5 serious problems with e-readers that I can't ignore

Summary

E-readers are excellent purpose-built tablets for book lovers.
I’ve been considering picking up an e-reader for quite some time now, but I’ve yet to dish out cash on a unit.
Here are 5 factors that stop me from purchasing an e-reader of my own.

As a product category, e-readers make quite a lot of sense. They provide a streamlined user experience for reading digital books, comics, and other written works, while doing away with the distracting elements found on most other mobile devices. Their water resistance makes them a great fit for outdoorsy lifestyles, and their e-paper displays provide a comfortable reading environment, regardless of setting or time of day.

I’m not a huge reader, personally, but I do enjoy picking up the odd novel from time to time. For a while now, I’ve been considering pulling the trigger on an e-reader of my own — the technological advancements made on more recent models, as well as their (relative) affordability, have only emboldened my temptation. That being said, I’ve identified 5 factors in particular that make it difficult for me to justify dropping cash on a unit at this point in time.

This new Color E-Paper tech lasts up to 200 days on a single charge

Samsung is launching a new 32-inch Color E-Paper display panel, and it’s a compelling and flexible product with several theoretical use cases.

1 E Ink is still being improved upon

Color and refresh rate improvements are steadily taking place

A hand holding a Kobo Elipsa 2E on top of a reMarkable Paper Pro.

On the whole, e-paper technology is pretty incredible. Whether we’re talking about the E Ink brand name, Samsung’s new E-Paper EMDX series, or any other number of solutions on the market, the ability for a digital screen to convincingly replicate a physical piece of paper never ceases to amaze me.

Historically, e-paper displays required compromise. Despite their excellent power efficiency, earlier panels couldn’t display color, and they had sluggish refresh rates that made for a choppy visual experience. More recently, we’ve seen these sore points addressed in the form of newer, more advanced e-paper technologies.

It’s clear that e-paper is in a state of flux right now.

It’s clear that e-paper is in a state of flux right now, with a number of companies working to improve screen fidelity and responsiveness. For as much as I’d love to purchase an e-reader at this very moment, I get the impression that if I hold off for a while longer, I’ll be rewarded with a vastly improved e-paper experience when I finally do pick a unit up.

You can finally empty your junk drawer, as one device made countless cords obsolete

This cable has single-handedly replaced these 6 outdated cords

2 I hate charging multiple devices

Even with USB-C, topping up devices remains a chore

Pocket-lint / Apple

While it’s fair to say that we’ve well and truly entered into the USB-C era, and that most e-readers now ship with the same universal plug found on smartphones, laptops, headphones, and other gadgets, I still groan at the thought of having to charge up yet another device on the regular. I acknowledge that the average e-reader boasts an impressive battery life figure, but the thought of keeping tabs on yet another device’s juice levels brings me no joy.

This charging situation is far from a dealbreaker, but it has certainly disincentivized me from picking up an e-reader in the past. Some newer models feature Qi wireless charging, which is a compelling inclusion, but it’d probably take the introduction of Qi2 and the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP) for me to truly take notice.

Do you actually own the books you buy on your Kindle?

Amazon’s recent decision to enact a download ban on Kindle books raises an important question: Do you actually own the ebooks you buy on your Kindle?

3 Ecosystem lock-in is a problem

There are ways around lock-in, but it’s still a troubling phenomenon

Amazon’s popular Kindle line of e-readers has been the subject of recent controversy, owing to , as well as the overzealous use of digital rights management (DRM) for book files. Of course, Amazon isn’t the only big tech company taking a ‘walled garden’ approach, with interoperability between digital book platforms being haphazard at the best of times.

I also have concerns relating to digital ownership, media preservation, and censorship in the e-reader age: do I own the digital book files that I’ve purchased? What happens if a novel is delisted, censored, or otherwise altered in some form? Exact policies and ecosystem intricacies vary on a platform-by-platform basis, which only adds to the confusion I’m experiencing.

iPadOS may feel more like macOS soon, and a cheaper Vision Pro is coming

Apple is reportedly working on an iPadOS overhaul that makes its “more like macOS.”

4 My tablet is already up for the task

My iPad is a jack of all trades (but also a master of none)

No, my iPad mini doesn’t have an e-paper display, and that means that it isn’t an ideal digital page-turning device. There’s something to be said about purpose-built gadgets, whether they be for reading, for gaming, or otherwise. That being said, I find my tablet’s display to be ‘good enough’ for most general-purpose reading — I imagine I’d have a change in tune if I were to take up reading as a more serious hobby, however.

If I owned a larger 11-inch or 13-inch tablet, perhaps I’d be more incentivized to pick up an e-reader, but my iPad mini’s 8.3-inch display panel is relatively compact as it is. I find its aspect ratio works well enough for displaying lots of text on screen, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the distracting issue of jelly scroll, which has plagued my unit since the very beginning.

5 e-reader apps that are secretly way better than Kindle

Tired of the same old e-reader apps offered by big tech giants? Consider trying out one of these excellent indie offerings instead.

5 Nothing quite beats a physical book

I love cracking open a book and appreciating its physical properties

E-readers are convenient in that they let you carry thousands of books at a time, while taking up next to no space in the process. This is a positive attribute if you hate clutter, or if you simply don’t have the room to store a collection of physical books. This factor alone makes e-readers an attractive prospect in my eyes, but I also can’t help but feel that I’d be giving up something in the process.

I’d certainly be interested in an e-reader with haptic feedback.

I love the homey look of a bookshelf filed with paperbacks and hardcovers, and I equally love holding books in my hand, looking at printed illustrations, and turning physical pages. This sort of tactility simply can’t be replicated on an e-reader, no matter how advanced e-paper tech might eventually become. That being said, I’d certainly be interested in an e-reader with haptic feedback, though I haven’t heard of any mainstream manufacturer towing with this idea as yet.