This post was updated on April 27 with more details of the Color 3 and other models in the InkPad range.
PocketBook, the ebook reader company headquartered in Switzerland, has a range of color-screen readers. One of them, the InkPad Color 3, boasts waterproofing, a smartlight and a feature which Amazon has never introduced for U.K. readers: access to library books. Here’s all you need to know.
Display Specs: Bigger And Sharper Color
The Color 3 has a 7.8-inch display (the Kindle Colorsoft display is 7 inches) with 300ppi resolution for black-and-white text and images and 150ppi for color content. These match the Kindle Colorsoft but it’s worth noting that the InkPad Color 3 has color resolution 50% higher than the earlier InkPad Color 2.
Colors are muted and pastel rather than bright and over-saturated. This is the nature of color ebooks and Amazon’s color effects are similar in mood, though a touch more vibrant.
For much of the time when you use a color ebook reader, the extra hues are invisible, but the color palette comes into its own when you’re looking at book covers, for instance. The biggest value is arguably when reading graphic novels, though there are benefits with cookery books and travel guides, for instance, with plenty of photographs.
The reduced resolution for color content is not especially noticeable, with images looking sharp and inviting, both here and on Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft.
Design: Physical Buttons Vs. Flush Screens
The PocketBook’s touchscreen is complemented by a row of four physical buttons which stretch across the device at its base.
Two of them are page forward and page back controls, which some prefer to tapping on a display. The left-most button takes you from what you’re reading to the home screen and the one on the right edge works to invoke or lose the menu button and works as the power button with a long-press.
The rear of the reader is ridged to provide a grippy feel. Where the Kindle Colorsoft and Paperwhite, for instance, have displays which are flush to the front of the reader, here the screen is recessed. This creates a slight “lip” that protects the screen but can occasionally catch dust.
It’s also the case that there is more flex in the shell than you might find in a Kindle Colorsoft, perhaps partly because of the flush-front design on Amazon’s color model.
The bottom corners of the InkPad Color 3 have a gently sculpted shape which some will feel makes it more comfortable in the hand. That said, it also means that you can rest the palm of your hand on the power button — do this too heavily and you can turn the device on or off unintentionally.
Pricing And Weight Comparison
The pricing in the U.K. is a touch more than that for the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition. Amazon’s device costs £269 ($363) while the PocketBook model is £279.99 ($378). Both have 32GB storage capacity. The Colorsoft Signature Edition also has wireless charging.
So, why would users consider PocketBook over Kindle?
Well, there’s the 7.8-inch display, though the PocketBook is bigger and heavier than the Kindle Colorsoft — 270g against Amazon’s 218g.
But for U.K. readers there’s that library advantage. The Libby app which allows users to borrow books digitally from their local library is accessible around the world, and a special version of it, PocketBook x Libby is available here.
It’s simple to set up with your U.K. library card and books can be borrowed with just a couple of taps on the screen in the app. This is something Amazon doesn’t offer in the U.K.
PocketBook says that for U.K. users, the device offers the world’s most comprehensive English-language digital ebook library. This includes 4.5 million ebooks and 90,000 audiobooks.
Recent releases from PocketBook include the InkPad One, which has a 10.3-inch black-and-white display and works with a digital stylus (the PocketBook Stuyls 2 is supplied). Unlike the InkPad Color 3 with its four front-mounted buttons, there are none on the InkPad One, designed to give an uncluttered look.
The InkPad One costs $360 and around £270 in the U.K. The reader is a direct competitor to the Kindle Scribe, though is more affordably priced (the Scribe starts at £379.99 in the U.K. for the model with 16GB storage, but the InkPad One has twice that, 32GB. Like the InkPad Color 3, it is compatible with the PocketBook x Libby app.
There is a speaker on board but the quality is decent rather than exceptional, so the Bluetooth options sound better. While audiobooks sound good like this, the text-to-speech feature is unsurprisingly robotic-sounding.
Transferring your own content is done either by connecting the reader to a PC by cable or using an option to transfer wirelessly by Dropbox syncing, which is more straightforward than moving your own books on to a Kindle, for instance..
