Many people are finding themselves asking the difference between E Ink vs Back Lit LCD ebook reader screens at this point in time. There are, after all, more color touch and E Ink options than ever before. Amazon just announced their color touch Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble has their Nook Color, and now we have a hole new family of E Ink Kindles and new Nook Simple Touch.
Which one should you choose?
It comes down to the reading experience in natural lighting, reading experience in the dark, battery life, and how much you want to expect from your device.
E Ink vs LCD Video- Very Different Reading Experience In Different Lighting Conditions
The video above establishes a few points about the reading experience difference between E Ink and back lit LCD screens.
1) Back Lit screens are downright horrible to read in bright overhead natural lighting.
2) E Ink screens excel in visibility in bright overhead natural lighting.
3) LCD back lit screens collect fingerprint smudges and are difficult to see through reflections in bright lighting conditions.
4) Reading in the dark requires an exterior light for the E Ink screens.
5) Reading in the dark requires no light for the back lit screen, and there are “night time reading” settings available that make the screen black and text a soft white.
Battery Life Difference
Another major difference between say, a Nook Color or Kindle Fire and a Kindle Touch or Nook Simple Touch is the battery life on one single charge.
The reader is tethered to the charger with the color touch screen, whereas the thought of charging crosses the E Ink customer’s mind once every 2 months! Obviously this is a big difference that one needs to take into account. Of course, it all comes down to the last point.
Bells and Whistles or Simple Text?
Obvious question, I know. But very important nonetheless. Do you want to read novels? Do you want to read magazines? Are you interested in other media like movies, music, games and surfing the web?
If you want to read novels, you’ll want to compare some E Ink devices like the Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch. You most likely don’t want to be tethered to the charger, you’ll want to be able to read without reflection and glare, and back lit LCD screens have been shown to hurt readers eyes after extended periods of reading. Sure you need a lighted cover, or light at night to be able to read, but the other benefits outweigh this one drawback.
Do you want more out of your device? If games, videos, music, internet surfing, email, and other options of an all in one device are your fancy, then you want more of a tablet PC style device that doubles as an ebook reader. You can check out our detailed Kindle Fire vs Nook Color review and the Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire review to see how they stack up against eachother.
So there are some important considerations when comparing the benefits and drawbacks of an E Ink vs Back Lit LCD screen ebook reader. It all comes down to reading experience outdoors and indoors, major battery life differences, and knowing how much you want out of a device.
October 19, 2011
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