I came across a post on reddit asking Which e-reader has the best page turning buttons? As a big fan of having dedicated page-turn buttons on ereaders, I thought that was a good question.
However, after thinking about it for awhile I concluded that I can’t come up with a definitive answer to say one has the “best” buttons, but I think the Kindle Oasis ranks pretty high on the list. It has comfortably-placed buttons with a nice responsive feel, but you can hear them clicking so they’re a bit more audible than some other buttons.
The Kobo Sage and Kobo Libra 2 have nice functional page buttons as well, but for me they’re a bit closer to the edge than I’d like, especially with the way the side curves up right next to the buttons. The Kobo Sage has very quiet buttons, though; the Libra’s are a bit noisier like the buttons on the Oasis.
I’m still not entirely sold on the asymmetrical design of the devices mentioned above. In some ways I prefer the more traditional narrower designs with the buttons below the screen like on Sony’s old ereaders, but I think most people probably prefer having page buttons along the sides.
Kindle used to have page-turn buttons located along both sides of the screen on the older none-touchscreen models. The Kindle Voyage also had buttons on both sides of the screen, but it was the only model to use sensors instead of buttons, with the option to enable haptic feedback to feel a response when pressing the sensors. It was unique in that respect.
Nowadays there are very few models that have page buttons located on both sides of the screen. The current lineup of Nooks still have them, including the new Nook GlowLight 4 Plus that’s getting released in September. The older Nooks had really stiff page buttons back in the Nook Touch days, but the newer ones have nicer buttons that are easier to use.
Most of Pocketbook’s ereaders have page-turn buttons located below the screen, but for me they’re a bit on the low side, which results in the device having more of a top-heavy feel when using them. I guess I got kind of used to the buttons being a little higher up on the Sony PRS-350 and prefer them like that.
So what are your thoughts on the subject? Which ereader do you think has the best page buttons?
I like the buttons on the 2019 Nook Glowlight Plus. The Kobo Sage is okay, but I’d prefer them on both sides.
Kobo Libra 2
I find the Sage page buttons slightly better than the Oasis. The lip of the device holds the thumb in place in a comfortable, no slip position. Combined with the larger radiused corners, that don’t dig into my palm, the whole holding/page turning thingamajigger is just better.
The clicking feedback of the Oasis doesn’t really impact positively or negatively.
The most comfortable page turning buttons I have ever encountered were those of the Rocketbook (the 1997 version), which was later renamed eBookWise. I still have my eBookWise 1150; although I have stopped using it, sentiment prevents me from disposing of it.
MobileRead’s wiki has a good picture of the Rocket eBook (not RocketBook, I misremembered).
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Rocket_eBook
I’ve got an InkBOOK Focus, an Android-based reader which has two page turn buttons on each side of the screen, slightly lower than halfway up. That’s definitely the arrangement I prefer vs. an asymmetrical design or the Pocketbook InkPad-style with the buttons along the bottom edge, both of which I’ve had for varying lengths of time.
If I didn’t already have the Focus I would be very tempted to give the new Nook Glowlight Plus a try.
I’m a fan of physical buttons, but the last ones I found very practical in my reading life were my Kindle 4’s (and I miss that reader!!). I do have some issues with my hands, so take that into account with my opinion, but I found the Nook Glowlight and the Kindle Voyage buttons to both be borderline unusable. I felt I had to squeeze too hard on both, and it was just easier to page forward or back with the screen.
Hi Robin, did you regulate the Voyage buttons fron the settings? I think by default the Pressure was set on Hard and it almost unusable especially one-handed. I just checked and I have them on Medium pressure and also Medium feedback. Although i mostly use the screen, I love having the buttons, and on both sides! I’m tempted by the bigger screen on many Kobos but I don’t like their asymmetry.
I’m happy with my Kobo Forma’s buttons. Positioned just right, clicky enough to feel good, quiet enough to use in bed.
I really like the buttons on the PocketBook Touch HD 3 and the Kindle Oasis 2nd and 3rd Gen. These are the only ones I’ve tried where the buttons were never a source of annoyance. Bonus with the Pocketbook is they are a quiet enough to use next to a sleeping partner.
Onyx Boox Leaf2 is built similarly to K. Oasis and also has very nice page turning buttons, and since it runs Android, they are usable in all sorts of reading apps.
On a side note, I wonder if Onyx has already discontinued the Leaf2. It’s no longer available to purchase from their website and the listing is now gone at B&H. Maybe the Page is replacing it? They just released the Leaf2 like 9 months ago and it was mostly unavailable for the first couple of months, so it’s weird to see it gone already, but Onyx does stuff like that sometimes.
I bought a used Voyage recently for fun, and I LOVE the haptic buttons! You can adjust the sensitivity of them, and I find the response to be perfect. I wish Amazon would bring them back on a new device.
I love my Kobos–I think the screen quality is fantastic. For some reason the buttons on the Libra H20 just don’t feel super comfortable to me. Otherwise, a great device.
I am very happy with the page turn buttons on my Kindle Oasis 2. The tablet is well-balanced, and the buttons are in the right place, once I reverse their directions. It’s discouraging that Amazon hasn’t released a new Oasis this year. Is that line dead?
As someone still using an unsupported kindle DX, I’d have to say the DX was best. Also, I can’t read on a touchscreen device. Every time I’ve tried, whatever the screen type, I get an eyestrain headache.