With all the different shapes and sizes that are available across all the various ebook readers from Kobo, PocketBook, Onyx, Amazon, and the other brands, which design is the most comfortable to hold?
I’ve always favored ereaders with buttons over ereaders without buttons. For me, it’s more comfortable to use buttons than having to move my thumb with every single page turn and often having to readjust my grip because of it.
The Kindle Oasis 2/3 design ranks pretty high on the list for me, but there are a couple of things that I don’t like about it. The metal looks nice but it gets really cold during winter, and for some reason it gets quite a bit colder than other devices I own with metal casings.
I’m not a fan of the weird bump on the back of the Oasis either. It serves no practical purpose and it doesn’t make it any more comfortable to hold than similar designs without the bump like the Kobo Sage and Kobo Libra 2.
Speaking of which, I really like the Kobo Libra 2 but I wouldn’t consider it more comfortbale to hold than the Oasis because it’s a little on the thick side. The Kobo Sage is nice too but too me it just seems a little too big, probably because I got used to the size of the Oasis and Libra 2, and I just don’t care for the way Kobo’s asymmetrical ereaders have a weird flared edge that sticks up into your hand.
With smaller symmetrically-shaped ereaders I often find they’re more comfortable to hold from the bottom than the side. Bezels keep getting smaller and smaller to the point where it makes some of these devices hard to hold from the sides without accidentally activating the touchscreen, like the 2022 Kindle.
I really like having page buttons below the screen like on PocketBook’s ereaders, but they recently changed their designs and relocated the buttons to the very bottom of the front, and I’m not convinced they’re as comfortable to use as their older designs where the buttons were a little bit higher up.
I really liked the designs of Sony’s old ereaders back in the PRS-650/350/950 days before they switched to plastic casings. Even their short-lived eNotes were exceptionally nice. I still think the Sony DPT-CP1 had one of the nicest designs of any eNote released. It had a 10.3-screen and the device only weighed 234 grams! At 433 grams, the Kindle Scribe is a tank compared to that.
What ereader do you think is the most comfortable to hold?
Totally agree about the Oasis getting cold..or hot. to me, The Sage is the most comfortable e reader I have ever owned. The ridge where the buttons are comfortably holds my thumb(although the Forma’s slightly larger radiused corners on the button side are easier on the palms.). although I never owned a Libra, I expect it is as comfortable as the Sage..they are so similar.
Actually a nine or ten inch Sage form would be ideal to me. To each their own.
One thing I seem to disagree with many on this blog is a preference for a glass screen like the Scribe has, I know they may Crack(never happened for me)but they don’t easily scratch(has happened a couple times for me).
Page buttons are a big yes.
Asymmetrical is My way to go. To each their own.
My favorite was the early Kindle with the page turns in the side bezels. I could hold it in one hand comfortably and page forward easily – a little movement required for page back, but still easy. Sorry they abandoned that design.
For me, the perfect design was the Libra H2O aka Libra 1. It was the most comfortable ereader I’ve ever used. I sold it when I bought the Libra 2, because the screen was noticeably worse, but the Libra 2 is not as comfortable to hold – it’s thicker and heavier.
I strongly prefer the asymmetrical shape; the symmetrical readers never felt really comfortable to me. The Oasis 2/3 would have been nice too, but like you I hated the metal back (I live in a cold country).
The Sage is satisfactory, but I’d like it to be lighter. I don’t find it too big; still, it’s my upper limit, I’d not want anything bigger.
Physical buttons are a must have for me.
Libra 2 – size and shape with page turn buttons – is the reader I keep going back to. I like the Elipsa 2E and the Clara 2E but I always end up shifting back to the Libra 2 for long reading sessions. I do not like the Scribe due to its weight and I never did like the Oasis or Paperwhite.
I’ve always thought Nooks were some of the most comfortable ereaders. The old Nook Simple Touch was fantastic. The 7.8″ Nook Glowlight Plus was nice too. But I think my current main reader, the Kobo Sage, is comfortable enough. My Oasis 2 is the least comfortable ereader I’ve ever owned. I put a Pop-Socket on the back in order to make it tolerable.
I have a really handy cover with a built in grip for my touch 3 hd. Never use an ereader without a cover.
I find it’s easier to read with a cover. The easiest were the Kindle 3 and the Oasis 1.
My problem with the Voyage was the lack of a good cover. The Amazon Origami cover didn’t work for me.
The ideal device would have a smooth back all the way across. It would have buttons for page turns. It would have an 8″ screen. It would have the longest battery life of any ereader. It would accept and read all Kindle ebooks. It would weigh no more than the Sage.
My favorite was Kindle Voyage with two sets of physical buttons on the sides.
I’ve enjoyed my kindle SE, and loved my Voyage until the charging port no longer held the plug tightly. I seem to be the only one who doesn’t like page turn buttons. While I read during the day, I read for many hours in bed. I hold my kindle in my right hand while on my right side. I don’t even think about swiping to turn a page. I just do.
In my opinion, the keys are always in the wrong places, as well as the thickness of the edge.
I therefore prefer a completely symmetrical design, such as Meebook P78 Pro, or Boox Tab Mini C – I can comfortably hold this with the left, as well as the right hand portrait and landscape and the keys on the Bluetooth remote control.
Light weight, traditional shape and page turn buttons are my preferences. Of the Kindles I have had, they rank in this order for comfort to hold:
Voyage / Kindle 4 & 5 (original basic) / Paperwhite 4
Kindle Keyboard
K2
Oasis 1
Oasis 2 & 3
Paperwhite 1, 2, 3 & 5
I find the Nook line the most appealing hardware currently being made.
I liked the ergonomics of the long-demised Nook Simple Touch but the rubberised surface started getting tacky so it was down-cycled into an infoscreen.
For the past 4 or so years I have used Tolino Shine 3 and 5. I much prefer 3 as I can leaf forward almost without moving my thumb – I sort of slide it slightly sideways to touch the screen. The buttons on the 5 do not fit my fingers well but the screen format is good for technical manuals. Both are in the Tolino flip-over, which adds considerably to the ergonomics of the reader.
My Ideal e-reader would of course be lighter.
I prefer the symmetrical design (try switching hands on an asymmetrical one especially when lying down and it’s a bother).
I don’t like buttons, buttons wear out and touch screens don’t for a very long time now.
Adding buttons adds unused bulk and weight to an e-reader.
On my current e-reader which is an Onyx Boox Note Pro it’s possible to assign in neoreader the action per screen touch on each square on a nine square grid which makes it easy to select the most comfortable to reach square for paging forward when holding it with either hand.
My reader also has a hall sensor which makes waking it up and suspending it a buttonless action if you’re using it’s cover.
I don’t like large bezels, I find the side bezels on the Note Pro wide enough to avoid accidental touches and it lets me support it with one hand without strain (unlike trying to support a reader using the wider bezel at the bottom end).
I’m not sure why some e-readers have a wider top/bottom bezel other than a place to stick a button, I suppose it could give some extra elevation in certain positions but it’s not really necessary and might save some weight if removed.
My old Sony PRS650 was my favorite reader to hold. Touch to turn the page or use the buttons that were perfectly placed. I loved the metal shell that had a soft coating on the back…great device. Too bad Sony bailed.
For me, the Kobo Forma has been the most comfortable. The weight and balance are great! (The power button is a HORRID thing though.) I tend to use swiping more and buttons less, but either works.
Kobo Sage is also very good in my hands, but a bit heavy when using a case, which I always do. However, without the case, it’s just about perfect! And I like that the case is magnetic, so that it can be easily removed if desired. But, I have cats, so I don’t dare.
Kindle Oasis 2 … the bump is not right for my hands. When I first got it, I didn’t have a case, but I sure didn’t like the slippery and COLD metal back! The fabric case was an absolute must.
Kindle Voyage, very nice in the hand and light as well. I liked the feel of the back side. I was so-so about the haptic buttons and usually kept them turned off in favor of using the touch screen. However, the screen was too cold and too small. I like my Oasis 2 far better and sold the Voyage.
I have always had 2-3 cats for the last 18 years, and I’ve not used a cover with any of my ereaders for more than 10 years. Not a single damaged or scratched screen. When not in use, the devices are in padded sleeves or in a box, and I’ve trained myself to never put an ereader down somewhere a cat can step or jump on it. Yes, there are a couple of desks and shelves in my home where the kitties don’t go, unlikely as that seems.:D
I don’t use covers when reading because they make the devices too heavy and cumbersome.
Covers actually help me hold the devices! I’ve also occasionally dropped one when reading in bed, and so far, no casualties, thanks to covers.
A kobo Sage is the wright format comfortable to read. With a possibility to have a good sound for audio book ( tab mini C have a quite good stereo sound) but sage need an update to have a good battery ! Just wait for that …
I normally keep ereaders in cases, and I usually place an ereader in my lap for reading. For that, I find the Kindle Scribe most comfortable. I like how its larger size blocks out more of the surrounding environment, so that I can read with less distraction. When riding in a car, I find it more comfortable to read on the Scribe, which I usually hold with both hands in that circumstance. While I may put one hand in the pocket of the case’s folded-back front cover, I can hold onto the large side bezel with the other.