10 Best E-Readers in the Philippines 2024 | Kindle, Onyx, and More

Amazon's Paperwhite line has dominated the industry for years. Their large collection of books and focus on readability features have appealed to both fans and newcomers alike. This time, they improved all aspects of the Paperwhite significantly! Even its design has changed from an embossed screen to a flush one for a sophisticated look.

Compared to the last model, the Paperwhite 5 has a 20% increase in page-turning and a 50% improvement in overall navigation. Plus, it now has 17 LEDs capable of a candlelight effect for comfortable reading, whether it's day or night. If you're just after a great reading experience, you can't go wrong with this modern take on a well-loved classic.

The Kobo Libra 2 uses one of the most ergonomic designs in the industry, with just enough weight to feel sturdy but comfortable. Plus, thanks to its dedicated page-turn buttons, you can keep the story going even when one hand is full! You also don't need to touch the screen, so no more of the finger smudges messing up your reading time.

The deep contrasts of the 7-inch display create a stunning visual effect that makes it seem like freshly dried ink on paper. You can even up the immersion by sideloading commonly used fonts for novels. However, the battery life easily drains when listening to audiobooks. Some users, for instance, have depleted a full charge in only a few hours so prepare accordingly!

Equipped with Android 10, the Onyx Boox Poke 3 is your choice for a highly-customizable e-reader. Its access to the Play Store is unbeatable when it comes to installing reading applications that can open all various file formats. And it's not just limited to that! If you fancy audiobooks or podcasts, this machine can run apps for them as well!

Pair all that with its 6-inch screen, and the Poke 3 is one of the most compact and versatile e-readers out there. However, keep your expectations in check. While it can run Android, don't expect to play any games or videos on it. Instead, its small size and OS are best for readers who read many file formats and want access to them anytime, anywhere.

At 7 inches, the Oasis not only competes in size but also in build quality. The sleek finish of its electroplated polymer is like metal to the touch, creating a premium feel. Plus, it's only 0.13 kilograms! That means you reading sessions will remain comfortable no matter how long they are.

The Oasis is also considerably thinner than other lineups. Despite its 3.4 millimeters thinness, don't sneeze at its rigidity! Many users have tried to bend the body of the Oasis and failed, testifying to the device's durability. If you want a premium product that will last, the Oasis is for you!

Colored e-ink is a relatively new technology, but despite its young age, Onyx utilizes it to its fullest in their Nova Air. In fact, it's one of the few e-readers that can display color. So if your reading list has some colored content like textbooks or comics, this device is the best option if you don't want to resort to using LCD displays.

Just don't expect the color to be as vibrant as your phone. Like we said, it's a young technology. But in exchange, you're getting another of Nova's main appealーtheir high Paper Index Similarity. That means that when you write, draw, or sketch on the screen with the included stylus, it will feel like using actual paper.

Do you want to get your kids into reading? The Paperwhite Kids have just the features for you! Their Vocabulary Builder and Word Wise functions make learning new words a fun and engaging experience. Plus, because they're far away from the distractions found in smartphones, they can fully immerse themselves into the text.

The Paperwhite Kids also have various accessibility functions to meet the needs of different users. For instance, it supports the OpenDyslexic font to help those who have dyslexia. Plus, thanks to its adjustable lighting, you can adjust the warmth to make the most comfortable reading time, whether it's day or night.

Amazon's most basic Kindle model is the e-reader to get if you just want a no-nonsense reading experience. True, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of other devices, but it excels in creating a distraction-free environment. All accessibility features like font size, language translation, and highlighting can all be adjusted without having to leave the page.

It also supports Bluetooth functionality if you're into streaming audiobooks to speakers! The main appeal, though, is its access to Prime Reading. Essentially, members of Amazon Prime have free access to thousands of titles. You even get free subscriptions to other book-related services depending on Amazon's promos.

The Lumi 2 boasts a 13.3-inch screen specifically designed for reading large media like newspapers or magazines. Mostly, these are available in PDF format, but thanks to the Snapdragon 662 CPU in the machine, running and editing these file formats don't feel sluggish at all! In fact, it can even run two applications at once with its split screen feature. 

Most people would have a book open on one side of the screen and a blank page on the other for notes or scribbles. It even has proprietary apps like BOOXDrop that help workflow by syncing to your PC. Just note that, unlike previous Onyx models, the screen here is less textured. While this relinquishes the paper-like feel, the writing experience becomes much smoother.

The iPad Mini may not seem like an e-reader, but thanks to its compact size, it can easily double as one. It's also not held back by the shortcomings of current e-reader technology, like low refresh rate and slow processing power. In fact, whether it's annotating PDFs, highlighting passages, or scrolling through audiobooks, the Mini provides an extremely smooth user experience.

Granted, since the internet is just a tap away, your dedication to resist scrolling through Facebook instead. The LCD also strains the eyes after a few minutes of concentrated reading. Thankfully, there are some apps that can turn the Mini into a dedicated e-reader, such as blocking social media or lowering the blue light.

The MiReader is perfect for tinkerers who want a device tailor-made to them. These are the same people who prefer Linux's focus on the user. Out of the box, the device only comes with a Chinese user interface, but people from the e-reading community have already provided an English build. Just follow their installation process, and that's when the magic happens.

The new interface allows the sideloading of new content. You can even customize the menu with the right mod! Though for casual users, the page turn speed, margins, and fonts are now more easily accessible. The MiReader is not really for the masses; it requires a lot of work to compete with other e-readers. But given the effort, it's one of the best out there!