Not trying to be judgemental, I am genuinely curious.
I love reading and also buying stuff so naturally I am interested in a Kindle. But I don’t understand why people buy kindles when you can just use the Books app on your phone? It’s like carrying a cell phone AND an ipod around with you like it’s 2010
Please enlighten me
by bettereveryday01
29 Comments
Larger screen, more book like. Paperwhite tech is easier on the eyes.
Good battery and the e-ink kindles are closer to reading off of a page.
I’ll add fewer distractions because you’re not getting all of the various notifications.
Lighter. Easier to read in bright light. Less bright and easier on my eyes to read in the dark. Doesn’t drain my phone battery. Larger screen.
I can’t really answer the having a phone part due to not owning one but the screen is less eye-straining and it’s easier to focus on the book as there aren’t a thousand different applications or notifications competing for my attention.
You won’t burn your eyeballs out of your head…
Larger screen, e-ink mimics physical books not a phone/computer style screen, which is far easier and nicer to read on, with less eye strain, incredible battery life, no interruptions from notifications or texts or calls, no temptation to just play on your phone instead of read.
Plus if you forget your Kindle, you can still read in the interim on your phone via the Kindle App, or online on your computer. You get it all.
If you read a ton, nothing beats a Kindle. If you read occasionally or rarely, then your phone fine.
Also my last Kindle lasted eleven years before the battery started going and I replaced it. Phones you get maybe two years, kind of if you’re somewhat lucky even, three if you’re incredibly lucky.
I do also have my phone and my old iPod Touch. The iPod is dying but I’ll be replacing it with a very nice MP3 player (Fiio) (never really liked Apple but it was the only real option for a long time). My phone has a good battery still but it’s not a great music player and the way I listen to music, it’s all the time, I’d be charging my phone constantly, plus get interrupted for texts and stuff?
There is no comparison. E-ink screens are much easier on the eyes than a smartphone screen. And they’re bigger.
If you read a lot there is less eye strain and proper backlighting.
I have a nook but I will say it is much easier to read on versus my phone. The contrast between text and background is not as strong and the text is right at the top of the screen, whereas the text on the phone feels recessed (it is under a small amount of glass after all). Also simply having a bigger screen makes a huge difference. In order to read it comfortably on my phone the text has to be large enough that you only get a few words per line. Also, I find the ereader doesn’t keep me up at night whereas my phone will keep me up, even with the color shift on. Plus no distractions and longer battery life, like others have said.
Bigger screen size, softer view matte screen, longer battery life, and most importantly no texts or other distractions.
I got a Kindle Fire as a gift. I don’t read ebooks often. If I do read one, I usually do so on my phone, for convenience’s sake.
The Kindle is covered in a layer of dust at the moment. : /
I don’t like reading novels on my phone, it’s too small and uncomfortable. I like having a devoted e-reader that doesn’t distract me with apps.
it feels great in the hand, less harsh on my eyes, easy to read where ever i am (pool, sun, night ect) no distractions (i have adhd and am very easily distracted) it just overall the superior reading experience. i still read on my phone when i’m waiting for the bus or bored at work but i love my paperwhite
Let’s face it, these fancy cellular mobile phones kinda suck. They are a convenient to carry size and that’s about it.
I can’t read well on my phone because of the reflection in the screen. It’s fine for small things and scrolling. But, reading is an immersive experience for me, and I don’t get that when reading on my phone because the reflection causes me to lose focus frequently.
I’ve owned multiple Kindles over the years and ultimately I get frustrated with the slow response to input. I read a bit on my phone, but I think the gold standard is the Kindle app on an iPad Air. Lightweight, responsive, and for some reason I’m less distractable on iPad than phone.
It’s easier on the eyes and you don’t have your texts, social media, and emails distracting you.
I still read on the phone on the go because it’s easier to whip out my phone when I’m waiting on line. But at home I like to read on the Kindle, especially in a darker setting.
There’s really no comparison in terms of screen. Even with an OLED screen, warm colours, brightness down etc., a phone screen still glows. E-readers feel like you’re reading an actual book and don’t cause strain on the eyes.
What kind of psycho reads a book on their phone lol I’d get a migraine and puke after an hour.
I absolutely despise reading on my phone. I don’t even like reading email on it. I use an ipad for kindle but have also had actual kindle devices. I have to have something more tablet sized, otherwise it’s too much scrolling/tapping because of the small screen. And I read A LOT so it would take out my phone battery pretty fast due to constant screen use.
ETA – I use a paperwhite kindle when I travel or camp. It will hold a charge for WEEKS which is fantastic. Much easier on the eyes. But I prefer my larger Ipad when I’m home and it’s way faster, the slowness of the kindle I have kind of drives me crazy in comparison. Slowness meaning in terms of turning pages and moving between books there is a slight delay while on my ipad I can scroll-read instead of page-turn. My Kindle is a few years old, so that might be updated on newer versions of the paperwhite, not sure.
Larger screen, no blue light, kindle is ONLY for reading so it’s like reading a book and I won’t get distracted
I personally could not stand to read a whole book on my phone. Even long articles are annoying and frustrating for me. I prefer physical books overall, but I also have a Nook, and it’s so much nicer and easier to read on than a phone.
Space mostly (yeah I can just download books one at a time but we all know that isn’t gonna happen), plus better screen size and no harsh backlights.
Plus staring at a kindle seems to be more socially acceptable than staring at a phone. “Oh she must be reading” as opposed to “geez she’s ALWAYS on her phone” really makes a difference to my anxiety.
Paperwhite screen is easier on my eyes, I like that it has physical buttons, and because I seldom keep the wifi on it has a battery that will last ten million years.
I also hate smartphones and smartphone UIs and touchscreens, and I like having my reading compartmentalized from my scrolling.
Space, screen size and lighting. Those would be my top three. Especially screen size because I already enlarge the font and lighting because glare can really wear on your eyes when it’s for a longer time.
the longest i’ve looked at a kindle was 12 hours. it was a really good book and a really long flight.
i don’t even want to know how my eyes would feel after looking at a screen for that long. e ink rules.
Phone is extremely distracting, and the battery is short-lived.
I cannot read ebooks. There may be many reasons for this. Too small a screen. Too easy to get distracted. I really just like holding a book…feeling the heft. Turning the pages. Seeing the progress (and no, a progress bar and percentage doesn’t cut it.)
But I’m tempted to buy a Kindle because it’s definitely possible that a larger size made specifically for reading would be different. I really want to be able to read at night, in bed…outside. In the pool (they’re waterproof, right? Lol)