The e-Reader industry shows no sign of slowing down and more new devices were released in 2023, then any other year, ever. This is a great sign for the overall health and future of dedicated book readers. However, there are a myriad of devices that are not worth your time, either because they are discontinued and no longer receiving firmware updates, slow and sluggish or just plain bad. It is important to note that most e-readers older than 5-6 years will have battery problems, and will slowly not be able to maintain a charge and will have to always be plugged in in order to function. Modern e-readers are not designed to be opened, and cannot have the batteries replaced. With all of this in mind, what e-readers should you never buy in 2024?
Amazon Kindle
Amazon is the most popular brand of e-readers in the world, everyone has heard of the Kindle, even if they have never owned one. A few years ago Amazon announced a pivot, they would only support Kindle e-readers with firmware updates, for up to five years, when the product was first available for purchase on their website. The only Kindles currently supposed with updates are the 10th and 11th generation Kindle e-readers. This includes the Oasis, Paperwhite, Kindle and Kindle Scribe. Anything older than the 9th generation will no longer receive updates, which isn’t so bad, is it?
If an older Kindle doesn’t receive updates, it means that if there is a change to SSL or TLS certificates, they won’t receive any updates, upgrading them to the new one, which means customers won’t be able to access the store. Amazon already has done this with around 4-5 different devices, which are the oldest ones they had, but has the years go on, more and more Kindles won’t be able to connect to the bookstore to buy books.
Barnes and Noble
The Barnes and Noble Nook is one of the most popular e-reader brands in the United States. The company has just refreshed their lineup of products in the past year and most of them are really good. What e-readers from the bookseller should you avoid?
Do not, under any circumstances buy the Barnes and Noble Simple Touch, Simple Touch with Glowlight or the Nook Glowlight. These e-readers are now EOL, which means they are end of life. In early 2024 they will lose the ability to connect to the Nook bookstore and lose all syncing functionality. Customers will still be able to read books they already have on the device and can still sideload additional content.
Kobo
Kobo is the global number two player in the e-reader industry, behind Amazon. Their products are sold on their own website, but they also have a huge distribution network all over the world. You can find Kobo e-readers in electronics chains, bookstores and retailers, which allows customers to try before they buy.
One of the huge advantages of Kobo, is when they release firmware updates, they update not only their newer e-readers, but almost every other e-reader they ever made. No e-reader is truly discontinued, except for the Kobo Mini. What Kobo e-readers should you not buy in 2024?
The worst Kobo e-reader they ever made was the Kobo Nia. This e-reader made our list of bad e-readers. It is slow, sluggish, has terrible PPI and isn’t worth it to buy, no matter how cheap it is. Any Kobo that is 5-6 years old, is also best to be avoided, even if you find it on eBay for an affordable price, this is because of the batteries, they lose charge over time. Older Kobos are also notoriously bad, in terms of software and user experience.
Others
There are hundreds of e-readers on the market and I can’t go over every single one. The one thing to bear in mind, is the smaller brands like Pocketbook, Onyx Boox, Meebook, SuperNote, reMarkable only support their currently generation and previous generation with firmware updates. Android e-readers never receive Android updates, so if you are stuck on Android 8.1 or Android 9, these companies will never upgrade it to a modern version. The only way you can get a newer version is to buy new hardware.
What brands are the best to invest in? Pocketbook has been around for over a decade, they are one of the best in the business, in terms of pure hardware. They also have good build quality, but they don’t really have a good online bookstore, so you have to sideload everything. I recommend the Pocketbook Era, the Verse or Verse Pro. Onyx Boox is also a good brand, they sell both e-readers and e-notes, at varying prices. Avoid any of the Lumi e-readers or anything older then 3-4 years, since they won’t receive updates anymore, which is bad for a pure Android device. However, they all have Google Play for the most part, so you can install apps and keep them up to date. I recommend the Palma, Page, or any of their current generation products.
The first generation reMarkable is EOL, and doesn’t normally get updates anymore, instead buy the reMarkable 2. If you are looking for a new SuperNote, I wouldn’t buy anything other than the new A6 Nomad, which is their latest device on pre-order. They are refreshing the best of their catalogue in 2024, including the their A5 and a new 13.3 variant.
If you are looking for a product recommendation, from all of the largest brands in the e-reader and e-note space, check out our Top Picks page, which makes it easy to see the pros and cons. Want to know what other people are buying? The Good e-Reader Best Seller List is a good indication on our most popular e-readers and accessories. If you want to buy anything still supported and relatively new, visit the Good e-Reader Store.
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