When it comes to dedicated reading devices and eNote devices with E Ink screens, overall durability is a key factor to consider before buying one, but which brands are considered the most durable?
The problem with these kinds of things is no one is out there buying every new device that comes out and testing a bunch different ways to break it, so it’s going to be hard to get any kind of conclusive, scientific data about durability.
However, if you’re like me and you follow different forums and subreddits and such for various brands of E Ink ereaders, you can get a general idea about the durability and build quality of different devices.
Regardless of brands, the number one thing that causes the most problems with reading devices is the E Ink screen itself. They have a very thin glass backplane that can easily crack under pressure, and once an E Ink screen is cracked it will no longer function properly and there’s really nothing you can do about it, except replace the screen, and that can cost about as much as buying a new device.
Plus most companies don’t offer any kind of repair service for broken screens (Onyx being an exception), so unless you can replace it yourself you’re going to be out of luck.
There’s also the fact that broken E Ink screens aren’t covered by standard warranties, so unless you payed for an upgraded warranty that covers accidental breakages you won’t be able to get your device replaced under warranty either.
It kind of seems like a rigged system to me. E Ink makes screens are very fragile and yet they’re somehow magically absolved from any kind of responsibility for issues that arise because of it. It’s always the customer’s fault if the screen breaks, even though it could break for reasons outside of anyone’s control, like if the battery swells, or the device was poorly designed.
That last point is particularly important because some devices are clearly more fragile than others, and a lot of that comes down to the design and the size of the screen. Larger screens are more fragile than smaller screens, and that’s why larger screens used to be built with plastic-based Mobius screens that were a lot more durable and didn’t crack. But since E Ink has no incentive to spend more money making screens that are more durable, they just keep using the fragile glass-backed screens and blaming customers when they break.
Most Durable Brands of eReaders and eNotes
I’ve been following the ereader scene for going on 15 years now, and it does seem like Kindles are the most durable brand overall. Of course Kindle screens break too, but of all the millions of Kindles out there you really don’t hear about it happening all that often.
Kobo’s devices seem to last a long time too, in general. I personally feel like their build quality is lower than some other brands with the cheap, unrefined plastic casings they use, but they do tend to hold up well over time, and you don’t see an unusual number of reports of screens cracking for seemingly no reason.
On the other side of the coin, if you follow the Onyx Boox subreddit the topic of cracked screens comes up all the time. Every week there’s at least one post about a cracked screen. I’ve personally never had a problem with any of my Onyx devices breaking, and their newer products generally feel well built, but in relation to other brands it just seems like there are far more reports of screen issues.
I think that might be partially because Onyx sells a lot of larger 10-inch devices that people tend to use more like tablets than ereaders so that might have something to do with it. If you’re putting a 10-inch eNote in a bag or backpack with other stuff coming in contact with it, there’s a much higher chance of screen breakage.
You don’t see as many reports of smaller Onyx devices breaking, although there are quite a few reports of the screen breaking on the new Palma. But again, if people are using it more like a phone than an ereader, and they’re putting it in a pocket and sitting on it or in a bag with other items contacting the screen all the time, it’s going to increase the odds of breaking it.
If you have a phone in your back pocket and sit on it there’s a very small chance it’s going to break. With E Ink screens, even the smallest amount of pressure can crack the screen so there’s a much higher chance of breaking it if you sit on a device in your pocket.
At the end of the day, I’d recommend a Kindle or a Kobo over other brands if durability is a big concern, but I’d give the edge to Kindles overall. However, I wouldn’t recommend the entry-level model because the build quality feels a lot cheaper than the Paperwhite and other models.
Either way, if you’re concerned about durability, make sure to keep your E ink device in a case, especially when you’re not using it, and be extra careful when packing it a bag with other stuff or carrying it in a back pocket where it could be sat on. Any kind of pressure or twisting of the screen can cause it to break fairly easily, especially compared to other types of portable electronics.
For me it is Kindle all the way because I am so committed to Amazon ebooks, I have a huge library of books too. I also read lots of books from kindle unlimited. And I no longer even have a laptop or computer to use calibre with.
The only time my Kindle screen broke is because my cat stepped on it. He put a large crack on the screen and 25% was forever frozen. The best Amazon offered was 25% off a refurbished model. I ended the chat then and there and bought a new one myself. I do keep a cover on mine at all times, because all my electronic devices have covers. When he stepped on it, stupid me did not close the cover on the device. Now I always close it if I’m not reading it.
It would take a really large cat to break a phone or tablet by stepping on it. I think the best solution is for E Ink to start taking responsibility for their fragile screens and switch to plastic backplanes instead. They made Mobius screens for that purpose but nobody is using them anymore. The Kobo Forma had a Mobius screen and so did most early eNotes, but now they’re pretty much impossible to find.
I don’t know… our 9 lb 19-year-old cat can feel like just one paw weighs 25 lbs. Maybe the cat was on its tippy toes… so a lot of force in a small area. 🙂 I wouldn’t be surprised if my cat broke a Kindle screen while it was in a case, if she stepped just right.
The Sony readers were pretty much indestructible with their aluminium shells. Mine was thrown in bags and ended up travelling all over the world with barely a scratch. It’d be nice if there were some premium readers (I’m a Kobo-er) with metal shells.
I’m still sore Sony are no longer in the reader game.
That’s part of the reason I complain about the cheap plastic casings on Kobos and the entry-level Kindle, and some people don’t agree with it, but I remember those old Sonys and how much nicer they were. I still have a PRS-350 that works, and the build quality is so much better than almost everything available now. It’s a shame Sony didn’t keep making ereaders.
I have an original Nook Glowlight 3 that has never given me any problems. Same for the Glowlight Plus. Both have been very reliable. I have no desire to upgrade as the new USB C in not compatible with my Windows 7 computers. :))
Merkin
I’ve had one eReader screen die, and it was totally my fault.
I once had a Likebook Mars. I also had a sprained ankle, and pants with pockets large enough that I could stick the Mars into. This was not a good idea, as I would soon realize.
I was kneeling to use the toilet to avoid putting any strain on my ankle, the pocket the reader was in wound up under my knee, and that was all she wrote.
Now, cell phones I’ve had problems with. I stopped carrying them in my back pocket after losing touch twice on the same phone(I replaced the digitizer the first time, but the second time I kinda needed a new phone anyways). And the current one, the back panel glass decided my wallet looked like a hammer and just caved in. (Replaced and still going, but can we have plastics back? That was entirely too much “risk of glass shards in hand” for a cosmetic feature.)
And moving to ye olden tymes… the Nokia bar phones may have a reputation for invincibility, but a house key will go right on through the screen protector and bruise the LCD nicely. Lesson learned, don’t keep personal electronics and keys in the same pocket.
Such a shame. I had no complaints with my Kobo Libra 2 for two years, but today when I tried putting new files on it they refused to show up. It’s possible I could have fixed this by converting them with the kepubify utility, which I just learned about. Instead I did a factory reset in hopes of fixing database corruption. Lo and behold, what do I find during the setup procedure? Apparently “signing in” is now mandatory, and not something I can just skip like I did before. It didn’t recognize the email address that I know I ordered it with, and when I tried creating a new account with another email address, I never received an email. Sad, but I only have one life and it’s too short to waste on nonsense like this. So I’m done with Kobo and all their works, and I eagerly await a device with an e-ink screen that runs a real OS which is under my control and doesn’t demand I jump through corporate hoops and create Yet Another Account on Yet Another Website.
Kindles, hands down. Batteries last forever. Kobo batteries don’t last as long. B&N Nook Simple Touch- the rubberized surface deteriorated badly.
I stepped on the screen of a Kindle DX, ruining the screen. My fault. I waited too long to replace it. Now too expensive.
The Original Nook may have won most durable with its hard plastic cover and, IIRC, an easily replaceable battery. But I traded mine in years ago for a Nook Glowlight 3.