I am tired of reading that a 6” e-reader is not a good tool to deal with pdf files. I think the problem with ereaders and pdfs is not the hardware, but the software, as I will try to show.
The width of my Kindle Paperwhite (KPW) is exactly the same of a classic paperback. The length of a line of text is 9cm in the book, that is exactly the width of the screen in the Kindle. Moreover, the screen resolution of the KPW is exactly the same of the iPad 2/mini. You can find other tablets with better resolution (Nexus, Samsung...), but I am afraid that it does not make a big difference. With a tablet you probably can get some extra processing power that can be good for heavy pdfs loaded with pictures, but not so necessary for basic pdfs with text and some graphics.
After a sad experience with a Kobo Glo, I tried a Sony PRS-T2 and I was not convince enough to replace my Kindle Keyboard (KK) with it either. But one week ago I decided to give a try to the new Kindle Paperwhite. The first impression was very good (contrast settings still there, easy bookmarks, highlights and annotations, fantastic interface...) but a closer look reveals some serious problems, and I would not recommend the KPW to frequent pdf users that want to switch from their KK to a new device.
1. Terrible text rendering in some files.
Many pdf files that look great in my KK are almost unusable on the KPW, despite the fact that it has an improved screen with higher resolution. The feeling is just the opposite (above old KK, below the new KPW):
2. End of page frustration in landscape mode.
Again, something that was fine on the KK and that is not alright on the KPW. When you reach the end of a page the KPW sticks that edge to the border of the screen. That means that text that has been already read is shown again... and that sometimes it is not easy to find the exact point to continue reading!
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3. Lack of some nice features that would improve the browsing experience:
— Slide bar navigation (like in the Kobo)
— Improvements in the table of contents (i.e. tree structure)
— “View notes & marks” easier to reach in the menu (in landscape mode)
4. Less important but something that is worse on the KPW as well: Wider margin in landscape mode (pictures)
In my opinion, if Amazon fix these issues in future firmware update/s, the Kindle Paperwhite will be a very good pdf reader. Until that day, if it comes, my I vote for the tablets as well (but in that case I would probably wait as well for the future iPad mini with retina display).
But I still think that the main problem here is poor software implementation, not the hardware.