Top 10: Waterproof e-Ink e-readers

2024. Onyx unveiled Boox Kant 2 e-reader



The Onyx Boox Kant 2, which, if it had any more gadgets packed in, might actually sprout wings and demand a boarding pass, is a clever new e-reader that masquerades as a smartphone. Nestled within its sleek form is a 6.13-inch E Ink Carta Plus display, which, with a thoroughly respectable resolution of 824 x 1648 pixels and 16 shades of tasteful gray, delivers an experience so engrossing it might make real paper feel insecure. A 2GHz quad-core processor, cozily partnered with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable, naturally, for those who never delete anything), keeps everything running smoothly. Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, and a USB-C port? Of course. A 3950mAh battery? Absolutely, because you’ll need the juice when you’ve lost yourself in the wilderness of your library. Running on Android 11, it's as user-friendly as a slightly tipsy but helpful tour guide. Splash-resistant, equipped with a speaker and microphone (because why shouldn’t an e-reader talk back occasionally?), and packing features like auto-rotation, a flashlight, and a built-in dictionary, the Kant 2 supports numerous e-book and audiobook formats. No camera, though – because even the Kant 2 has its limits.


2023. MobiScribe released color waterproof eNote - MobiScribe Wave Color



In a move that might cause even the most stoic of scribes to raise an eyebrow, MobiScribe, earlier this year, unveiled the MobiScribe Wave with its black-and-white 7.8-inch E Ink screen—surely a marvel to those who find color a bit too exciting. But now, in a gesture that screams, "Oh, go on then, let’s jazz things up a bit," they've introduced the MobiScribe Wave Color, a dazzling contraption priced at $320 (the grayscale version, for the less flamboyant, is $285). This colorful upstart flaunts a 7.8-inch E Ink Kaleido Plus screen and runs Android 12 with a built-in speaker for those moments when silence simply won’t do. A frontlight with adjustable color temperature ensures you can scrawl your musings in any lighting, and its 2500mAh battery promises not to leave you high and dry too soon. Naturally, it comes armed with a stylus, allowing you to summon 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity via its Wacom touchscreen—because, really, why settle for 4095? Oh, and for the adventurous, it’s waterproof with an IPX7 rating, which means it can bravely endure a dunking in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, in case you feel like journaling underwater or just really can’t put it down during a bath.

2023. New waterproof 7.8″ Nook GlowLight 4 Plus is available



In the grand tradition of unveiling slightly shinier things to make you part with your money, Barnes & Noble has officially flung open the digital curtain on the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus, a 7.8-inch e-reader that promises to bring you literature, audiobooks, and a faint whiff of superiority for a mere $199 (pre-orderable now with free shipping, because nothing says "luxury" like avoiding delivery fees). This gadget, which will lurk tantalizingly out of reach for a few more months, is essentially a spruced-up descendent of the 2019 Nook GlowLight Plus—a device that was itself a revelation in the world of 7.8-inch book-shaped rectangles. Now featuring a flush-front screen (ooh), physical page-turn buttons on both sides (aah), and the aquatic bravado of waterproofing, it also embraces B&N’s audiobooks with the gusto of a new hobbyist. The battery, blessedly long-lived, claims to deliver up to three weeks of uninterrupted literary consumption or about nine hours of Bluetooth audio marathons—enough to get through several volumes of Vogon poetry, should you be so inclined.


2023. Pocketbook Era waterproof e-reader wins Red Dot Award for Design



The PocketBook Era e-reader, a gadget of such undeniable charm and functionality that it could likely impress even the most finicky Vogon, has clinched the illustrious Red Dot Award for product design—a sort of galactic thumbs-up for aesthetics and ingenuity. As the shining starship in the PocketBook fleet, it underwent a complete overhaul, emerging as a sleek, ergonomic marvel that turns reading into an experience so effortless, it might as well defy the laws of gravity. The Red Dot Award, a design accolade with roots stretching back to 1955 (a time when the Earth was still figuring out what "cool" looked like), has bestowed its cosmic nod upon the PocketBook Era’s exceptional craftsmanship. According to Alexander Morokko, the Industrial Designer behind this masterpiece, the PocketBook Era encapsulates the spirit of modern minimalism—think elegant curves, phenomenal usability, and just a hint of interstellar sophistication.


2023. Mobiscribe Wave unveiled water-proof e-note reader



In a move that would undoubtedly have made even the most jaded denizens of the galaxy pause mid-sip of their Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, Mobiscribe has unveiled the Wave, a sleek and unapologetically clever device aimed squarely at those who like to read and scribble without fear of rogue tidal waves or spilled tea. The Wave comes in two distinctly appealing flavors: a black-and-white E INK model for the purists and a color e-paper version equipped with the Kaleido Plus for those who like their reality rendered in slightly more vivid hues. The monochrome marvel is already available for those impatient enough to grab it, while the colorful sibling will ship in April, presumably giving it time to align its chakras. With a 7.8-inch E INK Carta HD display (boasting a resolution of 1404×1872 at a rather smug 300 PPI), the black-and-white model packs a Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 1.5GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and a spacious 64GB of internal storage, proving that even e-readers can harbor delusions of grandeur. Waterproofing ensures it can withstand the occasional dip in your bath or the ocean, though it’s unclear if it could survive a Vogon poetry recital. Charging and file transfers are handled by a USB-C cable, and Bluetooth 5.1 lets you pair it with wireless headphones or external speakers—though, with a delightful bit of irony, it lacks a built-in speaker itself. Add to that a respectable 2500 mAh battery and the honor of being the first e-note to run Android 12, and you've got a gadget that’s practically begging for a seat on the Heart of Gold.


2022. Tolino Shine 4 - waterproof ereader with free cloud storage and free wi-fi



The Tolino Alliance has introduced the Shine 4, an impressive e-reader featuring an E Ink Carta 1200 display panel. This new model boosts performance by 30% compared to the previous generation. Reading e-books from various online retailers will be a pleasure with its six-inch, 300 PPI display. It is now available and retails for €139.00. The Tolino Shine 4 boasts a 6-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen with a resolution of 1072×1404 and 300 PPI. The Tolino Cloud offers 25 GB of additional online storage for users in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It connects to the internet via WLAN 802.11 ac/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) and provides free access to Deutsche Telekom AG hotspots in Germany. The device can be charged using USB-C through a computer or wall outlet. The 1500 mAh battery should last for 2-3 weeks of reading. It is also waterproof with an IPX 8 rating, meaning it can be fully submerged in fresh water up to 2 meters deep for up to 60 minutes, making it suitable for use in the bathtub or at the beach.


2022. Kobo's new waterproof Clara 2E e-reader takes on Kindle



Kobo is introducing a new waterproof e-reader - the Kobo Clara 2E, which could challenge Amazon's Kindle e-readers. The device features an exterior crafted from over 85 percent recycled plastic, with 10 percent of it reportedly sourced from ocean-bound materials. The Kobo Clara 2E includes Bluetooth technology for audiobooks, offers 60 minutes of water resistance in up to two meters of water and provides more storage for your eBooks than earlier Kobo models (16GB). It boasts a six-inch HD E Ink Carta 1200 glare-free display with dark mode and blue light reduction and promises weeks-long battery life. Priced at $150, it is less expensive than the company's previous Forma model but costlier than the Nia model. Additionally, Kobo's SleepCovers for the device are made from recycled polyester with an inner microfibre lining created from 40 percent recycled plastic water bottles — available in colors like Black, Deep Ocean Blue, Coral Reef Orange and Sea Glass Green.


2018. The new Kindle Paperwhite is thinner and waterproof



The Kindle Paperwhite has taken a leisurely stroll through the upgrade department and emerged rather pleased with itself, flaunting a host of delightful tweaks that lend it a distinctly posh air while stubbornly sticking to its $130 starting price. Chief among its party tricks is waterproofing – an IPX8 rating, no less – which means you could casually drop it in two meters of water and still have enough time to read the entire Vogon poetry section before retrieving it. Borrowing a page from its swankier sibling, the Oasis, it now boasts a sleek flush front, banishing the clunky raised bezels of yesteryear, which not only ups its elegance but also helps keep the watery bits outside where they belong. This svelte redesign also earns it the title of thinnest and lightest Paperwhite yet, because who wants a bookish brick in their bag? And if that weren’t enough, it’s had a subtle glow-up, trading in four LEDs for five – a seemingly modest bump that somehow makes the front lighting as smooth and consistent as a tea-sipping whale on a Sunday afternoon.


2018. Kobo's latest e-reader is called the Forma



In a move that could only be described as suspiciously convenient for book lovers and those perpetually battling gravity, Kobo has unleashed upon the world the Forma—a sleek contraption of e-ink wizardry that looks like it might actually know what it's doing. Tagged as the latest evolution of their e-reader series, the Forma sports an 8-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display, which is fancy talk for "it makes words look pretty." It boasts an ergonomic design that cunningly includes a handle on one side, making it feel less like a gadget and more like a thoughtfully cooperative book. Buttons have even made a triumphant return, perching themselves on the side to ensure page-turning is an effortless flick of the thumb rather than an awkward smear across glass. At a featherweight 197 grams, it’s lighter than its forebear, the Kobo Aura One, yet Kobo swears it’s tough enough to endure two-metre tumbles or aquatic misadventures up to an hour deep—perfect for the clumsy or overly ambitious bathtub readers among us. This marvel of modern literary enablement starts at a cool $299.99 CAD for the 8GB version, proving once and for all that reading has never been quite so delightfully indestructible.


2017. Amazon's Kindle Oasis gets big and waterproof



Amazon is revamping its flagship e-reader Kindle Oasis in a dramatic fashion. It is Amazon’s largest Kindle e-reader to date, featuring a 7-inch display. It’s also the company's first waterproof model. It’s remarkably, almost paper-thin on one side (0.13 inches) and then expands significantly to a third of an inch on the other side to house the battery. Amazon has also boosted the number of over-the-screen LED lights to 12 (up from 10) for more even illumination. Another major update is the integration of the Audible audiobook service. Although Amazon owns Audible, it had never been included in the Kindle before. Now, you can browse and purchase Audible books directly on the device. Additionally, the starting price of the Kindle Oasis is now $249 with 8 GB of storage.


2015. Barnes & Noble created waterproof Nook



More than a year after phasing out the Nook and Nook HD+, Barnes & Noble is finally updating its flagship GlowLight e-reader with the GlowLight Plus, the company's first waterproof e-reader. It is the first Nook to feature user profiles, because, after all, couples who read together stay together. Named the Nook GlowLight Plus, the new model costs $130 and is now available. The Plus boasts a 300ppi display with twice as many pixels as its predecessor, an aluminum body that is slimmer but slightly heavier than the GlowLight. Most importantly, the Plus is waterproof, so Nook enthusiasts can read their favorite e-books in the bathtub.


2014. Waterproof Tolino Vision 2 is available



The German-based Tolino Alliance has introduced the new Tolino Vision 2, a waterproof e-reader. It retains a similar design to the original model but boasts new features. This edition is waterproof, comparable to the Kobo H2O and Pocketbook Aqua. It includes a new feature called Tap2Flip, which transforms the entire back into a pressure-sensitive touchscreen, enabling page turns in eBooks. The Tolino Vision 2 utilizes the latest e-paper technology, e Ink Carta, the same screen technology found in the Kindle Paperwhite 2 and Kobo Aura H2O. Although marketed as waterproof, it’s more accurately described as splash-resistant and may not withstand complete submersion due to the lack of a waterproof protective flap on the bottom Micro USB port.


2014. Kobo unveiled waterproof Aura H2O Reader



Kobo, in its infinite wisdom and borderline obsession with waterproofing, has unleashed the marvelously amphibious Kobo Aura H2O, set to splash onto shelves (but not into oblivion) on October 1 for a modest $179. This latest contraption in their lineup of posh page-turners is a veritable Swiss Army knife of reading devices, tailored for those who see no reason why a good book should stop where water begins. Lighter, thinner, and boasting a display so crisp it practically sneers at lesser screens, this $10-pricier cousin of the Kobo Aura HD defies dust, sneers at air, and will cheerfully hold its breath for up to thirty minutes underwater, whether it’s joining you in the bath or braving a beachside splash.