Top 10: Cheap e-Ink readers

2023. iReader launches 8-inch Ocean 3 Plus e-reader



iReader has introduced the Ocean 3 Plus e-reader, featuring an impressive 8-inch E Ink display. This places the new Ocean 3 Plus model above the Ocean 3, a 7-inch e-reader released by the company earlier this year. The e-reader boasts 256 levels of grayscale and is equipped with front light technology, ensuring enjoyable reading experiences regardless of the surrounding lighting conditions. Ocean 3 Plus includes notable improvements in the device's performance. They assert a 10 percent increase in page-turning speed, a 12 percent boost in boot speed and a 15 percent enhancement in PDF opening speed. Additionally, the e-reader offers ample storage space with 32 GB of onboard memory. To keep the Ocean 3 Plus running smoothly, it is powered by an 1800 mAh battery, capable of supporting up to 72 hours of continuous reading and a standby time of 30 days. The overall design remains familiar, resembling the asymmetrical build of a Kindle Oasis, with the right edge slightly thicker to accommodate convenient grip and physical page turn buttons. As you move towards the rest of the body, it tapers down to an incredibly slim 3.9mm thickness.


2023. PocketBook released new 6″ Basic Lux 4 eReader



PocketBook has introduced the latest addition to its lineup, known as the PocketBook Basic Lux 4, priced at $109. Featuring a 6-inch E Ink screen with 212 ppi, the device includes a frontlight; however, the color temperature is not adjustable. With 8GB of internal storage, users have the option to expand it further using a microSD card slot. Connectivity options include a USB-C port and WiFi. Typical of most PocketBook models, the Basic Lux 4 retains physical page-turn buttons positioned below the screen. It offers extensive support for various ebook formats, including those with Adobe DRM and enables wireless file transfer through Dropbox. The device weighs a mere 155 grams. At a glance, it may not appear significantly different from its predecessors, apart from the transition from a microUSB to a USB-C port. The middle button seems slightly altered, although the exact changes are difficult to discern from the available pictures.

2022. Chinese iReader is introducing English on all of their e-readers



iReader is a Chinese brand that has mainly sold their e-readers and digital note-taking devices with E Ink displays in the domestic market. The company has informed Good e-Reader that, within the next two weeks, they will release a new firmware update that includes English. This update will cover the UI, all menus and stock apps. The devices that will receive English support are the Smart 3, XS Pro, XS, Ocean and C6. This development will make iReader more relevant in the North American market. iReader produces some solid devices; their XS and XS Pro are essentially Kindle Oasis clones that run Android and allow users to install apps.


2022. New basic Kindle offers premium Paperwhite features for under $100



Amazon has introduced a new 6-inch Kindle, touting it as its "lightest and most compact" e-reader to date. Although this device is the latest addition to Amazon's standard Kindle lineup, its features are more comparable to the $139.99 Paperwhite model. It incorporates several attributes from the premium range, including a 300ppi high-resolution display for "crystal-clear text and images" (up from 167ppi), a dark mode and USB-C charging. Additional enhancements include a battery life of up to six weeks per charge and 16GB of storage, which is twice the capacity of its 2019 predecessor. The adjustable front light has also been reinstated. Notably, this new Kindle is priced at $99.99 — just a $10 increase from the previous generation, making it an attractive option for anyone looking to upgrade from an older model that lost the capability to browse, borrow, or purchase books directly from the Kindle Store last month.


2022. Onyx Boox launches Poke 4 and Poke 4S e-Readers



Onyx Boox has just unveiled two entry-level e-readers that lack any note-taking capabilities. They are designed solely to read digital content, including books, comics and manga. These devices come with Google Android 11 and full access to the Google Play Store, allowing users to download millions of both paid and free apps. Pricing and release date have not been disclosed. The Onyx Boox Poke 4 features a 6-inch E INK Carta HD capacitive touchscreen display. Beneath the surface is a Quad-Core 2.0GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It is powered by a 1500mAh battery. The Onyx Boox Poke 4S will be the more budget-friendly option with a lower price. It features a 6-inch E INK Carta HD touchscreen. Beneath the surface is a Quad-Core 2.0GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It includes 2.4G & 5G dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. It is powered by a 1500mAh battery.


2021. Onyx Boox launches an affordable Leaf eReader



Onyx may not be widely known, but the brand produces some of the most dependable gadgets on the market at a reasonable price. Their latest offering is the new 7-inch e-book reader, officially named the Onyx Boox Leaf. This e-reader features a 7-inch display and lacks stylus support. It’s a more lightweight option, weighing only 170 grams, for those who prefer a less cumbersome device. Primarily designed for reading, it allows you to focus on your books. It comes with a lightweight magnetic cover also made by Onyx, enabling you to hold the device like a traditional book and use the page-turn buttons, simulating the experience of flipping through pages. The Leaf e-book reader supports audiobooks and text-to-speech features and connects via Bluetooth, allowing you to pair it with headphones or Bluetooth speakers for enhanced audio. The Onyx Boox Leaf eReader operates on Android 10.


2021. New PocketBook InkPad Lite 970 has cheap 9.7-inch E Ink Screen



PocketBook has introduced a new e-reader featuring a 9.7-inch E Ink Carta display, named the PocketBook InkPad Lite. It’s essentially a budget-friendly e-reader with a large screen, slated for release in autumn 2021. The price is rumored to be $299, making it the most affordable large-screen e-reader on the market by about $50. The PocketBook InkPad Lite is somewhat unusual in 2021 because PocketBook chose to use a low-cost display with the same 1200 x 825 resolution that 9.7-inch E Ink screens had over a decade ago. This results in a resolution of only 150 ppi. Even the Likebook P10 offers a better screen with 200 ppi and is just about $50 more expensive, featuring an upgraded quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and a more versatile Android OS.


2020. Kobo introduces $99 e-reader Nia to replace Aura



Rakuten has released a new entry-level e-book reader and it stacks up well against the least expensive Amazon Kindle in several key aspects. The Kobo Nia features a 6-inch screen with a 1024x758 pixel resolution and 212 ppi. It comes with Kobo's ComfortLight technology, allowing you to adjust the brightness of the display as needed. The Nia is quite sleek at 172 grams, with a thickness of 9.2mm around the edges. Inside, it has a 1,000mAh battery that provides "weeks" of reading on a single charge, plus 8GB of storage. Amazon's least expensive Kindle, which is a natural comparison for the Nia, starts at $89.99, but that includes Amazon's "Special Offers" ads; without the ads, the price rises to $109.99. It also has a 6-inch screen, but with a lower 165 ppi resolution and half the storage of the Nia. This makes the Nia a strong contender for anyone seeking an affordable e-reader who doesn’t want to be tied to Amazon's ecosystem.


2019. Kobo brings the Forma form factor to a cheaper model Kobo Libra



The new Kobo Libra H2O adopts the Forma's design for a 7-inch screen device that costs a more reasonable $170. It’s still not inexpensive in the realm of e-readers, of course. That’s about $40 more than, for example, the Kindle Paperwhite, but it’s great to see some of these features beginning to appear in more affordable products. The design functions well, allowing for reading in both landscape and portrait modes, with autorotation enabled by the built-in accelerometer. Kobo has also refined the software to feature improved menus, enhanced book scrubbing and better previews. Additional features include the ability to adjust the front light brightness by swiping along the side of the screen. As the name suggests, the device is waterproof with an IPX8 rating.


2018. Arta Tech unveiles InkBook Lumos



Arta Tech has launched a new e-reading device, the InkBook Lumos. It has a six-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800×600 and 167 PPI. This is a basic e-reader, similar to the Kindle Basic. It utilizes a more affordable Dual-Core Cortex A9 processor instead of a Freescale, so performance may be a concern. It comes with 128MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and no SD card slot. It also runs on Android 4.4.2 and will be priced at $88 USD. You can pre-order it from the Inkbook website.


2013. Kobo launched new cheaper front-lit e-reader and some new features



Kobo introduces the new e-reader Kobo Aura, a more affordable version of the company’s $170 “premium” front-lit e-reader, the Aura HD. The Kobo Aura, which is available for preorder now and will be on sale starting September 16, is priced at $149. It features 4 GB of storage — expandable to 32 GB — and a 212-DPI, front-lit display. Kobo also announced several content updates, including a new book discovery feature named “Beyond the Book.” The children’s ebookstore, Kobo Kids, will offer approximately 100,000 children’s titles. It will enable parents to set up dedicated accounts for their kids, allocate book-buying allowances and pre-select the books their children can purchase. Additionally, Kobo has partnered with the read-it-later service Pocket, integrating the Pocket app directly into Kobo’s e-readers.