Thin is in

[LDB]

One of the readers I'm looking at makes a point of "thinnest Eink reader with a light". Does it really matter if reader A is only 6mm thick vs. reader B that is 8mm thick? Especially if the weight is close to the same?

[Deskisamess]

For me, there is such a thing as "too thin." The thin side of the Oasis is 3.8mm, the thicker side is 8.4mm. The thin side (which is most of the device) is too thin to hold on to for any length of time.

My e-readers live in covers, for protection, and to give them some "bulk" to hold on to.

[JSWolf]

Thin can be ridiculous. We need thicker to be able to hold better and for a ticker better that hold more of a charge.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by LDB

One of the readers I'm looking at makes a point of "thinnest Eink reader with a light". Does it really matter if reader A is only 6mm thick vs. reader B that is 8mm thick? Especially if the weight is close to the same?

A 5.8 mm thin reader can be very convenient,
- if you carry it with you in an elegant folder.
- when it is set up and operated remotely.

[rowe]

Good if you keep in in your pocket, but most of the e-readers aren't robust enough for this anyway (over many years a Voyage, a Pocketbook and a Poke Pro have broken in my pocket). E-readers in a phone shell e.g. the Hisense A5 seem a lot more robust but time will tell.

[LDB]

I agree with most so far. I don't want an OED thick reader but thicker is much easier to hold than super thin. I have the newest Oasis which is the same thickness all the way across. It is definitely better size/shape wise than my prior Oasis that was THICK on one side and super thin elsewhere. With the Fintie easel case it is probably around 13-15mm thick and holds well.

[theducks]

One of the reasons I add a folio case is to give me something to grip.
IMHO Thin also makes it fragile.
Same thing goes with 'lightest' . Too light and it flps out of my paw.
IMHO the weight of a typical 1970's paperback was a perfectly acceptable weight and thickness.

[Winkelschraube]

Thinner is better.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Winkelschraube

Thinner is better.

But the way these days is for too thin. We really need to go back to less thin. Too thin and its hard to hold and the battery may have to be smaller.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But the way these days is for too thin. We really need to go back to less thin. Too thin and its hard to hold and the batter may have to be smaller.

Don't you always have a cover on it? And as far as batteries, battery life is so good for eink, I wouldn't miss a little battery life.

I'm fine with thin.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Too thin and its hard to hold and the batter may have to be smaller.

But I have several power connections at home!

[binaryhermit]

It kinda depends on the battery life...
Like, a device with the battery life of a Kindle, less battery life is probably fine.
A device with the battery life of a smartphone, probably not so much.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Winkelschraube

Thinner is better.

You can always make it as thick as you want (cover/case/etc). But if it is not thin to begin with, you can’t make it thinner.

I have yet to have an eReader that had insufficient battery capacity. Yet, devices get thinner and lighter because of smaller and more energy efficient components, better battery performance, and smarter firmware/software. That’s a good trend.

[binaryhermit]

But, say, a smartphone that lasts maybe a day of heavy use, on the other hand.

On the flip side, if you need to,, you can carry a USB battery pack.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by John F

Don't you always have a cover on it? And as far as batteries, battery life is so good for eink, I wouldn't miss a little battery life.

I'm fine with thin.

Too think is not just for Readers. Phones are also too thin and you cannot say missing a little batter on a phone is OK as it's not. I have an iPhone SE and it's too thin. I had to get a case for it that makes it holdable.