Large 10.3-inch ereaders are fine, but I’d rather have a more portable option, like a Kindle Oasis with writing capabilities.
I’m a huge fan of note-taking ereaders. I’ve used at least half a dozen of them, including the Amazon Kindle Scribe, the recently-announced Kobo Elipsa 2E and even the Onyx Boox Note Air2 Plus. I love that I get one simple device to take care of my reading needs (I read several hours a day if I can) and make notes (mostly for work) without getting distracted by other apps, and on a screen that’s not too harsh on my eyes.
I do have one gripe though: most of the note-taking ereaders I’ve tried are too damn large!
I mean, 10.3 inches is great – that’s a great size to display pages of a comic, for example, but it is a little cumbersome. The Kindle Scribe has invariably been knocked about while I was reading on a busy train station platform during Sydney’s peak public transport times. Holding the Onyx Boox Note Air2 Plus for more than ten minutes while reading in bed is quite uncomfortable – its 3,700mAh battery makes it quite heavy. And even the lighter Kobo Elipsa 2E just feels too big for lounging around with.
On the other hand, the Kobo Sage is the perfect size. At 8 inches, it’s a decent size for an ereader and provides just enough surface area for my scribbles. I will admit that the Sage’s 8-inch screen feels too small when I’m building my weekly todo list (which can be rather long), but it’s more than enough for my other notes. My issue with the Kobo Sage is its awful battery life and its rather high price tag for what it offers.
So why are ereader makers producing more 10.3-inch writing ereaders when there’s a gap in the market for smaller, more portable and much lighter E Ink note-takers? Honestly, I wish Kobo would update the Sage with a better battery and package the Kobo Stylus 2 (which ships with the Elipsa 2E and is much improved) with the tablet instead of the pen being an additional purchase.
