TOP 10 Best e-books to read

Based on the results of tests, feedback from experts and buyers, we have determined which e-books are the best and most reliable, we have compiled a rating of readers for 2020-2021. Three main selection criteria were: screen type (at least e-ink), battery capacity (at least 1500 mAh), operating system. The TOP was helped by Elena Akimova - a user of such devices for more than 10 years.

When there is a choice between a tablet and an e-book, many people choose a tablet, thinking that it is perfect not only for games and surfing the Internet, but also for reading books. In fact, readers have several advantages over tablets:

• The text on the screen is more contrasting and does not flash.
• There is no screen flickering that can make your eyes tired.
• The reader consumes less battery resources than the tablet.

In this roundup, we'll take a look at the best ebooks of 2020 that have already gained popularity among experts and consumers.

Which e-book is better to buy for reading

Despite the huge assortment of models in stores, e-readers can be divided into several varieties:

• By screen type and operating system.
• By battery capacity.
• By the presence of additional functions.

When choosing a gadget, pay attention to the following criteria:

1. A good e-book should have an energy-saving screen e-ink last generation Carta hd or Pearl hd... At the same time, Carta HD wins, since the text on the screen is more contrasting, clear and clearly visible even in minimal lighting. You should not consider TFT screens for purchase, as they are much weaker and cannot provide a comfortable text display for the eyes.
2. The size of the eBook reader matters. It is best to choose a 6 - 7 inch display... This is the size of an average book, your eyes won't get too tired. The optimal screen resolution is 1024x758 dots, but you can also pay attention to models with a resolution of 800x600 pixels - quite enough for reading.
3. Don't skimp on the backlit model... It will help out a lot on short winter days or when you want to read in the evening. The backlight is ordinary, with a white glow, but there are models in which the color temperature of the LEDs can be adjusted: from cold light to warm. Warm backlighting does not tire your eyesight.
4. When choosing an e-book reader, pay attention to the battery capacity. The larger it is, the longer the book will hold a charge without connecting to an outlet. The minimum battery capacity is 1500 mAh.
5. Readers are available with two popular operating systems: Linux and Android... Linux is less energy intensive and is specially adapted for the format of readers. But Android can surprise you if the amount of RAM is less than 1 GB.
6. The case material can be either ordinary, plastic or hard, or more pleasant to the touch with soft-touch coating... The second option is preferable, since it does not slip in your hands and there is no danger of dropping the book.
7. It's good if the gadget supports as much as possible more electronic book formats: FB2, HTML, EPUB, DJVU, MOBI, txt, pdf and others. Of course, now there are services for converting any files, but this takes time, so a universal reader will be very useful.
8. As for additional functions, such as text-to-speech, wi-fi, built-in games and applications, this is a matter of taste and each person can choose the optimal set of functions based on their interests and activities. Just remember that the more options you use, the more power the gadget uses.

Rating of the best e-books

We present an overview of the TOP-10 best e-readers, based on consumer opinions and expert recommendations. The rating is compiled in descending order: from the most reliable and expensive to the cheapest, but good, so that you can choose the most comfortable option for yourself.

Most Reliable E-Book. An impressive 10th generation new product from Amazon from the company's premium line, released in 2019. The design remained familiar, but the developers made changes to the screen: it became possible to change the backlight temperature both manually and automatically, and the number of LEDs increased. This will be good for the eyes of avid book lovers. Screen type E-Ink Carta, backlit.

The new reader is quite expensive, but this price is justified by the significant advantages. For example, the weight of the gadget has decreased by 6 g, which is immediately felt as soon as you take the book in your hands.

The battery capacity will last for 1.5 months with a load of 30 minutes a day. Full charging takes 3 hours from 5V charging.

Formats: Audible (AAX), PDF, Kindle (AZW / AZW3), TXT, MOBI, PRC as well as DOC, DOCX, RTF (via wireless download)

The reader has the following advantages:

• Screen with waterproof IPx8.
• 25 bright LEDs in the front light that change the glow of the glow.
• Adjust the color temperature of the screen to a more comfortable one.
• Faster page turning thanks to the new generation of electronic ink.
• There is a special protrusion at the back for holding the gadget with one hand.
• Ability to listen to audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones.
• Does not support memory cards, but has a built-in memory of 32 GB.

High quality e-book reader, well suited for a gift. Unlike the previous nominee, this reader not only has a large display size - 7.8 inches and a resolution 1872 × 1404 px , but also the ability to connect a memory card. The newest E Ink Carta Plus touch screen has a sensitive sensor that responds well to touch.

Android 9.0 system with 3GB of RAM and 8-core 2GHz processor works smartly, without lagging or lagging. Thanks to the built-in browser in the e-book reader, surfing the Internet will help you search for the most interesting book novelties and download them directly to your device.

Formats: DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTML, FB2, FB2.zip, FB3, PRC, MOBI, CHM, PDB, EPUB, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, PDF, DjVu, MP3, WAV, CBR, CBZ

Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b / g / n / ac.

The battery is a lithium polymer with a capacity of 3150 mAh.

ONIX BOOX Kon-Tiki advantages:

• The patented MOON Light 2 backlight technology allows you to choose the color temperature and not strain your eyes in the evening.
• The Flicker-Free option makes the light output even, eliminating flicker.
• There is access to the Send2boox cloud service with convenient storage.
• You can write your own programs for the reader based on Android 9.0.

This model of the reader stands out among the readers on the Russian market - thanks to the high-quality waterproof IPх8, the reader is not afraid of accidentally falling into the water to a depth of 2 m. And the reader does not care about splashes from the water on the beach or accidentally spilled coffee.

This device is distinguished by the ability to listen to any audiobooks or music on it. A convenient headphone jack is available. A capacious battery allows the reader to be ready for up to 2 months without recharging.

The latest generation 7.8 inch E Ink screen - Carta - with a resolution of 1872 x 1404 dots.

Battery - Li-Ion Polymer, 3.7 V, 1900 mAh, up to 15,000 pages.

Dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM.

Formats: DOC, DOCX, RTF, PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, PRC, TCR, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI and ACSM

PocketBook 740 InkPad 3 Pro advantages:

• Reproduces all known book formats.
• Automatically changes the backlight color from cool daytime to warm evening.
• Synchronization via e-mail and Dropbox makes it possible to download books from the Internet without restrictions.
• The fast processor allows you to play games and use different applications.
• Dictionaries with the ability to translate a word selected with a finger

One of the drawbacks of the model is noted by users - the assembly of gadgets is not ideal and some copies may freeze during operation. The issue is solved by flashing.

Another e-reader with quality waterproof technology can easily withstand a fall into a pool. And if it gets dirty, the e-reader can simply be washed under the tap. A special impregnation of all internal parts of the reader with HZO water-repellent gel guarantees protection from moisture for the entire service life.

A compact reader with a 6-inch screen in blue plastic, the soft touch fits comfortably in the hand and does not slip out even when wet. Comfortable e-ink screen with high contrast does not glare even in bright sunlight.

Screen 6 ″ E Ink®Carta ™ 1448 × 1072 dots.

Li-Ion rechargeable battery, 3.7V, 1500mAh, up to 8000 pages without backlight.

Dual-core 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM.

Book formats: DOC, DOCX, EPUB, EPUB (DRM), ACSM, CBR (from 5.20), CBZ (from 5.20), CHM, DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, HTM, HTML, MOBI, PDF, PDF (DRM) , PRC, RTF, TXT

Reader features:

• The LEDs are located on the side of the screen, so they don't blind users' eyes.
• The backlight intensity can be easily adjusted.
• Allwinner B288 processor 2 cores and 512 GB of RAM on Linux make the book work at a comfortable speed.
• The gadget is synchronized with the "Books by e-mail" application, the BookLand.com online store and cloud storage allow you to download and save any number of books.

This is the updated, fourth generation of e-book readers in this Amazon line. The 6 '' screen is flush with the sides for more convenient use. This reader is very light - only 182 g, so it is perfect for schoolchildren and senior citizens.

Bluetooth technology allows you to listen to audio through wireless headphones. Synchronization with the Audible service will help you choose books to your liking in the store.

Benefits of Kindle PaperWhite 2018:

• The front lighting is located at the bottom edge of the gadget, which makes the distribution of the light output optimal and comfortable for the eyes.
• The reader works on one battery charge for 6 weeks.
• Supports 14 electronic book formats.
• The IPx8 waterproof standard assumes the use of the reader on the beach and the direct hit of water drops on the screen without harm.
• The slim body of 8.18 mm makes it easy to use the reader for people with any palm size.

Let's move on to an overview of the most popular e-book reader models in the category of a comfortable price / quality ratio in the middle price segment. This model is rightfully one of the best according to customer reviews in 2019.

The thickness of 161 mm and the weight of 155 g make PocketBook 627 one of the smallest and fastest e-readers on the market. The Android system with 512 GB of RAM is responsible for the performance - not much, but this is enough for leisurely reading.

Display 6″ E Ink Carta ™ with HD resolution (1024 × 758).

Easily syncs with all iOS and Android mobile devices.

Benefits:

• Excellent, bright backlighting.
• Battery life of 8000 pages or 1.5 months of use without recharging with light reading.
• Built-in dictionaries with the ability to translate selected words without interrupting reading.
• Wi-fi, built-in browser, games.
• MicroSD card slot (up to 32GB).

With this reader you can successfully learn a foreign language, because this model has built-in modern and capacious English-Russian and Russian-English dictionaries. Two-color backlight makes reading comfortable at any time of the day.

The touchscreen display with Carta + technology and the MoonLight 2 flicker-free backlight works perfectly, as the Snow Field function eliminates the appearance of artifacts at the time of redrawing characters on the screen. Pages refresh even faster than Darwin 6 models.

BOOX Darwin 7 advantages:

• The Android system allows you to install any compatible applications for work.
• Wi-fi and the Send2Boox cloud service make it possible to download and store books without restrictions.
• The backlight temperature is adjustable from cold to warm.
• The processor 4 cores and 1 GB of RAM make the device nimble and pleasant to work with.

Unlike the previous model, this budget e-book reader, although it does not have a touch screen, is not inferior in reliability. This popular model was created for those who do not care about the presence of many additional chips, but only ease of reading.

Any beginner can handle the intuitive menus and controls. The 6-inch screen and slim body make this gadget very compact and lightweight. The 8 GB memory will satisfy the needs of any user.

Benefits and Features:

• Built-in English-Russian dictionary allows you to translate text.
• It is possible to work with a memory card.
• Compact and lightweight - 155 g.

The cheapest e-book. Indispensable for those who appreciate minimalism and the absence of unnecessary functions. Works with both common text formats and popular graphic formats: PNG, GIF, JPEC, BMP. One of the proven budget models.

This e-book reader has no backlight, so it will be difficult to use it at night, since the screen itself does not light up.

Formats: DOC, FB2, PDB, TXT, PDF, EPUB, DJVU, HTML, RTF, HTM, CHM, ZIP, MOBI, JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF.

Features:

• The small memory of 4 GB will not allow you to download many books, but you can use an additional memory card.
• Very simple controls that can be easily handled by both preschoolers and retirees.
• A high-quality e-ink screen makes it possible to read text in good resolution.
• A minimum of buttons to control.

And the last model in our review is the most inexpensive, but very easy to use. The book in a pleasant white or black rectangular case will not surprise you with its design, but it is assembled quite well, despite the budget cost.

The 6-inch screen with a resolution of 600x800 pixels does not glare in the sun, but you won't be able to use a book in the evening - there is no built-in backlight.

Features:

• E-ink Regal screen refresh technology significantly speeds up page loading and reduces the likelihood of incorrectly displayed characters.
• Low power consumption due to the absence of unnecessary functions.
• The battery can last 1 month on a single charge with moderate use.