There comes a time in the life of every E Ink enthusiast when six inches of e-reader just isn’t sufficient to scratch their itch. Fortunately, the big OEMs are more than willing to satisfy that need, because the mid-sized e-reader market (devices with screens between 6.8 and 8 inches) offers the most diverse selection of any segment. Honestly, it can be a lot to navigate. Thankfully, you’ve got Guilty Gamer to help you figure it out.
Get the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for the easiest experience
Kindle gets a lot of crap because all of its e-readers are chained to Amazon and can’t participate in the broader e-reading community without jailbreaking your device, but for all that, the Paperwhite Signature Edition is one of the easiest seven-inch e-readers to recommend. It doesn’t have a lot of RAM. It doesn’t have a fast processor. What it does have is an ecosystem so user-friendly that your grandma could figure out how to use it.
There’s a lot to hate about Amazon, but no one has made it as easy to read books as it has. And the Paperwhite Signature Edition is one of the most affordable mid-sized devices you can get, thanks to Amazon recouping the money it loses in hardware sales from the massive volume of e-books it sells.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
Amazon alternatives with a managed user experience
Not everyone wants to support Amazon, but not everyone is ready to jump into the waters of Android e-readers either. For a relatively “easy” e-reader experience without Amazon involvement, take a look at Kobo’s Libra Colour, which is just $20 more than the Paperwhite, and it has page-turn buttons and stylus support. Kindle’s Colorsoft has similar specs to the Libra Colour, but it lacks the buttons and stylus.
The Boox Go Color 7 Gen II is the best for comics
Yes, the name is a bit much, but the Go Color 7 should be your top pick if you’re shopping for a mid-size device for reading color comics. There are subtle differences in color between the different devices, but not enough to sway your purchasing decision one way or another. What makes the Go Color 7 best for comics is the fact that, because it runs on Android, it’s not tied down to just one ecosystem: You can get comics from Amazon, Kobo, or apps like Marvel Unlimited.
And among all the Android e-readers, Boox is the hands-down winner when it comes to user experience. Bigme makes really good hardware, and Meebook makes affordable devices, but those devices require more user initiative to reach their full potential than a Boox e-reader.
Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II)
Other color e-readers to consider
If you’re the kind of person who gets all of their content from Amazon, there’s nothing wrong with throwing down for a Kindle Colorsoft. Likewise, the Libra Colour is a fine machine if you purchase your content from Kobo. If you absolutely need eight inches of screen real estate and you have an extra $100, take a look at the Meebook M8C. And if you don’t mind sideloading your content to a non-Android OS, you could try the PocketBook InkPad Color 3.
If you need to take notes, you want the Supernote Nomad
The Supernote Nomad is one of the best E Ink writing tablets available, and the only thing that comes close is the Paper Pro Move from reMarkable. The reason we think the Nomad is the writing tablet to get is all the attention to detail. Supernote stylus nibs last forever, and they feel very good to write and draw with on Supernote’s proprietary screen overlay.
The Nomad can also sideload APKs. Supernote might not have the Play Store preloaded like Bigme or Boox, but it’s still Android-based, so you can get most apps running on it. There are some apps you can install on reMarkable devices, but it’s kind of a chore and isn’t really something the casual user wants to put up with.
Supernote Nomad
There are a lot of e-readers with stylus functionality
We’ve already mentioned the reMarkable Paper Pro Move, which should be at the top of your list if you want a note-taking device that can do color, but if you’d rather not pay a premium for something built from the ground up for hand writing, both Boox’s Go 7 and Go Color 7 (Gen II) support stylus input as do Bigme’s B751 devices and the 4G-enabled B7.
The Kobo Libra Colour feels the best in hand
If you’re doing it right, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your e-reader, so it might as well be comfortable, right? No other mid-sized device available on the market makes as many concessions to ergonomics as the Libra Colour. It’s not a lot, but the little lip on the thumb-side edge of the e-reader just feels nice to hold.
Couple that with the internal gyro sensor, which will automatically rotate your screen to match how you hold it, and you’ve got a killer machine. Oh, and it has buttons! I love page-turn buttons on e-readers. Sure, you can swipe or tap the screen, but I’m lazy and I’d rather just rest my thumb on the button instead of wasting the calorie on moving it back and forth.
Kobo Libra Colour
Comfort is very subjective
The Kindle Oasis, while out of production, probably has the best reputation as far as comfort goes. One side of the device is thicker than the other, making it not just nice to hold, but also one of Kindle’s most beloved models. The PocketBook Era might also be what you’re looking for, with its two slightly beveled corners.
The mid-sized e-reader market is a big category
E-readers between seven and eight inches probably comprise the most crowded category in the market, so there’s a lot to choose from. For me personally, I love the form factor that has a lip on one side like the Kobo Libra, Boox Go 7, and Bigme B751, and if I had to splurge for myself this Christmas, I would go back to the Go 7, which at the very reasonable price of $250, has the most affordable price per GB of RAM and price per GHz of processing speed. It’s an easy choice to make.
