PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro review: 16 shades of gray on the big screen

Despite the popularity of smartphones and the renaissance of paper books, e-books are alive and well

What's more, they continue to capture the modern context.For example, one of the top PocketBook models is the InkPad 3 Pro (or PocketBook 740 in some other markets), which we will talk aboutThe review is able to adapt the brightness and color of the backlight to the environment.In addition, the book recognizes about 20 content formats and these are not all its features.

What is it?

PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro - e-book inpremium segment. It is interesting due to the presence of moisture protection (IPX8), a backlit touch display that adapts to the lighting, the presence of Wi-Fi and built-in applications, including a subscription service for books, games, notes, an RSS reader and something else. The model is already on sale at a recommended retail price of UAH 7,099. Based on the diagonal - 7.8 inches - the book is largely aimed at schoolchildren and those who study, since on such a screen you can already look at a textbook page and not scroll it anywhere.

What does he look like?

Years go by, but the design of the readers does not undergochanges. All the same screen with thick frames, controls from the bottom, sometimes a headphone jack and memory cards, sometimes not. This is because the main progress in this class of devices is focused on the screen and software capabilities.

PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro has four buttons onfront panel (“home”, “forward”, “back”, context menu button) and the power key at the bottom. Next to it is a microUSB connector, archaic for modern electronics, but by no means e-readers. Plastic – non-staining, non-glossy, in shades of gray. It feels like the same one that was in the readers five years ago. The model was equipped with a logo from the heart – both front and back.

And even on a complete case. It is made of synthetic matte material that visually resembles leather. It is very compact in size and does not increase the dimensions of the reader too much.

The assembly is good, although there is a slight backlashthere are lids. Correct me if this is not a common feature of e-books. The case is protected from water, the device can be taken with you even in the pool, even in the rain, even in a warm bathroom.

Model dimensions - 195x137x8 millimeters, weight 225grams Doesn't fit in a small handbag, but in a medium one – quite. It fits well in the hand, and is generally comfortable to read while in weight; modern smartphones weigh a little less.

What is it about the screen?

Traditionally for readers, we are talking about technologyE-Ink Card HD. This is the modern generation of E-Ink displays with increased contrast (15:1), response speed and resolution. The model received a 7.8-inch matrix with a pixel density of 300 ppi (resolution 1872×1404 pixels) and adaptive backlighting. For books it is enough for the head. The adaptability of the backlight concerns not only brightness, but also color rendering. During the day the screen becomes colder, at night – warmer.

I never had to mess with the backlight.unless you pay special attention, it is difficult to notice that it is changing. You just pick up a book – and everything is fine. That is, this is not a cheap marketing gimmick, the trick really works and takes away headaches if you want to read at night, and then in the morning, as soon as you open your eyes. The reader will make the image comfortable for the user. You may even notice the difference in the photo, as some were taken without direct light to avoid a slight glare, some – for clarity – right under the lamps.

There is also anti-reflective coating. And when reading under a bright source, the discomfort from it is minimal.

The screen is monochrome, distinguishes 16 shades of gray.The reader supports image formats; there is even a gallery among the applications (more on the features below). But by and large, this is more a demonstration of the capabilities that the device is suitable for reading picture books (comics, for example), than a real need for a feature.

The display is pressure sensitive, matrixcapacitive, responds quickly by the standards of E-Ink, but slowly by the standards of touchscreen smartphones familiar to modern people. When reading, this does not interfere in any way, except that you need to very concentratedly select an area for taking notes and searching on Google in order to get where you need to go. The only place where the speed of the reaction can reach white heat – This is the game “Klondike”. But that’s not why you’re interested in an e-book, right?

What can PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro do?

The reader runs on its own proprietary OS,The built-in storage capacity is 16 GB, RAM – 1 GB. I don’t know how much the system’s need for resources has grown over the last three to five years (since I haven’t held new models of electronic readers in my hands), but even with a gigabyte on board the device does not “fly”. It works significantly faster than readers from the middle of the decade, that's a fact. The speed of leafing through books is not annoying. Navigating through the menu occurs at the speed of a budget smartphone, you can live with it. But you won’t be able to surf the Internet comfortably. And it’s also better to leave typing a long search query to a smartphone or laptop. Taking into account the fact that the reader is unlikely to become the main device for entertainment and access to the Internet for its user, I would call the operating speed comfortable. And we must assume that the limitations are not imposed by system resources, but by the display update rate.

In the smartphone’s memory, in addition to the reader, there isBookland application (here you can buy a book and read it later not only in the reader, but also on any device under your account), cloud, Dropbox (I don’t know how you are, but I sometimes store books that have appeared for a long time in Dropbox, but hands didn’t reach them, the only problem is that up to three devices can be connected in the free service account, my PocketBook is no longer fit), “Solitaire” solitaire, sudoku, chess, notes, English-Russian dictionary, browser, drawing, gallery, calculator, calendar and RSS.

I have already briefly described my experience with the browser.The games have several difficulty levels, and there is no obvious “for the weak” (apparently, for avid chess and sudoku players). As for the browser and the dictionary, I can say that it’s great that they exist, but with a smartphone it’s somehow easier. RSS can be customized to suit your tastes, but the output – by edition. I tried to come up with scenarios for using this service from the reader. It’s great on the road when you don’t want to kill the battery of your smartphone or laptop, but you rarely have Wi-Fi at hand, and connecting to your smartphone – This still does not save its charge. In general, it’s great that it exists, but does the user need – his business.

The device supports 17 text formats and four image formats.

You can change the intensity and colors of the backlight frommain menu or after clicking on the context key. Settings go on a swipe from top to bottom. In the same menu, you can evaluate the book in the application, jump to many pages, go to notes or a dictionary, change the template for displaying text on the page and add thoughts to the notes. To increase / decrease the font, make a familiar on-screen gesture on smartphones that enlarges / reduces the image.

How much battery does it hold?

The model is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 1900 mAh.The manufacturer promises a month of work. I had the reader in my hands for about three weeks. During this time, I read two small books (a little more than 500 pages), played games for probably a day in total. I finish the review and 60% charge. The manufacturer has also provided options for saving battery – You can reduce the time it takes to lock the screen and turn off. By default there is no blocking, but it turns off after 10 minutes.

What are the alternatives?

Firstly, the older model in the line, in which10 inch display. But I suspect that it is more focused on schoolchildren / students, so that it is more convenient to work with educational material. But InkPad X will cost 3000 UAH more.

In the same form factor (7-8 inches) andAt a comparable price there is the Amazon Kindle Oasis (9th Gen), ONYX BOOX Nova Pro and the simpler ONYX BOOX Nova. ONYX BOOX offers twice as much memory and a more capacious battery, as well as USB Type-C, for comparable money. The Nova model is also omnivorous, but runs on Android OS, which means that potentially the operating time may not be longer (the manufacturer does not specify). Judging by the promotional images, this model comes with a stylus. The Pro version supports even more formats, including audio. On the competitor's side from Amazon – price and brand, Pocketbook can counter this with omnivorousness and localization.

In the dry residue

PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro - the most thoughtful anda rich e-book from those that have passed through my hands. In the literal sense, I did not find anything in it that I would like to improve (except in addition to the speed of work, but here it is up to the display technologies) or to change. Perhaps, someone will lack audio support (after all, the older model has Bluetooth, and in the old devices of the company it was possible to find an audio output) or a microSD slot, someone likes to read and outline something in the margins with a pen ( with a stylus in this case), then this is not your option. But for those who prefer to absorb exclusively book and media content from a reader and do not need a stylus, this is an uncompromising choice at the moment. Unless the price factor can be an argument against the purchase. Surprisingly, we again came to the fact that headphones and e-books are no longer an inexpensive pleasure.

5 reasons to buy PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro:

Great purchase for the student;
omnivorous book file formats;
fast by the standards of an e-book interface;
thoughtful interface with lots of additional features;
E-Ink Carta HD display with high contrast, resolution and excellent adaptive backlighting.

1 reason not to buy PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro:

not in your budget.

Specifications PocketBook InkPad 3 Pro

Display
7.8 inches, E-Ink Carta HD, 1872×1404 pixels (300 ppi), capacitive, glass, multi-touch, adaptive backlight

Dimensions
195 x 137 x 8 mm

Weight
225 g

Ram
1 GB

Storage device
16 GB

Communications
WiFi

Book formats
EPUB (DRM), PDF(DRM), FB2, TXT, HTML, DOC, DOCX, RTF, CHM, DJVU, TCR, PRC (MOBI), EPUB, PDF, FB2.ZIP, HTM, ACSM

Image Formats
JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF

Battery
1900 mAh