Summer is here and if you are looking for a brand new e-reader, a bunch of just been released and others have been discontinued. Good e-Reader is the leading authority on ebook readers and today we would love to give you our top picks for summer 2020. Most of the devices we are recommending have all come out this year or late last year. Technology for e-paper displays does not grow in leaps and bounds like Smartphones, where new processors come out every year.
The Kobo Nia is a new entry level e-reader that is appealing to people who have never had one before or are looking to give it to someone who is a life long hardcover/paperback reader. The Nia has respectable hardware and better resolution than the entry level Kindle. The front light will allow you to read at night, and it also has Overdrive, so you can save money by browsing your local branches collection, checkout and read, without ever leaving your Nia. The Nia is available for $99 USD or $129 CAD.
The Pocketbook Color is the first modern e-reader to be released in Europe and North America. You will be able to read ebooks and actually see the cover art in full color. This device is ideal for comics, magazines, academic journals and PDF files. This is designed to be a consumer friendly product with a six inch screen. It retails for $219.99, which is affordable.
Onyx is not a household name for people living in North America, but the Chinese company has made great inroads in the past few years to grow their international distribution chain. It is quite easy to find them online and many tech review sites are starting to pay attention to each new release. Onyx primarily focuses on digital note taking devices, or e-notes. The Poke 2 is the lone exception, it is a six inch e-reader with a great front-light, glowlight and a modern version of Android. You can access all of your favorite apps via Google Play. It has great specs and is a really good device for people who want more out of their e-reader. It retails for $189.99.
The elephant in the room that scares all of the e-reader executives at night is Amazon. The company utterly dominates the US and UK market. Their deep ecosystem of digital content from major publishers and original publications is the best in the business. The Paperwhite is their mid-tier e-reader, that sits between the Kindle Basic and the Kindle Oasis. It normally retails for $129 USD, but you can normally find in on sale for $99, Amazon always runs promotions on it. It has the best front-lit display in the business, Audible integration for audiobooks, Goodreads compatibility and plenty of reading options and profiles for the whole family. You can buy this to simply connect to your local WIFI network, but 4G/LTE variants are available to buy ebooks on the go, nobody else in the e-reader industry has no-fee monthly access.
Boyue typically focuses on the e-note sector, where the E INK display has a WACOM layer on-top of it and you can use it as a dedicated ebook reader or jot down notes with the stylus. The most expensive item on our top 5 list is the Likebook Ares. It has a 7.8 inch screen, retails for $289, has good specs, high PPI and Google Android. Unlike Onyx, it does not have Google Play, but you have to sideload in your own apps, or install a 3rd party app market. If apps aren’t your thing, you can just load in your own collection of books. The Ares is primarily aimed at more advanced users, a not new ones.
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.
