PocketBook Era REVIEW: There's just one downside ...

[@centy64]

Good too see a review actually take data privacy seriously as it's a major selling point for Pocketbook to me.

[@andreym7012]

After researching the Pocketbook ERA on and off for around 1 week (multiple forums, YT) this is one of the most comprehensive and objective reviews on this device, that I have come across. THank you!

[@psicosis2914]

The best PocketBook Era review out there on this platform. I plan to buy it for all the features it offers and that Kindle does not have. Greetings from Mexico.

[@robertpiper6860]

Thanks for mentioning the privacy concerns! That is a big deal for me!

[@sheaulle]

Yes, along with the possibility to turn off shop recommendations on the start screen, it's important to me and-as far as I know-a real USP.

[@queen_in_yellow]

I have all different kinds of ereaders. The Era is by far, my favorite, and the best made device. I prefer it over the Libra 2 and the Oasis. I love Pocketbook devices.

[@Strravigor]

Is it possible tu easily put epub in this reader ? I have many French books epub format …

[@alicedalexandrite]

​@@Strravigor yes, all pocketbooks support epub

[@sqjam]

Hi Is this ereader really slow as they say? I want to buy this ereader as a gift and want it to be useful.

[@vampbat]

Hello! I am trying to decide between Libra 2 & Pocketbook. Can I ask why you prefer your Pocketbook? Is it the customizability/ease in software or more of the hardware/screen quality?

[@janamour_13]

I received my Era yesterday and am very satisfied so far. I also have a Kindle but it feels inferior and doesn't go with the library in my country. I only use the Kindle for reading samples.

[@vakke]

Extremely well done and thorough review, thank you! I hope you continue making these ereader reviews, all the best to you!

[@mannycalavera2335]

Thanks. This is a very good review. I was specifically interested in its capability of viewing scientific papers and you actually mention it specifically.

[@xaemaez]

I have a question about PDFs: When you zoom in a pdf page and go to the next page does this next page changes and goes back to its original size or does it stay unchanged and zoomed in, and other pages are also kept zoomed in when turning them with no need to zoom in every page? And if it keeps pages zoomed in, does it keep pages this way after the pdf was closed and when you open it again the pages stay as they were left?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Zoom-levels stay at the setting you chose. So if you zoom in on a page, it's still the same on the next page. Also if you close and open a PDF it's at the exact same zoomed in position as when you closed it.

[@xaemaez]

@@ChalidRaqami wow, that is awesome. thank you for replying!

[@xaemaez]

@@ChalidRaqami Can I also ask if Era has Overdrive available for borrowing books from libraries like Kobo does?

[@misslady2470]

when you sort by series in the library, is it like kobo where theres folders for each series? or is it scrolling down thru all series?

[@crescentcanis6491]

Danke für die Review 😊 LG aus OÖ

[@dariens007]

I was looking for an ereader that has the no account super privacy like this one you reviewed, would there happen to be any other options with the same level of no account and functionality and super privacy or greater that i can compare this to for a purchasing decision?

[@ChalidRaqami]

What I said in the video is true for all PocketBook ereaders. So if there's another one you're interested in, you can check them out as well. As for other manufacturers, I'm afraid there's no one else on the same level. Android ereaders usually have no restrictions when using them without an account, but routinely communicate with various servers. And Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Tolino have some restrictions when using them without an account - if it's possible at all. PocketBook is a hardware manufacturer first and an ebook seller second. I think that's why their ereaders are set up the way they are.

[@dariens007]

@@ChalidRaqami thank you so much for your reply! i'll get a pocketbook then

[@sheaulle]

same here 🤝🏻😀

[@yulia5742]

Thank you so much!!! Very helpful when choosing an e-reader! Wish you good luck with the channel. :) Would be glad to see an update after some time of using :)

[@GenAndrei]

Got mine 2 days ago, love it! It's literally the best on the market.

[@sqjam]

I hear it is slow, Is it true?

[@GenAndrei]

@sqjam ye... SUPER slow start up time, it lights up but loads for a good 5 seconds. Also glitchy... a couple of time i thought it had just broken but it was doing some super long restart or something... otherwise, it's great, but.. when you pay for the best, you expect the best... my older pocketbook was way better in regards to the software and the speed.

[@SergeRibalchenko]

at last someone talks about the privacy. I don't like the very idea to register some sort of an account for such a simple device as a book reader. All I want is the ability to upload there my own books via usb and open them up whenever I want them without any connectivity at all. Thanks for the review.

[@bwoymitjah6191]

Got a new era a few days ago. It seems to me that the battery drains really fast while the frontlight is ON in a full mode. 20%-30% of battery charge per each hour of reading. Isn't it strange? Shouls I return the book to the seller?

[@ChalidRaqami]

That's definitely a bit on the short side. The Era usually is one of the ereaders with a decent battery life. Maybe try to disable WiFi and Bluetooth if enabled. That can have a significant impact, if the signal strength is weak. Also do a full restart, maybe some runaway process is draining the battery.

[@bwoymitjah6191]

@@ChalidRaqami thank you for your comment. I returned the book to the seller. They are running some tests to check whether its battery is really faulty. I just do not need it with this battery lifetime like this. I'd be okay if it could last one week without charging at least, but 1-2 days won't do. I used flight mode to decrease battery draining, but it did not change the situation much.

[@sandortamasmegyeri8872]

Is it possible to play KZbin podcasts on the Pocketbook Era? (Can it play the sound?)

[@masofhan]

I have had a Pocketbook Touch HD3 but it was sent for repair and I am not sure if it is worth paying to have it fixed or if I should just update/upgrade to a newer ereader. Was thinking of the Era or perhaps Kobo Libra 2 or Verse Pro and was wondering if you have any input on which is the better choice between these. I want to have physical buttons for forward and back and a web browser in order to visit my local library or other libraries to borrow ebooks.

[@ChalidRaqami]

I'd say in that case it depends on your local library. If it's overdrive Kobo is a good option, because they have support for that built in. If it's Onleihe or something else, the Kobo browser won't work (last I tried). Also I think Kobo doesn't support LCD DRM right now (but might with the Kobo Libra Colour-Update). Besides that, the Libra 2 has the best screen out of the 3. But the Verse Pro or Era are both solid choices. I'd say the Verse Pro is better if you want something even more compact than the Touch HD3. Otherwise I think the Era is nicer with it's asymmetrical design and slightly larger screen. But both are pretty good devices and if you were happy with the Touch HD 3, I suspect you wouldn't be disappointed with either one of those.

[@masofhan]

@@ChalidRaqami Here in Sweden I don't think we have anyone of those that you mentioned. You simply go to the library's homepage, log in and search for the book you want to read and then there is a button that says borrow book, after having pressed that button two new buttons will appear where you get to choose to stream or download. I thought the Verse Pro was about the same size as the Touch HD3 but noticed the other day when I got it home that it is smaller but I don't know how much smaller since the Touch HD3 is not back from the service center. I had the option of getting it back without repair so soon I will have three readers but one is from Storytel so it is only their books you can read/listen to on that one. Thanks anyway for your answer.

[@kririu]

So which one do you prefer, PocketBook Era or Kobo Libra 2? Going to buy one of those before Christmas. PocketBook Era cost around 220€ and Kobo Libra 160€ here in Sweden at the moment so please help me pick one of those :)

[@ChalidRaqami]

I personally would pick the Kobo Libra 2 for one reason: The screen is clearly better (more uniform lighting & better contrast). But If you want to read PDFs, listen to audiobooks (without being too restricted to one provider) and want to have more freedom in general (with a longer battery life) the Era is better.

[@pocketbook_ch]

Thank you for very nice and detailed review!

[@MGXDR]

Great alternative to other kindles

[@lenablochmusic]

Chaled, what to do if the screen suddenly went blank white, with the battery fully charged?

[@ChalidRaqami]

I have it seen happen with the homescreen specifically once or twice. What usually help is just restarting the device, by pressing the power button for 20 seconds or so, and then again to restart the device. But if that also doesn't help, there might be a defect that should be covered by warranty.

[@alexandermihaylov208]

What kind of stylus would you recommend for the Era?

[@ChalidRaqami]

The Era only has a capacitive touchscreen, so you'd need a capacitive stylus. Can't really recommend one, but I'd go for the one with the smallest tip. If you want to use it for notetaking: The screen's latency is not comparable to an E-Ink tablet with a WACOM touchscreen, so not the best experience.

[@CristianSirb]

I’m interested whether I could read magazines on this device. If I have a subscription and an account to a certain magazine, like The Economist , e.g.

[@ChalidRaqami]

It depends on the format. You can't install apps, if that is needed to read the content. You can use the browser, which works okay, but isn't the fastest. So I wouldn't recommend it, if that's the only option to read it. A better idea would be to download a PDF file from that subscription with the browser. So the best option for magazines would be a PDF file imho, which you can open and for which there are a couple of different viewing modes, like mentioned in the video. There are also convenient options to set up the Era to deliver the files to the ereader. You can use dropbox for example, which automatically syncs with the device. You can also send an email to the ereader.

[@CristianSirb]

@@ChalidRaqami I very much appreciated your fast, kind and thorough reply.

[@CristianSirb]

Is it possible to access a newspaper or magazine on ERA? Will it be displayed properly?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Depends on the file format provided. You can't install apps, if that's necessary to get the latest issue. The Era supports various viewing modes for PDF-files, which - together with the 300 ppi screen - makes this one of the best options in this size segment for viewing PDFs.

[@JustTrueSchool]

Is it possible to export highlights?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Yes - you can export highlights and typed notes in HTML format. There are classes and IDs in use, so you can style or process them further. Handwritten notes can't be exported though.

[@JustTrueSchool]

@@ChalidRaqami Thanks, now with Kobo Libra out of market, which kindle oasis alternative do you recommend? Pocketbook Era or Boox Page?

[@systemsbuster9539]

Is the dictionary non-infinitive-words issue limited to translation dictionaries? Or does it happen with the standard English dictionary as well? Thanks x

[@ChalidRaqami]

It seems to happen less frequently with the English explanatory dictionary, which is Webster's 1913 dictionary. If there's no exact match, it shows the next best match. Other manufacturers do it this way as well and it works surprisingly well for English. It also works for other languages, but not as good (at least not for German in my experience).

[@devovanje01]

Okay, so should I buy it? I read a lot. Thanks.

[@skuteczniepl8030]

How long does the battery live in one charge when you listen to audiobook?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Just listening to an MP3-audiobook via the built-in speaker, with volume at around 60%, 0% brightness on the frontlight, and WiFi off, the battery drain is around 1% every 10 minutes. So I'd say around 16 hours with one charge. I suspect battery life is a bit better when using bluetooth speakers/headphones.

[@skuteczniepl8030]

​@@ChalidRaqami thank you, one more question, please, is it possible to listen to audiobook and have the same book opened as an ebook? For example to learn a new language?

[@scarieblowfish396]

@ChalidRaqami would you suggest the Pocketbook Era 64gb or the Onyx Boox Leaf 2

[@ChalidRaqami]

PocketBook Era for much easier handling out of the box, slightly better ergonomics and better data privacy. Depending on where you are located, possibly also easier warranty claims if needed. Boox Leaf 2 for better contrast levels, slightly better lighting quality, better PDF-viewing-options and Android expandability. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I would make it primarily dependent on whether you need Android or not, and also if you are willing to invest time in the setup and a bit of tinkering. If the answer to that is yes, the Boox Leaf 2 is the better choice - otherwise I'd go for the PocketBook Era.

[@scarieblowfish396]

@@ChalidRaqami thank you for the reply. I used the Nova Pro for years. I don't mind tinkering honestly, I kind of enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I really need Android on my ereader. Though admittedly the flexibility it provides is nice. I did use moon reader + as the reader app as default but I have heard neoreader has really improved. I exclusively side load my books from Calibre on these types of e-readers but do have quite a few books on Kindle too. How has the update scene for Boox been recently? I had several updates make the Nova Pro almost unusable until they pushed a fix. My understanding is Pocketbook is much more stable. It just seems like they're very similar with different pros and cons which is why I'm torn.

[@ChalidRaqami]

@@scarieblowfish396 New PocketBook ereaders are a bit buggy in the beginning in my experience, but I didn't have problems with the Era. Usually PocketBook is quick to fix any issues. PocketBook also is active in the ereading community and listens to feedback, so they also enhanced their reading app in the past few years continuously. But neoreader is better overall imho, because it offers more options. But it's definitely harder to get the hang of it. Updates on Boox are okay-ish. Not great, not bad. They also push out fixes for obvious bugs for new devices quite fast nowadays, but still don't provide Android security patches or upgrades, which is a shame. I personally love the freedom Android on the Boox devices gives, but think PocketBook offers the more user friendly user interface and like it more when using it daily. Also, depending on where you are, PocketBook might be more straightforward with warranty processing, as they have a direct distribution network in many countries.

[@vakke]

Wanted to add a question here also! Would you be able to do a follow up review or showup if Pocketbook updates the screen contrast with firmware update? I've seen My Depp Guides reviews on Boox devices which have got a after release firmware update making the screen contrast much better. I'm really eager to buy the Era and I wish they have just messed up the contrast of the screen with their first attempt on E-Ink Carta 1200 screen.

[@ChalidRaqami]

I'm afraid that won't be possible here, because I think it's a hardware limitation in this case. PocketBook doesn't produce the E-Ink screens themselves as far as I know, but get them from the same source as the others. I suspect there are different tolerances at play and possibly exclusivity deals (Amazon and Kobo/Tolino paying more?). But that's speculation ... PocketBook actually had a somewhat similar problem with their first E-Ink Carta ereader. The PocketBook Ultra from 2014 had visibly worse contrast levels than the competition. But luckily it's not nearly as bad with the Era. So don't let that stop you from having a look at the Pocketbook Era. Because contrast levels aren't actually bad and readability is very good. It's just the direct comparison to the other E-Ink Carta 1200 screens that make the Era look a bit worse.

[@vakke]

@@ChalidRaqami Okay thank you for the clarification! Pocketbook Era hasn't yet arrived here in Finland and it's been a scarce few years of stock of ereareds overall. Kobo's seem to be the only one arriving here at the moment and saw your Libra 2 review here too now, so I'll take a look of that too! PS. I think there is a typo on the title of the video. Isn't the Era 7" and not 6"?

[@ChalidRaqami]

@@vakke Thanks, you're right - I fixed the title! Absolutely check out the Kobo Libra 2 if you can. The screen is seriously great. I can count equally as good ereader screens of the past 12 years (since I'm reviewing ereaders) on one hand. But as I said in the video, make sure to being able to return it, in case you run into the mentioned software issues. Usually they show up quickly, within a few days of regular use.

[@smoklares9791]

Can I take notes with a stylus?

[@ChalidRaqami]

No, unfortunately not.

[@acerudate]

Could you still use the thalia shop on this device?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Yes, it's possible through the browser app. You can access the Thalia website (and even set it as the start page of your browser), log in, buy and download your ebooks. You might need to log into Adobe (can be done right on the Era) for ebooks with hard DRM. It works alright, but it's definitely more cumbersome than using the built in pocketbook store or using the thalia store on Tolino.

[@applesaft]

@@ChalidRaqamidoes that work on kobo as well?

[@ahmadmayahi]

Despite it being a good device, I'll be returning it because of its poor dictionaries. Don't expect to have high-quality dictionaries such as Oxford.

[@Alexithymiander]

The Kobo has darkmode with white text and a black background. Does the PocketBook Era have this?

[@ChalidRaqami]

No, unfortunately not. No PocketBook ereader has that function at the moment.

[@ChalidRaqami]

Just adding to my other reply: That feature should come in Q2/2023 with Firmware 6.8 according to PocketBook.

[@alicedalexandrite]

​@@ChalidRaqami ohhh that's great news

[@luc7976]

​@@ChalidRaqami it seems you can sideload other readers like coolreader or koreader which have dark mode. But if a fw is coming that would be better:-).

[@valeriopastore7310]

This would be perfect if it ran Android. Then I could install my many reading apps and get access to the totality of book world, from Kindle to public libraries.

[@jenniferwehrend9192]

I have a Kindle PW and looking for a replacement for the same reasons you posted about.

[@fred3175]

But on the other hand non-Android devices live much longer which sometimes is even more important criteria. I love Pocketbooks' lifetime.

[@valeriopastore7310]

@@ImogenValkyrie i owned several boox readers. Unfortunately, they tend to be slow. Not to mention the marked ghosting,

[@ImogenValkyrie]

@@valeriopastore7310 are boox readers slower than kindle and kobo?

[@valeriopastore7310]

@@ImogenValkyrie When it comes to readers I owned -Nova 3, Nova AirC, Leaf 2, Poke Lite 4, the Nova 3 was the best, most solid product, with a higher responsivity...but it tended to exit the app all by itself during the reading. Nova Air C couldn't even run the Kindle app.The others are a poor build quality when compared to Kindle (not even waterproof), much slower and with a tremendous ghosting (ESPECIALLY for Nova Air C!). Considering the way higher price, Boox has really failed me. I'll look somewhere else when I'll have to go for another android e-reader

[@sheaulle]

Thanks for the insightful review. My Kindle 3 keyboard just broke, so I am looking for a replacement. Can you elaborate on how notes & highlights are handled with the Era? You mentioned HTML export. Has it to be done manually or are notes and highlightes synced with the Pocketbook cloud? Is it possible to connect to other cloud services like OneDrive?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Both actually: 1. Highlights and notes are automatically synced to the PocketBook Cloud (cloud.pocketbook.digital) with the ebook (when you're logged in and have an internet connection). When opening the ebook in the PBCloud on the PC with the web-viewer, you can create/view/edit/delete notes and create/view/delete highlights in regular ebooks. Creating notes/highlights is not possible in PDFs directly in the PBCloud and handwritten notes are not visible in the web-viewer and notes either. You have the option to export all notes directly from the PBCloud (via the browser on your PC) to an HTML-file. 2. You can manually export notes/highlights to HTML directly on the device. The handwritten notes are not visible but only indicated with the word "Pencil". So the only option to view a handwritten note is to open the ebook/PDF on the ereader. 3. There's also a notes-app available, were you can view all notes you have inside ebooks/PDFs on the device and in the PBCloud. From there you can also export them to HTML as described above. ------------------ About the HTML file, if you intend to to some automatic processing: Each comment is in its own div-container with a unique ID and a common class, with the page number, highlighted word and the comment itself - all of which are in their own p or div tag. ------------------- Besides the PBCloud you can also use Dropbox. There's a preinstalled application for that. You can move exported notes on the device inside the specified dropbox folder and have them synced with the service. Other cloud services are not supported. But you can also send files to the ereader with "Send-To-PocketBook", which pretty much works like Send-To-Kindle. You get your own e-mail address for the device, but as far as I can tell, there's no processing of the files happening (like it's the case with Send-To-Kindle). You can't send e-mails from the ereader. ------------------- Hope that all makes sense and helps :)

[@sheaulle]

@@ChalidRaqami Absolutely makes sense, no questions left. Thank you very, very much for your time ❤️

[@Strravigor]

Merci pour votre vidéo . Savez vous si cette liseuse sera commercialisée en France ? Elle semble être une bonne alternative mon alternative à ma kobo h2o v2 . Merci

[@ChalidRaqami]

PocketBook doesn't seem to operate in France directly, but you can get the Era on Amazon.fr or from another online retailer in the EU. The PocketBook Era's browser isn't the fastest, but allows to download ebooks from other shops as well, so you should also be able to use the Era for buying ebooks from your preferred epub-ebook store, even if the Era isn't available there.

[@Strravigor]

@@ChalidRaqami thanks Is it possible tu easily put epub in this reader ? I have many French books epub format …

[@Strravigor]

@@ChalidRaqami j ai beaucoup de livres français en format ePub , est ce facile de les mettre directement dans cette liseuse comme dans un disque dur ?

[@ChalidRaqami]

Yes, you can just copy the epub files to the ereader via USB. You can also use dropbox and sending files via e-mail (Send-to-PocketBook). The PocketBook Era also supports many other file formats besides epub, so you should be able to open pretty much any ebook/image/comic you throw at it. PocketBook recently even added support for Amazons AZW/AZW3 file format.

[@Strravigor]

@@ChalidRaqami merci ! Est il compatible avec pCloud ? ( bien mieux que Dropbox à mon avis )

[@mishafran]

Thank you!

[@piotrnaszarkowski8715]

Presenting tts function in silence is rather odd...

[@ChalidRaqami]

Thanks for the feedback - you're right. Will keep it in mind for my next reviews (PocketBook InkPad 4 coming up soon).

[@piotrnaszarkowski8715]

@@ChalidRaqami I'm kobo's fan, but want to have a reader with tts as well. For 3 weeks ago I ordered pocketbook era i amazon. The very same day pocketbook announced inkpad4, which maybe can be better choice for me. As a sign from heaven Amazon's package disappeared somewhere in space and I got my money back. So I ordered inkpad4 in Proshop. But still don't know, which one is better. Most important for me is tts functionality, as I mentioned, I'm kobo's user. I'm curious of comparison of era and inkpad4, as the price is the same. Maybe you can compare them in one of your next reviews?

[@The_Monkey_King]

Thanks

[@erdal0]

Why didn’t they had color e-pink display? It is almost same price as pocketbook color

[@erdal0]

@@bashfullJ88 with a price increase by a factor of 3

[@ikaros4203]

those flush screens have so much glare, i could never.

[@ChalidRaqami]

Yeah, I agree - that could be better.