Best e-reader currently?

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#1832753 28-Jul-2017 11:35

@esawers I'm a little late to the party, but I say stick with Kindle.

If you're talking about the best, it is hands down the Oasis. It is very expensive, but bear in mind the leather cover is part of the price (unlike every other model where you have to purchase it separately). But the best value for money in my opinion is the gen 3 Paperwhite.

Oasis Pros:

Thin and light
Cover attaches/detaches effortlessly
Physical page turn buttons
Cover included

Oasis Cons:

Very expensive

Paperwhite Pros:

Best value for money (features vs price)

Paperwhite Cons:

No physical page turn buttons
(Official) cover difficult to fit/remove

I upgraded from a Paperwhite gen 1 to an Oasis. I chose the Oasis primarily because if reading in bed I prefer to do it with the cover off as it reduces the bulk and weight a lot, but with the Paperwhite this was just too much of a pain (at least with the official cover) so I never bothered. The other reason is simply because I could afford it and like having the latest and greatest. Prior to the Oasis I never had one with physical page turn buttons and I do like them a lot more than I expected.

Having said all that, while I don't regret getting the Oasis for myself, for most people I would recommend the Paperwhite gen 3. It is still an excellent device, and much better value for money than the Oasis.

esawers

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#1832780 28-Jul-2017 11:41

Thank you Paul!

networkn

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#1832781 28-Jul-2017 11:41

@paul1977 summed my assessment up perfectly.

fizzychicken

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#1832783 28-Jul-2017 11:50

I'm a huge fan of the kindle. I upgrade whenever a family member decides they want one so they inherit the one I currently have. I'm now on the paperwhite v2.

The oasis was a no-go for me as the only thing that would have made it worth the cost would have been waterproofing (which it doesnt have). I have no problem converting formats of books that the kindle doesnt support, there are loads of websites that will do it on the fly for free.

https://keybase.io/fizzychicken

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#1832798 28-Jul-2017 12:18

I have used both the Kobo and the Kindle PaperWhite. I had used a Kobo since V1, it was also replaced 3 times for various issues, I ended up with a newer version, so i can attest to the support being good.

In saying that I would recommend the Paperwhite as being a better device with much better responsiveness. Paul1977 summed it up well.

Quinny

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#1832862 28-Jul-2017 13:19

I have the Kindle Voyage (step up from Paperwhite but down from Oasis which includes cover). Got on Trademe as a refurbished for $200 which was a huge bargain (Noel Leeming have the Voyage for $350). Love the page turn buttons (not as responsive as those on my old nook) but the screen is amazing. No light to turn on or off just auto adjusts on its own. My 4th ereader (Kindle Keyboard, Nook, the 8 inc ocean) and by a huge margin my favourite.

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#1832863 28-Jul-2017 13:22

I have had Kindle keyboard for many years which I stood on the day I was leaving overseas so bought a paperwhite.

It is a perfectly good reader but for me as the months passed I got frustrated by the absence of physical page turning like on the keyboard. I found when I held the paperwhite in a natural position when I turned the page with my thumb it would activate the pull down menu at the top of the screen rather than turn the page and I had to bend my thumb down to turn and this got annoying.

I've bought 400+ books now, and buy one or two per week and spend slot of time reading so I'm happy with the extra cost and comfort of the Oasis.

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Paul1977

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#1832889 28-Jul-2017 13:57

Quinny:

I have the Kindle Voyage (step up from Paperwhite but down from Oasis which includes cover). Got on Trademe as a refurbished for $200 which was a huge bargain (Noel Leeming have the Voyage for $350). Love the page turn buttons (not as responsive as those on my old nook) but the screen is amazing. No light to turn on or off just auto adjusts on its own. My 4th ereader (Kindle Keyboard, Nook, the 8 inc ocean) and by a huge margin my favourite.

At the price you paid it was a good buy so I am certainly not knocking your purchase, but I'm not sure I'd ever recommend someone purchase it at the regular new price (disclaimer: I have never used a Voyage).

It just seems that by the time you add a cover it is getting close enough to the Oasis price point that you should just get the Oasis.

I've read that the page turn pressure points on the Voyage are better than using the touch screen, but still not as good as the actual physical buttons found on the Oasis (or old Keyboard model).

The auto adjusting light does seem like a strange omission from the Oasis, I assumed that feedback must have been that it wasn't well liked so they didn't include it on the Oasis (again, just an assumption). For what it's worth I seldom adjust the brightness level on my Oasis (or Paperwhite before it) as on a front-lit device I've never found the need (regardless of ambient light levels) - others may disagree.

EDIT: I keep the brightness level fairly low at 8.

tripp

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#1832897 28-Jul-2017 14:07

I have a kindle paper white (for traveling as it has 3g) and also a kindle voyage. I also have a sub to kindle unlimited which is great.

Quinny

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#1832898 28-Jul-2017 14:08

Paul1977:

Quinny:

I have the Kindle Voyage (step up from Paperwhite but down from Oasis which includes cover). Got on Trademe as a refurbished for $200 which was a huge bargain (Noel Leeming have the Voyage for $350). Love the page turn buttons (not as responsive as those on my old nook) but the screen is amazing. No light to turn on or off just auto adjusts on its own. My 4th ereader (Kindle Keyboard, Nook, the 8 inc ocean) and by a huge margin my favourite.

At the price you paid it was a good buy so I am certainly not knocking your purchase, but I'm not sure I'd ever recommend someone purchase it at the regular new price (disclaimer: I have never used a Voyage).

It just seems that by the time you add a cover it is getting close enough to the Oasis price point that you should just get the Oasis. I've read that the page turn pressure points are better than using the touch screen, but still not as good as the actual physical buttons found on the Oasis (or old Keyboard model).

The auto adjusting light does seem like a strange omission from the Oasis, I assumed that feedback must have been that it wasn't well liked so they didn't include it on the Oasis (again, just an assumption). For what it's worth I seldom adjust the brightness level on my Oasis (or Paperwhite before it) as on a front-lit device I've never found the need (regardless of ambient light levels) - others may disagree.

EDIT: I keep the brightness level fairly low at 8.

Good points :)

I did not actually like the Oasis design so was never in picture for me. The side bezel and buttons only one side was just too odd. Noel Leeming have the Oasis at $539 so it is priced mid between at $350. My main juggle was to go for the larger screen Kobo Aura range or the Voyage at 6in (after I stood on the 8in Ocean and yeah that was that one deaded). I would suggest anyone buying went and had a play in store to get the right one. If price is an issue, agree Paperwhite all the way :) Oh and I solved the larger screen with an Ipad Pro 9.7 (oops now that did blow the budget).

shk292

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#1832903 28-Jul-2017 14:16

Can Kindles handle library books delivered via Overdrive? This was one of the criteria that led me to buying a Kobo, a few years ago. This process works really well with Auckland library.

On a related note, has anyone tried the Kobo Aura H2O? I frequently use my Kobo on the beach and on the boat, so the waterproof aspect is quite attractive

Paul1977

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#1832904 28-Jul-2017 14:17

Quinny:

I did not actually like the Oasis design so was never in picture for me. The side bezel and buttons only one side was just too odd. Noel Leeming have the Oasis at $539 so it is priced mid between at $350. My main juggle was to go for the larger screen Kobo Aura range or the Voyage at 6in (after I stood on the 8in Ocean and yeah that was that one deaded). I would suggest anyone buying went and had a play in store to get the right one. If price is an issue, agree Paperwhite all the way :) Oh and I solved the larger screen with an Ipad Pro 9.7 (oops now that did blow the budget).

I can't possibly defend the Oasis price, but I will defend the asymmetrical design.

Without the cover on, almost all the weight is on the side that you hold it on which makes holding it with one hand for extended periods of time very easy. And if you want to switch hands, it has an accelerometer that automatically flips the screen if you change hands.

For anyone that is looking to purchase a new eReader, but has ruled out the Oasis based on it's asymmetrical design, I would highly recommend you head into a store and have a hold of one - you might change your mind.

kryptonjohn

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#1832905 28-Jul-2017 14:19

networkn:

The absolute best e-reader price irrespective, is the Kindle Oasis, but it's eye wateringly expensive (But awesome), the best including value for money in my opinion, is the Kindle Paperwhite.

Agreed. Love my trusty old paperwhite with ads...

Whatever you get, make sure it has backlighting so you can read it in low light or darkness...

Paul1977

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#1832909 28-Jul-2017 14:23

kryptonjohn:

Whatever you get, make sure it has frontlighting so you can read it in low light or darkness...

Fixed that for you :)

kryptonjohn

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#1832911 28-Jul-2017 14:29

LOL. English is a funny old language...

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