Best e-reader for contrast and readability?

[cld01k]

I'm a proud Kindle Voyage owner, and I'm thinking about finally replacing it since it's getting a bit old. That said, I still feel like the Voyage holds up really well, especially when it comes to contrast and overall readability.
Has anyone come across a solid comparison of current e-readers that focuses specifically on screen contrast and clarity? I'm mostly interested in black-and-white models because I find the contrast tends to be better than the color ones.

Would love to hear your thoughts or recommendations.

[rowe]

The special thing about the Voyage display was the screen surface - micro-etched glass (excellent clarity and low glare). Much better than any other reader for many years after it.

Now at least 2 ereader manufacturers offer a screen surface that's as good on their best models - Bigme and Boox. In either glass, or plastic. I only have first hand experience with the Bigme Hibreak Pro and Boox Palma/Tab Ultra C surface being as good as the Voyage. Any Kindle Oasis/Paperwhite, Pocketbook, Hisense, Inkpalm, non Tab/Palma Boox, Meebook I've tried hasn't been as good.

Each mainstream generation of B/W eink panel since the Voyage claims higher contrast, but sometimes by getting closer to black (some complain about less light backgrounds).

Contrast and overall readability is further improved on the best more recent devices through improved refresh methods. The best Bigme devices lead the way, Boox behind them, and most of the other manufacturers use the much less advanced refresh algorithms.

[Dr. Drib]

^

But isn't the Bigme Hibreak Pro a tiny little cell phone w/eink?

If the screen were larger, I might want to take a look. And...unfortunately, I'm not sure I would want to own something that has part of the work 'break' in its name.

Nevertheless, if/when a larger screen size is made, I may check out some reviews - both positive and negative.

[Quoth]

Any 6" to 8" monochrome 300 dpi ereader made in the last 12 years.

Though few are as nice as the Voyage, you won't notice unless you put them side by side. The PW4 is poorer than than the PW3 but only obvious on side by side comparison.

Get a mono Kobo and use the Voyage + Calibre + plugins if you need to buy any Amazon ebooks.

[rowe]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^

But isn't the Bigme Hibreak Pro a tiny little cell phone w/eink?

Yes, I prefer pocket ereaders with cellular.

But it's just an example of the ereaders that finally have surfaces matching the quality of the Voyage's micro-etched glass. I've only had first hand experience of that, and the Boox Palma/Tab Ultra C surface being as good. The HBP and Palma also befit from better panels and refresh than the Voyage.

I haven't tried them, but the black mono Boox Go ereaders seem a good combination of micro-etched glass, decent panels, and fairly advanced refresh in more conventional sizes.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^

But isn't the Bigme Hibreak Pro a tiny little cell phone w/eink?

If the screen were larger, I might want to take a look. And...unfortunately, I'm not sure I would want to own something that has part of the work 'break' in its name.

Nevertheless, if/when a larger screen size is made, I may check out some reviews - both positive and negative.

The Boox Palma is also has a too small a screen. Both devices are USELESS!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rowe

The special thing about the Voyage display was the screen surface - micro-etched glass (excellent clarity and low glare). Much better than any other reader for many years after it.

Now at least 2 ereader manufacturers offer a screen surface that's as good on their best models - Bigme and Boox. In either glass, or plastic. I only have first hand experience with the Bigme Hibreak Pro and Boox Palma/Tab Ultra C surface being as good as the Voyage. Any Kindle Oasis/Paperwhite, Pocketbook, Hisense, Inkpalm, non Tab/Palma Boox, Meebook I've tried hasn't been as good.

Each mainstream generation of B/W eink panel since the Voyage claims higher contrast, but sometimes by getting closer to black (some complain about less light backgrounds).

Contrast and overall readability is further improved on the best more recent devices through improved refresh methods. The best Bigme devices lead the way, Boox behind them, and most of the other manufacturers use the much less advanced refresh algorithms.

What do you like that comes in a 7" eInk screen with no color?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Any 6" to 8" monochrome 300 dpi ereader made in the last 12 years.

Though few are as nice as the Voyage, you won't notice unless you put them side by side. The PW4 is poorer than than the PW3 but only obvious on side by side comparison.

Get a mono Kobo and use the Voyage + Calibre + plugins if you need to buy any Amazon ebooks.

Sorry, but that's just so wrong. I noticed how poor the PW4 is just by seeing it in a video from GoodEReader. That's how bad the PW4 screen is that it's noticable that it's worse then the PW3 screen without needing to have the PW3 and PW4 side-by-side. They may not do good reviews, but they do shoot good video.

[rowe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What do you like that comes in a 7" eInk screen with no color?

Maybe the black mono Boox Go as it's listed as having micro-etched glass and recent Carta. But it's not something I've tried or looked into much. The premium devices with advanced refresh tend to be either smaller or larger.

[rowe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Boox Palma is also has a too small a screen. Both devices are USELESS!

I've happily finished over a thousand books on pocket ereaders, but think optimal ereader screen size varies by person.

[cld01k]

Thank you for your feedback, everyone. I'll have a closer look at the Boox Go 6. I'm not a fan of smaller (i.e., smartphone-like) screens but care about portability. A 6'' device is ideal for me. Worst case scenario, I'll stick to my Voyage for another decade (if it holds up).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rowe

I've happily finished over a thousand books on pocket ereaders, but think optimal ereader screen size varies by person.

From what I've seen on MR, most people on here was a larger screen of at least 7".

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cld01k

Thank you for your feedback, everyone. I'll have a closer look at the Boox Go 6. I'm not a fan of smaller (i.e., smartphone-like) screens but care about portability. A 6'' device is ideal for me. Worst case scenario, I'll stick to my Voyage for another decade (if it holds up).

Cell phone size screens are not really wide enough if you need to have a larger font for reading.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

From what I've seen on MR, most people on here was a larger screen of at least 7".

I personally like 8" 3:4, but lots of people are happy with 6" 3:4. Even 6.5" at about 9:16 (larger phones) are totally inferior for a novel, except maybe waiting for a take-out.

[rowe]

With fairly large type, my pocket reader is set to 45 characters per line. While that's at the beginning of the scientifically supported optimum range for readability, the superior ergonomics of the smaller device make it a much more pleasant experience for me than larger tablets, which are often setup with overly long line lengths that research suggests are fatiguing.