[some call me tim]

After feeling some Covid-19 induced ennui, as well as getting more reading done recently, I felt a strong desire to upgrade my ereader. I've been using a Voyage for the past 5 years or so and by and large have been very happy with it. I had been telling myself I'd wait until I either lost it or broke it before I bought a new ereader, but what can I say, I got the itch.

The main things I wanted an upgrade from my Voyage were: larger screen, better ergonomics, and warm light option. Oh, and I absolutely wanted to keep physical page turn buttons. So that pretty much left me with the options of the Libra, Forma, Oasis 3, and Nook Glowlight Plus. The Forma and the Nook both seem like they may be bigger than I'd want, plus I don't like B&N as a business, so I didn't give those much consideration. That left me choosing between the Libra and the Oasis. Though in a lot of ways the Oasis seemed to be the superior device, I liked the fact that the Libra was considerably cheaper, and I like the idea of supporting "the little guy." After reading through this thread, I eventually decided to take the plunge and try out the Libra. I've had it for about a week now and here's my thoughts so far:

Likes
-The form factor and size are great. I probably would like the bigger screen size of the Forma, but this seems like a good compromise of screen size and comfort
-The beveled edge. I haven't held the Oasis, but I feel like the angled "holding side" of the Libra would be more comfortable than the flat/rear bump of the Oasis
-Display. The display is every bit as crisp as my Voyage
-Brightness adjustment. I am pleased with the ability to adjust the light with a simple swipe. One of the niggles I had with the Voyage was how it was a 4 touch process to adjust the light.
-Having the cover of the book you're reading on the lock screen. It's a very minor thing in the scheme of things, but this is a nice touch that I wish the Kindle would have done. On that same note, I also like not having to worry about Amazon's ads coming through.
-The warm light feature. When reading in bed at night, the Voyage's blue light always seemed a bit harsh, even when dimmed. This is much nicer to look at in a dark room, and I like the ability to adjust the cool/warm levels to where you want them.
-Physical buttons. I like having an actual button to press rather than a smooth area like on the Voyage.
-Interface. It took a small amount of adjustment to get used to the Libra's interface, but so far I prefer it to the Voyage's in every respect. The one issue I have is that I can't edit the books to fit into the "Series" category. I think this may be something I can fix in Calibre though.
-Overdrive/Pocket functionality. Although I have yet to use this feature, I really like that it's integrated right into the device.

Dislikes
-Uneven lighting. Like plenty of others have mentioned, the lighting is dimmer on the button side. It's not a big deal for me, but it is noticeable if you're looking for it. Again, it doesn't bother me that much, but it is a strike against when comparing it to the Voyage's screen.
-Plasticy feel. I'm not a huge fan of the hard plastic backing, I would have preferred to have some sort of rubberized surface. Also, if you apply pressure on the button side in certain places, the case creaks. It doesn't affect functionality, but definitely makes it feel like a cheaper product when compared to the Voyage. I and got a cheap cover though, and that effectively nullified both issues.
-Loud buttons. The buttons aren't LOUD exactly, but definitely audible and "clacky," most noticeable when I'm reading in bed and my girlfriend is sleeping next to me. I had a Nook Simple Touch years ago, and I liked those buttons best, just a muted yet tactile feel.
-Formatting, or lack thereof, of epubs. This is likely something that's fixable, but so far the one thing that does truly annoy me. I've sideloadeds some books with Calibre, and they're center justified by default. Though there's an option to make them left justified in the font settings, pressing that option does absolutely nothing. In most cases it's not so bad, but sometimes the center justified text does really odd spacing and it's distracting to read. I'm hoping there's an easy fix for this.

Indifferent
These are features or aspects that I'm not bothered by or have found simple fixes for:
-No audiobook capability. I really don't need this feature in an ereader. I have my phone for audiobooks and have to imagine using the apps for those would be much easier/functional than what an ereader might have.
-No expandable storage. The 4gb of storage on the Voyage was more than ample for me, so 8gb will certainly be adequate.
-No Xray function. I never used this on the Voyage so don't have a use for it here.
-Dictionary. Supposedly the Kindle dictionary is better, but the few times I've used it on the Libra so far, the dictionary has been perfectly fine.
-The auto-rotate function. At first, I was slightly annoyed by the autorotate, as when you would rotate, the screen would go through several resets before formatting to the new orientation. I found that if you lock it into portrait mode though, the screen flips instantaneously without any issue.
-Manga/graphic novels. I like graphic novels, but using an ereader seems like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I have an old 10" tablet that I use for that, and it works great for that job.
-The recessed screen. I suppose if I had to choose, I would prefer the flush screen of the Voyage, but I really don't care. The resolution looks the same to me either way, the only downside I've noticed with the recessed screen is that my golden retriever's fur can float in and stick into the corner. Easily removed though.

All in all, I'm really pleased with this device. The pros definitely outweigh the cons for me, and really the only thing that bothers me so far is the issue with the formatting in center justify. I got a cover for mine, and like it better with the cover. Not only is it peace of mind for protecting the screen, but it got rid of the squeak of case and made it more comfortable in the hand. It does add weight, but I actually like the heavier feel in my hand, it makes it seem more substantial.