Yesterday the new Amazon Kindle went on sale, a device that was announced by Bezos himself as the best eReader but Amazon's competitors still have something to say about it. That is why we wanted take on the Kindle Oasis with the Kobo Aura H2O, the two most powerful and expensive eReaders on the market.
The truth is that despite this comparison, the two ereaders are devices that are aimed at different segments although the two have in common that they seek to offer the best reading experience for the user, something that we will try to measure and show you.
Kindle Oasis Specifications
- Features a 6-inch Touchscreen with Paperwhite technology with E Ink Carta ™ and built-in reading light, 300 dpi, optimized font technology, and 16 gray scales
- 143 x 122 x 3.4-8.5 mm
- Manufactured on a plastic housing, with a polymer frame that has been subjected to a galvanization process
- WiFi version 131/128 grams and 1133/240 grams the WiFi + 3G version (The weight is shown first without cover and second with it attached)
- 4 GB that allows you to store more than 2.000 eBooks, although it will depend on the size of each of the books
- WiFi and 3G connection or only WiFi
- Format 8 Kindle (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP by conversion
- Integrated light
- Our thinnest and lightest Kindle; read comfortably for hours.
- Ergonomic button design for effortless page turning.
- The Kindle with greater autonomy. The leather case with integrated battery can extend the battery life of the device by several months.
- Choose the color of the removable cover: black, burgundy or walnut.
- 300 dpi high resolution display - reads like printed paper.
Kobo Aura H2O Specifications
- It incorporates a 6,8-inch touch screen with E Ink Letter technology, integrated reading light with ComforLight, 365 dpi and optimized font technology.
- 179 x 129 x 9.7 mm and 233 gr.
- 4 Gb of internal storage.
- Wifi connection and Microusb output.
- 2 month battery life
- Format EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR.
- Integrated light and water resistance.
- KOBO
Integrated
The design of Kindle Oasis has been very controversial but it is also being loved, something similar happened with the Kobo Aura H2O, but on a smaller scale. The truth is that in both devices the design seeks a more comfortable reading, to be able to read the eReader but without noticing that our hand is heavy. In this regard, it is worth noting the rubber cover of the Kobo Aura H2O that makes it we can handle it perfectly with just a few fingers and even with the palm of the hand. In the case of the Kindle Oasis, its thick finish gives us the feeling of having a book but its surface cannot be held in the palm of the hand. In this regard I think the Kobo H2O outperforms the Kindle Oasis.
Screen
The Kobo Aura H2O has a 6,8-inch screen with a resolution of 1430 x 1080 pixels with 265 dpi. It has Carta technology like the Kindle Oasis but its lighting is not as good as the Kindle Oasis. Instead the Kindle Oasis has a higher resolution, improved lighting but it is a bit smaller. Despite the size, in this aspect Kindle Oasis outperforms its rival.
Battery
The battery of both devices is very good, but very good, being higher than the month in any device, but it must be borne in mind that the Kindle Oasis has an auxiliary battery That extends the autonomy of the eReader even more. But you have to be honest and the same can also be done by a PowerBank to the Kobo Aura H20. Still it seems that fast charging gives the Kindle Oasis a head start on the Kobo Aura H2O but not much since few users need an eReader with greater autonomy.
Software
The Kobo Aura H2O uses the same software base as the rest of Kobo devices which means that we can change eReader without having to learn how to use it, in addition is Pocket compatible, a great service to read later. The Kindle Oasis has integration with Goodreads and SendToKindle, two great applications that many users enjoy. But regarding formats, the Kobo Aura H2O supports the ePub format while the Kindle Oasis does not. In this aspect we could say that the Kobo Aura H2O wins, but not by much if we really like the Amazon ecosystem.
Extra features
The Kindle Oasis comes with a gift case and is very resistant as well as having a keypad that makes it the Oasis works well for left- or right-handed people. This is a strong point since there are many people who, due to these problems, cannot read well on their eReader; but in the case of the Kobo Aura H2O, IP67 certification as well as ComfortLight that regulates the light Regarding the ambient light, they are extra elements that can attract a lot of attention. In this regard I think both devices are tied Well depending on our situation one or the other will be better, if we are left-handed we opt for the Kindle Oasis but in the case of going to the beach a lot, the Kobo Aura H2O is the best option.
Price
Price has become a big factor for many, a great ereader is not only measured by its pixels or technologies but also by its price, a great eReader has a low price, or so they say. The Kobo Aura H2O costs 179 euros, a very high price for an eReader but the truth is that people are willing to buy an ereader like that for this price. The Kindle Oasis will cost 289 euros, one hundred euros more than the Kobo Aura H2O, but if we take into account that bring with you a case with auxiliary battery, the price may be more affordable than the Kobo Aura H2O as it does not have a battery or cover.
In this respect it seems that the winner for many is the Kobo Aura H2O but we must not forget the additional costs so it seems that the Kindle Oasis will give some future surprise.
To buy: Kobo - eBook ...Kobo Aura H2O »/] | Kindle Oasis e-reader with ...Kindle Oasis »/]
Opinion
Personally I think they are two great eReaders, the Kindle Oasis has brought little news but the ones it has brought are very interesting and may make us forget the trick that the Kindle Voyage has meant. But you also have to remember that the Kobo Aura H2O has been in existence for more than a year, a great eReader that despite its old age can compete with novelties such as the Kindle Oasis. If I had to choose any possibly I would look at which ecosystem I like the most, if the Kobo or the Amazon ecosystem and then I would opt for the corresponding eReader. Come on, the thing is not clear but it is that both devices are great devices whether their companies like it or not
Which one do you stay with?
About the Kobo I like the size of the screen, its card reader and that it reads more formats… but it penalizes the greater weight.
Of the Oasis, although I have not tried it, I would stick with its design (I don't agree with you, I think the kindle should be held better with one hand), its lightness and the Amazon ecosystem.
What you raise is the problem of both devices, which has its pros and cons in a particular way for each user, but as far as I know, the Kindle Oasis has a worse texture to take without forgetting the case that makes it completely change the way to catch it. Come on, that's my perceptions, but I think that when the Kindle Oasis is seen more, our doubts will be resolved, don't you think?
Thanks for reading and following us !!!
If the last Amazon ereader that has a price of only 300 euros does not win an ereader that came out more than a year ago, it is that they have not improved so that it is worth changing. I have the H2O and I will wait to see what Kobo releases this month, although it has to be very good for me to change it ...
Hi Dani, I just have to say prepare the money as Kobo delegates have assured us for months that their new eReaders will outperform their current ones. They look good but we won't know until the end. Thanks for reading Dani !!!
Hello,
Do you know if these new Kobo eReaders will have a physical system to turn the page (buttons, pressure sensors, etc ...? For me it is a decisive point when choosing a reader ... I do not see the grace to move my finger to touch the screen.
What happened to the new Kindle Paperwhite that was coming out (is this ??) ..
The Oasis is without a doubt an excellent eReader, but NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING, justifies this price.
At most, it could have the price of Voyage, but more does not make any sense.
In this article, comparing two different screen models surprises me a lot, because the use and the reading experience is different.
I think that while Amazon continues with a 6 ”format, it is all the benefit of Kobo that continues to grow in Spain.
Regardless of the difference in price (both are expensive), the size of the screen (6 ″ is enough), and the battery life (a week of intensive reading is enough for me), the two main shortcomings that I find are:
Kindle: "no ePub, no eReader" ... I loved the phrase and it sums it up.
Kobo: You could now update software and allow horizontal reading (basic to read while eating)
In my opinion this "oasis" is too expensive, I hope they will be successful in sales but the difference with kobo is minimal and the situation we are in is not to waste money. I have one of the oldest kindle and I'm going to switch to kobo because I'm going to convert books to «amazon» format… ..in short, I hope that kobo brings out something new.
Greetings all.
Hold the Kindle Paperwhite?
I have been happy with my Kindle 3 for 6 years until it broke, now I wanted to buy the Kindle Voyage but the first one that came to me had a shiny dead pixel and the second had several black pixels and now I have to return them.
I loved amazon, but I think I switched to the Kobo H20 because I think they will do more quality controls on their products than Amazon.
Is there no ereader that has software to synchronize notes with a cloud and be able to view later from any device (cell phone or pc)?