Kindle Paperwhite vs Nook GlowLight 4 Plus: Which should you buy?

There’s one thing to be mentioned for e-ink readers.  In an age of TikTok, Netflix, Fb, and YouTube, they not solely encourage you to learn, however shut out distractions and calm down. In the meanwhile there are solely three main manufacturers in North America  — Amazon, Nook, and Kobo — and of these, solely the primary two have a considerable footprint. Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus are two of probably the most distinguished readers obtainable — so how do they stack up?

Simply to get it out of the way in which, there’s nothing a lot to say about efficiency. Neither pill is a velocity demon, particularly since e-ink has inherently slower refresh charges than any LCD or OLED panel. In fact that doesn’t notably matter right here — these gadgets are all about studying and audiobooks, that are inherently low-intensity actions.

We’ll be overlaying many of the merchandise’ defining options within the sections under, however one obvious distinction is storage. The GlowLight 4 Plus (which we’ll confer with because the “Nook” any more) is available in a single 32GB model, whereas Amazon sells 8, 16, and 32GB Paperwhites (32GB is restricted to the Signature Version). Even 8GB ought to be a lot if you happen to’re solely studying textual content, but it’s best to positively veer in direction of increased storage choices if you happen to plan on loading audiobooks.

Each tablets are waterproof. The Paperwhite (above) is barely more durable with an IPX8 score and even some delicate salt water resistance, however the IPX7 spec on the Nook is greater than adequate. You should use both gadget by the pool or sitting in your tub — simply be sure you fish out your pill and dry it if it by accident takes a dip.

There a few design particulars in regards to the Nook some readers will admire, the primary being the presence of bodily dwelling and page-turning buttons. The Paperwhite is completely depending on touchscreen gestures, which definitely do the job, however aren’t as simple.

The Nook additionally gives Bluetooth and a 3.5mm jack for audiobook listening, whereas the Paperwhite is restricted to Bluetooth. 3.5mm could also be slowly fading away, however many individuals nonetheless have appropriate headphones and audio system, and state-of-the-art Bluetooth headphones are overkill for audiobooks besides their help for noise cancelling.

That is going to be the largest differentiator for most individuals. Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla of the e-book trade, providing not simply one of the best choice however a number of subscription choices. You get a small slice of e-books and audiobooks with Amazon Prime, however much more if you happen to subscribe to Kindle Limitless and/or Audible. Amazon additionally makes it comparatively straightforward to borrow e-books from libraries, and there are many different methods to get free reads equivalent to Challenge Gutenberg or Ship to Kindle.

With the Nook being bought by Barnes and Noble, you shouldn’t have hassle discovering issues like New York Instances bestsellers for it, however anticipate to purchase many of the belongings you learn on a per-title foundation once you’re not sideloading. Though there may be an audiobook subscription possibility, there’s no equal for normal e-books, and also you’ll inevitably have to purchase some audiobooks outright until you’re solely listening to 1 a month.

On high of that the Nook solely helps the 2 hottest platform-agnostic e-book codecs, EPUB and PDF. The Paperwhite combines these with help for MOBI, TXT, HTML, DOC/DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and naturally Amazon’s proprietary Kindle format, so if there’s little or no you may’t view on it. And it’s tougher to borrow library books on a Nook, since you must obtain an EPUB file to a pc, be certain your Nook is signed into your Adobe ID, then use desktop software program (both Adobe Digital Editions or Android File Switch) to sync. If you happen to’re anticipating to get most of your books from libraries slightly than an internet retailer or free repositories, you’ll nearly definitely want a Paperwhite.

It’s price noting right here that each merchandise have comparatively easy onscreen interfaces, and sync with cellular apps if you wish to keep it up studying through a smartphone or a extra superior pill like an iPad or Galaxy Tab.

The Nook pulls forward right here by most metrics, justifying its pricetag with a 7.8-inch, 300ppi (pixels per inch) display screen. The Paperwhite’s show has an identical pixel density, however slots in at 6.8 inches. That makes the Nook immediately higher suited to issues like newspapers and graphic novels, and superior for studying total. In case your eyesight isn’t one of the best, it means with the ability to enlarge textual content and retain extra content material onscreen.

Each the Nook and Paperwhite take their names from their entrance lights, which hold their e-ink legible whether or not you’re in darkness or direct daylight. We must always level out nevertheless that whereas they every allow you to regulate the heat and depth of lighting, solely the Nook and the Paperwhite Signature Version can routinely regulate brightness to your environment. If you happen to purchase an ordinary Paperwhite, you’ll have to regulate brightness manually. That’s not a giant deal, however auto brightness may probably enhance battery life and/or shield your eyes once you’re studying in mattress.

The Paperwhite can probably last as long as 10 weeks on a cost, based on Amazon. That’s going to range primarily based in your gadget settings, in addition to whether or not you take heed to audiobooks, and the way voracious your total habits are. Amazon’s determine assumes half-hour of e-book studying per day, with Wi-Fi off and brightness set at 13. If you happen to learn for an hour a day and go away Wi-Fi on, anticipate battery life to drop, if most likely to a couple of month. That’s nonetheless spectacular.

Barnes and Noble will solely promise “weeks” of runtime for the Nook, and we haven’t examined the product’s battery life to say one thing extra concrete. Realistically, we doubt anybody will complain — even charging up an e-reader each week or two is nothing subsequent to charging an iPad each couple of days.

The gadgets primarily depend on USB-C for charging, however if you happen to purchase the Paperwhite Signature Version, you get the added perk of Qi-compatible wi-fi.

Superficially Amazon may appear to have pricing on lock, since you should buy a Paperwhite for $60 lower than a Nook, and that’s with out accounting for Amazon’s frequent reductions. The corporate is prepared to take a monetary hit to get you into its ecosystem.

The satan is within the particulars, although. The entry-level Paperwhite is restricted to simply 8GB, which as soon as once more could also be wonderful for pure e-books, however might be an issue if you happen to begin loading audio. You’ll then should pay an additional $20 if you wish to hold adverts off your lockscreen, which appears like gouging on Amazon’s half — notably for the reason that firm actually, actually desires you to subscribe to Kindle Limitless.

In reality the closest match to the Nook is the Paperwhite Signature Version, and even that also makes use of a 6.8-inch display screen versus its rival’s 7.8. When you think about the specs you’re getting, the Nook holds its personal when it comes to worth.

If easy entry to probably the most potential content material is what issues to you, go together with a Paperwhite. Nonetheless monopolistic it could be, the Kindle platform reigns supreme, and that’s solely aided by wider format help, non-obligatory subscription plans, and simpler library borrowing. You’ll additionally get monetary savings on the {hardware}, if by advantage of lowered display screen measurement and/or storage.

These components will most likely determine the battle for lots of consumers, however the Nook may pull out a victory amongst individuals who need 32GB of storage, bodily page-turning buttons, 3.5mm audio, and/or the largest potential display screen. You may discover that final characteristic issues greater than you’d anticipate — even if you happen to’re not studying graphic novels or dealing with eyesight issues, a 7.8-inch show means much less frequent web page flipping. Simply do not forget that if you happen to do go the Nook route, you’ll most likely be shopping for most of your e-books and/or audiobooks, assuming you’re not already planning to sideload from third-party sources.