I like e-readers, which explains why I write about them loads. Earlier this yr, I abandoned my Kindles and ebook (https://www.amazon.com/author/stevenjroberts?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=free0cff-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=3ff7ca58fc9c847029dd599423f9e735&camp=1789&creative) took up with a Kobo Libra H2O, and that’s been a pleasurable experience. But change is coming to the e-reader world this fall, in the form of three brand-new readers. From upstart challenger Rakuten Kobo come the Kobo Sage and the Kobo Libra 2. And from the big canine, Amazon, comes the eleventh-technology Kindle Paperwhite. They’re more completely different than you may suppose. I’ve read books on all three over the last few weeks. Here’s my full assessment. All of those units have adopted extra advanced know-how than previous e-readers. They’ve acquired the most recent E Ink screens, which look nice. They’ve acquired quicker processors, which makes a noticeable difference by way of lowering lag while you turn pages, especially if that you must shortly flip again a number of pages. Though I never, ever use them, Amazon added audiobook support for Kindles a while back.

With this spherical of updates, Kobo has matched them. You can join Bluetooth audio devices to a Kobo reader and play again audiobooks. And free books most importantly, all of them use USB-C for energy and data connections, fairly than the previous “standard” of micro USB. That alone would be purpose enough to rejoice. The $260 Kobo Sage is a giant, beautiful ereader. Its 8-inch diagonal screen jogs my memory of the 7.8-inch display screen on its predecessor, the Kobo Aura One. I likened the Aura One to a hardcover, or maybe a trade paperback-it’s an even bigger and heavier device, however you do get to see more words on the web page. When you have imaginative and prescient problems and need to show textual content at large sizes, the Sage will reduce the variety of times you’ll want to click on to see the subsequent web page. The Sage is plastic however effectively constructed, with a display screen that’s flush with its bezel and a textured pattern on the back to make it a bit more grippy. Th᠎is c on᠎tent h as ​been generat ed with the he᠎lp of G SA Con te nt G᠎enerator ᠎DE MO.

Its design is asymmetric, with a bigger bezel on one aspect-the one with the web page-turn buttons-to assist in gripping the device. It’s the identical method Amazon takes with the Kindle Oasis. One function of the Sage that I didn’t check is its help for Kobo’s stylus, which permits you to write down notes on documents akin to PDFs. I’m personally a bit skeptical of utilizing an 8-inch display screen as a PDF reader, but people who find themselves marking up documents all the time ought to take note. The only best function of the Sage might be its integration with Dropbox, ebook which creates a Rakuten Kobo folder inside your Apps folder on Dropbox. Any PDFs or ePub ebooks that you drop in to that folder automatically sync to the machine. If you do lots of sideloading of books, the Dropbox integration means you don’t need to plug the system in to a computer in order to repeat recordsdata over.

There’s no denying that the Sage comes in a big package deal. It’s 6.3 x 7.1 inches (161 x 181 mm) and 0.3 inches (7.6 mm) thick, making it shorter however wider than an iPad mini. And weighing in at 8.5 ounces (241g), the Sage was a bit too large for one-handed studying. I wanted to relaxation the e-book on my lap or chest, or grip it with two arms, with a view to get into a comfortable reading position. At $260, the Kobo Sage costs about the identical as a Kindle Oasis. Whereas the Oasis (which might be due for an update quickly) has a bit extra of a premium really feel than the Sage (owing to its aluminum again), the Sage’s 8-inch display (the Oasis screen is 7 inches) is basically the main attraction. For those who want a larger machine with a bigger display, or really want Dropbox syncing, or are intrigued by stylus support, the Kobo Sage is a good choice.

In order for you essentially the most luxurious e-reader hardware around at any price, but don’t thoughts the smaller display, the Kindle Oasis has the Sage beat. I found the unique Kobo Libra H20 to be a wonderful different to the Kindle Oasis for about $ninety less. The new model is the $180 Kobo Libra 2, which is almost similar to its predecessor. It’s roughly the dimensions of a Kindle Oasis, and has bodily page-turn buttons like the Oasis. If you’re somebody for free ebooks whom bodily page-flip buttons are a must-have function-I’m one of those folks-then this is the most effective value in e-readers. The Oasis and Libra 2 are kind of identical in shape and size (the Libra 2 is 145 x 162 x 9 mm, or 5.7 x 6.Four x .36 inches-just completely different enough from the Libra H2O to interrupt all case compatibility), however there are a couple of massive variations. Amazon invested in an aluminum shell for the Oasis, while the Libra and Libra 2 are each totally plastic.