This is a guest post courtesy of Scott Todd. Feel free to leave a comment and thank him for his contribution to the site!
There’s really no beating an eReader. They’ve been developed to provide the very best eBook reading experience, with large and easily readable screens that will not strain your poor, tired eyes. However, if you’re on the move, on the run, and fancy a spot of light reading, some of our bigger, better developed smartphones are more than up to the challenge.
And, with amazingly cheap data from providers like MobiData, picking up a seminal novel, a spot of chick lit or an intriguing detective tale is possible anytime, anywhere – all at the touch of a button. If you want to enjoy literature from your smartphone, you’ll find that some models are better than others and, surprisingly, size isn’t everything although high resolution is an important factor!
Here’s a quick guide to the 5 best smartphones for reading eBooks:
1. Samsung Infuse 4G
You could easily forget that you’re looking at a smartphone and not an eReader with Samsung’s new Infuse 4G model. It has a sizable 4.5 inch screen and, best of all, a super AMOLED plus display which makes text super crisp and super sharp – ideal for reading everything from War and Peace to a guilty pleasure Harry Potter…Not yet available in the UK, this little (big!) beauty currently comes in at $199.99 USD as part of a contract. Pricey, but pretty good! Stick it in ‘sepia mode’ for an ultra readable experience.
2. iPhone 4S
This iPhone model is all about crystal clear display. It’s not the biggest screen you’ll find on the market, but with Retina display is looks picture (and word) perfect. According to the tech jargon wizards, this display is HD, scratch resistant and oleophobic too. What all this adds up to is an amazingly clear, high quality image, which makes eBooks clear as day. Retailing at about £169.00 (although offers vary) this is a smaller, but very readable, option.
3. HTC Evo 4G
If you’re looking for width, you could do a lot worse than the Evo 4G’s 4.3 inches. This sizable display is big enough to make reading eBooks and even PDFs a comfortable experience. With a pixel density of 217ppi, it’s very readable though not quite to the extent of more recent handsets. Still, as this is a 2010 model, it’s more affordable than more recent options, retailing at around £65.00.
4. Samsung Nexus S
Another amazing AMOLED display which means awesome clarity – but this time in a smaller handset. It looks amazing, but you won’t squeeze quite as much on the 4 inch screen as you would with the Infuse 4G. This is a good compromise between size and capability. You’re not going to fumble with this handset and it doesn’t look bulky, but it’s plenty big enough to read eBooks if you’re on the move. It even has a contoured screen which feels really cool to use. Pick it up for around £159.99
5. Samsung Droid Charge
Awesome AMOLED plus screen, check, great big 4.3 inch display, check, handy hardware buttons at the bottom to prevent accidental exiting, check, check, check. The Droid Charge is a great phone for reading eBooks on. It’s big enough, clear enough and functional enough to make getting stuck into a book on your smartphone easy as pie. It’s also really slim which more than makes up for its bulkier size. On US shores, these babies retail at $159.99.
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Editor’s Note: Scott is obviously a fan of the AMOLED displays :-). I can personally vouch for the Samsung Infuse 4G as I used it for about a year. It was not the fastest smartphone, but the display was excellent. I prefer to read books in dead tree or audiobook (my favorite) formats, but eBooks are certainly gaining popularity and people are reading eBooks using, for example, the Kindle application on their smartphones and tablets forgoing the E-Ink (and more recently Paperwhite) displays of dedicated eReaders. In that respect, I agree with Scott that if you are going to be straining your eyes reading books on backlit LCD displays, you might as well use a high quality smartphone display if you have the choice! (End of editor’s note.)
Also read: Just Delivered: Samsung Infuse 4G @ PC Perspective.
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