Buy Seeking: Sony Daily Edition PRS-950

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Many don't like that the light layer blurs the screen. If you never plan on using it, then you are better off with a display that doesn't have the light layer.

All of those without a light pipe for a front light are lower resolution, poorer older eink panels and worse than any 300 dpi Kindle or Kobo in the last 5 years for clarity / sharpness / contrast.

Certainly a Carta HD or 1200 with no capacitive touch (also impairs screen) and no light pipe would be better, but AFAIK it doesn't exist. All the ones I know like that are Pearl. Maybe there were a couple of Sony Digital Paper tablets with no light because they were larger than 10″ and 13″, but they are gone and never were ereaders.

Most of the current main brands mono 6″ to 8″ at 300 dpi are plenty sharp. I hardly ever turn the front light on on my Libra or Sage. Even my Kindle PW3 is far better than a Sony T2 or PRS-350 screen. The PW4 was not quite as good as the PW3, but still far better than Pearl. I've had many eink and still have a Kindle Keyboard 3, Kindle DXG and Sony PRS-350 with no front light.

The large Mobius ereaders are obsolete screens and have no light layer because it would be difficult to have it even. See old Sony DPT models.

The main brands to consider:
Kobo: Best metadata / Calibre Support. Registering is optional. Open but few apps (doesn't need any).
Amazon Kindle: Needs Amazon ecosystem to to be worthwhile. Locked down.
Pocketbook (but variable quality depending on model)
Onyx Boox (Sort of an Android eink tablet family).

I've bought other brands and all were a mistake.