The Amazon Kindle is the quintessential e-book reader, the option everyone sees when it comes to purchasing one. But there are other readers that might be interesting to you. If you want to know them and why we believe this, go ahead. These are the best eBook readers beyond the Kindle.
Kindle hegemony
The original Kindle was released by Amazon on November 19, 2007 , weighed 292 grams and was 19 cm x 13.5 cm x 1.8 cm. At the aesthetic level, it was far from the most current proposals, but it was able to gradually conquer a market in which right now it is the undisputed leader.
Of course, that success has also been thanks in part to its aggressive pricing and Amazon’s e-book store. The ecosystem, as they say, is what has made this Amazon proposal the most popular. And also, thanks to this service, the company can continue making such striking offers. Because what really interests them is not selling hardware, but attracting them to your services.
Currently, the Kindle models available are the base model, Paperwhite and Oasis. Depending on the type of reader you are and how you consume books, you will be more interested in one or the other option. But you know that for around 65 euros you can already get one of these r-readers.
With a fairly complete range, with a basic and two others that improve benefits in exchange for a price increase, it seems that the needs of each user are well met. It may be so, but if you want other options than Amazon’s, you can also find them. These are the most interesting models at our discretion.
Woxter Scriba 195
The Woxter Scriba 195 is a basic e-book reader, so it positions itself as that alternative to Amazon’s entry model. A reader that with 4 GB of storage memory and a 6-inch screen offers a Pearl e-ink screen to achieve a “page” as white as possible.
Quite compact and with good finishes, only missing the wifi connectivity for easier synchronization. Although it is not a big problem either, because you can always connect it to your computer or save the books on a micro SD card that you can use to store the books you want to read.
Regarding the supported file types, this book reads the ePub, doc, DRM, FB2, HTM, PDF, RTF, TCR and TXT formats.
features
- 6 inch screen
- Resolution 1024 x 758 pixels
- Internal memory 4 GB
- Memory expandable via micro SD up to 32 GB
- Lithium battery (3.5 h of use)
- Weight 168 gr
The best
- Price
- EPub format support
Worst
- No WiFi connection
Woxter Scriba 195 Paperlight
Similar to the previous model, but with the advantage of integrating lighting on the screen. Thanks to that, with the Woxter Scriba 195 Paperlight you can read in situations where there is no light or it is insufficient to comfortably see the screen.
For the rest, it offers identical features to the previous models, such as the same 6-inch screen, the micro SD card slot, support for various book formats and the lack of WiFi connection.
features
- 6 inch LED screen
- Resolution 1024 x 758 pixels
- Internal memory 4 GB
- Memory expandable via micro SD up to 32 GB
- Lithium battery (3-3.5 h of use)
- Weight 358 gr
The best
- Price
- EPub support
- Backlit e-ink display
Worst
- No WiFi connection
Kobo Aura
Kobo Aura is a reader with a 6-inch screen and touch support, thanks to which you can scroll through the pages and other options in a more comfortable way. Although the most striking thing is that it offers ComfortLight Pro technology to reduce exposure to blue light, improving the experience during long periods of use if you are one of those affected by these lights.
Regarding connectivity, it offers a micro SD slot, Bluetooth and WiFi. Otherwise, the support for the ePub format and others such as CBR, CBZ, HTM, Mobi, PDF, RTF and TXT are also interesting.
What I like least is the location of the power button. It’s in the back, in the upper right corner. The problem is that with a cover it is difficult to access.
features
- 6 inch screen
- Resolution 1024 x 758 pixels
- Internal memory 4 GB
- WiFi connection
- Lithium battery
- Weight 181 gr
The best
- Lighter than Kindle Paperwhite
- EPub support
- Screen quality
Worst
- Power button location
Kobo Forma
The Kobo Forma we could say that it is the great alternative to the Kindle Oasis, a reader with high-end features that will delight the most inveterate readers. And if you do not believe it, pay attention to its technical sheet.
The Kobo Forma offers an illuminated 8-inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 1920 pixels , giving it a 3: 4 aspect ratio. It offers WiFi connection, touch screen, 8 GB of RAM and the ability to read CBR, CBZ, HTML, MOBI, PDF, RTF, TXT and ePub files.
features
- 9 inch touch screen
- Resolution 1440 x 1920 pixels
- Internal memory 8 GB
- WiFi connection
- Lithium battery
- Weight 195 gr
The best
- Screen resolution and size
- Lighting system
- Supported formats (ePub)
Worst
- Price
- Size if you are looking for something more compact
The best alternative to Kindle
With these proposals if you do not want to bet on a Kindle reader you will be able to choose without problems, whether you are looking for a simple and inexpensive reader or a more advanced model to read comfortably in all kinds of situations.
The Kobo Aura and Woxter Scriba Paperlight are the most balanced options in terms of price and performance, but it is you who must choose according to your reading habits. What is true is that you can also take advantage of your smartphone with a reading application like Kindle’s (available for Android and iOS ). It is not the best option, due to the brightness of the screens of a phone, but for occasional readings it never hurts to keep it in mind.
