New NOOK devices confirmed for 2026

[christianbk]

Pretty nice interview with Jennifer Perry, the new head of digital services including NOOK devices for B&N.

At the 43 minute mark, she confirmed new devices coming out in 2026! Nice to hear an official confirmation of new devices. It’s also nice to hear her reaffirm their commitment to ebooks for B&N.

She mentions color ereaders and markup capabilities beforehand, so maybe something there? Guess we will see.

https://www.youtube.com/live/HYXDMCy...B7dbzPI58dn_jc

[Scoob]

Exciting news! I hope they don't go all in on color or e note style stuff and ignore having a good regular b/w ereader. Don't mess with the buttons keep them on both sides and don't partition the memory. Expandable memory would be nice to have.

[Musicman]

Good news! I was concerned that they lost interest in updating their devices, and ebooks in general..

Hopefully, they bring our Color and B&W devices..

[Derf]

I'm currently using a GL4+ and I love it. I also have Kobo and Kindle PW devices, and I have to say the hardware and form factor of the GL4+ is great for me, although the software feels a little basic.

Personally I don't really see color eInk screens as better for reading compared to B&W screens, but I do think they entice more people to explore eReaders. Lots of people like seeing the book covers in color, and there are the few manga comic readers too. Coupled with the fact that Kobo and Kindle and many other companies are offering color screens, I think B&N would be expected to enter the fray with a color nook. As for stylus markup, I don't see how that fits with their mandate to boost the stock price (by increasing sales) : eReaders are seen more as a digital storefront than educational or utility devices, at least for Rakuten and Amazon. They serve to sell you eBooks, not to become your daily planner or classroom notebook. Although digital textbooks might be an untapped market so who knows if highlighting/notes could enable that breakthrough for B&N to sell more textbooks?

I'm not the enthusiastic about bluetooth for headphones to listen to audiobooks (my phone handles that just fine), but I could see them integrating it to sell more audiobooks. What kind of updates or upgrades are you hoping to see from B&N for the next nook devices that you feel are currently lacking?

[JSWolf]

[JSWolf]

If B&N does not come out with decent firmware, then it's going to be another doorstop.

[cgsmom]

Well once again BN doesn't make any sense. They just announced that new Nooks are coming in 2026. However, they decided to release a new color of the old version in November.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/noo...=9780594277583

[JSWolf]

But unless B&N come up with a decent firmware, they'll still be rubbish.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But unless B&N come up with a decent firmware, they'll still be rubbish.

No, they aren't. The firmware could be better, but it's fine. And here's one scenario: Suppose, as a US reader, I needed/wanted to replace my Aura One with another 7.8"/8" reader. What would my options be? Pretty much only the GlowLight 4 Plus, and for a bargain price of $199. If Kobo were willing to sell me a Sage, and it's not, it would be $70 more.

Again, the Nook firmware is fine; it's good enough. All ereader choices are tradeoffs and given the current state of the market (moving to color, no 8" devices) it's not only a viable option, it could be the only option.

Generally speaking, you seem to have backed yourself into a corner where no device is acceptable. That's not helpful.

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by issybird

No, they aren't. The firmware could be better, but it's fine. And here's one scenario: Suppose, as a US reader, I needed/wanted to replace my Aura One with another 7.8"/8" reader. What would my options be? Pretty much only the GlowLight 4 Plus, and for a bargain price of $199. If Kobo were willing to sell me a Sage, and it's not, it would be $70 more.

Again, the Nook firmware is fine; it's good enough. All ereader choices are tradeoffs and given the current state of the market (moving to color, no 8" devices) it's not only a viable option, it could be the only option.

Generally speaking, you seem to have backed yourself into a corner where no device is acceptable. That's not helpful.

You are right. There is no reader on the market right now that is perfect as far as I can see. Currently I am splitting my time between my Colorsoft and my Nook GL4. My husband is using the GL4+ full time.

I hope BN makes improvements to their firmware but I’m not holding my breath.

As far as the new Ocean Teal color for the GL4, I looked at it again and thought it is a really nice color. It would look great in a clear case. Then I told myself JUST STOP!!!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But unless B&N come up with a decent firmware, they'll still be rubbish.

I hate to agree with you because I liked the Nook readers I have, but some of the recent changes (getting rid of the only decent font they had, no hyphenation, no bolding option for fonts) kills them for me. I won't be buying a new Nook either (made the same decision on Kindles).

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I hate to agree with you because I liked the Nook readers I have, but some of the recent changes (getting rid of the only decent font they had, no hyphenation, no bolding option for fonts) kills them for me. I won't be buying a new Nook either (made the same decision on Kindles).

Well, I actually found one of the new fonts that I liked better. I even downloaded it and put it on my Kindle. The last update added the font thickness setting back. I never noticed that Nooks had no hyphenation until someone here pointed it out. I had to go look. Nook does have its shortcomings, but I sure miss the buttons on both sides when I am using my Kindle.

[Chinook1544]

With Amazon locking down the kindles so the average person can no longer easily strip the DRM, Nooks are looking more and more acceptable. Granted the software may be a bit underwhelming BUT you can still read the books.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by Chinook1544

With Amazon locking down the kindles so the average person can no longer easily strip the DRM, Nooks are looking more and more acceptable. Granted the software may be a bit underwhelming BUT you can still read the books.

When I buy books I choose stores that have multiple ways to liberate what you buy. As far as I know B&N has one way and the app is no longer available to download from the pc app store and who knows how much longer it's going to be usable too. Amazon at least has a few different options to liberate your purchases even if they're getting more restrictive. However I don't buy much from either of those two anymore because of the restrictions both have implemented.

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by Scoob

When I buy books I choose stores that have multiple ways to liberate what you buy. As far as I know B&N has one way and the app is no longer available to download from the pc app store and who knows how much longer it's going to be usable too. Amazon at least has a few different options to liberate your purchases even if they're getting more restrictive. However I don't buy much from either of those two anymore because of the restrictions both have implemented.

It is certainly an aggravation just to have access to the books we paid for. I have the Nook app working for now but who knows for how long. I have been pulling books off my Kindle Colorsoft but today for the first time 2 out of 4 books I tried to download didn’t work. I guess I need to move to other sources for my books.