I love my Amazon Kindle, but foldable phones have convinced me the time is right – and here’s why
Smartphones have replaced a truly astonishing number of things in everyday life, from cameras to calculators, and from alarm clocks to wallets; and, based on the current state of foldable devices, ereaders – like Amazon’s ever-popular Kindle line – could be next.
The eReader is a great product in itself and can store the literature of an entire library. Plus, advances in this category have brought higher resolution displays, tonal backlighting for better nighttime reading, longer battery life, faster charging and even water resistance – so your pool can make it through those steamy conditions . new novel remains unobstructed as the rowdy children, two loungers away, try to outdo each other in a game of ‘cannonball’.
But no matter how innovative the developments in the field of ereaders seem in a vacuum, smartphones – even if they lack the same specializations – are already several steps ahead on a technical level and are closing the gap in terms of the features that Kindles and the like define superior. reading gadgets.
I first came to this realization when the original iPad launched. Being able to see color comics on a large but portable high-fidelity backlit LCD screen was a truly revelatory experience at the time, and one that made me question my Kindle loyalty even then. More recently, though, it’s the OnePlus Open that has been the device that showed me a viable reading future beyond my trusty Kindle Oasis.
First off, even Amazon’s top Kindles haven’t ventured into color imagery yet, and personally, being able to enjoy full-fidelity cover art makes a big difference in the excitement of starting a new book. Sure, the newly launched Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color’s Kaleido 3 E Ink displays are impressive in their ability to display 4,096 shades, but compared to the Open’s one-billion-color AMOLED, there’s no contest.
Of course, color images alone do not provide a superior viewing experience, but the OnePlus Open does not stop there in terms of screen. It’s also impressively bright, offering one of the brightest foldable displays on the market today, meaning it’s one of the best screens for reading in bright conditions, despite the display technology used. And while the Open may not have the perfect answer to an E Ink display, other phone makers are now pushing technologies that could soon make smartphone outdoor readability as good as your Kindle.
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Along with the obvious set of specs that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has received, one of the less appreciated upgrades is the reduced reflectivity of the screen, which the company has managed to reduce by a whopping 75%. Then there’s TCL’s NxtPaper technology, which I saw firsthand on the TCL 50 XL NxtPaper and think could be the answer to the prayers of those who want a device that offers E Ink-like readability and low reflectivity, while also offering the traditional benefits of a full-color backlit smartphone screen.
While the Open has an Eye Comfort mode that allows for warmer color temperatures and monochromatic viewing, Xiaomi takes the experience on its phones a step further by including a texture slider in the Paper reading mode that simulates a more paper-like grain on the screen. While I haven’t verified the science, personal opinions and anecdotal evidence from other users online suggest that this further increases the ease of reading.
Then there’s the form factor to consider: a foldable tablet may be thicker than a Kindle, but it offers a similarly sized screen while collapsing to a much more compact (and pocketable) size. And while battery life is still measured in days rather than weeks (due to the myriad other things smartphones are equipped with), 67W fast charging is available to top up the Open in about 30 minutes, while for Kindles it takes an hour or more to charge the battery. attack.
So while there’s still work to be done in the quest to make the foldable smartphone the one device that rules them all, the chapter in which you pack your phone is And your Kindle before your next long-haul flight or weekend getaway potentially comes to an end.