One of the coolest things about ebook readers is being able to fit an entire library of tens of thousands of books in a small handheld device that you can easily take with you anywhere, but the downside is you’ll never actually be able to read that many books before the device stops working or the battery wears out.
In some cases you can replace the battery without damaging an ereader, but it often requires a bit more work than most people are willing to do themselves since most devices aren’t made to have a replaceable battery.
Thus, dedicated ebook readers tend to have a much shorter lifespan than actual paper books. There probably aren’t very many people still using ereaders that were made over ten years ago, and the number of people still using devices from 15 years ago has to be miniscule.
The oldest ereader that I still use is the Kindle Voyage. It was released in 2014 but I jumped ship on it for a while before buying a used one on eBay in 2018. The first one I had had a blotchy frontlight that always bugged me but this newer one has a much better frontlight, and the battery is still going strong so it might last another 5 years.
I also have a Sony PRS-350 from 2010 but I haven’t used it in a few years. I still charge the battery once in a while to keep it alive, but it probably won’t last much longer.
I have an old Nook Touch and some old Kobos that kicked the bucket a long time ago. The batteries seem to last longer on some devices than others, and you have to be careful not to leave them discharged for too long.
There are likely a few people still using the first generation Kindle from 2007, but 99% of those are probably dead by now.
Some brands age better than others. I doubt anyone is still using a first gen Onyx Boox—I don’t even know what model that is—and I would guess very few people are still using Boox’s pre-Android devices.
I bet there are a few old Sony Readers that are still being used regularly, but they’re really starting to get up in age at this point. It’s a shame Sony stopped making dedicated ebook readers; their old PRS-X50 line was really nice.
What is the oldest ebook reader that you still use on a regular basis?
My Kobo Mini. Battery is still fantastic.
I’m still using three Kobo Minis and a Kobo Aura H2O regularly. All have had their batteries replaced.
A Nook Color
iriver StoryHD. It never had good battery life, so if it has gotten worse, I haven’t noticed. LOL
I’m still on my first Paperwhite 2, 6th Generation (release year 2013, bought same year), a dependable companion with original battery. Use it maybe 4-5 hours a day, more during weekends. Also have Paperwhite 3, 7th Generation (release year 2015, bought 2017) waiting in the wings, unopened in box. Should probably register it at some point, but it seems daunting to set everything up so keep putting it off. I have little interest in getting new shinier models – only the books themselves matter.
If you bought it in 2017 and haven’t charged it even once, the battery is probably long dead.
Yes, I was a big sony fan, too. The oldest e-reader, I use is a Nook brnv700 7.8 inch. I was able to root it and install or flash, with twrp, a lightwieght custom Android image or ROM, on it, and I use it with KOreader for pdfs that I optimized the format of with k2pdfopt.
I am still using a Kindle keyboard which works well.
Also Kindle Voyage. I only use it once in a while, but it still seems like peak Kindle.
At the moment I only use my two Kobos I bought two years ago (the Sage and the Libra 2). I’ve sold all my older devices, as I no longer used them; There have been 7 ereaders in total that I’ve sold (an older Kindle Basic, the Voyage, the Oasis 1, 2 and 3, a Nook, the Libra 1 aka H2O).
I still have my two oldest ereaders (Kindles from 2011 and 2013) and I charge them regularly, but I’ve not read on them for many years.
A check of Amazon says I bought my Voyage a week shy of nine years ago. The rubbery coating is worn off in a couple places on the back, and the unit shows its “Very Low Battery” screen when charge drops below 40%, but it still works fine.
I bought my first Kindle in 2011 and have had many since then. But no Kindle has been more readable than the Kindle Voyage, which I bought in 2015, lost it, and replaced it with a refurbished one in 2019. I use it every day and prefer it to all later models.
I still use a Kindle Voyage at work. I keep in in the del to use for breaks and lunch.
I use a Kobo Glo HD. I changed the battery once and upgraded the memory card to a 32gb. I love my reader. The only thing it doesn’t have I would like to have is a warm light but it’s not enough to make me want to update. And in fact, I noticed recently that the light on the reader appears to me to be a little warmer – I assume it’s because the leds are yellowing with age. So the reader seems to get better if anything 😉
Ouh Kobo Glo HD. My second ebook reader. I was updated its memory card in same way. I was always on forums to make it better. This post reminds me old days. I changed so many readers, I tried as much as I can. Now I am a kindle pw addict
Almost all of my former reading devices (haven’t bought that many) are dead. One Kobo has survived and that I recently gave away.
Not too old, I use a Boyue Likebook Mimas from 2019. I’ve been wanting to update it because the Wi-Fi stopped working (and the company went under) but I can’t find another 10 inch ereader with micro SD card support and page turn buttons.
Well I suppose my nephew still uses my old pocketbook which wasn’t android and had no lighting.
I’ve regretted getting that device which I’ve found harder to use than my 20 year old palm pilot m515 which would still be more useful but physically worn down after so many years.
At this point my Boox Note Pro which I still use is probably 4-5 years old and right now there is no reason to replace it other than wanting shiny new things.
Sure it has a few dead pixels (somehow happened when I replaced the battery, which I’m not sure help anything) and has a few small cracks around the back cover but it holds a charge well (I just read a lot) has lighting and is android which answers 99% of my needs with a reading device.
It’ll probably keep doing it’s job for quite a few more years as long as temptation doesn’t get the better of me.
Pocketbook Touch HD 3. I have a nova pro too but it’s so slow and frustrating to use it sits in a drawer.
Kindle paperwhite 1 bought in 2013
I have 3 Kindles
Kindle Keyboard Wifi-bought in 2o11-This still works but is not being used
Kindle paperwhite-1-bought in 2013-Still use it but now feels slow
Kindle paperwhite -11th generation 6.8 inch-Newest-bought in Dec-2022
Original Nook Color, 2010! It’s not my main reader (though even that is older, an original model Kindle Paperwhite), but I pull it out sometimes, often for reading books around the holidays that have a few pictures, or just if we have a power outage and my options are limited.
I bought a Kindle Keyboard in 2010 as a gift to my sister who was studying in a university at that time and had a very long commute. After getting her masters she gave it to our mother, who is still regularly using it and has no wish to upgrade it. My sister lives two blocks away from her and deals with all the side-loading. My mother’s only complain is the battery life. She vehemently rejects any offers to gift her a new Kindle.
I also still use my kindle keyboard from 2010. I recently had to change out the battery… Which is quite easy to do. You can find a YouTube video that shows you how. I have several of the newer models… But the Kindle keyboard is still my favorite.
The oldest I still use is the Sony PRS-650. However, I prefer my more modern ereaders (Kobo Aura, Kobo Clara, Kobo Libra and even the Kindle Basic) because of the front lights and, in the case of the Kobos, the warm lights. Unfortunately, I never bought one of those light panels that you could lay over the Sony eReader. If so, I probably wouldn’t have bothered buying any other ereaders.
My main reader is a Kobo Auro H2O Edition 2 from 2018. I threw the the sleepcover away a couple of weeks ago because the fake leather surface was crumbling away.
When I’m away I use a 2012 Kobo Glo – the battery life is noticeably shorter nowadays. The padded sleeve/cover still looks new, so some things haven’t improved.
There’s a 2011 Sony PRS-T1 in the house that I keep charged every month but it’s not used.
Although I have the Kindle Scribe, the latest Paperwhite and the Oasis 3, my daily driver go to Kindle is the Paperwhite 3. There’s just something to be said about a smaller 6 inch Kindle with an indented screen. The text just pops out, the antiglare is superior and the screen overall is better than anything else. I wish Amazon would go back to an indented screen Kindle. I tried the new basic Kindle, and I thought it was absolute trash quality. Nowhere near as good as my Paperwhite 3. I just don’t see Amazon releasing another premium basic Kindle with an indented screen so I’ll have to stock up on PW3’s.
Although I mainly read on my Scribe, I have a large book of Chess problems by Polger that works better for me on my Kindle DXG. It loads each problem for me full size on its own page, saving me the trouble of resizing images. I also like the convenience of using the back button to go back after checking a solution.
Kindle 4 with Duokan system
We’re on modern Kindles (PW 11 and Oasis 10) but still regularly use a Kindle 3 to play Yahtzee with.
Kobo GloHD. It was my first ereader in 2015. I’ve since tried a Libra2 but didn’t like the larger size and gave it away to a family member. I also had an Onyx Boox Note (original version) that died after less than two years. My trusty GloHD is still going strong, and there’s nothing in the newer 6″ versions that tempts me to upgrade.
I still occasionally use my Voyage.
My fully rooted NooK HD+ is still a champ with one of the best screens I ever used. Retired more due to its weight than anything else though I would often drag it out and use it for a couple of months annually. Have stopped doing that as Windows 11 no longer recognizes it for reasons unknown! Currently using a Lenovo M Nine Tablet that is the only screen size that has come close to the HD+.
My Kobo Touch that I got back in 2012 is still going strong!
I have an Elipsa now that I carry with me most of the time, but my rest of the family still uses the Touch at home.