New Kindle Paperwhite vs iPad mini | Which is better for reading? | Mark Ellis Reviews

At first glance, it might not seem like the most obvious of comparisons, but I’m told that a lot of people want to know what works best as a reading device - the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite or the iPad mini 6. So, I put both to task! This is what I discovered.

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Pricing and positioning
02:26 - Screens
05:59 - The OS
07:32 - The reading experience
09:56 - Ergonomics
11:15 - Battery life
12:35 - Conclusion

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[MarkEllisReviews]

Which one would you pick out of the Kindle and the iPad mini... and why?

[waynesmith]

One of the biggest plus points for me with the Kindle is that it allows you to read in direct sunlight. This is especially useful in the garden during the summer and by the pool when on holiday. I have both devices and in terms of strain on the eyes, again, the Kindle is a clear winner. I too read in bed quite a lot and experience tells me that my wife much prefers me to be on the Kindle instead of the iPad. The iPad is amazing for so many other things, but I wouldn't be without the Kindle.

[robbren]

iPad is my go to for reading since it allows us to read magazines, comic books, etc. in addition to regular books.

[nmbr]

One thing to consider: the type of books you intend to read. I read a lot of technical stuff - heavyweight books that are outdated in two years and that you would never put onto the bookshelf in your living room ... so I thought a Kindle is just perfect for that. But in these books you often search and go back and forth - and this is such a pain with epaper. So I guess for just reading novels it is a complete different story, but for material you use more as a reference book - imo pretty unusable.

[neorich]

I'd pick the Kindle. But, I still have my original Kindle 4th Gen, in its original leather case.
Still going strong after coming up to 10 years (I think) and I still use it everyday! 😉👍

[isaacwutkee]

I have the new iPad Air, and I think the iPad mini would be more convenient for reading due to the manageable one-hand size. But still, I wanted the Kindle for a long time and finally got one recently and I love it. Four reasons I ultimately choose it for my reading: the battery longevity, generally easier on the eyes, not overheating in direct sunlight, and lack of glare reading outside.
The iPad screen protector mentioned in the video would help with the glare, but it probably still won’t be as great as the Kindle’s build-in screen. Reading outside is all around a better experience with the Kindle, in my experience.

[LovinLives]

I went for iPad mini since it allowed me read my books from the library apps 😅 I read so much the cost for the books on kindle versus (on hold/free) via library virtual is great. Also I downloaded the kindle app on it as well and it allows me to look for more obscure books (indie), so it just made sense. Although the brightness is an issue, I got a screen protector which does help a little.

[rudiphoto]

For reading, Kindle every day of the week! It's not even a close contest - I have two different Kindles and the latest iPad mini, and for reading the Kindle (or any other e-ink device) will run rings around any tablet or phone.

[Amir-qkzk]

iOS and iPadOs have a feature called white point reduction and with devices with LCD panels can reduce the screen brightness by any amount you set it to. It can be customized by triple click of the lock button as well. I use that for night time reading.

[Patricia.castro]

I have a kindle paperwhite 3 or 4 ( it’s from 2017) and still perfect to what it is - reading e taking my books everywhere! I think reading on it it’s the most close you can get from reading on paper. But I also have an iPad mini 5 - the size is perfect for me, and I use it everyday also. I need both 🤷🏼‍♀️

[lucaslahlum]

I’ve owned both: let me summarize your choice. Do you want to read a ton of fiction books at many different conditions and lighting environments? Get a kindle. If you want to read nonfiction, magazines, and/or fiction with a chance that you’ll want to highlight or make notes, get an iPad mini (even a 4th or 5th edition).

Possibly get a Samsung tablet for cheap reading.

[adrianlw]

I use the Kindle app on iPhone SE. As with iOS iBooks, I get on with it well for my reading purposes.

Upside is it is palm-of-hand reading and I don’t have to have an additional device with me. Easy to snatch a bit of reading anywhere/any time.

Downside is that there is need for frequent scrolling/page changes due to small screen.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the actual Kindle screen technology allows easy reading in direct/strong sunlight in a way that the iOS devices do not. Personally, if I want to read out in the open, the iOS system is not ideal, suffering distracting reflections, and turning up the brightness to get good contrast of text vs background uses more battery.

[tjd]

I have both - my go-to is the iPad mini 6 - I bought the Paperwhite for travel but find I always reach for the Mini.

[stevet]

TIP: dim your ipad for late night reading by setting triple tap to zoom (accessibility) (and setting zoom level to original size). Haven’t checked the latest Kindle, but formerly I could get a darker screen on my ipad than on a Kindle at minimum brightness. Could get over 12 hours charge at low low brightness.
Unfortunately, best reader depends on book.
Novel = Kindle
Novel, taking notes & looking things up = ipad
Novel with maps = Kindle for words, nearby ipad for maps
Manual, textbook = ipad
Magazines, newspaper = ipad
Comic = 13” ipad or convertible laptop
Artbook = hardcopy book, unless you find graphic ebooks that are not super compressed like Amazon’s

I’ve owned 4 ipads and 5 Kindles, and used them all a lot. The only devices I’ve found unsatisfactory for reading were Surface Book 2 (heavy screen with hard corners), Levano Yogi 10” (over heavy battery), and every smartphone (small screens and a drain on batteries). So far I haven’t used my Kobo readers much either…although I’m not sure why; they seem nice.

[bargeiger]

I purchased an iPad mini 4, refurbished on eBay, for a very good price. I use that for reading and other stuff of course. I also have a kindle oasis, I love both of them.

[rebeccaw]

Sigh - I’m a long time ebook reader, and what keeps me reading on my iPad mini, is the fact that my iBooks library is as large as my Kindle library😂. I chase ebooks on sale, where ever they are and they’re not always price-matched, and I tend to stick to long series from the same store. Also, iBooks is rather lovely, I love that books get stacked together in series in the iBooks library (kindle only does this for kindle and android devices). However, iBooks audiobooks and Audible seem to be working together because when I occasionally buy an audiobook from their regular sales for $4.99 or $9.99 in iBooks, they show up in my Audible library.

[bobbya]

Thank you for this review. I have a new Mini 6, and I read a lot; I was thinking of buying a new Kindle Paperwhite just for reading, but it sounds like a lot of it is old technology, with the same sluggish OS experience as previous Kindles, which I don’t like at all. Bottom line, you’ve saved me over $200, and I appreciate it. Others reviews that I have seen for the Kindle didn’t bring out the continued sluggishness of the OS. The battery life though, still has me on the fence. Days of charge rather than hours is appealing; but the sluggish OS, not appealing at all.

[snackymcsnackycakes]

I love my Kindle the best! I use it for reading in bed, for reading outside, and for heavy-duty reading sessions (several hours) with no distractions. I have a Paperwhite which I use daily, and I have an old Kindle keyboard which still works and lives in my beach bag.

That said, I do read on the Kindle app on my iPad (not a mini) for certain things -- comics are terrific on the iPad, as are magazines, and books with lots of images (say a cookbook). If I want a full color experience, I read on the iPad Kindle app. I'm lucky I have the options. I'd recommend the Kindle over the iPad for reading, but if you have both, they each have their strengths.

[bldkillz]

Ipad mini 6 (own one) being multipurpose and dark mode/true tone makes it comfortable enough to read despite distractions (focus mode exists so) being ios but not always a bad thing. That i can do other things with it outside reading and download books from other sources, pdf's etc easily.

[robertvsnow]

I do almost half my reading outdoors, where the iPad is just unusable. I agree with most of your Kindle complaints, but I'll add that over the years my Kindle batteries have all failed quite a bit faster than my iPads.