Which Is The Best Tablet For Reading Books? More and more people are choosing tablet computers as their weapon of choice for e-mail, surfing the net, watching videos, keeping up with social networking, playing games, and whatever else they do, both for fun and for work. Tablets will outsell both desktops and laptops combined in 2014 and, as you can see from the list of activities (which is incomplete), their versatility is definitely one of the major appeals of these devices.
In addition to outgunning other types of computers, tablets are often suggested to herald the demise of dedicated e-readers. Some potential buyers, ask “which is the best tablet for reading books on?”.
Reading books, magazines and newspapers are very definitely one of the tasks that you can use your tablet for. So which one is best?
What is the Best Tablet for Reading?
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Assuming that you’ve decided that a tablet is a right device for you, you need to consider just a couple of things in order to get the best one for reading.
Firstly, you should decide upon which size of the tablet you want. For most people, a smaller device will be more convenient. It will be easier to hold and operate with one hand, and you won’t get tired due to excessive weight. It will also be a little easier to carry with you if you want to read when you’re out and about.
The Kindle Fire HDX, Google Nexus 7, and Apple iPad Mini Retina are all good examples. Pixels per inch (PPI) are 323, 323 and 326 for the Kindle, Nexus and Mini respectively, so there’s nothing to choose from. They should all deliver the goods for you.
Best Tablet For Reading Books
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If your intent is to snuggle up on the couch with the latest blockbuster novel and a glass of your favorite tipple to lose yourself for an hour or two in a book then – regardless of the additional cost and the fact that it’s yet another device to carry, charge, keep updated, etc. – you probably want to be thinking about a dedicated e-reader rather than a tablet.
The e-ink technology displays used in e-readers produce an experience that is much closer to reading text printed on paper than any computer with a back-lit LCD screen can, regardless of how many pixels per inch that display may have. If you read for more than an hour a day, you should really consider an e-reader (learn why here).
Best Tablet For Reading PDF, newspapers or magazines
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However, if you want to read pdf files, magazines, newspapers, or anything that uses a lot of color imagery, then a tablet is a much better choice. It will handle pictures, drawings, sketches etc. very much better than an e-reader’s monochrome display. The back-lit LCD screen is not ideal for long periods of use (it’s like having someone shine a light in your eyes when you’re trying to read), but for shorter stints, it’s just fine.
That’s probably fine for magazines etc. – you’ll tend to flick through them for less than an hour before moving onto something else anyway. Likewise, if you just want to read a novel for a fairly short period of time then, although reading on a tablet won’t be as good as reading on an e-ink display, it will, nevertheless, be perfectly serviceable.
Best Tablet for reading and web browsing
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On the other hand, if you’re going to be reading a lot of items that have finely detailed diagrams, charts, tables etc., you might be better off with a larger device such as the iPad Air or a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. PPI values are 264 for the iPad Air and 299 for the Galaxy Note. The Note 10.1 comes with Samsung’s “S-pen”, which might be handy for those who like to scribble in the margins of whatever they’re reading.
Obviously, the larger tablets have a slightly lower PPI value than the small form ones, but unless you’re planning holding it pressed against your nose, you won’t notice much difference when reading.
Secondly, after you’ve decided upon which size of the tablet will suit you best, you just have to make your mind up about which brand to go with. As you can see from the PPI values above, there’s not a great deal to choose from between one model and the next.
It’s entirely possible that you might not make your decision based on the technical aspects, or at least not the technical aspects as they relate to reading. You will almost certainly have other technical considerations to take into account for other tasks for which you wish to use your tabl3t for.
Best Tablet for reading ebooks
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However, if reading is fairly high up your list of things to do with your device, then you would be well advised to factor it in. With that in mind, choose the tabl3t which lets you get hold of the content you want at a reasonable price. If you buy a lot of books or e-books from Amazon anyway, then a Kindle Fire is a good call. If you are immersed in Apple’s content ecosystem then an iPad, be it large or small, makes sense.
Conclusion
There really is very little in it, when choosing the best tablet computer, much will depend on your individual needs.
Obviously, if reading is just one of a number of activities that you will use your tablet for, you should optimize for the other activities as well. In fact, you should probably weigh your decision in their favor if reading is further down your “order of importance” list.
However, if forced to choose, and look purely at suitability for reading, then Amazon’s pedigree in the world of books, combined with their wide selection and usually keen prices, means that the Kindle Fire HDX 7″ model is just (only just) edges it.
