After using the cheapest e-Reader for over a decade (Kindle 2 until support ended, Kindle 3 until the same) I finally upgraded to the top Oasis and love it. Things that are absolutely essential IMO are
- physical page turn buttons. the touch screens are finicky, inconvenient for one-hand use, and impossible if i want to keep my hand up a blanket or something
- back/front light, with adjustable color temp, and an actual dim setting that doesn't blow your retinas out
everything i don't care about. but these are must haves.
The Oasis is a great device with one fatal flaw: battery life. For some reason they nerfed the battery relative to the paperwhite so it lasts about a week instead of about a month. Probably won't bother a lot of people but it really bothered me. I read a lot and hate having to think about recharging.
I ended up with the Kobo Libra 2, which has all the same features as the Oasis but also has a month-long battery. I love it overall, great little device. Includes some quality of life features beyond the Oasis, including auto color tone shifting of the front-light in the evening (cool to warm), being able to adjust the light by swiping up the left side of the screen, and more options for progress indicators / headers and footers than the kindle has.
Kobo changes their lineup constantly, which means the Libra 2 has been replaced with a more expensive color version I haven't tried. Color on an e-ink screen is not an interesting feature to me, esp. not when it makes the device more expensive.
I haven't kept up with ereader stuff for many years since I worked on battery life models for kindles, but I will say that keeping your e-reader in airplane mode will increase the battery life significantly.
The reason is that WiFi has a DTIM which basically means that requires periodic wakeups to keep associated with the AP. This burns power.
My suspicion is that the reason the battery is so abysmal is because you cannot turn off the backlight entirely. Indefencible design decision that just eats your battery. (older readers were better because they basically only used power to change the current page - now we made them so featureful they lost many of the advantages older models had)
On mine you definitely can make it so that there is no discernable backlight even in pitch darkness. Whether somehow it's still consuming energy I don't know. However I agree that generally the Oasis battery life leaves something to be desired.
> For some reason they nerfed the battery relative to the paperwhite so it lasts about a week instead of about a month.
I have a reMarkable 2. The battery lasts forever - if I manually turn it off when I'm done using it. If I don't do that, it will go into an inactive mode, with a bar informing me that it's shut off displayed over whatever was on screen when it went inactive - but in this mode, the battery still drains very quickly.
I can't understand why this should be the case. I know the device has recognized that I'm not using it, because it displays a message telling me so. Why is it remaining on, while pretending to be off, instead of shutting off?
This is the difference between walking away from the device for over a month and having it be mostly charged when I come back to it, or doing the same thing and having it be completely drained and require a lengthy charging period before I can use it at all.
On an E-ink screen, displaying static content uses literally zero electricity. Only updating what's on screen requires power. So, from your post, it's not immediately obvious to me why this inactive mode would cause battery drainage.
In this inactive mode, is anything on screen moving/changing? If not, have you actually noticed battery drainage, or were you making an assumption based on the fact the screen was "on".
>> This is the difference between walking away from the device for over a month and having it be mostly charged when I come back to it, or doing the same thing and having it be completely drained and require a lengthy charging period before I can use it at all.
There is a very noticeable difference in battery drain.
> Color on an e-ink screen is not an interesting feature to me, esp. not when it makes the device more expensive.
I have both the Libra 2 and Libra Colour, the issue isn't so much cost (in my opinion) as contrast. They should have introduced an upgraded Libra BW at the same time as the Libra Colour to account for that.
Will it run native Linux apps? My favorite tool for reading PDFs is Logseq, because I can use colors and it automatically pulls my highlights and notes into a page for the book, but this feature doesn't work on Android.
I've yet to find an eInk (or similar) Linux tablet where I can do this, but it would be a game changer for me.
Just put it in airplane mode, the battery lasts way longer. The way I read (with calibre to transfer books), means I rarely ever need the internet on the device.
The physical page turn buttons are why I got an Oasis also. I find the experience much better than having to touch the screen to turn the page. With the physical buttons, it's easy enough to move the page forward or backward while holding the device with one hand, while requiring very little hand shifting, which I appreciate.
I had the first model of kindle without a keyboard prior to getting an oasis. When it broke, the oasis was really the only choice to replace it due to them removing the physical buttons on all the other models.
That thing was a beast. I used it for a few years, then handed it down to my dad’s new wife - she was a big reader, and used it for almost a decade until it gave up the ghost.
kindleDX. still struggling with it and the original battery. I think the only feature it is missing (besides non-stupid amazon software) is any sort of backlight.
i need to replace the battery in my kindle keyboard ("3rd generation") so I can use it again, or surrender and order a replacement. I'm using a kobo right now but I don't like it.
I was looking at the oasis but its expensive, and still uses microusb
It's tapered on one side so when held it is really easy to use one handed. I had a magnetic case on mine for when I put it in a bag that could be taken off/put back on easily too so you could still hold it.
I just got a Kobo Clara Color over their cheaper models largely for the page turn buttons (and being able to highlight in multiple colors of course). Combined with how shockingly light it is (lighter than my phone), one handed reading is excellent.
My partner makes fun of me for always turning the page with my nose and it makes me very happy to hear I’m not alone.
I use the physical buttons if I’m reading on a plane or otherwise sitting down, but I much prefer holding the kindle from the back if I’m reading lying down. I assumed that must be rare given how little attention any of the e-reader form factors have given to it.
I'm the opposite, I don't understand the steady march towards fewer buttons. I miss my iPod wheel that I could operate without looking. My screen would be covered in sunblock, sweat and oils if I used my nose to swipe.
The way I hold my Kobo lets my thumb rest exactly on the forward page button. No need to move anything. And if I want the previous page, it's easy to jut move my thumbs up a bit. That's my two most used action. Anytime I used the touch screen is mostly related to switching books.
I also have a DAP [1] which has a wheel. After launching an album to play, I can pause-play, skip forward and change the volume by using the wheel. All of these can be done while the device is in my pocket. Same with my old feature phones.
Even on the paper white it is finicky and you never know if a touch has registered because there is a delay. I can easily lose my place. Also, I used to highlight words to get a definition but half the time I now accidentally change page instead so I have stopped doing that.
I also bought it for the physical buttons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s anyway to entirely disable the touch screen while reading (or at least I haven’t figured it out).
My only complaint is that it isn’t USB-C. As soon as that comes out, I’ll trade this one in.
I just looked on Amazon and the Oasis is out of stock. I wonder if that means a refresh is imminent?
Edit: I googled it and it seems the reverse might be true - the Oasis is out of the lineup and no replacement is coming. That sucks.
I got one of those cheap Bluetooth "camera lens" clicker buttons that pairs with my Boox, an Android tablet.
Works great to turn my pages in KOreader from as far away as I can see the device.
Since so many tablets are being made with some flavor of Android under the hood, this might open up more options for you and anybody else who wants physical buttons! This way I can even stand the device up against something and put my hands wherever I want!
I have the Libra 2. I cannot understate how much of a difference physical page buttons made for me. My SO has the Clara 2HD (or something) and I couldn't get into it... turns out I need that chin for easy holding and button for flipping the page. The light settings are great- comes on when it's actually dark and goes away when there's plenty of light.
Agree that the Oasis is awesome and worth the money. It’s also water resistant, so I can use it in the sauna/steamroom (my favorite place to read without distractions nowadays!)
I don't know about the necessity of physical page turn buttons. I've had a paperwhite and now a scribe and the touch is fine. An advantage of touch is that it supports sideways orientation, which I use on the paperwhite to increase the page width.
I used to have one of the older ones with buttons. now I have a recent Paperwhite and don't really miss them. I just tap on the screen edge and it works fine. I can understand the appeal of buttons and am glad that you have a reader with them but it's not something that motivates me.
That doesn’t invalidate a subjective eval that touch is fine for this context and an objective conjecture that physical buttons would lose orientation if orientation were changed 90°.
I don't see why you think physical buttons would lose orientation. My kindle had forward and back buttons on both sides that worked fine in either orientation, and on devices that only have one button per side the one on the bottom is next and the one on top is previous.
I now understand your point about the physical button orientation remaining the same but the human-computer model shifting from a book-like right-left pagination to a computer-like scroll pagination. That is interesting to consider. Thank you.
I believe the default touch zones on new ereaders are in fact still shaped like interlocking L's, with the right side and most of the bottom counting as Next and the left side and most of the top counting as Previous.
The oasis has a touchscreen, but touch turning can also be disabled to prevent accidental page turns. The oasis page turn buttons also rotate depending on the orientation, whether that be right side up, upside down or horizontal, which allows the page turn buttons to be operated one-handed with either the right or left hand.
I got a Boox Go that just came a few days ago and I really like the physical page turn buttons. It's my first e-Reader, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I can imagine relying on the touch screen to be annoying.
I have an oooold Kindle keyboard model. As you said, cellular doesn't work, but it syncs fine over wifi. Seems to be holding a charge for less time, tho, so maybe it does have an 'end date'.
An e-reader will reinvigorate your reading habit, and give you something to do any time you have a spare few seconds or minutes. I carry an e-reader everywhere (I have big pockets) and have never regretted it.
I personally have Hisense A9, with LineageOS 21, and man, it is just the most comfy device I have had.
Let's see..
Reading is absolutely top tier with KOReader + volume buttons as page turning.
Being able to play idle games like Kittens Game, also extremely pleasant.
Maps outside? Amazing.
As a phone, in Europe at least? Also works.
Battery life, is pretty comfy, when I mainly read.
And, the specs are decent. 4/6/8GB, 128GB/256GB ROM RAM options (personally I had gone with 6/128 option, because 8/256 was a bit too expensive)
The only minor flaws... well, the camera is not the greatest... (My old OnePlus 6 makes much better photos, as I keep it as backup device, just in case. And for e.g youtube or color content on the go. Just... things that A9 is not exactly the way to go with.)
And just lack of microSD card slot.
And on side note, I just adore how simple, and elegant the design on the phone itself is. It just... is. Quiet, simple, unlike most of the modern phones with their.. loud... everything, like notches, too many cameras and such. (Note, its just opinion, just because they have such designs, that doesn't meant they are bad. For others that can be a gooood thing.) (I also like Sony's phones designs, they cute)
And in general.. I just love e-ink. Truly blessed technology, as a user.
With root and installing LineageOS, do you feel confident that any stock malware/spyware is eradicated? Or do you feel that the risk, or whatever may be left over, is worth it for the benefits?
Ah, I run lineageOS without root. Well, while, I have yet to see if it still does any outgoing... malicious connections, it is certainly safer than stock rom with massive amount of bloatware, and all.. the built in things..., and the version itself, being quite outdated.
And to be fair, this is good enough for me. If I worry about such built in firmware every time I get a device, well, my hair would be gray by the time I hit 30s lol.
As for benefits, I mean, in the end, this is what I wanted. An e-ink phone, with a proper, normal ROM. And because LineageOS is cute.
Yeah, the tl;dr is that people who did the amazing work of cracking the bootloader open, also, went for making the GSI ROMs actually usable. So... I it works by the way of patching the system image, by adding a service that deals with e-ink stuff (It works surprisingly well), and, alongside phhtreble patches, pretty much everything works (The only thing I have found to not work, is the Jack. But aside from that? Perfectly fine.).
And considering how niche the device is... I think, GSI was the only way in the first place. Considering how well it works. I mean, it would be nice to have actual proper rom, but... I will take what's given >:D
But the text looks good, the light is nice, and you can even install apps that aren't too demanding - a crossword or something.
I've found that even a Clara HD or BW (the latest version) can be a bit bulky when you're going out with no bag, but the Palma fits in any jeans or jacket pocket and is excellent to have when you find yourself with 20 minutes to wait and no desire to doomscroll. I hope these things get more popular and accessible.
I have both a Kindle Oasis and Palma and I like the Palma much more for when I'm laying in bed. It's lighter and easier to one-hand, but most importantly is it's easy to hold while laying on my side. The narrower screen isn't too bad if you're mostly reading EPUBs or AZW3 files where they reflow text appropriately. I have it set up to use the volume rocker for changing pages. The included case makes the buttons a little... mushy for my taste, but I've otherwise been largely impressed. The fact that it runs Android means I can install an IETF RFC app and Instapaper and sync easily, which has been a surprisingly huge plus for me as well.
The Boox e-reader I have lets you rotate the screen in 90° increments—not sure if the Palma does too, but reading horizontally probably wouldn't be too bad.
Although at the end of the day I do most of my reading on my phone anyway, and it's surprisingly fine once you get used to it.
It took a little getting used to - i had the same qualm. But honestly, I don't mind now at all. The text adjustment is very fine in the default reader and the resolution is high, so pick a font you find readable and it's really not so different from a pocket paperback page.
> even a Clara HD or BW (the latest version) can be a bit bulky when you're going out with no bag, but the Palma fits in any jeans or jacket pocket
This is such a nice but underrated feature of ereaders. I can fit my Kindle in the back pocket of my jeans without it being uncomfortable (just don't sit on it!) and it's really nice to not have to worry about shoving it back in a back or anything like that.
I have one too, great device for the price, the review is spot on.
Thanks for your repo, good info, starred. The link [1] to rooting is fascinating and frustrating: a reminder that most Android is still far from open. A smart Chinese manufacturer should make one of these with completely open bootloader and full source: Watch what the enthusiasts do with it then steal those ideas for v2.
Same, no blue light or eyestrain is a plus. I agree with the other child comment though, the price is too steep for now. FPS and it being Android and therefore extendable is great. I want one.
Looking at that picture of the narrow column of text with so many very badly spaced lines of two or three words each firstly gives me flashback of my days in newspaper production and secondly makes me hope it has a landscape view option. Making the type smaller might help, but there's a reason most books don't look like that.
I have both a mooan inkpalm 5 and a boox palma and you can get books look much better in both.
He is using a font size that's a bit too big. And there's too much spacing, you can configure all aspects.
I get about 8-10 characters on these devices, the font isn't too small and the spacing is fine. With my settings I get about 70% of a book's actual page (I use the same book to compare) which is a fair compromise imo.
It's fast to read shorter lines anyway because there's less horizontal travel distance. I actually think this aspect ratio is pretty great for reading. I also have a Kobo Clara 2E which has been relegated to just reading by the pool/bath/beach.
Also, these devices are pretty good for manga reading if you're into that.
Good hyphenation and TeX-like paragraph-level justification (tries to balance whitespace throughout a paragraph rather than just filling each line up with as much as possible and breaking when a word overflows) would do a lot to fix that.
The lack of these is most noticeable when text is in narrower columns. But even with larger e-readers it is, IMO, responsible for a lot of the “this still feels less readable than a book for some reason” vibe that ebooks (and lots of self-published paper books) still have.
I really lament that in the switch to electronic text we seem to have forgotten what were thought of as basic requirements for readability in paper-based publication.
The first things I disable are justified text and hyphenation. And for some books, I disable the embedded styles when I'm reading (koreader). Some books markups are really bad so I don't have much hope for automated typesetting.
It does. I have a Pro, not Plus, which I believe has a slightly wider aspect ratio. I was worried I was gonna find the typesetting unbearable for the reasons you mentioned but it's surprisingly okay, especially with smaller font sizes.
It's sold by a Chinese company, their software probably doesn't worry much about optimal formatting, since Chinese writing doesn't really have any spaces. It would be nice if koreader could run on it.
Ever since I stopped having a public transit commute to work, I have basically stopped reading. I have a Kobo Libra H2O but have been struggling to make it part of my daily routine. It sits on my nightstand, but I often end up staying up late and only going to bed when it's time to sleep.
One thing I do do a lot of, though, is waste time browsing Lemmy/Twitter on my phone, because I always have it in my pocket. I bought a Moaan InkPalm Pro in the hopes of replacing the habit with book reading, and it definitely worked. It's so light that I just keep it in my pocket together with my phone, and whenever I feel like filling up some downtime I pull that out instead of my phone.
The battery lasts 1 week+, it has customizable warm/cool front lighting, it can run all Android ebook reading apps (so I can read all my Kindle/Kobo purchases), and it can always be on me. It's the happiest I've been with an ebook reader since I got my first Kindle back in 2009.
I read books on my phone, and also on a couple of cheap Android tablets -- one hangs out on a stand over my bed, and the other floats around the house.
You can also buy a book made of paper and carry it around in a bag, but that would be inconceivable. Anyway I don't get the guilt about not reading books. Lately I've been reading Edgar Wallace, and before that, Raymond Chandler, in editions printed in the 1950s and 1980s respectively, but these are still unmitigated trash, because they're pulp thrillers designed to titillate. I should feel guilty for not looking at social media.
I didn't say a real book isn't an option (tho my phone is smaller, lighter and carries more than one book...YMMV). But don't let me stop you from grinding your little axe to a fine edge.
My kobo spends more time with me than my phone. On my phone are utility apps and WhatsApp, nothing else. But I have my whole fiction library on the Kobo and starting to read is as easy as pressing the power button to get out of standby mode. My phone browser is pretty much only for hacker news for when I'm on the couch or my bed.
I'm looking forward very much to the day a manufacturer begins selling eink handsets and tablets with up-to-date OS/security (Android 14 in this context), GPL compliance, and telemetry compliant with US law/privacy concerns.
The Boox devices get a lot of things right, including the Palma. I wound up with a reMarkable due to the above concerns, but it feels like we are on the cusp of seeing tentative eink products from Google or Apple.
I like the form factor (I'm also an iPhone mini fan), but I don't like the way it makes the justified text look. There are so few words per line that you either end up with big gaps between words (justified) or a very ragged right edge (left-aligned). This would be less of an issue if the text were sized down, but it's a necessary consequence of having a narrow screen.
I wonder if anyone is running einkbro (https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro) on this thing. Scrolling long-form web content in slow-refreshing eInk displays is jarring. I wish the browsers in other non-android readers like Kindle Scribe had the option to map pageUp/pageDown behaviour to a button or a page flip gesture similar to einkbro or maybe there's a way to overlay a button to do this on any web content somehow?
As a general rule, I don’t like small eReaders (for which my primary experience is my phone). I find I read much less when using them, because the act of turning a page tricks my brain into thinking I’ve made more progress than I have. Consequently, it makes even short reading sessions feel like a chore.
That said, I think I would love this thing for one very specific use case: backpacking! Space is always at a premium, and I’ve long lamented the Kobo Mini never got a frontlit model.
Here it is a bit different. Small screen, so, if I am not feeling well, it is much easier to read just a page or two, and go: Yeah, thats something.
Which... while, on its own is not a lot, but... it really helps with keeping up the habit. (Because, alongside english, I also read in Japanese, and there, reading just one page, takes 4-5 minutes. So yeah, habit-keeping is important for me there)
You can adjust font size for more words per line. I actually have quite a big gaps between left and right border on my 10.3 ereader to have reading more comfortable.
Random e-reader tip: stick some sort of pop-socket thing on the back of the reader so that it "grips your hand" while reading. Then you don't have to "hold" the book/kindle, you just place/maneuver it.
See "love handle" for something similar / in the ballpark (phone elastic strap), as I don't remember the actual brand that I ended up buying.
Everybody thinks of using them for their phones, but I've rarely seen them suggested/used for e-readers where I think they make a ton on sense!
...back on topic: $95 for an e-ink android thingy? Have I found the proper device for junky home assistant dashboards / control panels? Still it'd be great to figure out mounting, magnetic charging, or direct-wire power, as if you were thinking of a detachable replacement for alarm-system pads, managing device battery can be a real hassle for long-term (years) usage.
I owned ereaders for a while (had the first Kindle) but I ended up going back to my phone for reading books in the end. One device, less charging, less things to remember. The Kobo app works great now it’s matured, and everything is super snappy and responsive.
In parallel, I read most of the time on my iPad... but my wife and I both keep our old Kindle Keyboards for reading outdoors in natural light (beach/pool). They're far easier to read in that setting.
The model is almost 14 years old now (the actual devices are probably about 12-13), but since battery life is really a secondary consideration for our usage (we can charge every night), I haven't bothered replacing the battery in either one. Store doesn't work anymore, but we always take a laptop on trips anyway, so USB sideloading is a fairly minor hassle (esp with Calibre and DeDRM Tools).
Yeah for sure. Even with my phone's brightness on max, in bright sunlight ereaders are much better. That's probably always going to be the case I guess.
My mental reaction is somehow different for the 2 devices. Android devices are for quick, mindless usage. My ebook is for longer, full concentration reading. I remember more reading something on my inkpad color 3 than the same thing on my phone or tablet.
It took a bit of mental training to stop switching to browser/chat apps while reading, but I have most notifications disabled so it was more a "me deciding that now I'm going to just read" than a device/software thing.
I do still switch or get distracted occasionally but generally now when I've decided I'm going to just read my book, that's what I'll do.
Leading into OT... but does anyone have suggestions for the opposite of this. I would like a large eReader, where the text for say a paperback can be scaled to 8.5x11" size, or similarly reading a technical book at equivalent to print size.
I have been using a Sony DPT-S1 and a reMarkable 2 for this for the last 4 years. The Sony has a nearly perfect display and weight but only supports PDFs and requires manual content transfers (usb, microsd, or download via a local non-https web server) while the rM2 has excellent transfer mechanisms but has a smaller display. The Sony is quite old now (released 10+ years ago) but still has excellent battery life and functionality - you can probably find it on eBay for a very low cost.
I've enjoyed my reMarkable for reading on a large e-ink screen. Scribbling your notes right on the page is a great UX when reading papers.
But unlike a Kindle, it really needs to rest in your lap or be propped up against something. It starts to feel surprisingly heavy in your hands after a few minutes. Probably more from the torque on your fingers than the weight itself.
I daily the InkPalm for reading. It replaced my Kindle given its pocketable size. I still run the Kindle app on it and it works well without page turn animation. I am curious to see new eink development when the eink pattern expires.
I'd like a see clamsell foldable with eink inside and a small oled screen outside as camera view finder and occasional video watching. Or bring back Yota phone.
They're around $70 USD un-opened/new and around $35 USD used atm, have physical buttons, and are lighter/thinner than later-gen Kindles. Hell, they're even lighter with the added weight of a cheap clip-on book-light than later-gen Kindles.
Bonus, since they're so old, they no longer use the ad network so no ads, but you can still buy and download from the Amazon marketplace or upload your own e-books.
i got a hisense hi reader pro and it's nearly good enough to be an e-ink android phone. as a reader, it's near perfect - pocket sized while having a good aspect ratio for reading. battery lasts for a week.
I definitely get the emergence of eink on phone form factor for various activities but... as a dedicated ereader? the tall form factor just feels a horrible for long read ergonomics.
The TLDR of these kinds of devices: great for reading/text, terrible for video and scrolling. Love mine, here's a video of me using a similar device with lots of common android apps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvO9ScTdwz8
This trend of phone shaped e-readers is just so redundant. Phones already have amazing screens that are perfect for reading despite not being e-ink.
The only argument people make is that you separate your reading from your phoning and it's a weak take that feels like a capitalistic trend to just justify buying more gadgets.
Phones - at least the mainstream smartphones - are shining light directly at you every time you look at them. It's harder on your eyes and harder on your phone's battery. These are not what you want for a good reading experience. Not to mention that you get to see and hear notifications - even the "silent" ones - while you're reading.
E-readers can go weeks between charges, are easier on your eyes, and - when you're using them instead of your phone - actually help your phone's battery last longer too.
And unless your phone is a "phablet" or a Galaxy Z Fold, that "amazing" screen is probably quite smaller than most e-readers. Which isn't a problem for people with good vision, but for those who need larger fonts to read comfortably, screen size can be a major factor.
>Phones - at least the mainstream smartphones - are shining light directly at you every time you look at them.
There is light coming directly from the book into your eyes when you read a paper book, too.
Since human vision is complicated and I'm not an expert on all the complications, I'm not going to say there are no visual advantages to an e-ink display, but "in a smartphone, the light shines directly at you" is emphatically not a satisfactory technical explanation of why an e-ink display is easier on your eyes.
Also I own an early model of the Kindle Paperwhite, which of course has an e-ink display, and I don't notice any visual advantages.
Also: my Paperwhite's backlight cannot be turned off while the user is using it to read, and it has a "diffuser" to spread the light evenly around the screen just like a backlit LCD display does. I.e., it is shining light directly in my eyes whenever I am using it using exactly the same components that a smartphone with an LCD display does, namely LED lights positioned at the edges of a diffuser. Is the product described by the OP actually different in this regard? I'm not sure, but the OP does discuss the product's backlight.
Sorry if this comment sounds a little angry, but this non-explanatory explanation you've made and that I've quoted has been repeated many times over the years on this site.
I agree with you that phone shaped eReaders (like this or the Palma) make no sense, but for a different reason: I think eInk screens are vastly superior to LCD and want my phone to have one. Not putting a cellular radio on a phone shaped eReader completely defeats the purpose IMO.
Nah, phones don't have that good of screens for reading. They are decent, yes, but not great. That's why I went with phone with e-ink screens, works wonders.
- physical page turn buttons. the touch screens are finicky, inconvenient for one-hand use, and impossible if i want to keep my hand up a blanket or something
- back/front light, with adjustable color temp, and an actual dim setting that doesn't blow your retinas out
everything i don't care about. but these are must haves.