MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Help me decide between the PW 5 and Clara 2E

direhooks · 04-23-2023, 03:01 PM

Hello! I've been lurking for months, and finally decided to make an account.

Backstory: I live in India, and the ability to buy non-Kindle ereaders is very limited. Even Kindles are a bit more expensive here than in a country like the US, so when I wanted to get my first e-ink device I went for the Kindle Basic 2022. I've been pretty happy with it, so far, but I have a few gripes with it such as the lack of warm light that are leading me to look elsewhere. My brother's visiting the United States in the next month and has offered to pick up something there for me within my budget (so long as I trade him my Basic - he does not care for warm light, my eyes are far more sensitive and have deteriorated far more than his).

The features I am looking for are a decent warm light, a larger screen, and a good 'feel' to the ereader (feeling closer to text on a page). I also do NOT want an asymmetrical ereader for a variety of aesthetic and functional reasons (this is what led me to rule out something like the Kobo Libra 2).

I've pretty much narrowed down to two options within my budget: a new Kobo Clara 2E, or a refurbished Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (they've been going for fairly cheap as of late). I can't really decide between the two of them.

Clara 2E: It basically has all the features and functionality I want, except for the 6" screen size. I'm also concerned about things like ease of sideloading as SendtoKindle has spoiled me, but I'm not afraid to tinker (I'm an experienced Linux user and am handy with software) and have seen that there are some decent workarounds such as KoboCloud or even some hacky ftp solutions, so that's not a worry.

Kindle Paperwhite 5: It has almost everything I want, but I'm concerned about the flush screen. I really like the recessed screen of the Kindle Basic, and I worry that the flush screen might bother me in terms of "feel".

So, what do y'all think? I feel like I've hit an impasse in terms of feature set here. I don't really know which of the features I value more. How much does the Kindle's flush screen affect the reading experience (with frontlight turned very low or completely off)? Do you think it'd be better in the long-term to compromise on "feel" or on screen-size - if that's all a concern?

Thanks in advance to all feedback!

04-23-2023, 03:01 PM	#1
direhooks Member Posts: 10 Karma: 2145544 Join Date: Apr 2023 Device: Kobo Clara 2E	Help me decide between the PW 5 and Clara 2E Hello! I've been lurking for months, and finally decided to make an account. Backstory: I live in India, and the ability to buy non-Kindle ereaders is very limited. Even Kindles are a bit more expensive here than in a country like the US, so when I wanted to get my first e-ink device I went for the Kindle Basic 2022. I've been pretty happy with it, so far, but I have a few gripes with it such as the lack of warm light that are leading me to look elsewhere. My brother's visiting the United States in the next month and has offered to pick up something there for me within my budget (so long as I trade him my Basic - he does not care for warm light, my eyes are far more sensitive and have deteriorated far more than his). The features I am looking for are a decent warm light, a larger screen, and a good 'feel' to the ereader (feeling closer to text on a page). I also do NOT want an asymmetrical ereader for a variety of aesthetic and functional reasons (this is what led me to rule out something like the Kobo Libra 2). I've pretty much narrowed down to two options within my budget: a new Kobo Clara 2E, or a refurbished Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (they've been going for fairly cheap as of late). I can't really decide between the two of them. Clara 2E: It basically has all the features and functionality I want, except for the 6" screen size. I'm also concerned about things like ease of sideloading as SendtoKindle has spoiled me, but I'm not afraid to tinker (I'm an experienced Linux user and am handy with software) and have seen that there are some decent workarounds such as KoboCloud or even some hacky ftp solutions, so that's not a worry. Kindle Paperwhite 5: It has almost everything I want, but I'm concerned about the flush screen. I really like the recessed screen of the Kindle Basic, and I worry that the flush screen might bother me in terms of "feel". So, what do y'all think? I feel like I've hit an impasse in terms of feature set here. I don't really know which of the features I value more. How much does the Kindle's flush screen affect the reading experience (with frontlight turned very low or completely off)? Do you think it'd be better in the long-term to compromise on "feel" or on screen-size - if that's all a concern? Thanks in advance to all feedback!