Dimmest e-ink e-reader with invertible screen for reading in the dark?

[SillyStegosaurus]

(re-posted as my initial post was on the wrong subforum)

Essentially a followup to a very similar question someone else asked 4 years ago, with a request for updates now that there've been 4 more years of tech development: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ght+night+mode

At the time, the Nook Glowlight 3 was declared the best option for dimness and light temperature, but it requires rooting and installing koreader to enable screen inversion. I do not know much the Nook Glowlight 3's other capabilities and whether it meets the other criteria I have (below).

I currently have an old Kobo Aura 2, which can have its screen inverted (black background, white text) via developer settings. This makes it better for reading in the dark, however even at its dimmest I find it is still too bright and harsh to be comfortable. After doing some experiments I think the blue light does seem to keep me awake, despite years of me denying that it affected me.

Must haves:

1. Dim light and dark mode / invertible screen, preferably with temperature adjustment as well so it the light can be less blue.

2. Ability to load epubs onto it over USB cable connection to a Mac computer.

3. Decent repairability when it comes to replacing the battery, since all Li-ion batteries eventually need replacing.

Thank you for any advice you can share!

[j.p.s]

Some people have dimmed kobos by soldering in a resistor.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...=200706&page=7

[SillyStegosaurus]

Oh man this is the coolest answer but I have so little soldering experience I'd be afraid of damaging the board if I tried. But thanks, it makes me happy to know this is something people do.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by SillyStegosaurus

Oh man this is the coolest answer but I have so little soldering experience I'd be afraid of damaging the board if I tried. But thanks, it makes me happy to know this is something people do.

What, cooler than wearing sunglasses at night? See Blues Brothers, after concert.

[Michal Jancik]

If I understood your question correctly, the device "Kobo Libra 2" could suit you.

It does not need to be rooted, the latest version of E-INK screen 1200 (better contrast/black level compared to previous versions), Invert-Screen support, e-pub format support (epub3 + fix layout Epub3)

As an alternative, it could be "TOLINO", but I have bad experience when it comes to connecting with MAC and, moreover, it has a very weak battery (I would say that it is even worse than a normal tablet)

[SillyStegosaurus]

Well, I accidentally posted in the kobo forum initially (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...81#post4332381). The advice I got there led me to try a Kobo Clara 2. It seems markedly dimmer than the Aura 2 and I think it will work for my purposes, so thank you. I'm attaching a picture: https://imgur.com/a/zqBd7jV

Unfortunately, the firmware the Clara runs has a worse Dark Mode than the Aura 2's Invert Screen! Where the Aura 2 actually applied Dark Mode to everything, the Clara 2 leaves the menus and the main screen white. (https://imgur.com/a/LGW0JcJ)

Is there a way to get the old dark mode back? This thread (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=341175) mentions the change came out with firmware update 4.28.18220; can I downgrade the Clara 2 firmware to a version lower than 4.28 to get the old invert screen behavior back (it currently has 4.35.20400)

[DNSB]

Take a look at NickelMenu. You can still do the Invert mode but it does require a reboot.

Add the following item to your NickelMenu config file:

menu_item :xxxxx     : Invert & Reboot    : nickel_setting :toggle: invert
    chain_success      : power           : reboot

Replace the xxxxx with where you want to see this item (main, library, reader, browser, selection). Selecting this item will toggle the mode and restart your ereader.

Invert mode was never an official option and before NickelMenu, it involved installing a small file and then playing with how to get into and out of Invert mode.

Personally, I prefer Dark mode to Invert mode since Invert not only inverts text, it inverts images.

[SillyStegosaurus]

Thank you David, that worked perfectly!