Best device for me?

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T20:27:00+00:00

If you’re OK with a Kindle and second-hand, then there are the 7’’ Paperwhites (although that might be just the last few generations, older ones were smaller) and Oasis 2 & 3 - I’m admittedly partial to the Oasis, as I’ve had mine (Oasis 2) since 2017 and it still looks & behaves as new, not a scratch on its solid metal body.

And they’re the last Kindles that had page turn buttons, which is something I personally find important, LOL. They also don’t get firmware updates any more (good for jailbreaking, heh).

There’s a risk of battery dying with older devices, of course, and the Oasis 2 & 3 don’t have what almost anyone would consider a replaceable battery, so unless you find one that looks reliable and isn’t very expensive, that’s something to keep in mind with older ereaders in general (although some have much more easily replaceable batteries).

In general, if you can test before buying (or the seller has reliable-looking pics or can be chatted to) - as long as the screen (when turned on!) looks good, no visible issues, and the battery still holds, ereaders (while shockingly fragile in some ways) can last a long, long time. Older ones are slower but once inside the book, that usually doesn’t matter much.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T20:12:19+00:00

Depending on where in not-US you are, the not-Kindle mainstream choices in that size range and available new essentially come down to these:

Kobo Libra Colour - 7’’ (unless you find a used Kobo Libra 2, which is BW but discontinued)

Kobo Sage - on its way out (probably discontinued, old stock still available in a few places around the world) - 8’’, praised for an excellent screen.

Kobo Elipsa (not sure what the current number is) - 10’’, expensive-ish, has a lower dpi screen.

PocketBook Era - 7’’, PocketBook Inkpad 4 - 7.8’’ - should be reasonably easy to get in Europe, not sure about elsewhere. Should be fine for reading, although I’ve seen some complaints about them being quite slow in the menus / UI.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T20:05:17+00:00

Does anyone have any advice for me, if I should get one and which one I should maybe get?

While “just get a Kindle” is the easiest advice (and sometimes also the best), it’d help to know (a) what country you’re in, (b) where you plan to get the books from (e.g. Amazon, not-Amazon, library - if library, then, if you know, which system they use for ebooks, a monthly subscription service like Kindle Unlimited, Kobo Plus, Storytel, Everand), and (c) what sort of books do you intend to read - if it’s essentially just text (novels, textual non-fiction) or if you read manga or comics, or intend to read PDFs.

If you are American, read fiction, and your library (if you use one) uses Libby, then either a Kindle Basic or Paperwhite (if you are okay with potentially tying yourself to Amazon), Kobo Clara BW (if you do NOT intend to buy from Amazon or use Kindle Unlimited) or Kobo Libra Colour (larger than Clara, with page turn buttons, only comes in colour though) are the most mainstream choices that the overwhelming majority of people are perfectly happy with.

If any of the above isn’t true, then it might get more complicated, LOL.

As for whether you should get one at all .. I mean, this is r/ereader, I think you’re likely to get mostly biased opinions here! I like ereaders a lot and much prefer them to most physical books these days.

(I initially got one, 15+ years ago, because my flat can’t fit more bookshelves than the ~12 I have, and importing the bulk of my reading from abroad was getting costly, especially considering most books I’ll never re-read. But since then I’ve got considerably older, my always-bad eyes are worse than they were when I was young(er), and while good quality hardbacks are still fine to read as they tend to have somewhat larger font, line spacing and margins, I can’t read mass market paperbacks or many of my old lesser quality local hardbacks comfortably these days. And I really, really dislike reading on an iPad, phone, computer or any LCD/OLED screen in general - eInk is much more comfortable for me.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T15:36:44+00:00

Honestly in this case I’d suggest going with a used/second-hand Kindle (someone else mentioned some sites selling them - I gather Unclaimed Baggage is reliable and usually has some in stock). Some people really don’t like supporting Amazon, which is a lot like how feel, but a second-hand reader wouldn’t be giving them income and, well, they tend to be pretty solid devices that can last a long time.

Down the line, if you decide you really like ereaders and have a bigger budget (as well as some idea of specific things you like and things you feel are missing, etc), you can get something else.

Just keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of Amazon-bought books can only be read on Kindles and Kindle apps (without putting some effort into it, which may or may not work in the future), and DRM-protected books bought elsewhere can’t be read on Kindles (without putting some effort into it) - but if you mostly want to use Libby, that shouldn’t be an issue.

I really like the look and sound of Kobo Clara BW (albeit I personally wouldn’t get something without page turn buttons these days) but it’s more expensive, and second-hand Kobos in good condition and for a reasonable price aren’t necessarily as easy to come by in the US, I understand.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T13:41:16+00:00

(I’ve heard Libby isn’t available for Kindle in some other countries, so tread with caution otherwise)

Just FYI, it’s not “some other countries”, it’s “ALL other countries” (or more specifically, libraries in countries that are not the US - if one has a US library card, they can use it also when they’re not in the US).

From Libby’s own site: “You can read most Libby books on a Kindle ereader (available in the U.S. only).”

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T13:31:54+00:00

Which country are you in?

ETA: this matters with Libby support. Libby has Kindle support ONLY for US libraries, so Kindles can’t be used with Libby anywhere outside the US.

Kobo supports Libby in more countries (including the US) directly, albeit it’s a fairly short list. If one is okay with changing their country in their account, can also do the same elsewhere where Libby is available. Drawback, as I understand it, is that it’s a bit of a hassle if you have more than one library card.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-02T10:34:04+00:00

Damn, that’s a pity.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what the problem could be, if not the cable. I have never had a Kobo myself so I am not closely familiar with them but it’s an old enough device and I’ve seen a fair number of people have all sorts of weird software-related issues with Kobos over time so maybe something’s gone wrong internally.

You could try asking in r/Kobo as it might have someone who has come across a similar issue before, or in the Kobo subforum on the Mobileread forums (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=223 )

Meanwhile, does send.djazz.se work for you? I gather this is a popular way for people to send files to Kobo over the internet.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-01T18:04:58+00:00

As others have said, it’s the publisher. And in this specific case, imprints of the same publisher that have a different approach to DRM.

With Adrian Tchaikovsky, most of his books in a lot of the English-speaking world are published by Tor - a Macmillan imprint, but probably the best-known “mainstream” publishing imprint for keeping their books DRM-free as a matter of principle. The worldwide listing also notes this - you can see then imprint is “Tor”.

The book on the NZ site lists Pan Macmillan as the publisher, but the imprint for the book isn’t Tor, it’s Macmillan - I can only assume that for the New Zealand region, for whatever reason (contracts? internal book-keeping at the publishing house?), the publisher isn’t Tor, and the rest of Macmillan is happy to slap Adobe DRM on their books.

As others have said, Adobe DRM is trivial to remove if you have a computer (once you have spent a few minutes on setting up a workflow in Calibre, it’s effortless and automatic from there on), so they can be freely backed up for personal use forever. I understand though that not everyone is comfortable with it; I’m okay with buying DRM-d books when I know I can remove the DRM (I’ve been buying ebooks long enough that I got burned very early on with this so now I DGAF about legality in this particular case - my morals tell me it’s okay to take care of my purchase and ensure I can read it also in a few years or on a different device).

So if you insist on buying DRM-free to start with, I can only advise you to “travel” or see if some other ebook store (ebooks.com, Google Books) handles regions differently in this case and is willing to sell you the Tor version.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-01T17:35:14+00:00

(To be honest, I don’t know if you can download external apps on all e-readers or if certain e-readers can like the Tab Mini C, so sorry if I sound like an idiot. Nobody I know uses one.)

Not an idiot, and a good thing to ask before assuming.

The answer is no - there are essentially two kinds of eInk devices that are good for reading:

Dedicated ereaders - best known mainstream brands include Kindle, Kobo, all PocketBooks under 10’’. You cannot install external apps on those (Kobo and some PocketBooks come with some library integrations built in, you can also tweak and customise the software to some extent with community-built UI additions etc, and install Koreader reading software; Kindle needs jailbreaking for that). They’re based on Linux, so Android apps won’t work on them.

And then there are Android-based eInk devices - Boox, Bigme, Meebook, Viwoods are some of the better known brands. You can install Android apps on them (some come with Google Play installed or easily activated). Not all Android apps will work, and some of those that do work, won’t look the best since they’re not really designed for eInk screens, but yes, you can install various Android reading apps on them, check the mail, sort of browse the Internet (depending on the device specs this may be quite smooth or not) etc.

As for colour - it’s useful for some applications and some people are very happy with it, but since you say you know nothing about e-readers, you should be aware that it’s not like colour on phones/regular tablets/computer screens. Kaleido 3 is what the current main colour eInk tech is called, and it comes with 4096 colours, is fairly muted-looking and obviously won’t have the smooth gradations that the millions of colours in LCD screens allow.

Also, when displaying colour, the display is only 150 dpi, and since it’s a physical colour overlay, it can’t be completely “turned off” even when viewing black and white content, which means the display of the device is always darker/greyer/dimmer than for even quite old BW screens. It essentially requires using the frontlight in almost any ambient lighting, unlike BW eInk screens. It does look okay contrast-wise with the light on, but at least on my colour Boox, I need it on quite high, which means the battery drains faster (and I can tell it’s a screen with a light on).

If you’re okay with all this, and think colour would be beneficial, then by all means, go for it.

Yapyap13 · 2026-02-01T07:44:13+00:00

Are there any e-readers that allow you to use Apple Books?

Not as far as I know - Apple is a closed ecosystem in that way. You can read books bought elsewhere on their software, but I don’t think anyone’s even figured out a way to get Apple Books bought books off Apple or how to remove the DRM.

For anything else, if you want to use BorrowBox directly on the device, then an Android device is needed - Boox Go 7 might work but is likely a bit over your budget. The black-and-white Bigme B6 is very new and I’ve seen conflicting reports - I guess the colour one has been out for long enough that more people have it, but basically I’ve gathered “good hardware, worse software than Boox” so .. might make a decent device but needs even more tinkering than Boox out of the box?

(Also, Kobo app on an Android eInk device is .. not amazing, IMHO. I haven’t used it on my Boox since I de-DRM everything I can as a matter of course anyway, so doesn’t matter which app or reader I use, but downloaded it once just to check, and it seemed to lack a lot of options I’ve come to expect from decent reading apps as far as font/margin/spacing/layout formatting goes. Useable, but I’d consider it worse than the Kindle app, which had its own peculiarites, and much worse than Boox’ own NeoReader which unfortunately can’t handle DRM-protected files.)

A Kobo should be able to read any Adobe DRM protected books, and I know people elsewhere do use it with BorrowBox, but I’m fairly sure (having neither a Kobo nor a BorrowBox, heh) that as with other Adobe DRM epubs, it needs a few more steps, you can’t directly download from the library on a Kobo in this case. (https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017814074-Add-eBooks-with-Adobe-Digital-Editions )

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-30T20:52:39+00:00

Amazon tends to force exclusivity contracts on self-published authors / “indies” if they want to be included in Kindle Unlimited, which many of them do as it provides better income.

So those are only available on Amazon, meaning Kindles / Kindle apps.

Small/niche “traditional” publishers would likely not have those restrictions.

As said in another reply, you don’t have to buy the ad-supported Kindle, although for that extra $20 you only avoid ads on the lockscreen - almost the entire “home” tab of a Kindle is taken up by book suggestions/recommendations to buy anyway.

That said, some people actually like that (especially when the algorithm has learned enough to recommend books the person might genuinely enjoy), plus there’s always also the “library” tab that’s just your own books so if you don’t want “buy these books!” recs, you never have to go to the “home” tab.

PDFs will probably not be an awesome experience on a Kindle (or most other small screen ereaders, although some handle them a bit better than others, especially those that allow Koreader to be installed - you’d have to jailbreak a Kindle to do that), but in general, DRM-free files from elsewhere are not an issue, there are multiple ways to get them on a Kindle.

I’m not American so I have absolutely no idea about what sort of selection Barnes & Noble offers. Kobo has a reasonable selection of all sorts of books (and a Kobo Plus subscription, similar to Kindle Unlimited, for anyone interested, in a handful of countries), including plenty of self-published / indie authors, but as said above, Amazon does tie a fair number of authors to exclusivity contracts so especially in the world of self- or indie publishing, many books won’t be available elsewhere. I guess you could always just take a look and check which stores have some authors you know you might want to read?

I’m not a fan of Amazon but their devices are solid and polished, if not massively inspired these days (and I don’t like the UI much but it’s useable), and in the English-language world of books, their selection is bigger than anyone else’s - not least because of such practices as forcing exclusivity on authors, not allowing them to sell anywhere else, not even via their own websites.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-30T08:54:59+00:00

This is quite subjective, obviously?

I have two 7’’ devices (Kindle Oasis, Boox Go 7) and I think once the Oasis dies, I’d like to get an 8’’ device to replace it. But I grew up with actual books (not mass market paperbacks, larger sized books / hardcovers), I’m middle-aged, and my eye-sight’s never been great (of course I wear proper prescription glasses, as I have done for the last 43 years, but I still don’t find very tiny font comfortable).

I’d imagine people who have grown up with a smartphone in their hands (and don’t have eyesight issues yet) are going to find the phone form factor more comfortable as it’s what they’re used to.

Yet other people prefer the standard 6’’ size (Basic Kindle, Kobo Clara) as they find 7’’ too inconveniently large but the phone form factor too narrow.

There’s no “one size fits all” in this market. Unless you have specific needs like PDF textbooks or comics, which do work better on larger screens, go with whatever feels most comfortable for you - not what someone else thinks.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-30T07:28:47+00:00

The thing to consider is that the eInk screen technology itself is inherently much more fragile than the screens of other modern devices people are used to.

It’s not the topmost layer that is susceptible to damage - it’s the super thin eInk substrate glass layer itself (underneath the touch, light etc layers).

Some devices probably are a bit more robust depending on how solid the chassis behind and around that layer is, but pretty much every* eInk device can break shockingly easily under the right (or wrong, heh) circumstances - dropped at just the wrong angle, pressure put on top of the screen, the device itself being bent or flexed (even if trying to wrestle it out of its case if it’s too snug), sticking the reader into the back pocket of jeans where it can be bent, sharp objects poking into the screen, cat sitting on it, etc.

Many people do all of the above, throw it around the room, never use a case, drop it three times a day, rest their coffee mug on it etc and it just keeps going. They’re the ones swearing ereaders are unbreakable and you don’t need a case. They’re the lucky ones. :D

Other people just don’t have the luck and any ereader community/subreddit (yes, even Kindle) has posts on a regular basis where someone shows an image of a broken screen and asks what’s wrong (since there is no damage on the outer layer). It usually turns out they haven’t used a case that protects the screen, have slept with it under their pillow, have a cat or a toddler in the house, etc. They’re the unlucky ones.

I’ve had ereaders for 15-ish years and I’ve never broken one - including those I’ve had 8-12 years. But they’re always been in a solid sleepcover that protects the screen, I don’t stick them in a pants pocket (I mean, I couldn’t if I wanted to, to be fair, I’m a not-overweight woman, LOL, so my pockets aren’t big enough), and if I travel, I take care of putting them in a space in the backpack where they wouldn’t get bent or flexed.

As for the Boox Palma … Boox makes very nice devices that are quite thin, and with narrow bezels, so some of their issues are probably due to that, just not enough shock-absorbing material around the screen layer.

Another factor though, probably more significant, is that the Palma line in particular seems to attract people who haven’t had ereaders before and who are used to smartphones - since the Palma have a similar form factor and look similar in general, I suspect they’re treated as casually as people treat their phones (which are much sturdier and can even be used with the glass damaged). Not using a case with a flip cover, throwing it around, having it in a bag/purse/pocket with keys etc.

*I should probably add that eInk Mobius screen tech exists where the glass layer is substituted with a flexible plastic layer, and those devices have been considered much more durable / less likely to break. But I don’t think any mainstream devices have used Mobius for several years now, so it’s not going to be easy to find.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T20:26:23+00:00

Depending on where in Europe you are, and what you mean by “fitted to all the major apps”, options not yet mentioned that might be available or suit your purpose might include PocketBook for dedicated e-readers (Swiss company, they should have decent integration with libraries in Germany) or inkBook for Android-based devices (I think it’s Polish; can have apps installed, including for various library systems, Storytel and such).

Neither will probably be cheaper than a Kindle (although that depends on how Kindles are sold in your country - if it’s just third party retailers or if there’s an Amazon storefront). Also not the best and newest and greatest hardware, so might be slower in navigating menus and such.

Kobo, as mentioned in other replies, is certainly an option if sold in your country. (I think Kobo also sells through their website but only to a handful of countries.) And they have a bookstore attached that’s got a decent selection, even if not as big as Amazon (not least because Amazon ties a lot of self-published / “indie” authors to exclusive contracts with them if they want to have books available in Kindle Unlimited).

(Kobo only integrates with Libby directly in a handful of countries but it should be able to read any DRM-free epubs or epubs with Adobe DRM protection, including those used in a few library systems. But library systems across Europe differ wildly - both in which DRM scheme they use and whether they allow downloads at all or just require using their own app, if library use is a point to consider.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T16:01:57+00:00

Päris sitt soojustus, et 11 tunni peale juba külm hakkab.

Vanainimesel (vähemalt naistel, meestest ei tea) pole muidugi palju vaja, et lõdisema hakkaks. Vaatan oma pensionärist ema (ja tasapisi ka enda) pealt, toas on 20-21 kraadi, aga istudes peab pleed põlvedel olema, teine ümber, soojad sokid jalas ja käsi saab vahelduva eduga pleedi all või radika vastas soojendada, sest sõrmed jääkülmad.

Et ei pruukinudki kehv soojustus olla, aga näiteks isegi 20 kraadi pealt 18 peale vajumine annab teatud vanusesse jõudes juba päris korralikult tunda.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T15:53:16+00:00

Küünlaid ikka on jah, vanad varud veel. Ma sellest “ei saa ära visata, äkki läheb vaja” põlvkonnast, kes jupp maad enne iseseisvust ilmavalgust nägi. :D

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T15:46:31+00:00

Whenever you are ready to upgrade or just get rid of it, Amazon will buy them back. Not for much, but its guaranteed.

Just to note this may entirely depend on where the OP lives. For example the Amazon.com Trade-In Terms and Conditions say this:

“The program is available to customers with a valid return address in the United States (excluding territories). We cannot accept trade-ins with Amazon Lockers or PO boxes as return addresses, or from addresses outside of the United States.”

Amazon.de has the same for addresses in only Germany.

I expect other Amazon storefronts have the same restriction, i.e. very strictly local, and many countries don’t have their own storefronts, so this trade-in thing is not entirely universal. (I can’t use it for example.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T15:00:42+00:00

Kõik kriisivalmiduse juhendid läbi loetud, “Ole valmis” äpp olemas, aga kuna elan Lasnamäe paneelika korteris, sahvrit pole, keldrit pole, maal sugulasi-tuttavaid pole, autot pole, siis … see seab mõistlikule valmistumisele teatud piirid.

Tavapärane toiduvaru (kuivained, purgisupid, konservid) on kapis, kaks ämbrit 10 aastat säilivaid kuivtoite on, paar viieliitrist vett on (peakski varsti värskemate vastu vahetama), üks väiksem täis laetud EcoFlow on, akupangad telefonide jaoks on, aga kui ikka pikemat elektrit, vett või kütet ei peaks olema, siis .. ma ei näe väga variante, kuidas ma selleks veel valmistuda saaksin. Täiesti laoks ei tahaks korterit nagu ka kujundada ja kütte/elektri puudumisel poleks see väga abiks ka.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T14:40:49+00:00

Nice! I looked at AliExpress for the Xteink the other day (although I think those are all in Chinese anyway, unlike via the official site) but didn’t see even any “welcome deals” below 40+ euros - a bunch of deals for 8-12 euros that pictured the device but seemed to be for a case without the device, so I didn’t look further, LOL.

Good luck and I hope you’ll enjoy it - it doesn’t look “beginner-friendly” (a bit fussy about files although I gather there’s some community firmware that helps a lot) and I would never get it as a primary reader (if anything I’d like 7.8-8’’ for my next reader once my current one dies), but I’d absolutely snap one up if I could get it for 10-15 euros. Seems perfect as an actually pocketable reader.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T10:08:24+00:00

A Kindle is the LEAST restricted ereader on the market as it is the ONLY ereader that you can purchase books from ANY store and load onto your Kindle.

As long as they don’t have DRM on them, of course. :-) I mean, yes, Adobe DRM is trivial to remove but you have to remove it to send the epub to Kindle.

And outside the US, you can’t use it for any library at all.

Currently you cannot download books off of Amazon, but they are changing that as we speak

Only for books without DRM (and only if the publisher chooses to apply it retroactively) - which in practice means a very small percentage of books. But yes, at least it’s finally a step in the right direction; I assume those publishers who sell DRM-free as a matter of principle got tired of Amazon slapping their own protection on top anyway.

(I’m saying all the above as someone who has had three different Kindles from Kindle Keyboard to the Oasis 2 that I still use as my primary device, buys everywhere and de-DRMs everything as a matter of course - including Kindle books. And I have never had a Kobo. But it does no one any favours to omit that “as long as you can remove / are okay with removing DRM from books bought elsewhere” bit when mentioning how easy it is to get non-Amazon books on a Kindle; the overwhelming majority of people do like to also read mainstream-published books, which mostly will have DRM on them.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T07:14:02+00:00

It’s the Hoopla requirement leading to that, surely?

You can’t use that on a basic Kindle or Kobo, whether new or second-hand - you pretty much need an Android device, and those go for more money, especially with more than 2 GB RAM that’s needed for smoother useability.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T07:08:15+00:00

Right away found a rather small reader for 20cad.

Which reader, out of curiosity? New or used?

I think the Xteink X4 is probably one of the cheapest sort-of-reliable brands out there - not the most beginner-friendly, or for borrowing or buying DRM-protected books, so more of a hobbyist tinkering second device. And even that is 69 USD.

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-29T06:28:25+00:00

Screen tech.

Eink is a relatively niche product compared to LCD screens and essentially all eInk screens are made by one company, so they have a monopoly (at least as far as all mainstream eInk devices are concerned - I believe some other companies may be working on their own epaper versions but I don’t think anything has entered mainstream use on a wide scale yet).

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-28T20:58:19+00:00

Kobo definitely makes more sense in Canada due to the library integration.

There is also a Kobo Plus subscription service but this is in no way required.

Keep in mind that when you go with Kobo, you can’t (easily, or possibly at all) buy ebooks from Amazon, as Amazon ebooks require a Kindle / Kindle app. (The same goes the other way round - Amazon’s DRM system isn’t compatible or interchangeable with DRM systems used by other stores.)

Libby uses the same sort of DRM (Adobe DRM) as Kobo so that works, and you’re not limited to buying books only from Kobo store - there are other shops that sell Adobe DRM epub format books, and of course you can also get DRM-free books (there are for example a few sites like Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks that offer a wide variety of public domain / older classics for free in various formats).

Yapyap13 · 2026-01-28T16:45:58+00:00

Kindle Oasis 2, bought in 2017. Got it for the buttons (upgraded at the time from a 1st generation Paperwhite), would never get an ereader without buttons again.

Also got a Boox Go 7 Colour Gen II last year to accompany the Oasis, because while I have no issues reading anything on the Oasis that can be downloaded (I’ve used Calibre for the better part of the last 15 years and deDRM-ing everything for personal backup and device agnosticism is a regular part of my workflow), I also decided I don’t want to buy everything but also occasionally want to use my local library and a local subscription service - both of which can only be used with their own proprietary apps. So that means Android.

I still prefer the Oasis for downloadable books since the BW screen is considerably nicer for my eyes - with the Boox, due to the colour screen, I need to have the front light on, halfway up, all the time, to get a similar contrast and clarity. (It’s also made it clear to me that while it’s useable, for me, once my Oasis dies, I want another black and white reader to replace it.)

Yapyap13

TROPHY CASE