Kobo Aura HD vs Voyage vs Paperwhite

[Random88]

I am new to the forums and lately I have been wanting to buy an e-reader. I have a 200 ebook library in ePub which i have already converted to mobi and tested on my iPad 4 kindle app and it works.

I mostly use my iPad 4 as an ereader but I would like a device that doesn't hurt my eyes when I try to read in bed at night despite my reading glasses that have an anti-reflective coating.

I am really impressed with the 300ppi screen of the Kindle Voyage but $200 is too much for a device that only displays text and the Kobo Aura HD also looks very nice and has more screen real estate, and the Paperwhite is the cheapest of the bunch. The new basic kindle also looks very attractive.

Is there really that much difference between 300 or 265ppi and 212ppi or 167ppi in terms of text sharpness?

I am casual reader. I mostly read fiction and don't care much about highlighting or notes, though a Dictionary is important.

[eschwartz]

Not really, it is perfectly readable even at a lower resolution.

I greatly enjoy the text sharpness on my Kindle Touch (167 ppi). I do not consider it worth the money for a better screen -- though other features may potentially tempt me.

[Snow Sciles]

What about the Kobo Aura, have you ruled that out?

[robko]

Personally as much as the better screen, the greater screen real estate sells me on the Aura HD every time I use my Kobo Glo (which I take when traveling).

[mr_nihilism]

If you decide to go with Kobo, you may as well go with the Aura H2O. It will be available soon.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Random88

Is there really that much difference between 300 or 265ppi and 212ppi or 167ppi in terms of text sharpness?

I am casual reader. I mostly read fiction and don't care much about highlighting or notes, though a Dictionary is important.

The differences in resolution are more noticeable when you put two ereaders side by side. Otherwise, most people don't seem to notice much of a difference.

The Kindle Voyage and the Kobo Aura H20 both have 1080x1430 screen resolution. So you get the same number of pixels and it becomes a question of reading on a 5.97" or a 6.76" diagonal screen -- much like deciding if you want to watch 1920x1080 HDTV on a 40" or 50" screen. Oddly, the older Aura HD has a 1080x1440 screen resolution -- give us back our 10 pixels!

My last ereader purchase was the Aura HD. Among the other things I gave up with my youth was the ability to comfortably read flyspeck 6 text. The bigger screen makes for more comfortable reading and my hands are big enough to make holding the Aura HD a non-issue so it's a decision that I haven't regretted.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The differences in resolution are more noticeable when you put two ereaders side by side. Otherwise, most people don't seem to notice much of a difference.

I completely agree. When I compare all my Kobo readers, the Aura comes out the worst. But when I am just reading on it, no problem. So as long as I am not trying to read on two devices at once, it's all good. And I really love the size of the Aura. My Aura HD has the best screen, but it's very large. I usually only read on it at bed time, when my eyes are tired. Then the big screen is best, for me.

[Random88]

I think I'm going to go with the new Basic Kindle Touch since that is what I can afford right now, and because I'm new to the ereader space. But I have definitely put the Kindle Voyage and the Kobo Aura H2O on my wish list and come 2015's I will have one of either in my hands!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Random88

I think I'm going to go with the new Basic Kindle Touch since that is what I can afford right now, and because I'm new to the ereader space. But I have definitely put the Kindle Voyage and the Kobo Aura H2O on my wish list and come 2015's I will have one of either in my hands!

That's a really great idea. The kindles are very reliable and their customer service is usually top notch. I think you will be very happy with this newest Kindle as your first device! You might also strongly consider the Amazon cover for it. It looks like a good quality cover.

[happysnapper22]

I have a PW1, wife has PW2. Yes side by side the PW2 is better but its only noticable side by side, both are very readable. the only really noticable difference is when reading in a darkened room the illumination on the PW2 is noticably better. In good daylight no difference.

Cant comment on the other readers.

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by Random88

I think I'm going to go with the new Basic Kindle Touch since that is what I can afford right now, and because I'm new to the ereader space. But I have definitely put the Kindle Voyage and the Kobo Aura H2O on my wish list and come 2015's I will have one of either in my hands!

I think the new basic Kindle is an excellent choice. Kindle OS 5 is SOOOO much better than previous versions. So Much Better.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Anthem

I think the new basic Kindle is an excellent choice. Kindle OS 5 is SOOOO much better than previous versions. So Much Better.

I have to disagree. Cloud collections is a very terrible feature. You can lose your collections because of this. That makes things not good at all.

[badbob001]

I don't think the screen resolution matters for normal text-only ebooks. But for fixed-format media like pdfs, textbooks, and comics/manga, the higher resolution would be required (remember, you ideally don't want to scroll/pan on an e-ink display). Given that the Aura HD and Voyage are about the same resolution and thus will show the same amount of detail, then it comes down to if your eyes are comfortable with a smaller screen.

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have to disagree. Cloud collections is a very terrible feature. You can lose your collections because of this. That makes things not good at all.

Well, if you equate Kindle OS 5 to "Cloud Collections OS 5", than I can see how you can throw away the entire deal. In my daily usage of the two versions of the OS, 5 is vastly preferable to 4, which is extremely old fashioned and clunky. It is obviously anecdotal and personal, but I feel like OS 5 does a much better job of getting you in to the book you are reading than 4 ever did, even when first minted.

I've never had any problems with Cloud collections... but I don't really use them much. I only have two collections: one for books read, and one for books not yet read! So I'm not a heavy collections user and am unaware of the downsides to them.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have to disagree. Cloud collections is a very terrible feature. You can lose your collections because of this. That makes things not good at all.

I'm a heavy Cloud Collections user and while i have 'lost' collections it was only once (well maybe twice) but its more a glitch than an issue. Once collections are up and running and are not played around with they are stable. My losses happened around the same time i was setting up collections on an ipad.