3 top Kindle e-reader alternatives – less well-known e-readers of the highest quality
You can keep your Paperwhite, we're changing teams
It’s not fair, really. Amazon's best Kindles are so synonymous with e-readers that some folks don’t even seem to realise there are actually alternatives out there.
There’s Kobo, Onyx Boox, Pocketbook, ReMarkable and more. But perhaps a few are starting to have their heads turned. There was recently a backlash after Amazon ended support for a bunch of older Kindle models — and these e-readers seem to be able to outlast just about anything else, with vaguely decent treatment. They're tech's tardigrades.
I’m still a big fan of a Kindle. The Paperwhite series is an absolute classic, but some of the top rivals can do things a Kindle simply can’t. And this is what we’re going to focus on today. Not straight-up copies of Kindle readers, but ones that offer something a little different to the norm.
This is the closest alternative to a Kindle Coloursoft. The Libra Colour has a Kaleido 3 screen, an interface not a million miles off that of a Kindle, and a few extra features besides. Highlights include dedicated page turn buttons, support for library lending and stylus support, with a notebook app installed too.
It may look like one, but this is not, in fact, a phone. It’s an e-reader that fits in a normal pocket, letting you read distraction-free wherever you are. High on convenience, as long as you don’t mind turning the page a lot more often than you would with a bigger model. The Palma 2 has both an e-reader style interface and wider access to Android and its apps. Still not a phone, though.
This ebook reader uses entirely different tech from a Kindle. Instead of an E Ink panel, it has a backlight-free form of “reflective” LCD that doesn’t need regular refreshes, and makes motion appear much smoother. This is a 7.8-inch tablet too, larger than much of the competition, although resolution is lower than that of a Kindle Paperwhite. It’s a little like a tablet-e-reader hybrid. And there are pros and cons to its style.
Kobo vs Onyx vs Hannspree - What’s unique?
The Kobo Libra Colour is the most normal of these three Kindle alternatives, but it still features a few elements you no longer get in the Kindle range. First up, something simple: page turn buttons. These let you carry on reading with virtually no movement of your hands or fingers at all. Bliss.
This otherwise normal-looking e-reader also allows for note-taking and text highlighting with a stylus, which is offered in the Kindle Scribe series but not the smaller Paperwhite family. A Kobo stylus isn’t bundled in as standard, but it makes the Libra a bit of an e-reading Swiss army knife.
For something completely different, check out the Onyx Boox Palma 2. This is a phone-shaped e-reader, made for one-handed reading, which may be ideal for use on public transport. It has an E Ink screen just like a Kindle, and runs Android, alongside a custom, simplified e-reader interface.
It’s not actually a phone, with no SIM support at all. But you can install all the Android apps you like. Onyx also offers a Palma 2 Pro with a colour screen and a SIM slot (data only), but it costs a bunch more and still isn’t a phone.
Spreading out further into the reaches of reader territory, the Hannspree Lumo is not quite like other traditional e-readers. While the screen is similar to E Ink in person, it’s actually an unusual type of LCD without a backlight.
This gives you the easy on the eye appearance of a Kindle, but with far better motion. No ugly refresh here, although resolution is significantly lower than that of the best upper-end e-readers, at 1024 x 768 pixels. It’s basically a very unusual Android tablet, letting you install all sorts of apps.
Kobo vs Onyx vs Hannspree - Design and Ease of Use
Build and materials are areas where you can get an upgrade by choosing a more unusual e-reader. The Hannspree Lumo is a classic example.
Where most e-readers have plastic casings and plastic screens, the Lumo has an aluminium casing and a lovely anti-glare glass screen. The old Kindle Voyage had a fab etched glass display, but even the top-end Paperwhite Colorsoft Signature Edition has a plastic display surface these days.
The Lumo’s big design issue is that it doesn’t have any official IP water resistance rating, though, so be careful if you decide to read in the bath. It also has a less rounded, perhaps less comfy, body shape — you may want to consider picking up a case for this one.
Hannspree also doesn’t put any special effort into the software. The interface is Android, as plain as it comes. Zero bloat, but you will need to hunt down your own ebook reader app from the Google Play Store. Amazon Kindle is just one option, among many others.
The phone-like Onyx Boox Palma 2 also has an anti-glare glass screen and has at least some level of water resistance. It’s also a candidate for the most handy e-reader in existence. Other e-readers might just about fit in a larger coat pocket. This one slides into your jeans and is smaller than plenty of phones.
It’s also an Android-based e-reader, but it has a proper ebook reader section to the interface, so you’re not just left with what feels like an Android phone. Compared to the Hannspree, the important part to note is that the apps you install are going to look and feel different to how they’d come across on a non-E Ink device.
These displays either suffer from afterimages with moving content or look slow and juddery if you use frequent screen refreshes, thanks to the way E Ink works. The Onyx Boox Palma 2 gives you deep control over this screen behaviour, per app, but it’s a sliding scale of compromise.
The Kobo Libra Colour’s design style is closest to that of a Kindle, even with those page-turn buttons. It has a plastic casing, a plastic screen, a simplified interface and a dedicated Kobo digital book shop built in.
One of its neater touches is the curved lip on the Libra Colour’s side, which hugs your thumb. Just like a Kindle, this one isn’t a particularly upmarket design, but it does feel great. And its trimmed-back feature set is ideal for avoiding distractions while you read.
Kobo vs Onyx vs Hannspree - Which is best for reading?
Here’s an interesting one. In the last few years, we’ve seen the rise of the colour E Ink ebook reader, and the Kobo Libra Colour is one of the very best examples of this type of device.
You get all the eyestrain-reducing characteristics of an old-school Kindle, plus colour book covers and much better presentation of comics and graphic novels. But there are some downsides to note.
Colour E Ink screens like the Libra Colour’s Kaleido 3 panel look quite undersaturated, and contrast is lower than that of a monochrome e-reader as the “white” background has a more grey-ish tone. Text still looks sharp, though, and the overall reading experience here is excellent.
The Libra Colour also has support for the OverDrive platform, which is used by lending libraries in the UK. This means you can rent books for free, remotely, which is pretty awesome.
One other point to note, though, is that the 7-inch screen is a bit small for graphic novels and comics, for which you really want a bigger, more tablet-like display.
You get some of the way there with the Hansspree Lumo, which has a 7.8-inch screen. Plus, as it handles motion an order of magnitude better than other e-readers, flicking around comic book pages feels far more natural if you don’t like the zoomed-out view you get here when reading full-on graphic novels.
The front-lit LCD panel used here is also surprisingly close to E Ink in the reading experience on offer. But there are some issues. Book fonts appear significantly more pixellated than they do in a Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Libra Colour. And display contrast is even worse than a colour E Ink reader. We find we need to ramp up the front light to get a decent reading experience.
Despite having the most unusual shape for an e-reader, the Boox Palma 2 has the most traditional screen tech. Monochrome E Ink looks fab for novels, with top contrast (for this type of screen anyway) and excellent sharpness.
The downside here is an obvious one. You can only fit so much text comfortably on an 18:9 aspect 6.13-inch screen. It’s a much taller shape than the ebook reader norm, and feels far smaller than a 7-inch reader like the Libra Colour, even if its inch count doesn’t sound all that far off.
Kobo vs Onyx vs Hannspree - What is the best Kindle alternative?
The Kobo Libra Colour is the best all-rounder alternative to a Kindle. It’s as sharp and colourful as a Kindle Colorsoft, and has a simple and understandable interface. You get extra features too, like support for ebook lending platform OverDrive and a note-taker app.
Those page turn buttons are great, and we miss them in the Kindle range — they’re similar to those of the classic Kindle Oasis, which was a blinder of an e-reader.
Our second pick goes to the Boox Palma 2, which is fantastic for commutes and for travelling light. But we ultimately prefer the more paperback-like page shape of a classic e-reader design.
Bringing up the rear, the Hannspree Lumo is a bit more of a tech curio. While it gets rid of the dodgy motion of E Ink and should cause less eyestrain than a traditional LCD or OLED, book text isn’t as sharp or clear as it is in the other contenders here.
Honourable Mentions
Both Boox and Kobo have a wider range of e-readers you should consider, particularly if you are not bothered about colour screens.
The long-standing Kobo Clara BW has a super-clear screen that is ideal if, above all else, you want an e-reader to read novels. There's a Colour version of that 6-inch model too.
Over in Boox town, the direct alternative to the Libra Colour is called the Boox Go Color 7. It's more flexible thanks to its Android software, but we prefer Kobo's buttons and the simplicity of its more focused software.
Pocketbook's range is also well worth a look, especially if you want to spend a little less. The Pocketbook Era Colour is a neat 7-inch model that often sells for less than the rival Boox and Kobo models, and even has a built-in speaker for audiobooks.
