Kindle 4th gen non touch vs Nook Simple Touch

[shinew]

Here is a review I wrote for the amazon Kindle comparing the 2 ereaders, and why I prefer the basic Kindle to the Nook for me. Hope it gives some useful info for others who are also considering these 2 devices.


http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UJWZG...cm_cr_rdp_perm

[seajewel]

Thanks, that is helpful. I do like the button placement of the Kindle 4, but I would have liked touch functionality. but for just plain old reading maybe this is a good option, and so very affordable. I'm concerned about varying reports about screen quality, though.

[shinew]

Since Amazon Kindle is well known for their good customer service & return/exchange policy, i wouldn't worry about it. My K4 & Nook STR's screen look about the same to me.

I'll probably give Kindle Touch a try too when it comes out, the $99 version is probably the best bang for the buck in the K4 kindle lineup. Still not sure if a touch screen is a plus or minus for an ereader.

[log]

It does seem Amazon is using a lower quality display in new Kindle's, so you want the best looking screen maybe better to go with Kindle Keyboard, Nook STR or new Sony-T1.

From Tom's hardware review:
"We called up E Ink Corporation to ask if this was a batch-related issue, and was told that this is most likely due to Amazon choosing a particular grade of display panels. So, while the new Kindle comes at a lower price, the company is probably cutting its costs as well by using a slightly cheaper display."

[HarryT]

This is pure speculation on their part, and countered by the fact that we've had at least as many posts here saying that the K4's screen is identical to, or better than, that of the K3. There is a wide variation between individual eInk panels.

[shinew]

here is repost of my reply in the Kindle thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...26#post1776926
=====================================

Interesting article, I don't have the K3 but since they also mentioned Nook STR(which I still have atm), I assume the K3 & Nook have the same screen.

I did some brief test just now by loading a pure black & pure white(blank) page on to each reader, then used my X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer to measure each of its black & white color data, I don't find the black "a little darker" on the Nook STR, in fact, the K4's black is darker.

Below are the comparison image I've created using photoshop based on the L*a*b reading of the spectrophotometer, then converted to sRGB color space:

If it says anything, as you can see(if your monitor can differentiate the differences) that the black on the Kindle NT is actually darker. And the contrast on the K4 between the darkest and whitest is actually slightly greater than the Nook STR is capable off( 48.8 vs 46.8 for Delta E CIE2000 & 52.5 vs 49.7 for Luminosity).

The Delta E CIE2000 for the pure black between the two devices is 1.6.
The Delta E CIE2000 for the pure white(blank) between the two devices is 1.0.

To put the above differences in context for people who're not familiar with those readings, the smallest difference human eyes can detect is 1.0.

So with all other variables included such as manufacture unit to unit tolerance, instrument & display supply variance, the screen between the two are pretty much the same in terms of hardware black & white display capability.

p.s. With no disrespect to Tom's hardware, where there're full of experts smarter than me, IMHO using a microscope to take a picture of the screen is not the most accurate way to evaluate the shadow/light differences, a spectrophotometer is much more reliable.

[bullwing]

Wow you guys are detailed haha

[David58117]

Nook st had a greyish tint from what I remember. The blacks weren't the best either, I assumed it was because of the partial refreshes, or maybe that I generally used smaller fonts when reading. Anyway, I definitely wouldn't call it one of the better screens I've seen.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by David58117

Nook st had a greyish tint from what I remember. The blacks weren't the best either, I assumed it was because of the partial refreshes, or maybe that I generally used smaller fonts when reading. Anyway, I definitely wouldn't call it one of the better screens I've seen.

both screens have a blueish tint, the Kindle I just bought has a more neutral white(which is actually gray) and slightly better contrast with darker black and brighter white than my Nook STR. Paperback book usually have a brownish tint.