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Ebook reader for comics
I'm looking to buy a new ebook reader to replace my old Paperwhite. I would like to be able to read comics on it as well as normal books. I know there are finally some color screen ebook readers on the market but from what I have read, they're not great for comics yet. Most of the comics I read/want to read are black and white anyway, so I figure my best bet is a b/w reader with a decent sized screen. Does anybody here have experience reading comics on ebook readers with or without color? Can anybody recommend a reader for this purpose?
Edit: Or is a tablet still the best choice for comics?
I like using my Kobo Libra 2 for manga, it supports cbz (popular manga format, literally just a zip of images) out of the box which is nice. Kindles also work but you have to convert which is a pain. I don't know about regular comics, you'd probably need a bigger screen for those.
I also read a lot of manga on my Kobo (mine's a Forma) and think they're a perfect fit for it--I vaguely remember reading when the Forma released they had a special edition with extra storage that was sold only in Japan specifically targeted at people who want to load it up with huge manga libraries. I've tried reading normal color comics on it too, but I don't really like having to scroll, and the text is usually too small to comfortably read when fitting a whole page on the screen, so I mostly read those on my Android tablet instead.
Maybe not what you're looking for, but I use a 7" Android tablet for reading. For Comics I use https://www.cdisplayex.com and eBooks/PDFs I use https://koreader.rocks
I bought a Nexus 7 (2013) with replacement battery and installed LineageOS 18.1 on it (Android 11). £30. It's not fast, but it's not slow, and given that I use it solely for reading and the odd web lookup it's good for me. It has a great IPS screen at 1200×1920 resolution and 320 ppi, which is simply not available in any recent Android tablets. The difference in the higher ppi compared to say a modern colour Kindle tablet needs to be seen to be believed. It's even more pronounced than the move to Retina iPhone.
I also tried Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4" which is a great device (very fast, too!) but the size was too cumbersome when laying in bed, which is where I do most of my reading, but if you read in a chair with it on your lap it might be preferable.
This is what I did, except with a Galaxy Tab A 8.0. It gets you 2019 hardware, current LineageOS, and an SD card slot. The install of LineageOS was more challenging than other devices I have put it on, but past that it has worked well. I use Librera Reader (from F-Droid).
I was actually just about to edit my post to ask if a tablet might still be the best choice for comics. Android tablets are quite affordable these days it seems and I haven't even looked into the refurbished market yet. I would still prefer an e-ink device for reading regular books. But a tablet for comics might be worth considering... Especially for when I want to read something in color.
Exactly. For that sort of price it makes a ton of sense.
I still have my old Sony Reader for mono stuff, but no backlight means no reading in bed. KOReader interface is heavily inspired by the interface of those old Sony Readers.
BOOX Max Lumi 2 is expensive as heck, but perfect for comic reading. It also have a really nice "watermark removal" filter which can display a dirty scan as crisp black and white. (nice for raw scans of older comics found online.)
That does look really nice but damn, that price is steep! Normally I don't mind having to save for a bit to buy a good product but that price really seems unreasonable compared to other products...
Edit: a word.
I’ve owned two Boox readers, and thought they were worth the price, even though, yeah, it’s pretty steep.
Never tried their large-screen products, but I would guess they are the same quality as those I do have.
Having said that…there are lots of other great alternatives suggested here without such a premium price tag.
(FYI, you’re right about color screens. They are great for browsing but not high-quality or resolution images in my experience.)
If you’re not opposed to going Amazon again, they have a large format Kindle called the Scribe. It’s pretty price though.
I'm not opposed to going Amazon again. It would probably simplify keeping my library from my current reader, but then again Calibre can surely help out either way. And it's not that pricey compared to some of the other readers recommend in the comments.
True, but it is a big jump up from the Paperwhite. I can say I’ve tried a few other brands and the Kindles have the absolute best screen.
I tried e-paper for comics, and I just didn't like the look and slow response of it. I'm much happier with my tablet, reading basically everything on the Tachiyomi app (manga, manhwa, manhua, and webcomics). I also used to read mostly black and white content, but it seems like more and more stuff is in color and intended to be read on a phone/tablet/computer these days.
I still use an e-reader for text-only reading though.
I use an android tablet for reading comics. I've got a Samsung Galaxy tab 7+ I believe. That is probably a bit overkill if all you're doing is reading, since it comes with a stylus for drawing and writing. You could probably get by with an older model just fine. I usually read comics/manga through the Shonen jump app or online in mobile Firefox.
Any of the 10 inch boox tablets (if you have the budget, their ultra line is amazing, otherwise the note airs are fine too) They run android so you can install any app on them you want which is a massive gamechanger. I found anything smaller than 10 inches required me to zoom and that's never a pleasant experience on an e-reader, hence why my recommendation is 10 or more.
I've read quite a few comics with my Onyx BOOX Note Air 2 Plus. It works really well. Does a good job converting color to grayscale as well.
An entry level iPad off of eBay works pretty well for comics for me if you don't want to go with an eink display.
I figured the art in comics and otherwise needs a proper screen. Size, too.
I figured my work-related and other uses also would benefit from size. Reading A4 docs, too. Drawing and signing would benefit from a stylus.
So I went ahead and got Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Best purchase ever.
Mildly related (don't want to start a whole new thread for it): what's the best eink reader for normal books? Being able to use books I have rented on Libby and PDF books is what I need. I assume Kindle? But I don't really know what's out there.
I've been quite happy with my Paperwhite for reading text books. I'm only looking for a new one because I want to be able to read comics on it as well.
If you're looking to use Libby, and to sideload PDFs, I'd rather recommend Kobo honestly. Kindle is better for Amazon content, but I find the sideloading process much easier on Kobo and I think that Libby is actually owned by Kobo, so I expect it should work well, though I don't have a library membership to actually test that.
If you use Calibre, sideloading is really easy with the Kindle. Couldn't imagine using it without it.
Interesting, do you recommend any specific Kobo models that you've gotten to try? Such as the Clara 2e or Libra 2? Those are the ones I can find.
From Amazon reviews, it seems Libby is the same thing as Overdrive, and there's an app for it built in to the device, so that's good!
Overdrive used to be owned by Rakuten (which also owns Kobo). They sold it off in 2020 to KKR (the company featured in the movie "Barbarians at the Gates"). Libby is their new interface for Overdrive, which is apparently reducing functionality for the libraries, so they will subscribe to higher levels of service.
More info (if a bit one-sided) at: https://karawynn.substack.com/p/the-coming-enshittification-of-public-libraries
Are Kindle Fires just Android tablets? Can I install any Android app on it or did Amazon block some functionality? You know, just to be annoying 😉