I was deciding between a Kindle PPW5 and a Kobo Clara BW for a while to replace my dying Oasis 1. The Paperwhite 5 went on sale and I’d seen too many complaints about the Kobo freezing, so that settled it for me. I still prefer Kobo as a company and I’m still looking for a way to move away from Amazon tho 👀.
What I like
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The warm yellow light and dark mode make reading at night much more comfortable.
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Syncing between devices is handy. I can pick up where I left off on my phone or laptop when I’m out and about.
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I feel like the battery never runs out lol. (Or maybe I’m not reading enough.)
What I don’t like
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The size is a bit bigger than I’d like. It’s fine, but I wish it had the size of the Kobo Clara B&W.
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Lacks customization options like changing the wallpaper or customizing the interface.
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Doesn’t support remote control. They do sell a remote where you clip something on the Kindle to flip the page, but it’s expensive and I don’t like the visible clip.
Tips
Adding books
You can send books to your Kindle using Send to Kindle on the web, or by opening a file using the Kindle app on your phone.
Keeping your library intact
I heard some people had their sideloaded books deleted if they kept the airplane mode on for too long.
I just keep the airplane mode off and my books have stayed intact so far. It doesn’t drain the battery that much, and I want to keep my reading progress synced.
Overall it’s a solid e-reader and I have no complaints beyond the size. But I’m still keeping an eye out for a good reason to switch to Kobo 👀.