Should you buy a budget Android tablet or an expensive e-reader?

In the modern era, determining what devices you need for your lifestyle can be decidedly difficult. Smartphones alone range in price from $150 to $2000, with dozens of different features, designs, and functionalities to choose from. The best Android tablets are even worse, with massive price ranges and spec lists longer than a CVS receipt.

If you are on the hunt, and you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, the best way to narrow your search is to decide what you’ll use it for, particularly when it comes to tablets and e-readers at a certain cost. Are you an advanced reader who wants every feature fathomable to get that next novel under your belt or are you occasionally popping over to Netflix for a good old-fashioned binge session?

Applications

Tablets have more, but sometimes less is more

For starters, if you aren’t primarily using this device for reading, the decision should be fairly obvious. While e-readers have become increasingly robust over time, with a range of E Ink-compatible apps that are actually pretty cool, the functionality compared to virtually any tablet is substantially unfavorable. The app selection of tablets alone makes them infinitely more functional, with streaming services, social media platforms, and other means of communication at your fingertips. But the e-reader’s limited use case can be an asset if you’re using it for nothing more than reading and writing.

With the average attention span waning by the minute, a distraction-free device like an expensive e-reader can be a pleasant respite from 30-second TikTok videos and auto-playing Netflix trailers. Still, the apps available on Android tablets make it a lot easier to cultivate a collection, with dozens of platforms at your fingertips that can help you find any book under the sun in seconds. That, compared to the arduous process of loading some e-readers with books by dragging and dropping from folder to folder (locally or on the cloud), means you really have to consider how you’ll use the device in the long run.

Display and design

Is E Ink worth the limited functionality?

Studies have shown that, yes, E Ink displays are undeniably good for your eyes compared to the big blue light emanating from your average tablet. The only instances in which the lack of color may ding you as a reader are comic books and graphic novels, which generally look good in E Ink, but you will miss out on the colorful pop of some popular issues you’d see on an OLED screen.

E-readers are also designed, shockingly, for reading. Many of them come with reading-specific designs, like page-turning buttons and extended bezels for easy holding, which makes the overall reading experience infinitely more comfortable. Alternatively, tablet displays are sensitive and typically aim for the thinnest bezels possible, so your thumb could block some important information on your next read. E Ink also does much better in direct lighting, excelling here more than any other screen tech.

Battery life

This one’s not even close

While limited functionality and an E Ink display can be downsides for some users, there is one undeniable pro: extensive battery life. E-readers can last a long time without needing a charge compared to tablets that need a top-off at least every other day.

Like price, the battery life range is quite different from e-reader to e-reader, but one thing is clear: you’re measuring battery life in weeks rather than days. With many readers like the reMarkable 2 getting more than two weeks, there is basically no concern about charges between reads.

Pricing and availability

E-readers can be cheaper, but not always

When deciding whether to buy a device, a few specs are more important than price, and there’s a big range when it comes to tablets and e-readers. Generally speaking, e-readers will be a bit more affordable, for obvious reasons, but that isn’t always the case if you’re shopping at either end of the spectrum.

The best Amazon Fire tablets, for example, will cost you as little as $60, and they’re equipped with streaming and e-reader apps. Sure, the processor is garbage and the display is blah, but at that price, you should count yourself lucky that it even turns on. Conversely, advanced e-readers with note-taking functionality can get up there, with options like the Supernote Nomad coming in at a whopping $300 out of the box.

As for availability, you’ll probably have an easier, or at least quicker, time finding and getting your tablet delivered, if only because they’re generally more widely available in stores and online. Still, it’s 2024, and your e-reader shouldn’t take too long to arrive. So, if you know what you need from a tablet or an e-reader, this decision will make itself.