PocketBook InkPad 4 and PocketBook Era (and its screen controversy)

[Frostbite]

I am the lucky owner of a PocketBook InkPad 4. This is my first e-reader. I first thought about the Kindle, then about the Kobo and the PocketBook. Since I am located in the EU and since I am now using an e-reader, the PocketBook seems to me to be the most suitable device for my use case. I use e-readers to read books, I do not read comics or manga, so I do not need a colour device.

I have been very impressed with e-reader devices with e-ink, and I am extremely satisfied with the InkPad 4. I read a lot more, read faster and have more fun.

But... I have a wife

She was also interested in this device, so we need another one. I thought about other brands, but I decided on PocketBook. I like my current device, its software, build quality, the screen is great (for me) and I can read anywhere without any problems.

For the second device, I chose the PocketBook Era. Same brand, same features (sync with PB in the cloud, send to email ...) and it works with all the e-books I have. I should perhaps mention that I also use Calibre to manage my library of e-books.

I ordered the PocketBook Era from the German website pocketbook.de. The delivery was fast and I ordered the bundle with the Era and the original cover flip for 220 €. Good deal.

Era had more than 80 books pre-installed (in English, German and some other languages). A nice addition.

I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised. For some reason, the Era is slightly faster than the InkPad 4. Maybe because it has a smaller 7-inch screen, whereas the InkPad 4 has a 7.8-inch screen and the processor has to "work less". I find that the 7-inch design suits me a bit better. It is so nice to read on the Era. Oh, of course. The screen is perfect! I have read a lot on the web about the Era's screen, that the screen is very bad, the letters are not clear, and everything is smudged and unclean. Maybe the first Eras really were like that and could be "fixed" later with a software update, but I can confirm that the screen of the Era I received today is clear and easy to read, just like in the InkPad 4. There is a small difference, though. The Era's screen is slightly more brownish or yellowish than the InkPad 4 (see attached pictures). It's not better or worse, it's just different for some reason. But that doesn't bother me at all.

PocketBook Era is so comfortable to hold and read. I think all my next e-readers will be 7-inch.

The original PocketBook Era cover is made of a slightly different material than the original InkPad 4 cover. I like the InkPad cover better. This one for the Era is not as soft, it's a bit more textured, but still nice to hold.

At the moment I am absolutely convinced about PocketBook. I am sure that other well-known brands are also excellent, but I do not want to mix brands at the moment. It is easier that way.

I hope this is useful information for someone. Thank you for reading.

[rcentros]

Looks good. Thanks for all the pictures. I almost bought an Era when they first came out. But I was waiting for Newegg (where I bought my HD 3) to get them in stock so I could bypass Amazon — which never happened as, apparently, Newegg and PocketBook where in the process of voiding their contract. (Newegg was an official for awhile in the U.S.) Once I started hearing rumors of bad screens I decided I didn't need another eReader anyhow. But if I buy one in the future, it will probably be the Era. I like PocketBook readers.

[Frostbite]

One thing I have noticed on Era. On the top and bottom right corners of the screen, you can see some brighter light (cold). It is noticeable, but you can't see that in images. Not sure if this is only with my device though.

As already said, InkPad 4 has a bit more natural screen colour. But the form factor of Era is just great. It is so nice to hold it, so much easier than the InkPad 4.

Buttons on Era are very silent on click. On the InkPad 4, the buttons are more audible (like clicking), but the left/right buttons are slightly more convex and easier to feel.

So, as always, you have some compromises.

As for the sync and reading position. Sometimes it can be a few pages off. But, I noticed when I open the book on another device, I move to the next page and then I get a notification to sync the reading position. So it works, just need to be a bit patient.

[Michal Jancik]

I like your enthusiasm, but it's too quick to compare and praise the screen based on just one product. Since you live in Europe and you like the ergonomics of the ERA, you could try the KOBO LIBRA (it is also cheaper), which has a significantly better screen in terms of contrast and writing sharpness. Another factor is the setting options, here the pocketbook basically provides only 3 options for the margin alignment and the font size, nothing more.

In the case of KOBO, the device is reactive (the pocketbook is still as slow as 10 years ago), the KOBO settings are significantly better and offer more options for editing the font.


Since you are using a Pocketbook, I would recommend you to install Koreader, the installation is very simple and you will see that everything will be almost 10x faster.
There is no need for ROOT, Jailbreak or anything like that, just unzip the downloaded file to the root directory of your Pocketbook.

https://github.com/koreader/koreader/releases

• You download the appropriate file for pocketbook
• Extract the uploaded file to your Pocketbook devic
• Now Koreader will appear in your applications and you can start it.

[Frostbite]

You are right, I am comparing only InkPad 4 and Era from the same brand. I've just read about how bad the Era screen is also in relation to the InkPad 4. But it's not.

I was thinking about Kobo a lot, especially the Libra, but went with PocketBook again because of the things already mentioned before.

Of course, I would like Kobo someday, but currently, it is what it is and I am satisfied. It suits my needs to read books.

I already tried Koreader and removed it after one day. It is too confusing to me, cluttered and the UI is just bad. I am aware of many extra options it adds, but I don't need any of them At least not that I know I miss anything with the PocketBook OS. My reading experience is smooth for now.

I don't know, I just don't need the Koreader I guess.