So, you made the decision to buy an ebook reader. Which model should you buy? There are a lot of models out there. On what factors shall you base your choice? What are the most important eReader features you should be looking for? According to ReviewsBee, an independent reviews site, these are the most important eBook reader features you should check when you are buying an eBook Reader.
Usability
Every individual’s impression of weight and feel is not the same as another’s. Ask yourself, is your eBook reader simple to convey and hold? You don’t need something that is massive, cumbersome, or difficult to hold. Specifically, make certain to hold the device in the store to check its weight and to determine whether the weight is agreeable for you actually. You may go through several hours with your electronic book reader, and it is essential that you feel good utilizing it. For instance, one digital book reader may have catches and a screen that is anything but difficult to use for paging use, however after five minutes you might notice some eye strain. That item wouldn’t work for you since you may have the capacity to take a gander at it for long stretches without eye strain or migraines. An alternate kind, that won’t cause these issues, will most likely be ideal.
Resolution
While the device’s resolution doesn’t solely determine an e-reader’s screen quality, it’s a decent marker of how sharp onscreen text looks. High-resolution displays are beneficial for readers with vision issues, be that as it may, premium and entry-level displays screens are still easy enough for most of us users.
Pixel/Dot Density
This is the number of physical pixels on the display.
High-density screens are useful for readers with glasses or sight problems, however, high and low-end displays with no less than 150 ppi are as yet usable for most of the readers. The best e-reader’s screen must have 300-pixels-per-inch pixel density which is typically offered on a premium e-book reader, meaning it displays crisp, easy-to-read text and clear images.
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Screen Size
Even if you will never take your e-book reader outside your home, you might have to consider its size before getting one.
The smallest and lightest dedicated eBook readers include neither a touch screen nor an inherent light. Touch-screen models all weigh a tiny bit more. In any case, even with cases, each of the 6-inch E-Ink models are light enough to hold up for extended reading sessions without any fatigue.
With their color screens and bigger batteries, the 7-inch tablets are heavier than their E-Ink counterparts. Many people get a 7-inch tablet and say, “This is heavier than I expected.”
All e-book readers let you change the font size of the text you’re reading, so even a smaller screen can display a significantly bigger size than you’re used to seeing in a book, magazine, or newspaper. In the end, remember that on the off chance that you include a case or a screen cover to your reader or tablet of choice, it will add some weight you should consider.
Adjustable Brightness
Ebook readers’ displays can be difficult to read in the dark.
Devices with adjustable screen brightness, back-light the screen so you can read in different levels of light. This is a useful feature if you frequently read in the dark or at night. Some eReaders also incorporate a back-light, which will ease your reading experience in dark situations. I personally use my Kindle Paperwhite at night without any problems!
If you want to manually adjust the screen brightness on your e-book reader, you have to disable the automatic brightness option. When reading in a lot of different light levels, you may find it helpful to disable the automatic screen brightness altogether. Then you can change the light level manually whenever your wish to make your reading more comfortable on your eyes.
Battery Life
The other big advantage of E-Ink readers is the battery life, which is measured in weeks, not hours. Instead of using a reading app on a phone or tablet that will cut into the battery life, such as when you use it for other tasks, you can read as long as your like on an E-Ink reader. Instead, you can keep your phone ready for calls, email, or web browsing.
E-reader reviews show that exact battery ratings can vary depending on certain factors, such as if your screen’s brightness level is set higher or lower than the one used by the manufacturer.
Connectivity
All modern eBook readers are WiFi enabled, which means you can use them to connect to your home internet to download books. This can be done without a computer and usually, the process is straightforward. Choosing books from the library or from an online bookstore, shouldn’t make any difference if your device has options for both.
Ebook readers are often sold with a choice of two models, with a second, more expensive version, offering 3G connectivity. This will let your use the internet to download new books when you’re on the go. It is handy if you can’t connect to WiFi, but still, have a title your wish to download. Most readers will be happy with a WiFi equipped e-book reader, assuming your load up your device with content while you’re at home on your own network. Remember, that if your purchase an e-book reader without 3G capabilities, it cannot be added on later, so choose what will make your happiest for a long while.
Library Support
Many local libraries will let you check out an eBook on loan – just as you can do with a regular book. Previously, support for this varied among e-readers and tablets. However, now it’s basically universal.
There is library support for dedicated eBook readers. Just download and sync; users of the best eBook readers (with no 3G capability), can download eBook files from their local library’s website and transfer them to the readers via a USB cable. If you do have 3G you can download books from the library website or app without the need for a cable. I’d recommend Kindle for that because Amazon’s list of eBooks is probably the largest of them all.
Sharing Support
The ability to transfer e-books to another e-book reader is important, especially if you need to remove purchased books from an old e-book reader to a new one; if you can’t do this, you may lose the purchase when the original e-book reader dies. Check out this option on the model you are considering if it is important to you. Not everyone wants to reread certain titles or are worried about keeping them on their device. Some users, though, definitely want this feature. If you have one account to download books from the library or store, see if you can put it on all the devices in your home at once, such if your and your spouse are both reading the same book on two different e-readers. Kindle is also good for sharing eBooks. It’s also important to know about this because it allows you to let users on the same platform temporarily borrow books.
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Over to you
There are a lot of features one can check when buying an eBook reader. What else would you check for? eBook formats? Other features such as reading speed or web browser? Let me know in the comments below!
My wife had the original Kindle but like you say, you either need the light on to read at night or purchase one with a back-light to which she contemplated.
We then noticed Kindle’s Paperwhite version had entered onto the market so I purchase this as a Christmas present for her. She loves it, like you say there’s no need to put a light on as the screen is more than adequately bright enough. She reads every night this way and gives Kindle’s Paperwhite the huge thumbs up.
Simon.
Exactly Simon,
I love that feature. It’s a life saver! 🙂
Hi Marios,
These are very useful information for anyone who wants to buy an eReader. I am a book reader, prefers to hold and turn the pages of a physical book. But lately, I feel like wanting to hop on to the trend of modern/digital times. Will definitely come back here for information when the time comes.
Cheers,
Sharon
Hi, Sharon!
Thanks for the good words. I think you will like an eReader. It is a totally different experience.
Do not hesitate to ask for any information or issues you may have.
Hi there
This is great!
I am currently researching EReaders for my mum! I want to get her one for Christmas this year. There are so many to choose from.
Usability, screen size, and battery length are the important things for me. It has to be easy to use and have a big screen as my mom’s eye sight isn’t the best. Battery life is also important as I don’t want her having to charge it more than she can use it.
Thanks for the read it was a great resource!
Regards
Hailey
Hi, Hailey!
There are many eReaders available in the market today. You can always check the reviews and the two posts on the best eReaders and tablets available. I would personally recommend the Kindle Paperwhite.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
The Paperwhite or the Voyage are your best options for a reader. Voyage has the variable light that automatically adjusts to the surrounding light.
One other thing…yes, once you buy it you can’t change from the wifi to 3g, but most cell phones have tethering that make it work like a wifi hotspot. For what it’s worth, I had a Kindle Keyboard that had that choice. I went with the wifi. Later on they did a software update that turned on the 3g so I suspect it’s a software thing.
Hi, Mary
I, too, prefer Kindle eReaders. Especially now that Oasis is waterproof and has support for Audible.
Amazon is also bringing Audible to the basic Kindle, by enabling Bluetooth and allowing pairing with headsets.
Hello Marios. Thank you for sharing these awesome features to look out for when purchasing an eBook reader. You did pretty well. I remember purchasing Piano course in PDF format. It contained audios and videos embedded directly on the Pages of the eBook. I searched everywhere for a suitable eBook reader. I found one anyways. One of the feature to consider is Media player. Can the eBook reader play media without opening another external app? I usually consider that.
Hi there,
Most eBook Readers don’t have media players. You have to go to a tablet to do that. I believe that the best tablets that are good for reading eBooks are the Kindle Fire tablets. Although any Android Tablet or iPad with the Kindle App would suffice.
If you just want to listen to audiobooks, the Kindle Oasis and the Basic Kindle can satisfy this need.
Hope I’ve answered your question. Thanks for stopping by!
Marios
I am old fashioned when it comes to reading a book. I like the feel of a book in my hand, holding the next page with eagerness of what’s next and the smell of a book. However, lately reading a book seems to be harder and harder for me. Seems the print is getting smaller (only because I don’t want to admit my eyes may be worse than I thought). The e-reader sounds like it may be the best substitute for me. Do you think they can start making them smell like books?
Hi Aphrodite (and/or?) Anne,
eBooks and printed books will coexist for a long time. Each one has its pros and cons. I’m not sure whether eBook readers will get the smell of a book, but they do have a lot of advantages over printed books. Besides the touch and the smell. It all comes down to the reader’s personal preferences.
Thanks for stopping by!
Marios
This article came just in time for my planned Christmas shopping. As I travel quite often eReader is next on my list what to buy so I do not get bored on the next long haul flight. I think ost of the people think of Kindle at first but there are many other brands available already. What do you think is the best reader with a long battery life?
Hi Andrea,
I’d go for a Kindle Paperwhite or a Kobo Aura.
Thanks for stopping by and have a good reading!
Marios
Hi Marios. I think it’s time I upgraded from actual books to an e reader, I’ve been putting the purchase off because I always enjoyed going to bed on a cold winters night with a good book in my hands. I never really wanted an e reader because I was worried that it would be to heavy and cumbersome to use while in bed. However, now that you have mentioned lighter models I think it’s time to try one out. The idea that I would have access to 100’s of different novels over the net is fantastic. Can you suggest an e reader that would be comfortable to take to bed to read and give me access to all those novels. Thanks Jim
Hi Jim,
If you want a light reader, the Kindle Paperwhite will suit you. You can upload your existing books to Kindle either via “Send To Kindle” or by simply transferring them to the device. If you have a lot of ePub books, you can also read them on Kindle.
Happy reading!
Marios