Reading On Kindle vs Phone
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If you are doing any significant amount of reading, you need an e-reader.
We are big proponents of the Kindle on this website. We are also big readers - we read for at least 30 minutes basically every single day. If you are simply getting into reading or just reading a few minutes a day, then a Kindle (or other e-reader) may not be something that you will really benefit from. Regardless, if you are in a position to get your hands on an e-reader, we would recommend that you get one.
If you’ve never used a Kindle before, then you may wonder why you’d spend near $100 for a device that is literally made just to read books. First off, if you’re reading a lot then $100 really isn’t that much money - you’d previously spend multiples of that simply to buy books in the past, and there are all kinds of ways to get free books these days. The initial price point can also be lower if you catch a sale.
The real reason to get a Kindle though is because of the screen - the e-ink screen is absolutely incredible and a real joy to look at. If you’ve only ever read on your phone in the past, then you’ll be in for a real treat reading on the e-ink screen. It literally seems like you’re reading out of a book - the screen looks just like the page in a book and there’s nothing that causes your eyes to strain.
If you sit and look at a screen all day for work, then you’re probably tired of looking at screens. Even if you don’t recognize it, our eyes are likely extremely tired from looking at the screen. Add on to that any time you already spend looking at your phone for other reasons and you’ll start to realize that your eyes are simply tired of looking at LCD/LED screens. They put a lot of strain on your eyes.
You might actually be avoiding reading if you’re doing it on your phone because your eyes are tired of looking at the screen. You may not even recognize it, but it takes a lot more work to focus on an LCD screen than it does on a standard screen. Rather than putting in the extra work to try to focus on the LCD screen, you’ll just skip reading all together. It’s easier to let your eyes rest than to try to focus on reading.
You can literally look at an e-ink screen for multiple hours without any type of issue. It’s the same strain on your eyes as if it was looking at a regular book. Your eyes can easily travel from word to word without issue. I struggle to read even a standard article on my phone let alone trying to read a book on my phone. While I do read on my phone in times when I don’t have my Kindle with me, it’s pretty uncommon.
Furthermore, there is no glare on a Kindle screen. You can sit out in the sun and read a Kindle without issue - trying to do that on your phone is a much harder prospect. There’s often a glare on the screen when outside and you’ll spend more time trying to adjust the screen so that you can see what you’re reading rather than actually reading. You can pull out your Kindle at the park, or in your home and the experience is the same.
If you’ve never had a Kindle, we’d highly recommend that you give one a try. You may find that you actually enjoy reading whereas your phone doesn’t encourage you to read as much. Get your Kindle now.
