Top 10 Best eBook Reader List
Ever since the eBook market saw growth in the late 2000s, eBook readers have become a sought-after option for many people. With a variety of features, it’s easier to see why people, especially book lovers, are becoming more and more interested in buying eReaders.
However, since e-readers come with a price, you need to gain all the information that you can before buying them. People who are involved in self-publishing eBooks should also have a good knowledge of the best e-readers so that they can make their books available on the desired platform.
Generally, Amazon’s Kindles have been dominating the entire eBook market in the US. However, there are a few alternatives that can also offer you the best deal on your investment. In this article, we have discussed all of them.
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll learn.
What is an eBook reader?
An eBook reader, also known as an eReader, is a device that enables you to read electronic books. Over the years, there has been significant advancement of the eBook hardware, where high-end features were included like high-resolution screen, waterproofing, backlit, etc. With the growing popularity and use of eReaders, the prices have also fallen and are becoming more and more affordable to the public.
Advantages of using an eBook Reader
There are many benefits of owning an e-book reader. They are:
Offers less distraction
Reading a book on the phone is distracting. You might receive calls from time to time, which will tempt you to leave your book and answer them. Aside from that, the messages or notifications popping up will also give you a hard time concentrating on the book.
Easier to read
E-readers are easier to read for long hours at a stretch. However, reading on a tablet or phone for long hours will cause eye fatigue. Besides, eReaders also provide a good reading experience than paper as you can increase or decrease the size of the font as per your comfort. You can even adjust the lighting of the screen to read in low light.
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Easier to carry around
Neither a single heavy book nor a pile of books is convenient to carry around. However, with the small and compact e-readers, it is possible. E-readers have increased capacity and can enable you to store thousands of books. So, you can store your favorite pile and carry it around anywhere you like.
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Cost-effective investment
Buying your favorite ePUB reader will surely cost you a few dollars. However, it is a good investment and will certainly be cost-effective in the future. Besides, you will find several free eBooks on the Internet which you can download and use. So, you may not even have to buy some books.
Provides extra tools
Annoyed that you lost the last page you were reading? No problem! The eBook reader will bookmark and keep it safe in the memory for you. Some eReaders also come with real-aloud features, organization shelves, built-in dictionary, translators, notes and highlights, etc., which will significantly improve your reading experience.
Top Best eBook readers
These are some of the best eReaders you can consider buying.
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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018)
Best for: Amazon readers
Price: $ 129.99
Screen Size: 6
Weight: 6.4
Storage Capacity: 32
Pros:- Waterproof
- Long battery life
- Allows playing audiobook over Bluetooth
- Flat front enables easy cleaning
Cons:
- No support for immersion reading
If you want to buy a waterproof e-reader, then this is the least expensive one in the market. It is available in three models, i.e., a default 8 GB one, the one with a lot of audiobooks, and another one with a cellular-enabled unit.
Rating: 4.5
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Kobo Libra H2O
Best for: Comic book lovers, Library book borrowers
Price: $ 169.99
Screen Size: 7
Weight: 6.8
Storage Capacity: 8
Pros:- Light-weight
- File format support
- Water-resistant design
- Front light that changes color
- Buttons for page turn
Cons:
- No audiobook support
- No option for library subscription
- Doesn’t support Kindle eBook reading
It is basically the perfect e-reader you could ever find. It is hand-sized and contains design elements that are quite similar to Kobo Forma. Unlike Kindle devices that read only Kindle or MOBI format eBooks, Kobo devices can read a variety of eBooks in different formats.
Rating: 4.5
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Kobo Clara HD
Best for: Library & Third-party eBook reading
Price: $ 129.99
Screen Size: 6
Weight: 5.9
Storage Capacity: 8
Pros:- Small and light-weight
- Offers support for the native file format
- Access to the public library
- Front light that changes color
Cons:
- Not waterproof
The Clara HD e-reader enables the borrowing and reading of books from US-based libraries. However, the libraries must use the Overdrive software. You can read books and documents of various formats, mainly PDF, EPUB, CBZ, CBR, JPEG, RTF, text files, etc.
Rating: 4.5
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Onyx Boox Note Air
Best for: Academic eBook reading
Price: $ 479.99
Screen Size: 10.3
Weight: 14.81
Storage Capacity: 32
Pros:- Beautiful with a premium build
- Broad format
- Pen with a magnetic attachment
- Application support
Cons:
- Pens work only in the first-party application
- Cannot work as an external monitor
- Not waterproof
This is an extremely well-built and reasonably-priced E Ink tablet. It is an excellent choice for anyone who works with dense reading assignments, professional literature, or letter-sized documents. The restful and eye-friendly screen also makes it comfortable to use for the readers.
Rating: 4.5
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Apple iPad 32 GB (8th Generation)
Best for: Budget-friendly iPad buyers, students, casual users
Price: $ 329.00
Screen Size: 10.2
Weight: 1.08
Storage Capacity: 32
Pros:- Fast
- Access to the app library
- Affordable
- A great alternative to Chrome book
Cons:
- Single user operating system
- Outdated design
- Dull front-facing camera
This eighth-generation iPad has the lowest cost as compared to other iPad models. It features a retina display and comes with built-in support for learning, hearing, vision, mobility, etc. It is an excellent alternative for Chromebooks.
Rating: 4.0
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Amazon Kindle Kids Edition
Best for: Kids or budget-friendly buyers
Price: $ 109.99
Screen Size: 6
Weight: 10.2
Storage Capacity: 8
Pros:- Good value on investment
- Parental dashboard
Cons:
- Picture ebooks don’t look good
- Not waterproof
Even though a kid’s edition, it offers excellent value to anyone who loves reading digital books. It comes without ads and employs existing hardware. It has four cute case options, i.e., a pink one, a blue one, the one with birds on a wire, and another one with tiny creatures.
Rating: 4.0
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Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019)
Best for: People preferring stylish Amazon eBook readers
Price: $ 249.99
Screen Size: 7
Weight: 6.8
Storage Capacity: 32
Pros:- Waterproof
- Beautiful and slim design
- Crisp and bright screen
- Backlight adjustment
Cons:
- Pricey
- Heavy and old-fashioned overdrive
This is an advanced and one of the most expensive e-readers sold by Amazon. It has a unique design and has an asymmetrical body. It weighs the same as Paperwhite but is a little wider than that. Due to its large size, it is easier to hold and carry around.
Rating: 4.0
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Onyx Boox Note2
Best for: Large format e-book reading
Price: $ 549.99
Screen Size: 10.3
Weight: 13.3
Storage Capacity: 64
Pros:- Long battery life
- Pen available for taking notes
- Supports Google Play
- Can work as a secondary monitor
Cons:
- Third-party apps don’t display correctly
- Wi-Fi turns off during sleep
This device can act both as an Android device as well as a second monitor. It is widely popular as a large-format e-ink reader, where you can read documents of any size. Aside from that, you can also use it for taking notes and e-ink browsing.
Rating: 4.0
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Amazon Kindle (2019)
Best for: Budget-friendly buyers
Price: $ 89.99
Screen Size: 6
Weight: 6.1
Storage Capacity: 4
Pros:- Front light that changes color
- Similar features like other Kindles
Cons:
- Outdated design
- Not waterproof
- Low-resolution screen
Amazon Kindle is one of the popular eBook readers for Windows, Android, and Mac. It is a bit expensive than Paperwhite but does offer more value. The device comes in black or white, includes advertisements on its lock-screen, and has more contrast than earlier Kindle models.
Rating: 3.5
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Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight 3
Best for: Barnes & Noble eBook reading
Price: $ 119.99
Screen Size: 6
Weight: 6.7
Storage Capacity: 8
Pros:- Buttons for page turn
- ePUB format support
- Sharp screen
- Front light that changes color
Cons:
- Limited selection for store
- Unappealing UI
Its interface is not as polished as the Kobo or Kindle eBook readers. It has a wide, plastic body and the store only contains a few books. The most impressive feature of this eReader is GlowLight, which automatically changes from cool blue to warm yellow as per the internal clock of the device.
Rating: 3.5
Final Words
Now that you have got a brief comparison of eBook readers, the selection process will become a lot easier. However, while choosing an eBook reader, remember that you’ll make a decision based on the support of a particular ecosystem. For example, Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Nobles, etc. use DRM protection for their books. So, if you’re buying an eReader, you can only access the books of the particular brand.
Luckily, it is possible to remove DRM protection from the books. You can take help from companies that offer relevant services or do it yourself. However, we recommend taking professional aid since it may result in removing other necessary features like character summaries or formatting.
Another alternative is to convert the formats of the eBooks, which is also better to carry out with the help of eBook conversion companies. We, at MAPSystems, are experts in providing eBook conversion services and can offer conversion support for different types of e-books like fixed layout eBooks, interactive eBooks, reflowable eBooks, etc. Besides, we also help with designing eBooks. However, if you are interested in designing yourself, here’s how to create an eBook from scratch. So, you can reach us for any help that you want to receive.
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- Prepress
- EPublishing
- Graphic designing
- Photo editing
- 3D
- VR and AR
