According to the Pew Research center, e-book readership in America has increased by 11% from 17-28% in 2014. This points to the increasing shift from print book readership to e-books.
While e-books seem like a modern way of life, the concept of an eReader dates back to 1930 when a writer known as Bob Brown, wrote about having an eReader that would allow people to read on a screen. The first prototype eReader came about in 1949, when a Russian teacher, Angela Ruiz Robles, came up with a device called Enciclopedia Mecánica, which was to help her students deal with their reading loads.
Since that time, there has been tremendous improvement in the e-book readers world, with more advanced ones coming up. Kindle and Kobo eReaders are among those that have built a reputation for themselves.
In this comparison article, we want to take a look at Kindle HD, Kindle HDX, and Kobo Glo HD eReaders. If you are lost on which one to buy, follow us through to the end and get some assistance.
Quick Comparison Table & Our Pick!
Price | Fire HD"> $$$ | Fire HDx"> +10% | 20% Less |
Edge Screen Lighting | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Yes | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Yes | Yes |
Wi-Fi? | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Yes (Dual Band) | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Yes | Yes |
Screen Size (Inches) | Fire HD"> 7.0 | Fire HDx"> 8.9 | 6" |
Smart Asst. | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Alexa | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> Alexa | - |
Resolution For Better Clarity | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> 1080p | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> 1080p | 1080p |
Storage (GB) | Fire HD"> 8.0 | Fire HDx"> 16.0/32/64 | 4.0 |
RAM (GB) | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> 1.5 | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> 2.0 | - |
Display Type | Fire HD" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> MultiTouch LCD | Fire HDx" rowspan="1" colspan="1"> MultiTouch LCD | Carta Touch Screen LCD |
Cell | |||
Camera | Fire HD" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a481e5"> 2 MP front + 2 MP rear-facing HD | Fire HDx" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a48249"> ~2MP front + 8MP rear-facing HD | 6.46 x 4.88 x 2.32 |
Battery | Fire HD" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a35e18"> Upto 12 hours | Fire HDx" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a35e5e"> Upto 11 hours | Upto 2 Months (Yes Months!) |
Dimensions (Inches) | Fire HD" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a35e1a"> 6.5 x 6.5 x 3 | Fire HDx" data-css="tve-u-16fa8a35e60"> 5.0 x 7.3 x 20.3 | 8.6 x 6.7 x 2.1 |
Weight (Pounds) | Fire HD" data-css="tve-u-16fa849312d"> 0.02 | Fire HDx" data-css="tve-u-16fa8495e80"> 0.668 | 0.78 |
Cell | Fire HD" data-css="tve-u-16fa849312e"> | Fire HDx" data-css="tve-u-16fa8495e82"> | |
Similarities Between Kindle HD, HDX, And Kobo Glo HD
Having access to library books on your eReader is much simpler than having to go to the library physically. You just need to go to the company’s website, find your book, and enjoy your reading. In this aspect, these devices from two different companies, Amazon and Kobo, allow you access to library collections around the globe through their library stores and access to the internet.
Although the eReaders may vary in their screen size, they all offer you a large display screen that will allow you to read without straining.
Wouldn’t you enjoy a sharp easy to read text irrespective of the font size? Kobo and Kindle devices offer you e-Ink displays with a high resolution so that you can have a clear and comfortable reading experience.
All the products offer you a built-in lighting option. They come with LEDs at the edges of the screen that allow you to read without much strain as they illuminate without directing the light directly at your eyes.
If you want to enjoy reading your book by the poolside or at the beach, you can do so with any of the brands as they are all waterproof.
Even though the eReaders vary in the amount of storage that they offer, all of them provide quite substantial storage that you can store many books.
The e-Readers from the two companies also offer you quite many similarities in their software features. They offer you some reading stats such as reading speed, location, page numbers, time for completing the book, and so on.
All the e-book readers from the two brands allow you to connect to your PC or Mac using a USB cable.
Let us now have an in-depth look at each of the e-book readers.
The Truel - Battle Of The Best HD E-Readers
Kindle Fire HD
Price
The Kindle Fire HD goes for $149, which is value for your money, considering its features.
Design
Kindle Fire HD features a 7-inch diagonal length screen.
The e-book reader also comes with a rechargeable battery, which Amazon claims to give you 12 hours of mixed-use. As such, you can comfortably continue reading for several hours, even when you are away from a power source.
It also features a Micro-B cable that you can purchase separately and use it to copy videos, photos, and other documents from other sources to your Kindle Fire.
Features
When you get the Kindle Fire HD e-book reader, you can read books, periodicals, and other documents with PDF, RTF, HTML, and Word format files.
If you become bored while reading a book and you want to break the monotony, Kindle Fire HD takes care of you as it comes with a video and music player which you can use to listen to your favorite music.
Most readers like a device with a sharp and clear display. When you purchase the Kindle Fire HD, you have access to a large multi-touch LCD screen with a high resolution so that you can have a clear view of what you are reading irrespective of the font size.
What’s more? The large screen comes with LED lights on the edges that illuminate at night to allow you to read under the darkness without much strain.
It comes with a gallery where you can view your photos as well as make a few edits on them, such as rotating and cropping.
Kindle Fire HD allows you to perform several other functions such as shopping at Amazon for your books, periodicals, music, apps, and so on. After purchasing your content, you can store it in the Amazon cloud storage so that you can read, listen to your music or watch your saved videos online instead of downloading them to your device.
When you register your device, you will get a Kindle email address. As such, you have the option of sending yourself documents through the Kindle email address.
If you want to transfer content from a computer to your Kindle device, here’s the good news. Kindle Fire HD gives you the option of transferring content using a Micro-B cable, which you buy separately.
Do you enjoy reading your books by the poolside or while relaxing at the beach? Then you do not have to feel unsafe when using this device as it is waterproof.
The device also features a camera that you can use as a webcam with Skype. It also comes with a web browser and a contacts app.
Finally, when you get yourself the Kindle Fire HD, you get 8 GB storage capacity that you can use to save as many books and periodicals as possible.
Pros
- Large storage capacity
- High-resolution screen
- Access to Amazon cloud storage
- Comes with a music and video player
- Long battery life
- Supports different formats of documents
- It is waterproof
Cons
- OS bloat and some few apps and books that are already installed take some storage of the 8GB such that you are left with around 6.40 GB.
Check Kindle Fire HD Price On Amazon
Kindle Fire HDX
Price
Kindle Fire HDX, which is an improvement of its predecessor Kindle Fire HD costs $199.
Design
Kindle Fire HDX comes with a 7-inch screen.
It measures 7.3 x 5.0 x 0.35 inches, and it comes with a rechargeable battery that lasts for long hours in one single charge.
Features
Kindle Fire HDX enables you to stay connected as it offers you fast web browsing and email support, including Gmail and Outlook.
With this device, you do not have to worry about the storage of your books and other documents. It comes with 16, 32, or 64 GB internal storage so that you can save as many materials as possible. Plus, the 2 GB RAM allows the device to be fast enough so that you do not have to wait for long getting from one page of your book to the next.
If you love webcam, you are in the right place with Kindle Fire HDX. The e-book reader comes with a 720p HD camera that helps you to see and talk to your friends, family, or business associates on Skype.
The device’s functionality is enhanced by the 2.2 GHz quad-core processor that enables your apps to launch quickly as well as making the other operations faster.
Apart from the massive internal storage, Kindle Fire HDX allows you to buy books, music, videos, periodicals, etc. from Amazon and then store them on Amazon cloud storage so that you do not have to download them to your device.
What’s more? The device comes with a 7-inch high-resolution screen that ensures everything is crystal clear for you as you read. Plus, the display also comes with some LED lights at the edges that make it easy for you to read at night without straining.
If for any case you are seeking an alternative to reading and you want to break the monotony, you can do so by listening to some music or watching some videos as this eReader can support these.
You can also enjoy reading your book while taking a walk in the forest as the device comes with a rechargeable battery with a long life so that you can use it even when away from a power source.
Lastly, you can also comfortably use it around any water pool as it is water-resistant.
Pros
- Waterproof
- Long battery life
- Access to Amazon cloud storage
- Strong camera
- Fast web browsing
- A fast and reliable processor
- High-resolution screen
- LED lights for nighttime reading
Cons
- Apps on Kindle are not updated
Check Kindle Fire HDX Price On Amazon
Kobo Glo HD
Price
You will get the Kobo Glo HD e-book reader at ~$129.
Design
What strikes you first when you see the Kobo Glo HD is its size. The device is small and light and which enhances its portability.
It has an elegant look and design, and the texture on its back makes it easy for you to hold it in your palm.
The black Kobo device measures 157 x 115 x 9.2 mm, and it also has a power on/off button.
Features
Kobo Glo HD offers you a great display with its 6-inch e-Ink touch screen with a 1448 x 1072, 300 PPI high resolution, which makes everything you are reading crisp clear.
Do you sometimes strain your eyes a lot when reading? Suffer no more as Kobo Glo HD offers you 48 font sizes and 11 font types that you can choose from to get a comfortable reading experience.
When you get this device, you get a reading experience like no other with the ability to take notes, highlight passages, adjust your margin, and access to a built-in dictionary.
Is reading your night a thing for you? Kobo Glo lets you read at night with the help of the adjustable ComfortLight or in direct sunlight with the help of the anti-glare screen.
If you want to carry a massive library of books around, the device takes care of you by providing you with 4 GB internal storage. What’s more? The 1 GHz processor makes it fast enough to launch apps and perform other operations.
One area where Kobo Glo HD performs extraordinarily is with the battery. The device comes with a battery that can last you for two months with a single charge such that you can read an entire e-book without worrying about recharging.
How do you think you are performing as a reader? Learn more about your reading progress through reading stats that you get from the device and enjoy random awards just for reading.
The device allows you to read different formats of books and documents, including TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR, and so on.
Lastly, Kobo Glo HD comes with a web browser that enables you to stay in touch with what is going on.
Pros
- Supports different formats of books
- Two months of battery life
- Ability to highlight passages
- Built-in dictionary
Cons
- The processor is quite low
Related articles:
Kindle vs Kobo Brands Duel - Review, Pros & Cons Of Both Leading Brands
Kindle Vs Nook GlowLight Duel - Review, Pros & Cons Of Both Leading Brands
Differences between The Three E-book Readers
- Kobo Glo HD comes in a 1 GHz processor while the other two have a 2 GHz processor
- Kobo Glo HD has a 4 GB internal storage while the Kindle products have 8 GB and above.
- While the Kindle products boast of a long battery life lasting for hours, Kobo Glo HD boasts of two-month battery life.
- Kobo Glo HD also comes with a built-in dictionary, unlike the rest.
- The Kindle products have a 7-inch screen while Kobo Glo HD has a 6-inch screen
- Kobo is the cheapest of them all
Verdict
Kindle Fire HDX is our winner between the three. It is an improvement of Kindle Fire HD, and so it has some more advanced features. For instance, HDX features 16 GB internal storage and above and has a 720p HD front camera for clear video calls through Skype. Additionally, it has a 2.2 GHz processor, which makes it faster than the other two.
Kobo Glo HD also performs well primarily with its two months battery life, built-in dictionary, ability to highlight text, anti-glare screen, and it is cheap. You can now make an informed choice on which one to pick.
Editor Notes:
Even though all three products are great, Kindle Fire HDX is still the best. With advanced features like the 16GB, internal storage means you’ll store more content for offline access. Additionally, you get a 720p HD front camera that guarantees you clear videos when communicating.
Better yet, the 2.2 GHz processor is powerful and super fast than the other two models. It also has a long battery life to enable you to work on your project without the worry of a blackout.
Additionally, this tablet is water-resistant, so use it without worrying about water droplets stopping your reading routine.
Since HDX is a Kindle Fire HD improvement, expect crystal clear images with fast responses than the predecessor. However, it is a bit costly, but the outcomes are unmatched.
