

E-Book-Reader at "Stiftung Warentest": "Good" devices exist in the Amazon cage, but also in freedom

Stiftung Warentest" has tested eight new e-book readers. Seven achieved the grade "good". Which one you choose, however, depends more on individual preferences than on this test.
E-readers are in season twice a year: at vacation time and at Christmas. They are given as gifts under the Christmas tree or bought to save space in the suitcase. For those who read a lot at the beach, an e-reader also saves weight and can be downloaded at any time should the reading material run out.
In a test by Stiftung Warentest, two devices from Amazon received top marks and were also among the most affordable. The "Signature Edition" is the only reader in the test field that even allows wireless charging.
Kindle Paperwhite: Overall rating "good
But they have a catch: You can only read books on these e-book readers that you have purchased from Amazon. So with a Kindle, you're a prisoner of the Amazon system. With non-Amazon devices, you're free to choose where you buy your digital books or whether you borrow them from the online library. With the Tolino or the two Kobo devices, there are preloaded stores, but they are only an option, not a constraint.
The battery life correlates with the screen diagonal. While the two Kindle devices measure 17 centimeters (6.8 inches) diagonally, the largest device in the test has 26 centimeters (10.2 inches) to offer. Of course, displaying more on more surface costs power. To put this into perspective, a page in a paperback book has a diagonal of about 21 centimeters.
E-book readers: These devices all received a "good" rating
I have already described the strengths of Amazon's e-book readers above. Here is a brief overview of the devices that were otherwise in the test.
Kobo Elipsa
What justifies the considerably higher price of the Elipsa, you might ask? That's explained pretty quickly: The Elipsa is not only an e-book reader, but you can also write on it and convert your notes into PDFs or typed text, for example. However, this did not play a role in the "Stiftung Warentest" test, which is why the apples to oranges comparison can at least be cleared up a bit.
Kobo Sage 8
The Kobo Sage is cheaper than the Elipsa, but received exactly the same score. It is even rated higher for robustness and workmanship. It is smaller and lighter (242 grams) with a diagonal of 20 centimeters. The battery lasts for 13 hours. The Sage 8 has a button for mechanical page turning. This is missing from Amazon's Kindle readers, which require swiping on the display.
Tolino Vision 6
The Tolino Vision 6 is priced on par with the Amazon devices and has similarly good test scores. The only difference is that the battery life is much shorter at 23 hours, but that is not a problem in everyday use. The Vision 6 also has a button for turning pages and a mode for lefties. With 214 grams, the device is one of the lightest.
Kobo Libra 2
The Kobo Libra 2 was the lightest with a weight of 214 grams and the smallest Kobo device in the test with a screen diagonal of 18 centimeters, but it has the monster storage space of 28 gigabytes just like its bigger siblings.
Pocketbook Inkpad Color
Which e-book reader is the right one?
Titelbild: Perfecto Capucine / Unsplash

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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