Technological situation of the ereader market in 2020

ereader on the beach with a hat and sunglasses

The ereader market has grown a lot during these years, not only at the user level or in the number of ebooks but also technologically. In recent years we have seen how the screen resolution has increased as well as the size of the screens, how new functions have been incorporated and even how the price of the devices has been drastically lowered.

For all this we wanted to review the progress in certain aspects of the ereader, what we can find in the devices that are currently sold on the market and what do we think will be in the ereaders of the not too distant future.

Screens, the soul of ereaders

Screens have always been and will be the critical point for ereaders. Not only because it is the first thing we look at when we see an ereader but because it makes a difference with respect to the physical book and the tablet or smartphone.
To the size of the screen is added its resolution, which is high, with an average pixels per inch that is between 200 and 300 dpi. The first device with this resolution was the Kindle Paperwhite, an ereader that has become a benchmark that many follow and will continue in the future, at least in this regard.

Currently all ereaders have a touch screen, a quality that has become a necessity and that will surely be present in all future devices.

iReader, the first 6-inch ereader with a color screen

The 6-inch size has been established over the years as the standard size for the ereader, at least for these years. However I believe that for the next few years, the standard size of the ebook reader will be 7,8 inches. The reason for this size is due to the fact that there is still a large percentage of users who read through the pdf format. This format is not typical of the ebook, but it has established itself as an alternative to publish an electronic book and, with rare exceptions, on a 6-inch screen it is difficult to read an ebook in pdf format.

The main companies in the sector already have devices with a screen larger than 6 inches and it is expected that in the coming months more companies will start launching reading devices with a screen larger than 6 inches.

Does this mean that the 6-inch size will disappear, no. During 2020, the launch color screen ereaders. A screen quality we've all been waiting for years. All models with a color screen come in the 6-inch size and possibly, for the next few years, that will be the size for the color screens and the rest of the sizes will be for the devices with a black and white screen.

Display illumination is another of the functions that came out as an extra point and that has become a basic function. In recent months we have seen how in addition to having a backlit screen, users demanded have a blue light filter that many companies have included in their premium range devices. Although I believe that this option will be forgotten, it will be in the not too distant future in all ereaders on the market.

The processor and ram memory, the heart of the ereader

chipset of an electronic device similar to the processor of an ereader

Many of the ereaders that we can find in the market or have a 1 Ghz Freescale processor or have an ARM processor of similar performance. In any case, a quite old processor that possibly in the not too distant future will no longer be present in the world of the ereader.

The reason for this change is not to have a modern e-book reader but an e-book reader in line with the electronic ink screen and whose response time is as short as possible, as is currently the case in tablets. In addition, in certain models of electronic books, when the user fills up the internal storage so much, the device begins to have problems with the library and, I believe, that in part it can be solved with a more powerful processor as well as a greater amount of ram, even though certain devices already have 1GB of RAM which would be acceptable.

A few months ago Freescale reported that it was putting its new processors on sale, more powerful processors than those we find in the market and also processors that save more battery than the previous model. However, currently the ereaders that we find on the market do not have or use this processor model.
On the other hand, ereaders with a color screen use the electronic ink screen but also a second screen that provides color. Although the devices are still recent and few users have tried this type of ereader, it seems that they will need a greater power not only of processor but also of ram memory to process the information.

Ereader communications, or how to transfer ebooks to the device ...

ereader connected to a book

Ereaders with Wifi and microusb port are a very consolidated realityWell, it is very rare or very old the device that still does not charge through the microusb port or that does not have a Wifi connection.

Amazon pioneered the inclusion of 3G and later 4G on your devices so that the user does not miss the opportunity to download their favorite ebooks, but It is an option that does not quite fit between usersPerhaps because of the price increase that it causes or perhaps because all users have a nearby Wi-Fi network from which to download the ebooks without having to have 4G.

While 4G does not triumph, we cannot say the same about bluetooth technology. Thanks to the possibility of being able to connect with wireless headphones, many manufacturers are including this technology accompanied by a sound chip which makes it possible to listen to audiobooks without having to have any cables connected to the device. Although personally I think that audioebooks are better listened to through the smartphone, as if it were a podcast. In any case, more and more manufacturers include it and in a few years it will become a standard or a minimum requirement that ereaders must have.

And speaking of future communications from an eReader we can't miss the famous Type-C microusb port. This renewed port not only allows a higher speed when transferring data but also a faster charging of the device. Personally, I do not think that this port is necessary since if ereaders are characterized by one thing, it is because they are devices that with a load achieve an autonomy of several weeks. What e-book readers may need and may have in the not too distant future is fast charging. Although some of these devices have already had it in the past, it seems that it is now when we use ereaders more when it becomes necessary.

And the famous microsd card slot is disappearing little by little from ereaders. While there are some models that do not have it yet, it is something that will disappear. This is because more and more devices are waterproof and therefore need to have fewer outlets or potential trouble spots to achieve IPx certification. In addition, the internal storage of these devices has increased considerably, to the point that the amount of storage that a few years ago was unthinkable is now a reality or a minimum in these devices.

Autonomy, an important element

Ereader autonomy has never been a problem. With a single charge we can read for many weeks. Although we have noticed that in the latest models that have come on the market have reduced the amount of mAh that the battery has and with it the autonomy of the device.

And although all this seems sufficient, I believe that it is an aspect that will be improved in the not too distant future. As we mentioned earlier, fast charging will become a minimum of these devices; but there are also other novelties that some devices already have and that we will undoubtedly see in more devices.

One of these novelties is the incorporation of auxiliary batteries in the protective covers of the ereaders, in such a way that the autonomy of the device is notably lengthened. There are devices that already do it, such as the Kindle Oasis, a device that has not had bad reception despite its price.

The extra functions that we can have when we buy an ereader

In recent years we have seen how several companies incorporated extra functions that are far from what reading itself is. The first of the extra functions was the sound reproduction, something that was in disappearance but that has returned thanks to the success of the audioebooks.

Another of the extra functions that has been quite successful and that is present in all high-end ereaders is water resistance or IPx certification. This function means that we can take the device to the beach or that we are reading while we are bathing. It is not something that has been demanded by thousands of users but little by little it has been something that users have begun to demand.

Another extra feature that has surprised many (including me) is antibacterial and air purifying function that we can obtain through the application of a layer of photocatalytic nano-technology. At the moment there is only one device with this extra function but after the COVID-19 disaster I believe that more than one manufacturer will choose to include this in their electronic reading devices.

A cloud service is something that is also being included and that will undoubtedly be present on all devices in the not too distant future. Recently Kobo has included the Dropbox service and Amazon had its Kindle Cloud. I don't think they are the only ones and I personally find it a great idea for those who use their eReader for more than just reading novels.

Ecosystem and software of an ereader

The software of an eReader is something very important, as important or more than the screen itself, at least for those of us who already use or have used an eReader. Compatibility with the different ebook formats is very important, even though Epub and mobi or Kindle8 are the most popular formats.

But there is always some ebook format that we need and limiting ourselves to a few formats can be problematic. But not only the format is important. A good search engine for the ebooks we have, a good ebook or dictionary store are very important elements that we often underestimate and are important.

Many companies like Onyx Boox decided long ago not to rely on these elements and included a version of Android with which the user installs the apps they want and that they support certain ebook formats. Personally, the latter seems like a great idea to me, although I think it is a difficult option for novice users; there I believe that a simple and complete interface like the Kindle or the Kobo is important and has done a lot to spread the use of the ereader.

The price of ereaders

Finally, I wanted to leave one of the elements that people who use or want to buy an ereader value most: the price.

Price is an important factor to the point that the biggest ereader sales came when the price of the Kindle and other devices approached 100 euros. Currently ereaders are divided into three ranges: high, medium and low range. The low range or known as the input range is aimed at novice users or users who are only looking for a screen to read on. The price of these devices does not exceed 100 euros and the basic Kindle and the Kobo Nia. They are basic ereaders that offer a low price but also a low list of features.

The mid-range is intended for users looking for something more: a better screen, water resistance, etc ... The price of these devices rises slightly and is usually between 100 euros and 200 euros. They are devices aimed at users who love reading and who use the device quite a bit.

Kobo Aura One in the Sagunto amphitheater

The high-end was born a few years ago and is characterized by devices over 200 euros. They are devices offering the best features out there for the ereader, from the best screen quality through great autonomy to the options of sound or resistance to water and shocks.

This range of ereaders is intended for users who read a lot, who make extensive use of the device, and who are also looking for or need a specific feature, usually a large screen with good resolution.

Personally I do not think that one range or another range is worse or better, I just think it is one more feature. That is, not having a high-end device for the price and having to settle for the entry-level ereader doesn't mean we can't read ebooks or that we do not have a good experience, on the contrary, it may be that the experience is better than in high-end devices.

What eReader do I buy?

Although it seems like a buying guide, unfortunately it is not. We are talking about the benefits of ereaders and it is true that we mentioned a device but with all this we do not want to recommend or indicate that these devices are perfect and ideal for you.

We only wanted to talk about the benefits and the components of the ereader and where these components go, with the simple idea of ​​knowing if we are dealing with a good ereader or with single-use devices. If you are looking for a buying guide, we recommend the guide we publish recently about the best devices that we can find on the market.


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  1.   Luis Eduardo Herrera said

    The article is very complete and interesting. As a user for years I would like to contribute something regarding chargers. This should be with USB-C, since modern phones are using it and when you travel or go out on the street it would be practical to carry a single cable.

  2.   Joaquín García said

    Hi Luis, thank you very much for reading the article and for making a comment. I agree with you, USB-C should be a standard. It is also more comfortable to connect than the other connectors. But seeing the new releases, I think it will take time to get the connector, although it should be a minimum and some think so (fortunately). Let's hope the wait is not very long.
    A greeting and thanks for reading.