There seems to be some misconceptions about ereaders that run Android, including devices from Onyx and Meebook, among others, so I decided to put together a list of pros and cons.
Some people think that Android ereaders are superior to other ereaders since they can install reading apps from multiple stores so you can have Kindle ebooks, Nook books, Kobo books, Google books and more on a single device. That’s definitely a plus if you buy ebooks from various vendors, but there are some downsides as well.
First off, Android wasn’t designed to work with E Ink screens so it’s kind of a hack to begin with, and the quality of an Android-based ereaders is largely going to depend on how much work the software developers put in to make Android run on an E Ink device with limited resources and a screen technology that doesn’t support color and has a much lower refresh rate than typical LCD screens.
Additionally, the Android version doesn’t make nearly as much of a difference as people think. Onyx, for example, has their own customized interface, and there’s often little to no distinguishable difference between recent Android versions. They mostly just use newer Android versions as a marketing tactic to get people to buy a new model that’s 95% functionally identical to the previous version.
The biggest advantage with Android ereaders is their versatility. Being able to install Android apps is a big advantage over something like a Kindle or a Kobo, but not all Android ereaders are open to installing apps without some form of hacking first, like Nooks, for example.
While it’s an advantage to be able to install Android apps, you have to keep in mind that they weren’t designed to work with monochrome E Ink screens, so they often don’t display properly and things like scrolling and refreshing can be an issue at times because there is more lag.
Dedicated ereaders tend to offer a more refined reading experience, with smoother page turns and transitions and more reading-specific features, like being able to use custom fonts.
There are some apps that support using custom fonts, like KOReader, but unlike Kindles and Kobos, it doesn’t support reading purchased ebooks without removing the DRM first so it kind of depends on how much work you’re willing to put in to read a book.
With Android ereaders there are always workarounds and hacks for a more personalized reading experience, so they’re better suited for people that like tweaking with things, whereas dedicated ereaders are more simple to use and setup.
Pros and Cons of Android eReaders
Pros
Being able to install Android apps.
More versatility with a multitude of reading apps to chose from.
Better suited for productivity purposes for things like typing and web browsing.
Not locked into a single store/ecosystem.
More customization options and user configurable settings.
Ability to use the device how you want instead of being forced to use it a certain way (Amazon’s way), so you can do things like use Bluetooth devices to turn pages, listen to music, or type notes (even though Kindles support Bluetooth, they support none of those things).
Cons
Most Android apps aren’t designed for E Ink screens.
Android ereaders aren’t officially supported by Google so installing the Google Play Store requires some form of hack or workaround.
Usually less font choices, layout settings, and boldness options with Android reading apps compared to dedicated ereaders like Kindles and Kobos.
More ghosting. Android ereaders tend to be more prone to showing afterimage effects from the screen not fully refreshing, but with Onyx’s devices you have more refresh options to choose from to help minimize ghosting and make refreshing smoother.
Overall battery life tends to be worse with the more advanced operating system.
Requires more research and setup time to learn how things works.
Something to consider with the android tablets like the meebook is their use of propriety styluses. Unless they have a wacom layer that allows you to use a variety of styluses, you are in a bad spot should you loose the pen or not be able to get replacement nibs. That is the problem I have with my Likebook P10. I don’t have the model with wacom, so I am stuck with their proprietary stylus and they don’t seem to care to support their customers as they don’t sell replacement nibs. I would not recommend the meebook because of this one issue. Their solution is to have you purchase a whole new stylus. Just because it is android based, the hardware is not always the same.
I originally got a Likebook Mars, which is an Android ereader, because I wanted to read Kindle books with warm lighting, and I didn’t like the Oasis form factor. I did lots of reading with that, though I wished the Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Google Play Books apps would support custom fonts. Despite the ability to shop at any of their stores, I favored Kindle, because I already favored Kindles anyway, and the Kindle app worked better than the apps for the other ebook sellers. But I occasionally bought a Kobo or Google Play book and stripped the DRM to read it with Moon+ Reader, which is very customizable and with the right settings works very well with e-ink. I also appreciated that the Likebook Mars could run manga apps, which let me read more manga than I could through just Amazon.
Since getting a Paperwhite 5, I have done most of my reading on it. I still use the Likebook Mars for playing music through Spotify when I read. At night, it’s nice to be able to get Spotify through an e-ink device. One of the main reasons I favor reading on the PW5 is that reading a book and listening to music on the Likebook Mars can draw on more resources and make both apps run more slowly. It’s easier if I read on one device and listen to music on the other. If I were to pick only one device, I might go with an Android reader for its greater versatility, but for just reading, I usually prefer a Kindle, and I’m happy to have both.
I’ve used both Android and non-Android readers. Right now I’m back on Android, using an Inkbook Focus. (I have an inexplicable soft spot for Inkbook, despite the extra cost of getting the units shipped from Poland.) The Android UI is customized for reading, with a default library view and a couple of apps across the bottom. At the top is a status bar with an icon for turning the frontlight off and on, another for doing a full screen refresh, and a couple other buttons I can’t remember off the top of my head.
I don’t use the stock reader app or the (unsupported) Google Play Store on this device; instead I installed the Amazon App Store app and used that to install Moon+ Reader Pro, and I also installed the Android version of KOReader. I mostly use Moon+ Reader and only occasionally use KOReader when Moon+ has a problem with rendering a particular book, which happens now and then. I quite like the Moon+ Reader UI and the reading experience in it is pretty positive for the most part. I have all extraneous animations turned off of course. There are still a few areas where it’s clearly trying to do fades or transparency, like when opening the external dictionary, but that’s not a big deal. (I have never used the Kindle or Kobo apps on this device.) KOReader also works well on the device but it insists on running full-screen, which obscures the aforementioned row of top icons, which I don’t like. I haven’t found a way of getting KOReader not to do this.
Battery life is noticeably shorter on this reader than on my non-Android readers like the PocketBook Inkpad 3, even when putting the device to sleep. To help extend battery life I often shut the Inkbook down when I’m not going to be reading for a few hours.
I have a few other apps installed on the Inkbook, like Goodreads, but I never use them. So why did I install them? 🤷♂️
So anyway, the TL;DR is, I quite like my Android reader, because I like the Moon+ Reader interface, but would I recommend it for the average user? Not really. I don’t mind fussing around to get the reader to behave the way I want, but I don’t think I would suggest it for somebody who just wants to sit down and read without tweaking a bunch of settings.
Moon+ Reader is enough reason for me to wish for an Android eReader. Besides being my favorite UI, it cloud syncs between devices – so when I switch from my phone to eInk I don’t have to spend two minutes finding my place. Two minute efforts add up fast!
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to justify the extra expense and the cons listed above (yet).
I tried the Onyx Tab Ultra, had problems with LEDs staying lit, and ultimately discovered that it wasn’t enough of a tablet OR e reader for me. The complexity of Kobo and Kindle operating systems just are not matched by reading applications IMOP. I found the Onyx a pain to read actual books on and news articles are great on Pocket on Kobo devices.
Ended up getting a great Samsung tablet, S8 Ultra on a trade in deal for less than the Onyx Tab Ultra. I write on it was almost no perceived latency.
The Kindle Scribe is a solid reader …yeah 10.2″ screen!
One more “con” for Android is the startup time. I have a Likebook and it’s good at turning off to preserve battery, but if you go past the “power off” stage, then the startup time is like 2 minutes. I love how the Kindle starts back up immediately, when I want to read.