Review of PocketBook, Digma and Amazon Kindle e-books. Comparing e-books 2024
Most often, e-book reviews are devoted to one specific model. However, comparative tests provide more useful information: the best e-books are immediately visible – and the outsiders. This article will discuss models of the Digma, PocketBook and Amazon brands. Let's figure out which reader is the coolest.
There are dozens of e-readers in Russian stores today. At first glance, all these models are similar to each other. But if you dig a little deeper, it turns out that they offer different sets of functions and capabilities. In this review of e-books, I decided to compare three devices of this type: Digma X1, PocketBook 629 Verse and Amazon Kindle 2022. These models are equipped with classic 6-inch screens for e-readers. All of them can be an alternative to each other, although for certain reasons they cost different amounts of money.
Let's take a closer look at the e-books I selected for comparison.
Price of the e-book Digma X1 is 9,990 rubles. This is one of the most affordable readers in Russia. The model's special feature is a cover attached to the body. On the one hand, this is good: the accessory is included, you don't need to select or buy anything. On the other hand, you won't be able to change the cover. If it gets dirty or worn out from use, you'll have to put up with it.
PocketBook 629 Verse costs 15,990 rubles. A more expensive model, but also more modern. What is the extra charge for? For a more interesting design, for more compact dimensions with a similar screen diagonal, for advanced Internet capabilities (the Digma X1 does not have them) and some other points.
Name the exact price of the e-book Amazon Kindle 2022 difficult, since the model is not supplied to Russia. However, it can be found in some stores. Sometimes it is sold for 17-18 thousand rubles, and sometimes for 20. And some buy it. Those who know that Kindle readers are very popular in Europe and the USA. Europeans and Americans praise these e-books in their reviews. This gives hope that Amazon's e-readers are really cool. But is this really so?
Let's figure out what e-books can do and how they win over their competitors.
The most attractive and practical of the three is the PocketBook model. And not only because it is light blue (although such “colored” e-books, i.e. not black or gray, are a rarity). The reader is interesting in appearance – due to the shape of the case with beveled corners and the back panel with grooves. Dirt does not accumulate on it. Plus, due to these recesses, the reader does not slip out of your hands.
The Digma model looks outdated against this background. It resembles e-readers from 15 years ago and is noticeably different from a typical e-book of 2024 (or at least 2023-2022). The dull mouse color only complements the already joyless picture. I will mention the cover again: it is difficult to consider it an unequivocal plus. Simply because this permanently attached accessory cannot be replaced.
As for the Kindle, it is the simplest and most boring model in this review of e-books. Not pretty, not outdated – neutral. At the same time, the Amazon model gets dirty very easily – even clean hands leave streaks on the back. Do Europeans and Americans who happily buy Kindles not notice this?..
At first glance, it seems that the control is most conveniently implemented in Digma. The model has both a touch screen and page turning keys. And on the right, and on the left, and even at the bottom – you can turn pages with a joystick. But it's not that simple. The buttons are loose, which gives a feeling of unreliability – what if they fall off! Moreover: the touch screen is characterized by low sensitivity. Sometimes it simply does not respond to fingers. Therefore, you have to get to the necessary menu items with buttons. In addition, the display does not support multi-touch. You cannot adjust the size of letters by spreading / bringing your fingers together. Strange thing: I can't even say which e-books with a touch screen do not have this option. It seems that it is everywhere …
PocketBook 629 Verse and Amazon Kindle 2022 do not have such problems: the screens are responsive, there is multi-touch. The PocketBook reader also has physical buttons for turning pages and quick access to some functions. In terms of control, it is the most thoughtful of the three.
The screens of all models are the same size: 6 inches with an aspect ratio of 4:3. Do not confuse them with smartphones: even at 6.5 inches, they have an aspect ratio of about 16:9, so their displays are smaller in area than those of e-readers. E-reader screens are made using a special technology – E Ink. It provides a black and white image, similar in visual properties to paper. (There are also color e-books, but they are noticeably more expensive; we will talk about them some other time.) Therefore, after reading with e-readers, your eyes practically do not get tired. E Ink displays come in different types: older ones are called Pearl, newer and higher-quality ones are Carta. Obviously, the best e-books today are equipped with Carta screens – no options.
The Digma X1 has a Pearl screen, while the PocketBook 629 Verse and Kindle 2022 have Carta. As a result, these two models provide a richer image, more contrasting fonts. Reading from them is more enjoyable. This is the level of reading comfort you expect from an e-book in 2024.
All three readers have backlighting. Actually, there is nothing surprising about this: this option is provided in almost all e-books of 2024 and several previous years of release.
The brightness of the backlight of our heroes is comparable – in this regard, there is no clear leader. However, only the PocketBook model has the ability to adjust the color temperature. If the other two devices are able to illuminate the screens with white, then the 629th can also illuminate yellow and orange. Warm shades relax the body, so it is logical to activate them when reading before bed.
When reading, all three readers offer a lot of settings: choosing a font, the width of the margins around the text, the line spacing, and so on. But there are nuances here too. For example, PocketBook 629 Verse and Kindle 2022 allow you to translate foreign words highlighted in the text using dictionaries, but Digma does not. The same situation is with notes and comments to the text. X1 looks like an outsider, since these options are missing. In general, PocketBook has the most pleasant software features, with Kindle in second place. In terms of the number of settings and their flexibility, these are the best e-books in this review.
But if we talk about supported book formats, then the places in the top e-books are distributed differently. PocketBook takes the “gold” with 21 formats, Digma is in second place with 12, and Kindle is in last place with 6. Moreover, all Amazon Kindle readers, unlike PocketBook and Digma, do not work with FB2. And this is probably the most popular format for Russian-language books. In general, the more supported formats, the better. The higher the probability that a book purchased or simply found on the Internet will open on the device without problems.
Internet in e-readers is needed not so much for accessing websites (although for this too), but for fast and convenient “delivery” of books from the computer. Click the mouse a couple of times – and the book is sent to the reader via Wi-Fi. No need to look for a cable, connect the e-reader to a laptop – very convenient! PocketBook 629 Verse and Kindle 2022 provide this opportunity to their owners. But Digma X1 is not friendly with the Internet at all. This is sad. Online functions have long been a must-have feature of the best e-books.
The leader in terms of memory capacity is the Amazon model: it offers 16 GB. On the other hand, the American reader does not have a memory card slot. But PocketBook and Digma do. Therefore, despite the fact that they have less built-in memory (8 and 4 GB, respectively), they are even preferable for those who like to store huge collections of literary works. After all, you can add MicroSD to these 8 and 4 GB. The card capacity can be 32 GB in the case of Digma and 128 GB in the case of PocketBook.
The situation with battery life is approximately the same for all readers: they can last about a month without a power outlet. There is practically no difference between the best e-books and outsiders in this regard. Do not be surprised: E Ink screens, regardless of type, are extremely economical. Therefore, e-readers, unlike smartphones and tablets, have to be charged extremely rarely. By the way, about charging. In the Digma X1, the well-worn MicroUSB connector is intended for it, and in the PocketBook 629 Verse and Kindle 2022, the more modern USB-C. It has long been the standard for gadgets, including e-books in 2024.
So, I have described the main differences between the three e-books, outlined their pros and cons. Now we can draw some conclusions. And not even in relation to these three specific models, but in relation to all the Digma, PocketBook and Amazon Kindle lines. Because the pros and cons of readers of the same brands are usually the same. For example, all PocketBook models support more than 20 book formats and are made in a similar design, and all Digma readers cost up to 10 thousand rubles.
I got the following final top e-books:
3rd place. Digma X1. One of the most inexpensive e-readers on the market. It's good that such devices exist, because not everyone is ready to pay more than 10 thousand rubles for a reader. But you need to be prepared for the fact that a reader of this level will present a number of unpleasant surprises: an outdated screen that does not always work well; low menu speed; an ancient connector. This is a budget product with a lot of compromises. Even the bonus in the form of a cover does not save it, which upon closer inspection turns out to be not so “tasty”. Unfortunately, according to the results of my review of e-books, the X1 model turned out to be an outsider.
2nd place. Amazon Kindle 2022. Some people think that Kindle is the best e-book reader. But I would like to disagree with such statements. If this reader cost 10 thousand rubles in Russia (about the same price in the US), it could be called a suitable option. However, for 17-20 thousand it does not look interesting. Modest design, small number of supported book formats, control only from the touch screen, no adjustment of the color temperature of the backlight… Yes, there is a good display, yes, the reader works quickly and stably. But I would like more. In general, you should not trust the reviews of these e-book readers. There is a feeling that Kindle owners have simply never compared their devices with readers from other manufacturers. Hence the admiration.
1st place. PocketBook 629 Verse. The price of this e-book is 16 thousand rubles. With such an amount, it is a very decent option. Moreover: even if the budget for the purchase is 10 thousand, I would recommend saving up money and buying a PocketBook (this model or another – it does not matter). The difference with budget readers like Digma is striking: in the speed of work, and in the design, and in the convenience, and in the thoughtfulness of the software. In a word, the 629th is a modern solution in which no obvious compromises are visible. Unless, of course, you consider the physical buttons as such – for the sake of design, they were made narrow. I would like them to be a little wider and larger.
