Best PDF E-reader Under $200

[mointer]

I recommend you Kindle Fire. Or you can download PDF ebeek reader software on your tablet pad.

[owly]

There is also the Onyx Boox M92 https://www.onyx-boox.com/onyx-boox-m92

[Nitnat]

I know this thread is rather old, but I'm facing pretty much the same problem as the OP and am interested in his choice.

I tried a tablet PC since it seemed like the most versatile solution but I sold it again pretty fast. It's too distracting and just doesn't feel right.

Right now the onyx seems to get close to what I want, but it's odd that there are no reviews and it's also rather pricey.

[Mivo]

There are no e-ink readers that I feel handle PDFs at a level that I wouldn't describe as "painful" (slow, unresponsive, lacking in tools and software). Tablets are the superior choice for PDFs, and right now the new (2013) Nexus 7 offers the best price/performance ratio. The downside is the 16:10 format. An iPad Mini may be more suitable (I'd wait for the announcement of the next model, which can't be far off), but then you go vastly beyond $200. (16 GB Nexus 7 is $229.)

[Nitnat]

Originally Posted by Mivo

There are no e-ink readers that I feel handle PDFs at a level that I wouldn't describe as "painful" (slow, unresponsive, lacking in tools and software). Tablets are the superior choice for PDFs, and right now the new (2013) Nexus 7 offers the best price/performance ratio. The downside is the 16:10 format. An iPad Mini may be more suitable (I'd wait for the announcement of the next model, which can't be far off), but then you go vastly beyond $200. (16 GB Nexus 7 is $229.)

I actually owned a Nexus 7 (2012). It is rather small. And it wasn't very snappy handling pdfs (which as you said won't be any better with an eReader!). But mostly small. I feel size and ratio wise the iPad would be perfect (that's 9.7" ?). But it's way too expensive and I'd like to have an eInk display.

It's really quite unfortunate.

[Mivo]

I have only experience with a Nexus 7-2013 and the iPad 2 (which is slower than the 2012 version of the N7), and honestly, if you felt that the tablet felt sluggish when reading PDFs, there is a snowball-in-hell chance that you'd be comfortable with viewing PDFs on an e-ink reader. (Sony is working on a 13" one, but I expect it to be rather costly.)

The regular iPads are 9.7", and quite good for PDFs. Not so much because of the screen size, but because of the aspect ratio: 4:3 is much closer to DIN-A4/letter format than the 16:10 of the Nexus 7. The iPad Mini is just short of 8", and also has an aspect ratio of 4:3. But yes, both the mini and the regular iOS devices are relatively expensive for what they offer. If you opt for a mini, definitely wait for the next model. The current one's hardware is pretty dated.

[Nitnat]

Originally Posted by Mivo

I have only experience with a Nexus 7-2013 and the iPad 2 (which is slower than the 2012 version of the N7), and honestly, if you felt that the tablet felt sluggish when reading PDFs, there is a snowball-in-hell chance that you'd be comfortable with viewing PDFs on an e-ink reader. (Sony is working on a 13" one, but I expect it to be rather costly.)

The regular iPads are 9.7", and quite good for PDFs. Not so much because of the screen size, but because of the aspect ratio: 4:3 is much closer to DIN-A4/letter format than the 16:10 of the Nexus 7. The iPad Mini is just short of 8", and also has an aspect ratio of 4:3. But yes, both the mini and the regular iOS devices are relatively expensive for what they offer. If you opt for a mini, definitely wait for the next model. The current one's hardware is pretty dated.

You're probably right regarding the performance. Especially because I deal A LOT with scanned articles / books and scrolling, zooming/adjusting is always necessary.
I just checked on 4:3 Android tablets but apparently only Chinese off-brand companies seem to think that's a good idea. Which is beyond me, honestly!

I might give the new Nexus 7 a shot, I checked it out today in a store and apart from the size the new display is stunning. The test pdf I had also seemed to be loaded fast enough.
It is apparently the only device in this price range that comes close to a solution for my problem.

Thanks a lot for your input!

[JeremyR]

I have a Nook HD+, which is 9" and I can't imagine reading on anything smaller.

But that works great for me. I use Perfect Viewer with the PDF plugin, so much quicker than the Adobe Reader for Android (and strangely, reads all PDFs, while Adobe's is very finicky)

[jojoba]

Originally Posted by Mivo

The regular iPads are 9.7", and quite good for PDFs.

Agreed. You might want to consider a second hand iPad. A 3gen (and upwards) with the retina screen is very good for handling PDFs. I work extensively with pdf files and find the full size iPad to be great for that. I've tried e-ink but IMO it's just too painful, as someone else said upthread.

I've written a blog post on e-ink vs tablets for pdf reading here.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Nitnat

I actually owned a Nexus 7 (2012). It is rather small. And it wasn't very snappy handling pdfs (which as you said won't be any better with an eReader!). But mostly small. I feel size and ratio wise the iPad would be perfect (that's 9.7" ?). But it's way too expensive and I'd like to have an eInk display.

It's really quite unfortunate.

Have you considered a 2nd-hand iPad? The iPad really does work extremely well as a PDF reader. I use mine for the purpose every day.