Reading experience on 10.3" inch device for a medical student

[ottischwenk]

I don't like indented screens because dust collects in the corners.
The image quality only differs in the number and type of layers above the screen and there is no difference between the 7 inch devices.
And about the buttons - if I do, then I use a BT remote control and a keyboard in the bend of the cover, I find extremely unergonomic.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

I don't like indented screens because dust collects in the corners.
The image quality only differs in the number and type of layers above the screen and there is no difference between the 7 inch devices.
And about the buttons - if I do, then I use a BT remote control and a keyboard in the bend of the cover, I find extremely unergonomic.

I agree about the dust in the corners - it's one of the things that used to annoy me with my Kindle PW3. But I'd rather have that than another layer that detracts from the sharpness of the text. It's a trade off. Maybe it can be solved in a satisfactory way. My Hisense A5 Pro is clearer than my Nova 3 in my opinion (even with the applied matte screen protector and its lower PPI!), which could be thanks to a thinner glass layer or a closer distance between this layer and the e-ink screen underneath or just the quality of the glass in general. I would be happy if the Nova 3 was equally sharp with the frontlight turned off. (The Kindle PW3 is still sharper than both.)

I don't know what you mean by "no difference between the 7 inch devices". Obviously there is a difference between Carta 1250 and earlier versions and what layers are used and how they are implemented?

[ottischwenk]

Over the screen layer there is the light guide and a transparent protective layer.
Each of them deteriorates the light transmittance and scatters the light rays.
I have the Tolino Vision6 with the Carta 1200 and the Boox Leaf and only notice a slight difference with the Carta 1200 when I read in the inverse setting

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Over the screen layer there is the light guide and a transparent protective layer.
Each of them deteriorates the light transmittance and scatters the light rays.
I have the Tolino Vision6 with the Carta 1200 and the Boox Leaf and only notice a slight difference with the Carta 1200 when I read in the inverse setting

How would you rate the Leaf screen vs the other Boox devices, e.g. Nova 2/3 and Note Air? How about the clarity/sharpness of the screen? For me the biggest problem with Boox isn't lack of contrast, but rather a slight lack of sharpness compared to other e-ink screens - is this improved on the Leaf?

The Leaf obviously lacks the Wacom layer, but according to Boox that should be underneath the actual e-ink layer and thus not affect the image quality.

[ottischwenk]

I don't see any difference in sharpness and contrast with the Boox devices without writing foil - I only have these
I have Poke Pro, Poke 2, Poke 3, Nova 2, Note Air 1.
The 6, 7, 7.8 inch devices have 300 dpi, the 10.3 inch 227.

All manufacturers buy screens from EInk - there are no differences in this regard

[jameswillow]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Have you looked at the quality of the screens in the video?
And the Remarkable can't do much except write notes.
But it is asked for a reader, not a device for writing

Yes,i have watched and noticed the difference between nova air and nova2 .Does this mean nova air screen is like note air 2 and nova 2 like note air ?I have very little knowledge in eink devices and even don't understand what contrast is(only have vague idea about it).So, sorry for asking these weird questions.Currently i have decided to buy note air over note air 2 because of you guys suggestion.I am confirming this last time.If i only care about reading pdf expierence and dont care about writing expierence ,it is right to choose note air over note air 2 even if i am affordable of note air 2 because note air has higher contrast and clarity.Right?And also bigger device series like max lumi will have worse contrast and clarity if i guess it right.

Thank you, all of you guys for your replies and help.I appreciate alot and sorry for not replying each one.I have posted first in reddit and i dont get such kinda responses.Thanks alot again.

[jameswillow]

Originally Posted by kandwo

How would you rate the Leaf screen vs the other Boox devices, e.g. Nova 2/3 and Note Air? How about the clarity/sharpness of the screen? For me the biggest problem with Boox isn't lack of contrast, but rather a slight lack of sharpness compared to other e-ink screens - is this improved on the Leaf?

The Leaf obviously lacks the Wacom layer, but according to Boox that should be underneath the actual e-ink layer and thus not affect the image quality.

My little brother has onyx leaf.You can ask any questions if you want.

[Pajamaman]

I have two novae generation 1. Im fussy with contrast. I cannot read on a phone. I find the contrast okay. Sometimes i turn the light up. The onyx nova 1 is not as sharp as a nook, or presumably a kobo or kindle, but i find it okay no problem. And im pretty fussy imo. And it has a nice deep orange light.
It depends on you. I assume the contrast has improved with succesive generations.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by jameswillow

Yes,i have watched and noticed the difference between nova air and nova2 .Does this mean nova air screen is like note air 2 and nova 2 like note air ?I have very little knowledge in eink devices and even don't understand what contrast is(only have vague idea about it).So, sorry for asking these weird questions.Currently i have decided to buy note air over note air 2 because of you guys suggestion.I am confirming this last time.If i only care about reading pdf expierence and dont care about writing expierence ,it is right to choose note air over note air 2 even if i am affordable of note air 2 because note air has higher contrast and clarity.Right?And also bigger device series like max lumi will have worse contrast and clarity if i guess it right.

Thank you, all of you guys for your replies and help.I appreciate alot and sorry for not replying each one.I have posted first in reddit and i dont get such kinda responses.Thanks alot again.

Your reasoning regarding the Note Air 1 vs the Note Air 2 would probably be correct from my estimation. I think both Note Air 2 and Nova Air use the same pre-applied screen protector (non-removable).

I would say that contrast is the difference between the "whites" and blacks on the screen. The blacker the blacks and the whiter the whites the better/higher the contrast. This is not the same as clarity/sharpness in my opinion. The text on my Nova 3 is black enough, and the background "white" enough, but the text is still slightly less clear than on my Kindle PW3 or even my old Kindle 2, even though the contrast on the latter is objectively much worse. This is due to the added layers (touch screen, frontlight, etc) on top of the actual e-ink screen underneath. The difference between the PW3 and Nova 3 is that the latter has a protective glass screen on top.

The sharpness of the text is greatly improved with the frontlight activated or under direct strong (sun)light on the Nova 3. And most people don't seem to think it's a problem at all.

As regards the bigger 13.3" screens I would not say it's clear that they have worse contrast. The new Max Lumi has better contrast than the Note Air 2 and uses the latest Carta technology (which none of the other Boox devices do). See a comparison here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNQA0RpDbc (in the screen section). The resolution will be lower, however: 207 PPI vs 227 PPI on the 10.3" vs 300 PPI on the 7.8".

[meeera]

Having been a medical student, all I can do is strongly suggest that you reconsider an e-ink reader and look at tablets. Many textbooks and scientific papers rely on colour (and a tablet will also be faster to use, likely less likely to break, and give you better value for money).

[Quoth]

I'd not read novels on anything other than eInk.

But textbooks are almost all fixed layout.
Medical ones would need colour.
Many have very stupid DRM

A 10" 1920x1200 IPS LCD tablet would be a minimum. A higher resolution approx 13" would be better.

Remember to use minimum brightness and have no daylight or room lights reflecting off the screen as that causes eyestrain due to refocusing.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Remember to use minimum brightness and have no daylight or room lights reflecting off the screen as that causes eyestrain due to refocusing.

The refresh rate is also exhausting.
I wouldn't use it for reading at all.

[ab78727]

If the texts available to you are in PDF, then I can easily recommend the Sony 13.3" e-readers - I have the DPT-S1 (the original, from 2013), which can still be found used at a reasonable price. There is no substitute for screen size imo and the Sony, in spite of its size, feels lighter and more balanced than other 10.3" eink devices. Data transfer can be done simply via usb and it also support microsd cards.

If you want something newer, the Remarkable 2 is an option. The writing experience is unreservedly copasetic with the least amount of lag possible, something that I'm sure no other device can manage yet. The reading experience is quite good as well, especially if you choose to install the hacks to run KOReader, Plato, etc. The data transfer is unnecessarily complex and the storage is small (6.2GB or so available) but perhaps that is not a limitation for you; it was for me, which is why I sold mine. But I miss the writing experience on it every day as a result.