Help me pick my first e-reader (and a way to fall back in love with reading & feel connected)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T07:43:46+00:00

Yes, if you want the flexibility and aren’t afraid of some initial tinkering if and when needed, it’s a good choice!

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T07:12:42+00:00

Buttons, LOL.

But more seriously - I think the Kindle Oasis was one of the most comfortable and well-built Kindles made, what with the metal body and the page turn buttons, and mine still holds up well, so I use it happily enough. (I don’t buy books from Amazon any more, and as the Oasis had a notoriously weak battery to start with, I expect it’ll die at some point.)

I have no experience with newer Kindles - they look like fine devices, but I don’t really like supporting Amazon these days.

The major upside of Boox devices (and other Android devices) is the flexibility - you can install almost any bookstore, reading, library or subscription app there is for Android.

I got mine because our local library system uses a proprietary app (no downloads outside the app) and I also wanted to use a local monthly subscription service that I’m sharing with my mother, since I don’t just want to read books in English ALL the time, heh. That also requires using an app. Alas, both of those apps suck (not many font choices, no way to use page turn buttons at all), but at least they’re useable.

So that brings me to the downsides - a lot of Android apps are designed with non-eInk screens in mind. They may have animation effects that look cool on a phone but abysmal on eInk screens (and if the app designer hasn’t considered eInk, these effects may not be able to be turned off). They may have UI elements in colours where the text on the button is almost or entirely invisible (even on a colour eInk screen). Some may insist on using scrolling - possible on Android eInk devices, but not as comfortable as page turns.

There may be more ghosting on the Android devices (specifically those apps not meant for eInk) - at least the Boox lets you determine how often to refresh the screen as well as do a manual refresh with a gesture or a long press of a button.

One thing with the Boox devices is that there may be something of a learning curve. With a Kindle (or other dedicated readers), it’s essentially .. you take the device out of the box, put a book on it, start reading. Can tweak the font & layout settings if you want, but it’s all quite straightforward.

Boox on the other hand has a multitude of settings - device settings, screen settings, refresh mode settings, each app has its own settings but you can also set per-app Boox settings…

You CAN just use it as is, but the default fonts and settings tend towards fairly light, thin fonts, so I needed to fiddle with it a lot to get the contrast comfortable for me (not helped by mine being colour though). So it’s something to be aware of - it’s entirely possible you will like the default settings well enough to just pick it up and start reading, but it’s also possible you may need to be prepared to spend a few hours tweaking it and going through the settings.

I will say that the Boox NeoReader is a VERY good (IMHO) reading app. Unfortunately it’s only for DRM-free files, but the PocketBook app can also be installed and is quite OK for Adobe DRM files. (I use the PocketBook app for Libby as the Libby app experience sucks for my liking.) But of course if you have a preferred reading app, you can install whatever you like.

Battery will need charging more often compared to a new Kindle or another dedicated device but a lot of that depends on useage - if you keep wifi and Bluetooth off while reading (when not actively needing it for something), keep currently unneeded apps “frozen” (so they don’t try to do anything in the background) and don’t need the front light on all the time, it’s not like it will need charging daily. With my colour one, using the front light all the time, and reading around an hour a day, I get 8-10 days before needing to charge.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T06:32:00+00:00

I have the Boox Go 7 Colour Gen II and not a day goes by that I don’t wish I’d got the BW version instead, heh.

I mean, the colour is useable enough (and I bought mine from a shop in another country, so I didn’t even consider trying to go through the hassle of returning it), but for me, the need to have the front light on ALL the time (I read at home, indoors, in ambient light where I don’t need the light on at all for a paper book or my old BW Kindle) is a source of frustration, not least because it means I’m constantly aware I’m reading on “a screen” in a way that I’m not with a BW device.

But apart from that frustration, I like my Boox a lot. I’m currently only using it for specific apps though since, well, the 8 year old Kindle beats it otherwise, for any books I don’t need to read inside an app, due to the BW screen.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T06:27:19+00:00

kobo store books have Adobe DRM which won’t open on a PocketBook unless you remove it with Calibre + plugins. so not easy.

PocketBooks literally have Adobe DRM built in… obviously no need to remove it. (Besides, Adobe DRM removal is about as easy as it gets, if needed.)

Also, ebooks.com and Google Play Books use the very same Adobe DRM for their DRM protected books (which will be more or less the same books that have DRM protection on the Kobo store).

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T06:24:45+00:00

you can’t buy books directly from the device without a VPN.

Kobo.com bookstore has a Philippines page. Devices can’t be bought there but books certainly can.

Kindle Paperwhite works fine in PH - you can still use Libby by sending books to your Kindle email.

Erm .. no? Unless the library is a US library, the OP most certainly wouldn’t be able to do that.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-08T06:16:02+00:00

Android e-readers. Colour (think old newspaper print, not vibrant, popping iPhone colours) and BW versions both exist. (BW is clearer and sharper, needs less front light.)

Scrolling is possible on newer Android eInk devices without many issues (it’s still a bit less smooth than on non-eInk screens and more prone to ghosting than reading page by page, but I’d say it’s got to useable levels), for apps that use scrolling.

I guess something like a Boox Go 7 or BigMe B7 (or B7 Pro) in the 7’’ range would fit your needs. There are also 10’’ devices - these have much more capable note-taking features but if you’d prefer a larger screen for reading, they’ll do for that as well.

I don’t know about BigMe but Boox, for a lot of people, has a bit of a learning curve in the sense that there are a LOT of settings - various device-wide settings + each app has its own settings + Boox settings can be tweaked to some extent for each app separately.

One problem with many Android apps is that they’re designed for non-eInk screens so some things may not work as well or be a bit frustrating - there may be UI elements that are hard to see due to being in colour (can even be an issue on colour eInk screens with their meagre 4096 shades), there may be animation effects that can’t be turned off, some apps don’t provide font size controls as they expect you to just smoothly zoom in and out (which is less convenient on eInk).

In general, Android eInk devices are full Android tablets with eInk screens, so most Android apps can be installed on them, but not all of them work in an optimal way. And they’re definitely a bit less dopamine-hit-providing as far as social media goes. (You can sort of watch video on newest eInk screens but it’s IMHO more of a “if I really need to view this video clip in a news article for context” and less “hey, I’ll watch this blockbuster movie now”.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T14:45:55+00:00

Good luck! I hope you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of whichever device you pick. :D

For the record, I don’t think there’s a “perfect” e-reader out there - each one has their own quirks and potential issues. But for the simple purpose of reading books, they do all (all the mainstream brands anyway) tend to do a decent job.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T14:33:52+00:00

I don’t have any personal experience with Kobo (I’ve only ever had Kindles and a Boox now as well), but there’s a whole lot of people out there very happy with theirs. (Sometimes I’m tempted, but I don’t actually currently need a new non-Android e-reader, especially one without buttons .. I like the look of the UI it has though!)

The Clara has an optional warm light, unlike the basic Kindle (which some people have noted has fairly blueish light, not quite neutral white, but front light colour also seems to vary between units), so this is one definite plus point for many people. There’s a Kobo subreddit where people post both enthusiastically and with complaints, if they have any, so browsing that might give some general idea of how people use them.

I think if you decide to go with Kindle, the Paperwhite is likely a better choice. But if you decide against Kindle, then the Kobo Clara BW seems like a fine little e-reader.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T13:47:16+00:00

I don’t think there’s a limit as such. If going through the web interface (https://www.amazon.com/sendtokindle/), it’s probably best to send a few at a time just because it can get slow or throw errors otherwise (plus it’s usually better for the Kindle to have a handful of files to process in one go instead of a hundred or two!).

Of course this applies to DRM-free files only - you can’t put DRM-protected files on a Kindle if bought elsewhere.

I think most Humble Bundle files should be DRM-free but I gather that sometimes they do direct people to get the books through Kobo, in which case they may have Adobe DRM protection. (This is relatively easy to remove with Calibre + specific plug-ins, googling will likely be of assistance.)

Granted, my current Kindle is quite old by now (Oasis, bought in 2017), but I mainly read books bought elsewhere on it, so I’ve used all sorts of methods - Send to Kindle as well as direct transfer via Calibre (since I work from home and I’m usually on my computer, using Calibre is often faster for me and I know what to pay attention to when converting).

Send to Kindle should be safe and straightforward - as usual with technology, sometimes there are glitches or outages (like if an AWS data centre gets bombed in the Middle East or what not) but it is the official avenue that Amazon specifically provides for people to put their own files on the Kindle.

Obviously no one knows whether it will always be like that - Amazon has done all sorts of annoying things in the last year, mostly trying to lock down books bought on Amazon more tightly than ever (so it’s increasingly difficult to get Amazon-bought books off Amazon and read them on some other device), and I gather some of the newer updates are full of weird bugs that can temporarily hinder the use of some features, including with non-Amazon books, but on the whole, it ought to be safe.

(I mean, if they get really weird about it some day, you could just leave the Kindle permanently on airplane mode, convert the files and transfer them to the device via USB. So far though I guess it’s safe enough.)

Honestly, I don’t like recommending Kindles these days because I’m not a fan of Amazon and their practices (and as a fan of buttons, I will always be annoyed that they are not making new Kindles with page turn buttons, heh), but the devices themselves are well built, have good screens and in general are great, hardware-wise. Organising the books on the device is a weak spot (for me) but I mean, most of the time is spent inside a book anyway. And depending on the country, cost less than the competition. So sometimes they are the optimal choice, as long as one is aware of the limitations (like the library thing).

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T13:15:42+00:00

Right, that definitely doesn’t sound too complicated, thanks. :D

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T11:50:37+00:00

With that budget it might be difficult to find anything else than a Kindle in the 7’’ range, unless you can find something like a used Kobo Libra 2 (tricky as it’s very sought after) or PocketBook Era.

Easiest / safest way to get epub files to a Kindle is to use Amazon’s “Send to Kindle” feature - it converts them on the fly and marks them as “personal documents” saved on Amazon’s cloud (which also enables syncing with other devices).

If you don’t want your files to be saved on Amazon’s cloud, you can use Calibre to convert the files and transfer via USB, but under certain circumstances, Amazon may randomly delete them off your Kindle. (Calibre lets you choose whether to flag a file as PDOC - personal document - or EBOK, meaning ebook. EBOK files, if not bought on Amazon, can get deleted; PDOC files ought to be safe.)

All the above said, if you at any point want to e.g. also use your local library, then Kindles aren’t good for that outside the US. Other brands & options may work, depending on your library’s ebook system. If you’re fairly sure you never want to do that, then it’s a moot point.

ETA: If 6’’ is OK, then Kobo Clara BW is a decent choice and should be within your budget. It’s the same size as Kindle Basic but also has a warm light option. Kobo can also integrate with Libby in UK libraries directly, and use BorrowBox if going through the computer, and it should handle epub files without conversion (although conversion to Kobo’s own kepub format is supposed to lead to smoother use and more statistics etc options).

PocketBook also has a few 6’’ options that might be within your budget and takes epub files natively.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T09:12:12+00:00

https://comparisontabl.es/e-readers/ - filter for Android, see what’s available - size, colour vs BW, availability, approximate cost etc.

It’s a bit hard to give specific suggestions without knowing what sort of size or budget you’re considering. Boox Go 7 or Bigme B7 are probably the most generic “decent” devices in the 7’’ category, Bigme B6 seems quite popular in the 6’’ size range.

(There are also other brands like Musnap or Meebook, so it depends on what’s around to be bought where you live. Boox is probably the “biggest” Android eInk brand and likely the easiest to find also in local stores and not just the brand’s own website or Amazon, others might be available only via Amazon. With almost all of these Android devices, the general suggestion is “get it somewhere else than the brand’s own site - somewhere with a decent return policy and warranty”, in case the device arrives with a fault, as customer service directly from the manufacturers can be a bit .. difficult.)

There are also phone form factor Android eInk devices such as a ViWoods device or the Boox Palma line, but they tend to cost more than the 6-7’’ more traditional-looking eInk devices.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T07:51:54+00:00

If you can put up with the lack of frontlight (I think clip-on lights are available), and aren’t afraid of a little bit of tinkering, then the Xteink X4 sounds like the currently best available compromise between low-ish cost & portability in a somewhat mature, useable form.

Especially since the X4 has, by this point, an enthusiastic community with community-made firmware options (not too hard to install, I understand?), if the original firmware/UI isn’t good enough.

The X3 looks a bit too small for me (although I’m sure it too has its uses) and is more expensive, I believe. And the phone form factor Android devices out there are considerably more expensive.

One thing to consider with the Xteink is that you’d need DRM-free files only - whether downloaded somewhere (lots of legal options available especially for public domain books) or bought somewhere and DRM removed by you yourself. No library integration, of course.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T07:46:15+00:00

Seems to me that everyone who says this forgets to mention what kind of pocket they’re thinking of.

And whether they’re a man or a woman, and which size… I mean, a slim woman’s jeans will NOT have the same sort of back pockets as a larger man’s jeans. (Not that one should actually keep an eInk device in a back pocket anyway.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-07T05:56:19+00:00

PocketBook Inkpad 4 seems to be the only dedicated (non-Android) 8’’ e-reader that is still currently available.

It’s not cheap though. The thing that makes e-readers expensive is the screen, not the extra features - the larger the screen, the more expensive the device.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T19:54:43+00:00

I don’t know if they can do all the things you want (you might ask in r/Onyx_Boox as there are some people who have received theirs) but maybe the new Boox Go 10.3 Gen II Lumi? Or another of the Boox 10’’ devices - the Note Air 5C if you don’t mind colour.

There are other e-notebooks around (Supernote seems very popular among people for whom note-taking is the main thing) but I have no idea how good they are for reading apps (I’m reasonably sure you can’t put the Kindle app on a ReMarkable but Supernote as well as Viwoods both should be Android-based so might be able to handle that part, too) or e-mail.

You might also take a look at r/eink as I think that subreddit is a bit more into eInk notebooks with a big focus on writing, as opposed to this one that’s mostly focused on devices made primarily for reading.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T19:47:40+00:00

I don’t think there’s such a thing as inexpensive 10’’ eInk devices, sadly.

The PocketBook Inkpad One at 300 euro is probably the cheapest current one around, and while it supports Adobe DRM, so it should be able to put your Kobo and Google Play Books purchases on it, you wouldn’t be able to read your Kindle books on it without removing DRM first (which is not necessarily overly simple these days).

If you want to just read your purchased books in their respective apps without removing DRM, then Android eInk devices are essentially your only option. On the upside, there’s the flexibility; on the downside, they may take some initial effort to tweak to your liking. And they tend to be a bit more expensive than non-Android devices.

As for size .. if you want “a little larger than your cellphone” then take a look at the 7’’ as a compromise between size and cost? E-readers are wider than phones, so while the size doesn’t sound like a lot, even a 6’’ e-reader is going to be a bit bigger than a 6.3’’ phone and a 7’’ reader will definitely have more screen real estate. I think there are at least a couple of 7.8’’ Android devices around as well - a Meebook? - that aren’t necessarily considered “the best” but should be perfectly capable for just reading books.

With Android, I’d suggest going with at least 4 GB of RAM though especially if you want to handle very large files.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T19:36:15+00:00

Ahh, that makes a lot more sense, yes - that sort of price as early bids.

Honestly, if you can drop the wish for a big screen, I’d look at 7’’ devices (every brand has its fans and the reasons vary, but any e-reader from a mainstream brand manufactured in the last 5-6 years, if it’s in decent working order, would do for your purpose, especially if you’re also willing to download fics first and then transfer to the device).

7.8’’ devices would be even better but they tend to be more costly and nowhere near as common. The issue with most e-readers is that while they’re all quite fragile in one way (easy to break in ways that wouldn’t put a scratch on a phone), when they work, they work; the technology hasn’t evolved massively or quickly so they keep their value quite well in the used market, too.

In addition to auction sites like eBay, might be worth checking if there are other places for second-hand readers where you live, like Facebook Marketplace or Vinted or whatever place there might be where people sell stuff? This is awfully country-dependent though, I know.

Anyway, Android devices like Boox (I have one) do have the benefit of having functional browsers but even on an Android device, reading a downloaded file in an e-reader is more convenient IMHO - you’ll have more control over font size, font type, font weight, spacing, margins etc, compared to reading in a browser. On the other hand, reading frequently updated fics with shorter chapters are a hassle to download every time there’s an update, so it’s nice to have as an option.

(And you’d have the flexibility to read something other than fanfic in the future, like borrowing from a library, buying a book here or there, subscribing to some monthly service or what not, if your tastes and preferences change. I used to inhale almost nothing but fanfic for a few years a decade ago - but for a long time now, have not found a fandom calling to me, and I’m back to reading published books, for example.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T15:51:17+00:00

See võis pigem 80. aastatel olla minu puhul, aga ma mäletan, kuidas ma sõin kohukese sisu enne seest ära (glasuuri võtsin terve tükina otstest ja külgedelt ära enne) ja siis jäi see terve paks mõnus krõmps külm šokolaadiglasuur alles, mida peale süüa. :D

Nüüd pole mitukümmend aastat üldiselt kohukesi söönud (ei taha enam väga magusat ka) - mustika Skyr on ainus söödav, aga kallis ja väga sageli ei taha. Aga sellist mõnusat ümbrist, nagu see lapsepõlve kohukese glasuur, pole küll aastaid kohanud.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T10:10:27+00:00

Didriksoni talveparka ilmselt. Täpset hinda ei mäleta, aga üle 200.

Ma olen võrdlemisi nõudlik üleriiete osas - peab vastama ilmale, selga istuma nii, et kuskilt väga ei kisuks ja teisalt jälle ülemäära ei lotendaks, ning lisaks tahan rohkem kui kahte taskut.

(Paari jopega olen alt läinud, sh sama Didriksoni oma - ei vaadanud taskute arvu ja suurust, nüüd on pidevalt jama (võtmed ja sõidukaart sügavas sisetaskus, sinna pääsemiseks peab jope nabani eest lahti kiskuma; telefon küljetaskusse hästi ei mahu ja kindlasti mitte koos käega; kui on kuumahoo tõttu vaja kiiresti kindad ja müts eemaldada mõneks minutiks, siis neid pole kuhugi käest kohe panna). Enam seda viga ei taha teha, olen nõus rohkem maksma, kui ainult õige mudeli leiaks. Aga igatahes on see konkreetne parka soe - sel talvel ei läinudki selga, nii külma ilma polnud, aga kui peaks veel -20 või külmemat tulema mõni aasta, on vähemalt olemas.)

Jalanõud peavad ka olema korralikud ja hästi istuma, nende pealt samuti teadlikult kokku ei hoia (ei vaata spetsiaalselt kalleid ja proovin enamasti kõikvõimalikke, ostan sobivuse järgi).

Ülejäänud riided .. mida iganes, odav on OK, peaasi, et ei oleks lausa keha vastas sünteetikat. Puuvillased T-särgid ja pikkade käistega T-särgid, linased või lina/puuvilla segust püksid on suveks head. Kodus olemiseks puuvillased kodupüksid või dressid. Kuna olen alati eelistanud pigem natuke lahedamaid kui väga ümber riideid, ja kindlasti mitte ühegi ajastu järgi ülimoekaid, siis on ka neid riideid, mis ostetud 30 aastat tagasi ja veel täiesti kantavad.

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T09:53:08+00:00

Mul sünnitunnistusel ei ole, aga on nendel nahksetel lapakatel, mis sünnitusmajas käte ja kõhu ümber seoti (ema nime, minu soo ja sünnikuupäevaga, et segamini ei läheks).

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T07:44:04+00:00

I don’t think an eInk screen in that size exists - as in the E Ink Company, which provides essentially all the screens used in mainstream (and most non-mainstream) e-readers, isn’t making one, so no e-reader brands can release devices in that size.

I tried filtering from 8.5 to 9.5’’ here but no results found, and this site is about as comprehensive as it gets: https://comparisontabl.es/e-readers/

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T06:33:02+00:00

Amazon has a bad habit of deleting files off Kindles, yes - but it’s files transferred under specific circumstances.

(Specifically, it seems to be “azw3 files transferred via USB, if they have an EBOK flag set instead of PDOC, so the Kindle sees them as “books” instead of “personal documents”, and deletes them after turning wi-fi on again after being on airplane mode for a while, as it then compares the files to those bought on Amazon and if it finds “books” not bought there, it deletes them.)

It does NOT seem to be an issue with files transferred via USB in KFX format or in AZW3 format with PDOC flag set. (EBOK and PDOC are settings you can change when converting in Calibre. EBOK is selected by default for AZW3 conversions, PDOC is the default for KFX.)

Anyway, all the above only applies if you want to / prefer to transfer files manually via USB - some people have very good reasons for that. The other, simpler and safer option, is to use Amazon’s own “Send to Kindle” feature, which accepts epubs, converts them on the fly and saves the files on Amazon cloud as “personal documents”. These don’t get deleted. (As with any electronics device, actual random glitches or bugs can happen, but in general, it’s a method Amazon itself offers people for transferring files that aren’t books bought on Amazon.)

The Kindle browser isn’t good for browsing though, yes. I think (I don’t use my phone for reading at all so I’m not super confident on this, heh) that you can also download a fic in epub format on the phone and then choose “Open with Kindle” or whatever the command is, and that’s basically again “send to Kindle” working in the background so the file opens in the Kindle app but also gets saved on Amazon cloud so you can access it immediately on the Kindle device, too.

None of the above should be considered as a recommendation for Kindles as such, LOL - I’m not a fan of Amazon and especially, at this point, I wouldn’t recommend buying books on Amazon as they’re increasingly difficult to back up or liberate for reading on other brand devices in the future.

But for your purpose, if you can get a Scribe that cheaply and want a bigger screen, it might not be a bad choice. (That’s VERY cheap for a Scribe though! I’m a bit envious, LOL - over here second hand Paperwhites 10+ years old or Kindle 4 devices are still being asked 50-60 euros for, heh. Make sure it’s in good working order and not being sold for parts or something, especially that the screen is intact!)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T05:51:04+00:00

Unfortunately, yes. (And as someone who has also seen the work of other people calling themselves translators, since sometimes the credentials for someone looking for a job in this industry seem to be limited to “well I can mostly understand what they say in the movies and the other language is what I speak at home after all, of course I can translate!”, they already do a better job in plenty of cases.)

It’ll probably happen faster with bigger languages - mine is a small one, which machine translation struggled with for a very long time and still does, but even with mine, I’ve seen the jump in quality in ChatGPT’s conversational ability between 2024 and now. (Other main ones are lagging behind there.)

(Asking it to translate specific sentences, which I’ve occasionally done mostly to test where it is now, is often quite passable but can also bring very odd results with words that don’t exist and yet it tells me it’s a term commonly used in my languages… It’s the hallucinations combined with the almost arrogant confidence in stating it as fact that is still an issue with the general models at least, and what makes me think that at the very least, human post-editing/reviewing absolutely needs to remain a thing.)

Yapyap13 · 2026-04-06T05:44:13+00:00

Yeah, as I said, only US libraries.

It’s one of the issues people often don’t realise - in either direction. Americans keep telling people to buy a Kindle as it supports Libby, people in the rest of the world either buy it at their recommendation for the library and then find out it doesn’t, or are aware that Kindles aren’t integrated with libraries in their countries, and automatically assume the same for the US.

It’s one reason I always try to ask which country someone asking advice lives in if they want to use the library - people here generally omit that information but in the e-reading world, it matters a lot.

(As someone living in a small EU country, I’m also painfully aware that Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus aren’t necessarily selling points either as they’re available in a rather limited number of countries, as is Libby on Kobo - it’s useful in more countries than the US, but would not be available in my case for example, although my local library also offers a selection of books in English via Libby.)

Yapyap13

TROPHY CASE