PocketBook InkPad 4 | Eye-Friendly Audio & E-Book Reader | Large 7.8ʺ E-Ink Display | Anti-Scratch Protection | Text-to-Speech Function | Bluetooth® | Built-in Speaker | SMARTlight | IPX8 Waterproof

Recently, I purchased and tried several eReaders, including the Kindle Scribe, Paperwhite and Boox Note 4c. I read a mix of technical books, often on PDFs, as well as regular books that come on EPUB or similar. I was tired of the Kindle ecosystem because it is so locked down and walked off that I simply couldn't do what I wanted. The Boox readers that run Android are cool, but the color screens have really poor contrast for reading indoors. Also, the lack of a real privacy policy, OS updates and highly questionable Chinese software are a security deal breaker for me.In addition, I find the 10" sized reader too large and the 6 or 7 inch too small. That narrows down the choices further because only Kobo and PocketBook, plus a couple other lesser known brands, sell a monochrome 8" reader.Overall, I really like the software and hardware design of this device. It is a keeper.Pros:1. Very high contrast 8" screen that reads like real paper in normal indoor lighting. 300 DPI resolution and 8" size is just big enough to read PDFs or larger format documents, especially in landscape mode.2. Excellent DropBox cloud storage integration makes it very easy to transfer and sync files and books. This is a killer feature.3. Works great with Calibre, KOReader, Adobe Digital Editions (e.g. for library books or other purchases). Not locked down to Amazon's ecosystem.4. Awesome integrated front cover accessory that complements the grippy, protective rear surface for a compact, light weight, low bulk and inexpensive case system5. The bundled reader app can auto-trim book margins or read through two column papers really well. Makes reading technical books or papers pleasant.6. Auto-adjusting backlight with dark mode and color temperature is great for night reading.7. Includes several bundled apps like a calendar, web browser (slow, but surprisingly full featured) and games like Chess. I find this more useful than it would seem at first thought.8. The user interface and settings are clear and clean, but allow for significant customization.9. No account registration is required. I didn't register or sign up for any PocketBook services, and yet nothing is crippled or disabled. Truly unlocked.10. Works great with 3rd party book stores, other than Amazon, of course. But Rakutten has pretty much everything Amazon has. I bought a book from Rakutten, downloaded it my DropBox, and it immediately showed to on the PocketBook. Some purchased books with DRM require going through Adobe Digital Editions first, but that works as well.11. Company is based in Switzerland, so I don't have concerns about privacy, security and IP theft. I like to support a smaller, Swiss company and not feed the Big Tech monopolies that strangle our lives.12. Integrated physical buttons for home, power and page turning. Much nicer than touch screen only, especially if you don't want your screen all dirty.Cons:1. May not connect to WiFi using the latest WPA3 encryption standard. PocketBook should fix this in an update. It does fall back to WPA2, however.2. The processor/UI is a little slow, but not terrible. Page turns are quick enough. But the tradeoff is better battery life, so it's probably worth it. But it's an area PocketBook could improve. Overall, as an eReader, it's fine, however.3. Button placement would be more ergonomic on the side, as opposed to on the bottom.In summary, if you are a slightly technical person who doesn't mind taking a few minutes to set things up or transfer your books from a 3rd party store like Rakutten or your library, this is an excellent eReader. Perhaps the best in terms of total hardware and software package. But if all you want to do is use one-click-buy to instantly load books on your device, the Kindle is the lazy person's choice. But Kindle comes with a cost in terms of features, openness and portability. For a technically savvy person like me, the PocketBook is the far better choice.

I am reviewing both Inkpad 4 and Era as we have both in the household currently, and most of these two reviews will be the same for both devices. You can see both next to each other in my photos for anyone hesitating between the two.An excellent device overall.• SCREEN: I have read on the Internet some people complain about the screen quality - perhaps early units were different, but the current ones I would say do NOT have any screen quality problem. I’ve had Kindles, Boox, etc. The screen on the Pocketbook Inkpad 4 and Pocketbook Era are both top-notch. They compare to Kindle Oasis. There is nothing dim or blurry about them. My Boox Nova Air actually IS blurry so I do know what that looks like.• OPERATING SYSTEM: a bit in between the experience on a Kindle and on a Boox device. More abilities than a Kindle (and VERY importantly for me, the ability to use Bluetooth page turning remotes), a slightly more complex OS, but still much simpler than a Boox device (and more limited because it’s not Android). The OS can be a bit sluggish at times! Closer to a Kindle than a Boox in terms of performance. A bit slower than Kindles when using functionalities that Kindles don’t have. Scrolling through the library can be a little slow at times too. It’s not a racing car, but I’m not finding myself minding that much. In fact I find it helps to prevent the mega fast mega scroll mega mindless mode we get sometimes into with our fast modern devices. I stay in slow, ‘remember to breathe’ reading mode when using this device at all times.• READER APP: a very good reader app, however, while it offers great customization for gestures and tap areas, it lacks customization for font, margins and line gaps. Now there is a trick that lets you customize line gaps, it’s not difficult to do but it’s not on the device. It requires manually editing a text file in the device system files. It is completely safe to do, but I wish there just was more options in the reader app. Same thing for font size, bolding levels, and such. You can sideload your own fonts. I am also really sad that it doesn’t track how much time it takes me to finish a book. That’s a feature I really love in Boox’s default reader, and on Kindles to know how long it will take me to get to the next chapter etc.NOTE: if you are a fan of KOreader, you CAN install it on this device very easily, without ‘jailbreak’ or any such heavy tricks. It is very well supported.* STORE: I haven't tried it, but Pocketbook basically lets you sideload whatever you want. Buy from their store or don't, the device doesn't care - so long as the ebooks are drm free (of course your ebooks must NOT have drm's to work anywhere but their intended device). The device does NOT push its store on you at all (there's a home screen thing to see deals or whatever but it's easy to turn it off).• CONNECTIONS: Bluetooth that is actually useful (ie can connect Bluetooth devices such as page turn remotes) as opposed to Amazon’s implementation of it which lets you do basically nothing. USC-C, no problems or complaints there, it works every time I connect to the computer.• BATTERY LIFE: haven’t gone through a full cycle yet, but seems within what the company advertises so far• DESIGN: beautiful devices, slightly more original designs than most e-readers these days. Reminds me of the Kindle Voyage - what an e-reader that was!• BUTTONS: I love that they’re there. They work very well. Obviously, they are better on the Era due to where they are placed, but they are still useful on the Inkpad 3 too.LONG STORY SHORT:Yays: Excellent, high quality. Beautiful, functional ereader. Intuitive OS still with good customization options on navigation and gestures.Gripes: no “how long it takes to read this chapter/book” feature in the default reader app. The slowness at times might be a dealbreaker for you. The reader app could use more margin and line gaps customization options.Still giving it a 5/5 because there are so few choices for a 7.8” ereader and this is overall a really solid one.

Brand new out-of-the-box and there are "smudges" or defects in the screen. Not on the top layer where it could be cleaned but underneath. I almost thought I got a used/refurbished one. Terrible first impression from PocketBook. Item returned.

I bought the Inkpad 4 primarily because I was interested in using the Text to Speech (TTS) function. So far the Inkpad has exceeded my expectations. The TTS is great and turns every book into an audiobook. I find I am able to finish books faster because of the TTS, switching between reading and listening. I like the built-in speaker and also use an external speaker so I can turn up the volume even louder. Additionally, as someone who likes having physical page-turn buttons, I think the buttons on this ereader are a welcome addition although I wish they were a little wider. Overall, I would say I have been enjoying the Inkpad 4 more than my my other ereaders.