019.
The most noticeable improvement in the Kindle Paperwhite, as opposed to the Basic version, is its superior resolution. You can visualize the difference in legibility of text displayed in Paperwhite and Basic, as between a modern magazine and an old textbook.
The Paperwhite has a non-glare screen for reading in bright light, as well as four built-in LEDs. They shine evenly on the page, and not on the eyes, as most smartphone and tablet screens do. This prevents eye strain even after hours of reading. When the lighting environment changes, you can manually adjust the screen brightness to one of 24 levels.
If the device is used for 30 minutes a day with the wireless turned off, the battery will last for 6 weeks. This is 2 weeks or more than 30 percent more than the basic version.
One of the most convenient features of PaperWhite 2018 is the ability to send books via mail. To do this, you need to register an account on Amazon in order to receive @ kindle.com mail. And then send the desired e-book to this mail. The reader will download it via Wi-Fi.
pros: Fast operation, third-party fonts can be added to the system, IPX8 waterproof, can connect with wireless headphones.
Minuses: no hotkeys to turn off backlight and wifi.
How to choose an e-book
Price is not the only parameter to look at when choosing an e-reader. Below we list the features that a good e-reader should have.
- Backlight. Inexpensive models within 3-4 thousand rubles usually do not have it, but more expensive e-readers have a backlight that can be adjusted from barely noticeable to bright as a flashlight. At the lowest setting, you can read in the dark while your partner is sleeping peacefully nearby.
- Screen size. The e-book industry has settled on 6-inch screens as the optimal size for reading e-ink text. But there are exceptions, such as the Kobo Aura H2O model featured in our top e-books.
- Waterproof. If you enjoy reading in the bathroom, by the pool, or at the beach, consider purchasing a waterproof e-reader.
- The desired type of wireless connection. Most devices offer Wi-Fi as a basic wireless connection, but 3G readers are less common and more expensive. But you won't be dependent on an available Wi-Fi hotspot if you need to download a book during your trip.
- Internal storage capacity - varies from 4 to 8 GB. This allows you to store from 1000 to 6000 books of different sizes on one device, without using a memory card.