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Best e-book readers and e-Ink tablets for PDF reading

Some e-readers are better suited to reading PDF documents than others. There is also devices that are true tablets, but with an e-ink screen. For the last few years several Chinese manufacturers have come up with pretty nice devices way more innovative than those offered by the main players of the sector (Kobo, Amazon and Pocketbook). These make it possible to read but also to take notes, browse the web or answer your e-mails in full sunlight. It’s not easy to find the best device for reading and annotating PDFs, as there are so many models available on this dynamic market.

In this article, we’ll look at the strengths and weaknesses of today’s most interesting e-Ink devices for reading and annotating PDF documents, bearing in mind the fact that we don’t all have the same needs, nor the same budget… If you’re in a hurry, you can directly read the conclusion.

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PDF reading capacities of the main ebook readers on the market

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If you want to read PDF documents (academic papers, newspaper articles, scanned books, etc.), you need to be aware that not all e-readers have the same PDF reading capabilities. Some come with a fairly minimal PDF-reading software, while others are better suited at opening and displaying a PDF, or make it easy to install a third party software that will make the reading experience great.

This article focuses on the PDF-reading capabilities of “consumer” e-readers on the market, i.e. the ones you’ll find on most shops and on online retailers such as Amazon, which are produced by companies that have been making e-readers for years and are conceived to read digital books, but can also – and sometimes very well – allow you to read and even annotate PDF documents.

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Best e Ink tablets for reading and annotating PDF files

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We have already discussed the PDF reading capabilities of the main e-readers on the market. While some offer a perfectly acceptable experience for those who only wish to read PDF documents, e Ink tablets are equipped with a stylus and offer more than just reading: you can annotate your documents, then export them back to your computer. These devices can also be used as digital notebooks or e-paper…

Unlike consumer e-readers, which aren’t ideal for PDF documents, most e Ink tablets are great for reading and annotating PDF files, using their native apps. However, some are better at that task than others, and make it not only possible but very comfortable to navigate through documents, mark pages as “favorites”, export quotations, etc. Which model stands out from the crowd, which would better be avoided, and why? Let’s find out!

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Boox Tab X – 13.3″ (A4) e-Ink tablet

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There aren’t many eReaders or e-Ink tablets in A4 format. Yet this is the ideal format for reading A4 documents, or for splitting the screen in 2, to read a book (PDF or ePub) on one side, and take notes on the other… With the Boox Tab X, the chinese manufacturer Onyx offers a high-performance, highly versatile product. What are its features, strengths and weaknesses? Is it the right device for your needs? Let’s find out…

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Use the button of a Lamy stylus to erase or switch tools on a reMarkable tablet.

The reMarkable 1 is a good eInk tablet now available at a good second hand price. You can use different stylus, including the Lamy AL-star EMR, whose buttons can be used to switch to “eraser” mode. This can also work with the – fragile but beautiful – reMarkable 2.

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Ratta Supernote A5 – e-reader and digital notebook.

Ratta is a Chinese company with offices in Shanghai and Tokyo. They make very interesting eInk tablets because they are well finished and equipped with a stylus for writing, and because Ratta differs from most manufacturers by a certain minimalism, coupled with quite varied functionalities. Could they offer the perfect balance?

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