Kindle Paperwhite vs. Nook Glowlight: Which One to Pick?

Published: Updated:
Kindle Paperwhite vs. Nook Glowlight Which One to Pick

The Kindle Paperwhite and Nook GlowLight are both popular e-readers that offer a similar reading experience. Here are some differences between the two devices:

  1. Display: The Kindle Paperwhite has a 6-inch E Ink Carta display with a resolution of 300 ppi, while the Nook GlowLight has a 6-inch E Ink Carta HD display with a resolution of 300 ppi. The GlowLight also has a slightly warmer color temperature, which can make reading easier on the eyes in low light conditions.

  2. Storage: The Kindle Paperwhite comes in two storage options: 8GB and 32GB. The Nook GlowLight has 8GB of storage. Both devices can store thousands of books, so storage capacity may not be a major concern.

  3. Waterproofing: The Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof, which means you can read it at the beach or in the bathtub without worrying about water damage. The Nook GlowLight is not waterproof.

  4. Formats: The Kindle Paperwhite supports Kindle format (AZW3), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, as well as Audible audiobooks (with Bluetooth). The Nook GlowLight supports EPUB and PDF formats.

  5. Battery life: Both devices offer long battery life, with the Kindle Paperwhite claiming up to 6 weeks on a single charge and the Nook GlowLight claiming up to 50 days.

  6. Price: The Kindle Paperwhite starts at $139.99, while the Nook GlowLight starts at $119.99.

Ultimately, the choice between the Kindle Paperwhite and Nook GlowLight may come down to personal preference, with factors such as display type, waterproofing, and price playing a role in the decision-making process.

You will not experience a tough time when trying to adjust the screen brightness as before or get frustrated when you can’t find the page you last read. Even the size and the weight of the old generation readers can be exhausting to carry around since they are way too heavy to hold for a longer time.

Luckily, the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Glowlight have addressed these concerns, and you are assured to be in for a treat with very considerable prices. Kindle Paperwhite and Nook Glowlight are the popular devices that have gotten the attention of most people. But still, it will not make sense acquiring both brands at your household, unless otherwise.

In this article, you are going to learn the descriptions of both eBook readers and their distinctive features. By the end of this review, you will be able to distinguish between the two and finally be able to decide which bet-fits your needs.

Quick Comparison

This as you would expect from us is an EPIC post so grab a coffee before you start  and see how we cut through both the products and review them with precision. IF YOU ARE SHORT ON TIME and need to know the results of our reviews , CHECK THE RESULTS TABLE BELOW!

Specification

Kindle Paperwhite

Nook Glowlight

Battery Life

Up to 8 hours

Up to 8 hours

WiFi

Yes

Yes

Built-in Light

Yes

Yes

Expandable Memory

No

No

Screen

6 inches, 300 PPI

6 inches, 300 PPI

Dimensions

6.7″ x 4.6″ x 0.36″

6.7″ x 4.6″ x 0.36″

Weight

7.2 ounces

6.9 ounces

Available Books

2 million

3 million

BUY NOW

What’s good about Kindle Paperwhite

Its screen has a high resolution

The Kindle Paperwhite has improved its resolution status as compared to the previous designs to up to 300ppi display. This gives you an exceptional laser quality for the text.

Has no glare

When you are out at the garden, but you are afraid to enjoy an eBook because of the scorching sun affecting your vision, the Kindle Paperwhite gives no glare, and you will have the same experience as if you are reading from paper.

Ergonomically fit on the hand

The Paperwhite is very light, and there is no chance of feeling fatigue especially when you have one of those intriguing eBook stories that you can’t stop reading.

The Paperwhite has a long battery life

The Paperwhite can store charge up to 6 weeks if accessed for 30mins in a day without a wireless connection. Even so, if you use the reader consistently, you are assured not to undergo the hustles of charging it all the time.

Kindle Paperwhite

Reading in the dark is not an issue

Unlike how the phone can be dreadful to your eyes when using it in the dark, the Paperwhite is integrated with an inbuilt light technology that directs light towards the display rather than shines in your eyes. This gives you hours of comfortable reading even at night.

The Reading technology of the Paperwhite

The manufactures of Kindle Paperwhite included the Bookerly technology crafts out the font of digital print for easy reading. Bookerly gives a reader a warm and relaxing feeling when reading an eBook. It derives its inspiration from the artistry of the modern print fonts which makes it possible for the reader to enjoy a print of any font size.

The Kindle Paperwhite also has a typesetting engine that structures out the words of an eBook into beautifully rendered pages. Other aspects of the typesetting that reduce the eyestrain in the Kindle Paperwhite reader encompass;

• Drop cap support
• The best typography
• Improved character spacing
• The addition of hyphenation
• Justification
• Kerning
• Ligatures

You will encounter no distractions

Your reading experience will not be distracted by impromptu interruptions such as phone calls, texts or notifications from social media unlike your phone or the standard tablet. This gives you a sanctuary where you can be alone with your reading material and get to enjoy the creative mind of your favorite author.

Auto-save

The autosave program for the Paperwhite is complimented with the inbuilt page flip app. The software helps you save your reading pages automatically in case you are flipping through the pages looking for pictures, maps, and charts.

You can export notes to your email

Once you see a part of a text you like in an eBook, you can highlight and send it to your email for future reference. You configure whether you want to receive the submitted content in your email as a printable PDF or as a simple that you can open freely in any spreadsheet app.

Explore the book before reading

The Paperwhite gives you information on the background of the book, the author and any other details about its series and sequels if available.

Spread your reading experience

You can also share your library of eBooks and the linked amazon eBooks to your family and friends.

The X-Ray timeline view

The x-ray option allows you to see all passages entailing similar information of the fictional characters, historical figures, topics and places of interest. You will be able to flip through the mentioned passages when you want to jog your memory without losing track of your progress on the book.

Instant search

If you find something not clear to you, you can instantly look it up while online.

Reading speed track

The Paperwhite can track how long you take to read a chapter hence determines your speed. This speed record will help you predict the time you will finish the book.

What’s good about Nook Glowlight

Resolution

This Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight has a high resolution with enhanced contrast. Its screen is scratch resistance and is glare-free which lets you enjoy crisper text at any font. Whether you want to read at night or daytime, you will be comfortable.

The B & N Nook Glowlight has an advanced Glowlight technology that is always on and disperses light throughout the screen evenly. Also, you customize the night mode manually by adjusting the light projected by the display according to your preference or simply set it to automatically adjust itself to mimic the natural light of the day.

Nook Glowlight

The design

The Nook Glowlight is also not, and its soft finish touch makes it easy to grip and hold for a long time.

Battery lifetime

You don’t have to be worried in case you are traveling or when you are out camping since this reader can save power up to 50 days of reading on a single charge.

Availability of books

There are a variety of books available in Nook Glowlight reader. You will be spoilt for choices since you can access millions of books that you can quickly add to your library when online via Wi-Fi.

The NOOK Reading App

When you install the NOOK Reading App which is free to your tablet or phone, you will be able to read your book across all your devices. In fact, you will be able to continue reading right from where you had left off in the previous device.

A summary on the Barnes and Noble Nook Glowlight

Barnes and Noble have made lots of outstanding models of eBook readers before, and they have maintained their consistency even in their recent products. Their latest generation Nook Glowlight reader has a high density of pixels with a better working brightness adjuster than the previous one.

The general comparison of the Kindle Paperwhite vs. Nook Glowlight

Hardware

Before analyzing the comparisons for the two eBook readers, you can notice the resemblance of both products regarding screen size, price, battery life and weight. The table below will give you more detailed information on the specs;

The Product Size (Dimensions) of Kindle Paperwhite is about 6.7inches by 4.6inches by 0.36 inch, and its weight is around 7.2 ounces. It has a screen size of 6 inches with a resolution of 300 PPI. The capacity of storage for Kindle Paperwhite is 4gb.

On the other hand, Nook GlowLight is 6.4inches by 4.7 inches by 0.34 inch and weighs 6.9 ounces. Its screen size is similarly 6 inches with a resolution of 300 PPI. The storage capacity of Nook GlowLight is also 4gb.

Although the two readers have the same resolution, the screen for Paperwhite is glare-free facilitated by the inbuilt light which can adjust to the surrounding light. With the GlowLight, you will find an anti-glare screen protector that is adaptable to any light settings. The battery life for both eBook readers on a single charge is 6 weeks.

From the above head to head comparisons, you can see the fair contest between the two devices. Both eBook readers support Wi-Fi connectivity and are available on Amazon. Nook GlowLight costs slightly higher than Kindle Paperwhite. However, despite the high cost of Nook GlowLight, it has the upper hand because it is dustproof and waterproof at the same time.

Unique features

Both devices pose different unique features that are beneficial to you. For instance, the x-ray and Bookerly in paperwhite improve and simplify your reading experience. And the Nook GlowLight supports EPUB books, unlike paperwhite which can’t allow such eBooks from online retailers like Google and Sony.

When paperwhite allows you to browse the web, you can’t enjoy this luxury with the Nook Glowhite. You have to consider what feature works best for you and which you can compromise for the sake of such elements.

Books available in their ecosystems

The Nook Glowhite has more than 3 million eBooks available in its library while the Paperwhite has only 2 million. You can see that the Nook edges out the paperwhite on this sector.

Price

Apart from the product cost of each reader, the covers and the casing for both are purchased separately. The cost for the Kindle Paperwhite cover is $39.99 while the Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight cover goes for $24.95 in Amazon. You should also note that the Kindle Paperwhite reader comes with ads. You are required to pay $20 more to attain the premium that has no ads.

The product cost for Kindle Paperwhite is a few dollars less than the Nook Glowlight reader. However, the total cost of the cover and the premium package of no ads makes it more expensive than the Nook.

So, which reader should you pick?

These two readers are both incredible and reasonably match. All in all, you have to choose one. I wouldn’t take sides, but I would highly recommend you go for a reader with the best value for your bucks.

If you think the $10 cost difference is a factor, you can go for the Kindle Paperwhite, and that is if you will not be bothered by the ads. But then, if you want a reader that you can use anywhere even when you are on a floater in the pool without the risk of water affecting the device, you should go for the Nook Glowlight reader.

Sharing is caring!

You may also like