So I've been getting back into reading and, while I enjoy having a physical book collection (that I don't read! a vice of mine), I have found that I prefer to read on my iPad Pro.
A couple of issues with that: Low battery life, straining on the eyes, and no e-ink means no real ability to read outside or in bright lighting conditions. Also, the large size of the iPad Pro means that it isn't particularly convenient to take with me and read on-the-go. I had a nook long ago in middle school, but it's now been nearly a decade and, though I found my trusty old nook, it no longer functions at all.
After doing some research, I've decided I want a 7" (or 8") e-reader with a relatively solid build and battery life, physical buttons, the ability for warm backlighting for night-reads, and a nice balance in weight such that I can effortlessly hold it in one hand and read. I would prefer an e-reader that I can easily get good customer service for in the case of any problems. Lastly, I certainly do not want to support Onyx, as they refuse to release their Linux kernel information, which means there are (quite possibly) CCP backdoors in all their products.
I believe the Kobo Libra H2O and the Kindle Oasis 3 are the best e-readers for my purposes, but am caught between deciding to purchase a Kobo Libra now from Walmart for $170 or waiting (possibly for a while, as Amazon has delayed their Prime day to ~October) for the Kindle Oasis to drop to $175, as it did the previous Prime day.
Of course, having an e-reader now would be extremely nice, but I am willing to wait a few months and tough it out (woe is me) for the Oasis. I expect to use whichever e-reader I purchase for at minimum a few years.
The
key flaws of each I am aware of:
Kobo Libra H2O:- poor backlighting that is not consistent across the screen
- relatively worse build quality as it is plastic
- no option to get above 8 GB of storage
- no support for audiobooks
- significantly inferior libraries and lookup
Kindle Oasis:- locked into bs Amazon ecosystem, where they can literally delete your books (see what happened to people's copies of 1984 after a publisher dispute with Amazon),
- do not support epubs so have to convert my own to mobi, though I have Calibre and this isn't a huge problem
- lower battery life (?)
- no Overdrive support (also not sure about this one)
- have to pay Amazon just to remove ads (seriously? on such a pricy product?)
I'm not sure if I've weighed the two accurately and, to be frank, I have no idea which to choose. If the Oasis were $175 now, I would certainly spring for it, but as-is I can't seem to come to a decision. I worry about lower build quality and screen lighting inconsistency with the Kobo, but have entirely different concerns with the ecosystem and potential low battery life of the Kindle.
I would appreciate any input to help decide which is better, both for me and other users considering a purchase in this price range!