Why Can’t Amazon or Kobo Make an eReader Like This?

I came across an interesting-looking no-name ereader that was recently listed on Amazon. It has some unique characteristics, and it’s cheap, but does anybody have any interest in buying it? Probably not.

While it doesn’t have a name, it has a model number: E603. You can find listings for the product on websites in China. Topjoy released the E603 last September so it isn’t exactly a new release, but this is the first time I’ve seen this particular model available on Amazon.

The E603 has an unusual screen size at 5.76″. The resolution is on the lower side at 920 x 680, with 198 ppi, but that’s only slightly lower than some other basic 6″ models. It has a flush front screen, which, unfortunately, looks pretty glossy from the pictures and promo video. It appears to lack a frontlight, despite what the listing says on Amazon, so that’s a pretty big negative.

However, there are some positives. It has a memory card slot, for one, which is a rarity in this day and age. It also has page buttons, which fewer and fewer ereaders have nowadays.

The E603 also runs Android so that opens it up to more possibilities, but unfortunately it’s a really old version of Android (8.1, I think) so that’s not great.

It has 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage space. It uses a quad-core CPU, it has WiFi, a capacitive touchscreen, and it only weighs 160 grams. The built-in app supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, FB2, DOC, and some other formats, but it likely doesn’t support DRM without using other apps.

If Amazon or Kobo sold a smaller model with page buttons like this people would be all over it. But I have a feeling nobody is going to care otherwise. I miss the days when small pocketable ereaders were a thing. The Kobo Mini was a great device, but for some reason Kobo hated it and they tried to wipe it from existence (it’s their only touchscreen model they’ve stopped updating).