I’m a lover of physical books but I’m looking to get an e-reader as well, for those books that are hard to find physical copies of, or are just very expensive.
I’ve ruled out Onyx, because I try to avoid Chinese tech as it’s usually poorly made. But I’m not sure whether Kindle or Kobo is best. Is being tied to Amazon’s ecosystem too restricting? Are the Kobo e-readers compatible with everything you need? Which ones have the best screens, ideally how a physical book would look?
So many questions, but hopefully some of you can help. 😁
I did a lot of research and ended up buying a Kobo for my wife who was looking to switch from paperback. At the time the Clara HD was the newer model in the size and feature family she was looking for. I made the choice based on e-ink quality, wide compatibility of formats (including public library rental), and price.
Keep in mind that Amazon keeps device prices artificially low by pushing ads to your screen. I have had four different Kindle Fires over the years, and hate how intrusive the advertising is on their devices.
After spending a year or so jealous of my wife’s Kobo Clara HD, I bought myself the then newer Kobo Libra 2. Then she was jealous of my Libra and bought herself one, and gave the Clara to our kid who is a bookworm as well.
We love our Kobos.
I’ve got 3 Kobos in my house and we love them. I got one of my best friends to switch to Kobo after her final Nook died. If a Kindle doesn’t appeal to you, a Kobo might be exactly what you want. And they have a huge variety of models to choose from.
You can pay $20 to permanently remove the ads from Kindle. At least that’s what it cost when I bought mine. Definitely worth the money if you hate ads as much as I do.
How bright are Kobo’s in a dark room? My wife and I have used kindle paperwhites for years but at some point they changed their backlight and now it’s a beacon at night even on the lowest brightness
It’s a little bright at night, that’s why I use dark mode, inverting the “paper” and “ink”.