The best eBook readers at a glance - models from 2014 in the test

Kindle from Amazon

Exciting books refresh our dreary everyday life immensely. Whether on vacation or at home in front of the fireplace, the written word is a successful alternative to television. Nevertheless, you do not have to forego the advantages of modern technology. Thanks to the latest eBook readers, you are allowed to rummage through your favorite books in any situation.

The advantages of the eBook reader over tablets and smartphones

The sun is shining, the lounger has moved into position and the book in hand, but somehow there is no reading fun at all. The light is reflected uncomfortably from the sides and the situation does not improve even with sunglasses. Anyone who has an eBook reader at hand now has a clear advantage. The practical devices are easy on the eye and the words are easy to read even in bright sunshine. They are also significantly lighter and more manageable than conventional books.

What you should consider when buying

During the test, I quickly realized that the market is now very large. At first glance, the devices do not really differ from each other, the differences are more hidden in the details. Almost all eBook readers can play the common ePub format. Amazon makes an exception with its devices, which of course can only play books from its own shop. But there is a small one App, which can help. I could with the help of Caliber Easily view files from the ePub format on Kindle.

Kindle from Amazon
The Kindle from Amazon is suitable as an illuminated or non-illuminated reading device for on the go (Photo: Amazon).

I have also found that it is advisable to buy an additional protective cover. On the one hand, because in this way the display of the eBook reader can be protected. On the other hand, I like the handling better because the reader can be held like a real book.

From a technical point of view, the battery life and the screen resolution are particularly important. The latter only differs slightly among the test winners. The battery runtimes all seem long enough. This is also true for everyday use, but I made the experience on vacation that the battery life cannot be long enough. Furthermore, the models differ in terms of their storage capacity. As a rule of thumb, one gigabyte is enough for almost 1.000 books.

My leaderboard

Ultimately, the purchase decision is also a question of price and of course individual preferences. Below I show you my personal test winners in 2014 and briefly introduce them to you.

No products found.

KOBO AURA
The KOBO AURA is a real insider tip, before my test I had only heard of it marginally. Nevertheless, this eBook reader is a very good alternative to the Kindle. I was particularly impressed by the book management. In addition, the screen quality is to be compared with that of the child. No matter how strong or weak the light fell, I could always read perfectly. The operation of the touchpad worked flawlessly and commissioning was very easy.
Unfortunately, there are also two minor criticisms. Searching and synchronizing is still very expandable, in this area the KOBO AURA could not convince me. In addition, all users must first register with Kobo themselves in order to be able to use the eBook reader. However, it is then possible to shop in other shops.
Tolino Shine e-reader
Last but not least, the Tolino Shine eReader is recommended to you. In terms of design and screen, it can definitely keep up with the models already presented. The battery life also convinced me. It is possible to read around 36.000 pages on a single charge. The memory is about twice as large as that of the Kindles (i.e. 4GB). Personally, I don't have any 2.200 books that I want to store internally, but the additional capacity definitely doesn't hurt. If that's not enough, you also have 25 GB available in the cloud.

The reader also comes from Germany and is a joint project by Weltbild, Thalia, Hugendubel, Club Bertelsmann and Telekom. Depending on where you buy the Tolino, you then have a direct connection to the respective shop. On the one hand, this is positive because it makes the first few purchases uncomplicated. On the other hand, you are also very tied to this one shop.

You have to make compromises in the area of ​​equipment, the scope is not exactly generous. In addition, the control system can sometimes still be expanded. Commands are sometimes not accepted or carried out imprecisely. Personally, that rarely bothered me, but if you read a lot, you should rather use the other models. I can warmly recommend the Tolino Shine eReader to everyone else.

Conclusion of the research

I have often found that a great manufacturer name alone does not ensure quality. In my test of the best eBook readers in 2014, this was not entirely confirmed. Amazon's Kindle is pretty darn good in all areas. I have the Kindle Paperwhite and am very enthusiastic about the device despite the iPhone and iPad. A good alternative is the one that is still somewhat unknown in this country KOBO AURAwho also convinced me. The third recommended reader is the Tolino Shine, which comes from Germany. However, the controls are sometimes a bit imprecise, which could particularly annoy real bookworms.

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The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de

1 comment on “The best e-book readers at a glance – models from 2014 tested”

  1. I'm not the world's biggest Amazon friend either, but the Kindle is good whether you like it or not. Most of those who speak negatively about the reader parrot or do Amazon bashing.

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