Reading tablets

Lixaxy

I currently own a Adlibris Letto Frontlight (originally called Cybook Muse Frontlight), but it is really bad for reading manga, since it can't zoom. It also will not display Japanese text, making it impossible to read LN and alike. I am therefore in the middle of looking for another, better reading tablet. I live in Sweden, a country that does not use Amazon. I don't even think we're able to buy digital books from the Japanese or American site. Therefore I am a bit against Kindle. It also seems very bothersome to import books from sites other than Amazon.

Does anyone know a way around this or has any other reading tablet recommendations?

Shiny

In terms of e-ink the Kobo Forma E-Reader might be worth a look. You can also use Calibre to put epubs etc onto a Kindle.

The premium conventional tablet options are the iPad Air series and the Samsung Galaxy Tab series. You can pay less for other devices, but if you're not careful you could end up with a laggy suboptimal experience so be sure to read relevant reviews. For support reasons it is usually best not to get a tablet model that is really old, whatever the specs.

For tablets with conventional displays there are a number of considerations which, in no particular order, include: screen size (and aspect ratio), device portability (dimensions and weight and general robustness), battery life, years of support (security updates), resolution/DPI, screen quality (e.g. is it especially susceptible to glare or scratching), storage capacity (and whether it is extensible), price, and which app ecosystem you want to use (Android or iOS?).

Further reading (can't vouch for their reputation / neutrality):

tgquan67

If you read manga and need to zoom a lot, then maybe e-ink is not for you. Between android and iOS I personally prefer android, as it's easily extensible, it can import files easily, and it can do almost anything with the right app. However the situation of android tablets in north europe is not really good, it's either an overpriced samsung tablet or a chinese tablet. Kindle Fire on amazon.de won't ship outside of Germany (I'm not really sure about this though), so the effort to find a good one is huge.
IMO a light tablet in the range of 7-8 inch is the best. 10 inch is just too big. Screen resolution is not really that important, anything at least 720p will do. Maybe a huge smartphone with screen bigger than 6.5 inch is passable.

sniper_samurai

@tgquan67 The new Samsung Tab S5e is great at it's price point of €440, 10 inch QHD screen with 64gb storage that can be expanded with microSD. Price is comparable with an iPad and the screen has a better aspect ratio for reading in portrait mode.

For a 7-8 inch the S2 is still a reasonable tablet at around the €240 mark, bezels are a bit big though. Best tablet in that form factor is the new iPad mini which is more expensive than the standard iPad at €380

SomeOldGuy

Really, any Android-based tablet works fine for reading ebooks. I've used the RCA-branded 10" and 11" units, and they're reasonably priced, but you give up certain features (no GPS) to have the low price (around US$100 for either the 10 or 11, with a keyboard that is removable). I'm looking at getting a smaller one JUST as a reader.

I like the idea of eInk (Kindle Paper White is my go-to for reading novels), but the tablets are what I use for manga.

sniper_samurai

@someoldguy Depends on the resolution of the screen.

Have a cheap ASUS 7 inch as a back up, which was useful when my Pixel C died, that has a 720p screen. The text on it is illegible and blurry at smaller font sizes, still works reasonably well for manga though you may need to zoom on occasion.

blueshift

Have you looked into Bookwalker or Comixology?

I use a regular iPad to read manga and have no complaints with it. Non-expandable storage could be a problem if you want your entire collection on the device at all times I guess.

Lixaxy

@shiny Thank you so much for your answer. I've been looking into the Kobo Format, and it seems really interesting. I especially like that you can controll the WB of the frontligt. It is also a lot cheaper than Kindle Oasis (the only Kindle model with buttons).

Lixaxy

@blueshift I don't really like the glaring light of tablets and I'm therefore trying to switch to a reading tablet. I also reqlly like the papery like screen reading tablets offer. Thank you for your answer anyhow.