There have been a slew of new e-readers that have come out during the past five months and it can be daunting to keep abreast of all of the different models. Some products are really good and provide a good value proposition, well others are totally abysmal and not worth your money. Good e-Reader basically reviews every single new e-reader and e-note, globally. So for every 4-5 products that are reviewed, we might only really recommend one of them for a general audience. Our Spring recommendation list primarily only looks at new e-readers and e-notes that have come out in 2021.
Pocketbook Inkpad Color – This device was the first e-reader that shipped with the E INK Kaliedo Plus color e-paper technology, which provides better gamut and overall more accurate displaying colors. This pocket friendly 7.8 inch e-reader is perfect for reading comics, ebooks, manga, magazines and newspapers. It supports dozens of languages and comes with various Linux based apps for cloud storage and even a few coloring books. It retails for $299.
Onyx Boox Nova 3 Color – This is Onyx’s second attempt at a color e-reader, the first was the limited edition Poke 3 color, that came out last year. This model is also employing E INK Kaleido Plus technology. Unlike the Pocketbook InkPad Color, the Nova 3 is an e-note, which means it has a WACOM display and comes with a stylus, giving users the ability to freehand draw, take notes, edit PDF files and make annointations in ebooks. It is running Android 10, and comes with Google Play, so there are over a million free and paid apps to install. This device retails for $419.99.
Xiaomi InkPalm 5 Mini – This is the first small e-reader that has been released in over a decade, it has a 5.2 inch screen and rounded corners, which is easier to hold. It is running Android 8.1 and you can sideload in your own apps. It ships with a pure Chinese interface, but there are ways to make it mostly English. The most compelling aspect is the price, although it is getting harder to find, because everyone is sold out. It retails anywhere between $99 and $179.
Bigme S3 – The Bigme S3 is a brand new 7.8 inch e-reader and e-note that is using the E INK Kaleido Plus color e-paper screen. This device is localized for the Chinese market, so all of the preinstalled Android apps and UI is entirely in Chinese and there are no options to change it to something else. So this device is primarily aimed at this audience, although since it has wide availability, it can be ordered anywhere in the world. You will get value out of the S3 if you want to take notes using 8 different colors or edit PDF files. One of the big benefits of the Bigme, is that it has long battery life, so you only need to charge it every couple of weeks and can easily use it outside. The Bigme S3 is expensive, since the company is relatively new. It retails for $899.
Supernote A5X – The Supernote A5X is one of the best 10.3 inch digital note taking devices (e-note). It provides a total distraction free writing experience with advanced note taking functionality. The company has made great strides in enhancing the Android OS with new features and enhancements on a regular basis. This device also is an ebook reader, it comes with a stock reading app, with support for a myriad of formats. It also comes with the Kindle app, that is optimized for an E INK screen. It retails for $499, but has been sold out for most of 2021 and is slowly starting to become available again.
Boyue Likebook P10 – The Boyue Likebook P10 is billed as a 10 inch dedicated e-reader, but it also comes with an optional stylus. This is used to take notes, edit PDF files and annointate ebooks. The latency when drawing is very low, because the P10 does not have a WACOM screen, instead it is an active stylus that is powered by a battery and has pressure sensitivity. This Android 8.1 device has Google Play out of the box and provides tremendous value, it costs $310 and comes with a free case, stylus and replacement nibs.
Boyue Likebook P78 – The Boyue Likebook P78 is a new dedicated e-reader that just came out! This device is pocket friendly with its 7.8 inch E INK screen and is primarily geared towards reading comics, ebooks, magazines and manga. It is running Android 8.1, and has Google Play, so you can download all of your favorite free and paid apps. It retails for $239.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.