Playing safe with Kobo Libra 2, or risking it with used BOOXs?

[cherries]

It's now sale season again in my country (Vietnam), and online marketplaces are offering heavy discount vouchers. With that in mind, I decided to check out e-readers once again. My needs are, in order of importance:

1. Price: The e-reader's original price must be under 300 USD/7.83 million VND, and I prefer options under 230 USD/6 million VND. The discount vouchers normally cut around 20-30% of the original price, though once again I prefer options with original prices below 230 USD.
2. Screen size: must be 7 inches or bigger. prefer 8/10 inches and above.
3. Storage: minimum 16GB. Prefer 32GB and/or allowing for expandable storage, i.e microSD, external USB drive, etc.
4. Smoothness/performance: I want the e-reader to be fast enough in daily usage. I don't do web browsing, but I do read a lot of books.
5. Note-taking ability, especially with a stylus: I'd like to mark up my books, take notes, and maybe even start practicing drawing. I write in cursive and don't care about color screens, for what it's worth.
6. Being able to read PDFs well: I don't want to zoom in and out often, nor do I want to reflow PDFs of my textbooks. That said, I am willing to test out reflowing.
7. Customizability/modding: this one's not too important, but I'd love to install or develop a Linux system/a custom Android firmware, or at least make apps for the e-reader. I wouldn't mind not having this ability too much though.

I have found those options which suit what I want, but I'm not too sure if I should go with them. Note that the prices I listed in the list have all gone through discounts, not the original prices.

• Kobo Libra 2: Brand new ones go for 4 million VND/153 USD as of now. If I accept the packaging not having an anti-tampering seal (though the e-reader inside will still be fully new), the price goes even lower to 3.5 million VND/134.51 USD.
• Boox Note Air: Lightly used, including stylus and cover - same price as the Kobo. Specs: Snapdragon 636, 3GB RAM/32GB storage.
• Boox Note X/Air2: Lightly used, including stylus and cover - 4.45 million VND/170 USD. Specs: Snapdragon 662, 3GB RAM/32GB storage.
• Boox Note X3/Air3: Brand new goes for 6.28 million VND/240 USD. If I go with used ones with damaged corners, they go for 5.85 million VND/224 USD. Specs: Snapdragon 680, 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 10-inch display, Android 12.
• Boox Tab 10/Ultra: Lightly used (including pen and cover) costs 6.84 million VND/261 USD. Specs: Snapdragon 680, 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 10-inch display, Android 12.

willing to hear about more options, thanks!

[Aleron Ives]

Since you care about note taking, that eliminates the Libra 2. The main thing you need to worry about with getting an old Note Air is that it will have an old Android version. As long as you don't require a current Android version for any of the programs you want to run, it should be fine. Boox devices have very capable note taking capabilities, as well as good PDF support.

[cherries]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Since you care about note taking, that eliminates the Libra 2. The main thing you need to worry about with getting an old Note Air is that it will have an old Android version. As long as you don't require a current Android version for any of the programs you want to run, it should be fine. Boox devices have very capable note taking capabilities, as well as good PDF support.

I thought the Libra has stylus support? so long as I can draft something on the go, I think it's enough.
As for Android, I don't mind old versions. all I want to do is reading books.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by cherries

I thought the Libra has stylus support? so long as I can draft something on the go, I think it's enough.
As for Android, I don't mind old versions. all I want to do is reading books.

No, Libra 2 has no stylus support. The Sage has.

[cherries]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

No, Libra 2 has no stylus support. The Sage has.

ah... that's quite too bad. The Libra 2 seems rather nice to me, especially when a brand new one costs pretty cheap.

anyway, should I hold out and see about the PocketBook InkPad One? or buy even older Boox Note series, like Boox Note 2/3.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by cherries

ah... that's quite too bad. The Libra 2 seems rather nice to me, especially when a brand new one costs pretty cheap.

anyway, should I hold out and see about the PocketBook InkPad One? or buy even older Boox Note series, like Boox Note 2/3.

If note taking and PDF are important to you, I think Boox devices are the best.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

No, Libra 2 has no stylus support. The Sage has.

The Libra Color also has stylus support.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

The Libra Color also has stylus support.

But it has a kaleido overlay which is a drawback.

[cherries]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If note taking and PDF are important to you, I think Boox devices are the best.

do you think 8-inch devices are suitable for note-taking, or at the very least reading PDF files comfortably? I like what I see from the Boox Note Air devices so far, but their size seems a bit too big for one-handed usage.

Also, I wonder how straining on the eyes E-ink could be. Normal digital screens (be they IPS or (AM)OLED) strain my eyes a lot to the point where I'm now quite nearsighted, while white paper strains my eyes a lot less, but the strain is still there, and sometimes my eyes would get very dry from reading paper.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But it has a kaleido overlay which is a drawback.

how so, if you don't mind me asking?
also, does Black/White mode on color e-readers work as well as Black/White only e-readers? how do color screens hold up against normal ones? I don't mind ghosting much, at least after seeing a Good e-Reader review of the Boox Note Air and Air 2.

[Sirtel]

8" devices are suitable for note-taking, but not really for PDF. For PDF 10" or more is better.

Whether eink will cause you eyestrain, that's impossible for others to say. Everyone's eyes are different.

As to Kaleido screens (color ereaders), they're darker than black-and-white screens. You must turn the frontlight up higher to compensate.

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by cherries

do you think 8-inch devices are suitable for note-taking, or at the very least reading PDF files comfortably?

8" is fine for note taking, but not for PDF. Can you read PDFs? Yes. Will it be comfortable? No. Ideally you want 13" if PDF is your main reading material. 10" is already a compromise.

Small devices are meant for EPUB, where you can reflow the text at any font size you choose. PDF is designed to simulate a sheet of printed paper, so you need a screen that is close to that size if you want to avoid constant zooming and panning. If you already have trouble with eye strain, you don't want a small device, and you'll probably have to give up the idea of holding your device with one hand. You can't have everything in a single device, sadly.