Best e-reader for manga in 2024?

Today, I'm going to tackle a big issue that I've always put aside: reading manga on e-readers. We'll try to see together what can be the best e-reader for manga in 2024.

The size of the screen of the e-reader: important for manga?

I will not surprise you if I say that the bigger the screen, the better it will be to read mangas.

But, you also have to take into account the number of pixels.

For example, the Kobo Clara BW and Pocketbook Verse 6-inch e-readers have the same screen size but one has many more pixels than the other (Kobo Clara BW). Of course, it is also the most expensive...

But you can also find on the market e-readers with a screen bigger than 6 inches:

• Kindle Oasis
• Kobo Libra Colour
• Kindle Paperwhite (the latest version available with a 6.8 inch screen)
• Kobo Sage
• Pocketbook InkPad 4, InkPad X, InkPad 3 Pro, InkPad Lite, InkPad Color 3
• Kobo Elipsa E2
• Kindle Scribe

Here is a table with the good e-readers with a screen of 10 inches and more:

eReader : Pocketbook InkPad X vs Kobo Elipsa 2E vs Kindle Scribe

	Pocketbook InkPad X	Kobo Elipsa 2E	Kindle Scribe
Image
Screen size	10.3"	10.3"	10.2"
Resolution	1404 x 1872 pixels	1872 x 1404 pixels	1860 x 2480 pixels
Color	No	No	No
Backlight	Yes	Yes	Yes
Waterproof	No	No	No
Storage	32 GB	32 GB	16 - 64 GB
Pen / Stylus	No	Yes	Yes
SD card	No		No
Ebook formats	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF + audio : MP3, M4B, and OGG formats	EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR	Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, MOBI unprotected, PRC ; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, EPUB (converted)
Blue light filter	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other	Bluetooth for audio	A bit expensive	Compatible with Microsoft Office Doc and Docx format (Word software)
Review	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	Expensive eReader with large screen. A device better suited for work as a note taking device ⭐⭐⭐
Link (where to buy?)	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website Kobo.com	Check the price on amazon.com

But, in terms of pure display for manga, e-readers with a large screen (larger than 6 inches) are bound to fare better than 6-inch ones.

However, the 6 inch e-readers with E Ink HD screen do well in 95% of situations with images and texts.

Here are the 6-inch / 7-inch and HD (high definition) e-readers that do not do too badly with mangas:

• Kobo Clara BW
• Kindle
• Kindle Paperwhite
• Pocketbook Verse Pro

The other models are not necessarily bad readers, but they are less suitable for reading comics and mangas and more designed for reading novels: Kobo Nia and Pocketbook Verse. They display less pixels on the screen.

We prefer to avoid them and choose a model with a larger screen and a high definition.

If you want to know more about e-reader screen size, you can read this article.

Ease of use for manga: Kindle Paperwhite 6.8"

In my opinion, the easiest e-reader to use for manga is the Kindle Paperwhite.

It offers a system for reading manga that allows you to enlarge a square and move to the next square with a simple touch on the screen.

It also manages very well the Japanese reading direction which is interesting for purists who want to find a reading experience comparable to paper (so we press the left side of the screen to turn the pages).

The Kindle bookstore is also well supplied with mangas in english.

The latest version of the Paperwhite e-reader is also the fastest and the cheapest 6"+ e-reader, which is another argument in its favor!

You can read this article about reading mangas on Kindle e-readers.

Another interesting choice for manga: the Kobo Libra Colour or Pocketbook InkPad Color 3 e-reader

The Kobo Libra Colour is also a very interesting choice for reading manga on an e-ink screen.

Indeed, it offers a large electronic ink color screen of 7 inches (a few millimeters more than the last Kindle Paperwhite) and a price that remains under $230. You can read my review here.

The screen is therefore large enough that it is not necessary to resort to zooming regularly and the color is nice to display covers !

If you want a larger screen of 7.8" with a color display, the Pocketbook InkPad Color 3 is one of the best choice on the market:

The best choice (but also the most expensive): the large 7.8, 8 or 10 inches e-readers

Finally, if you want to have the best possible display surface, you should turn to an e-reader with a screen larger than 7 inches:

• Pocketbook InkPad 4
• Kobo Elipsa 2E
• Kindle Scribe
• Kobo Sage
• Kindle Oasis

These e-readers are obviously much more expensive: the investment must be worth it... Which is not easy!

If you want to buy a high-end e-reader, you might as well take the best of the large format available:

eReader : Pocketbook Inkpad 4 vs Pocketbook Era vs Pocketbook InkPad X vs Pocketbook InkPad 3 Pro vs Pocketbook InkPad Lite vs Pocketbook InkPad Color 2

	Pocketbook Inkpad 4	Pocketbook Era	Pocketbook InkPad X	Pocketbook InkPad 3 Pro	Pocketbook InkPad Lite	Pocketbook InkPad Color 2
Image
Screen size	7.8"	7"	10.3"	7.8"	9.7"	7.8"
Resolution	1404 x 1872 pixels	1264 x 1680 pixels	1404 x 1872 pixels	1404 x 1872 pixels	825 x 1200 pixels	1404 x 1872 pixels (greyscale) 468 x 624 pixels (color)
Color	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Backlight	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Waterproof	Yes	Yes (IPX8)	No	Yes (IPX8)		IPX8
Storage	32 GB	16 - 64 GB	32 GB	16 GB	8 GB	32 GB
Pen / Stylus	No	No	No	No	No	No
SD card	No	No	No	No	memory cards up to 32 GB	memory cards up to 32 GB
Ebook formats	AZW, EPUB, DOC, DOCX, FB2, CBR, CBZ, HTML, PDF, RTF, RXT (compatible with Adobe DRM), MP3, OGG, M4A	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF + audio : MP3, M4B, and OGG formats	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF + audio : mp3 and m4b	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF	EPUB, PDF, FB2, FB2.ZIP, TXT, DJVU, HTM, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, TCR, PRC (MOBI), JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF + audio : M4A, M4B, OGG, OGG.ZIP, MP3, MP3.ZIP
Blue light filter	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Other	Speaker, Bluetooth	Built-in speaker & Bluetooth, Text-to-speech	Bluetooth for audio			Color screen : E Ink Kaleido™ Plus color screen capable of displaying 4096 colors.
Review	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Very good but a little bit expensive)	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	One of the best color e-reader, but colors are not so good ⭐⭐⭐
Link (where to buy?)	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website	Check on amazon.com - Official website	Check the price on amazon.com - Official website

The case of PDF, CBR and CBZ files

It seems difficult to make an overview of manga reading on e-readers without mentioning the case of PDF, CBZ and CBR file formats.

If the PDF format is well known today, the other two - CBR and CBZ - are less common.

However, they are generally used as exchange formats for digital comics. Files that are sometimes unfortunately pirated (and that's really not nice - please don't do it!).

If you have CBR or CBZ files you will have to convert them. For this operation, I refer you to the complete article on the conversion of CBR and CBZ format to PDF.

You still have the choice to convert these files to EPub or PDF. I find that the PDF conversion is still the best reading experience.

You'll also notice that if you convert a manga file to PDF and read it on a Kindle e-reader, you won't have the option to view the comic box by box.

What is the best e-reader for manga in 2024?

The Pocketbook InkPad 4 is the best e-reader for manga on the market right now in 2024.

The price is good and the screen size (7.8") offers crisp and fast reading for manga. You can read a full review of the Pocketbook InkPad 4 here.

But it is not as heavy as a 10" e-reader like the Kindle Scribe, the Kobo Elipsa 2E or the ReMarkable 2.

The price is right on target, with perfect value for money for a e-reader with a 7.8-inch e-ink screen.

If you want to enjoy color, you also have the option of buying the version with a color screen: the Pocketbook InkPad Color 3:

Also, if you want a cheaper alternative, you can't go wrong with the Kobo Libra Colour (review here).