Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons

October 20, 2024

Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons

These Amazon Kindle alternatives have terrifically tactile physical buttons for turning pages.

BY Doug Aamoth

Boy, is my wife mad at Amazon for killing off the wonderful Oasis line of premium Kindle e-book readers. I, too, am upset—she’s due for an upgrade and the holidays are right around the corner.

She likes the Oasis’s buttons—the physical, tangible, clicky-clacky, tried-and-true buttons for turning pages. Amazon says they’re going all in on “touch-forward” devices—i.e. no more buttons.

Fortunately in today’s touchscreen-dominated world, a few brave e-reader manufacturers continue to champion the tactile experience of physical page-turn buttons.

Here are some of the unsung heroes keeping the tradition alive.

Barnes & Noble

Despite facing stiff competition in the e-reader market, Barnes & Noble has consistently included physical buttons in its Nook line of devices.

The latest offerings from the GlowLight series of e-readers start at $150 and incorporate modern features like adjustable color temperature and USB-C charging. And buttons, of course. 

Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons | DeviceDaily.com

Being a bookseller, Barnes & Noble offers a huge variety of downloadable content from its store. If you’re worried about missing out on the ease of downloading books to your Kindle, you’ll feel right at home here.

Kobo

Rakuten’s Kobo has emerged as a major player in the e-reader market by thoughtfully balancing innovation with traditional features.

Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons | DeviceDaily.com

While not all its models include physical buttons, its premium devices like the $220 Libra Colour and the $270 Sage demonstrate a commitment to tactile controls.

These devices also support bonus features like stylus input and note-taking.

Onyx Boox

ONYX BOOX has carved out a unique niche by creating versatile E Ink devices that bridge the gap between e-readers and tablets.

Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons | DeviceDaily.com

The 7-inch Boox Page costs $220 and puts e-reading features front and center. Under the hood, though, it’s got a powerful chipset and runs Android, which makes it ideal for tasks beyond book reading such as light web browsing and third-party app usage.

 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Doug Aamoth is a former writer and editor at TechCrunch and TIME Magazine, and has written for Fast Company, PCWorld, MONEY Magazine, and several other publications. With more than 20 years in consumer electronics, tech media, digital video, and software, his goal is to make technology approachable and useful for everyone, helping readers stay informed, productive, and secure in the digital age. 


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