With new technologies, our way of
consuming has changed. Before, we were on paper books… Today, with Amazon and
other digital giants, books have invaded our screens. This is how we read more
and more, and more and more, on tablets or e-readers dedicated to reading. But
you still have to choose between a tablet and an e-reader… Because each offers
advantages and disadvantages. And it also depends on what you read: a novel, a
comic book, manga.
In recent years, the e-reader and
tablet markets have been driven by two flagship brands: Amazon for e-readers
and Apple for tablets. In the following lines, we give an overview on the
characteristics of these two devices and on what it is advisable to use
depending on the content to read.
WHAT ARE THE POINTS OF COMPARISON
BETWEEN AN E-READER AND A TABLET?
AUTONOMY
Battery life will probably be one
of your most important criteria… It will give you more or less time between
each charge to read what you like. And therefore, to leave and take your
e-reader / tablet on the train, on the way to work or out to the park.
With its electronic ink
technology, e- readers have very good autonomy ... Some can display more than
7000 pages before being reloaded. This means several weeks or even months
before you have to reconnect it. An autonomy that is not reached by a tablet. These
last between 7 and 9 hours depending on the model, screen size, etc.
The main reason for this
difference is that the tablet is multitasking and tablet reading is only one of
the possibilities. It must also run the whole system behind and maintain
security settings while online. Its screen is also much more energy-consuming.
All this means that the autonomy is less for a tablet.
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
As explained just before, e-
readers use electronic ink technology to display the text. This makes it
possible to give the appearance of a book printed in black and white and
therefore very comfortable on the eyes. In addition, once the text is displayed
on the screen, it no longer consumes energy. You only need light to read, just
like any book.
The tablets, they have a screen
with a backlight, typically LED and color. As we find on all pcs and all
screens. This technology is much more energy intensive ... But it is suitable
for multimedia content found on the internet. For example, videos. But this
technology also emits a blue light that tires the eye and excites the brain
before going to sleep.
READING COMFORT
At this stage, you will have
already understood that e-readers offer greater reading comfort compared to
tablets. Especially for the rest of the eyes and autonomy.
Another point to be addressed are
reflections… E-readers are less prone to it than tablets thanks, once again, to
electronic ink technology. Even in a very sunny and very bright environment,
the contrast between the writing and the screen remains correct. Where the
tablet will become unreadable unless you force contrast or backlighting. This
will decrease the battery life accordingly.
In addition, the size and font
are editable on an e-reader, allowing you to tailor the writing of the book to
your liking. You will tire less and be able to read for longer.
So if you are an avid reader, or
plan to read a lot of books, the e-Reader will still be the best choice. Quite
simply because the reading comfort is superior.
VERSATILITY
On the other hand, in terms of
versatility, tablets do much better than e-readers… They can be used to surf the
Internet, to watch videos, to launch applications and to play. It is therefore
an all-terrain and family device, which is suitable according to the needs of
each one. And, one of those functions is to allow reading. Whether it's
newspapers, magazines or books. The tablet is much more suited to the variety
of reading media.
For its part, the e-reader is
mainly intended for reading. Even if, in absolute terms, it is also possible to
do research on the internet.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
E-readers have compact sizes,
much more than tablets. Most e - readers don't exceed 5-7 inches when it comes
to the screen. While the shelves are generally around 10 inches. It is
therefore more difficult to store them.
Like the book, which exists in
its pocket version, it is possible to slip the e-reader into your jacket pocket
when communicating between two trains or subways. It is much less easy for a
tablet. Thus, the e-reader goes almost unnoticed.
This is also true for the weight.
An e-reader weighs between 150 and 250 grams. On average, 200 grams, which is
not much more or less than a pound. On the other hand, the tablets are much
heavier. For example, the iPad mini weighs 330 grams and the Samsung 10 ″
tablet weighs 580 grams. A nice difference in weight!
TABLET OR E-READER, WHAT TO
CHOOSE?
Your choice between an e-reader or
a tablet is certainly already made after all these points have been covered.
Maybe even your final choice will be a status quo with a use of the paper
versions!
Opt for an e-reader if you are:
·
a great reader of novels , essays, etc.
·
a manga reader
·
a book lover , but who doesn't care about
physical books
You will gain:
·
in reading comfort (less eye fatigue, no blue
light, etc.)
·
in place
·
a sensation identical to reading a book
·
a compact and light object , but which offers
good reading performance while having an attractive price
Opt for a tablet if you are:
·
a lover of comics and manga
·
an occasional novel reader
You will gain:
·
in reading comfort ( image quality , color
rendering, fluidity)
·
in place
·
an interactive object that will be useful in
other circumstances