Pocketbook Touch HD 3 review

We've been testing the PocketBook Touch HD 3 for weeks now, a device that aims to compete with the best-selling 6" e-readers . It comes loaded with features. Keep reading to see what we think of this e-reader.

To compete head-to-head with established devices like the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kobo Clara HD, it needs to offer more than just matching their quality at a similar price. And the Touch HD 3 provides many features and details that, while they may seem essential at first glance, are truly appreciated once you have them.

Before starting the analysis, I'd like to address something I'm always asked afterward. Yes, you can listen to audiobooks.

We go with the list of characteristics that make up the device.

Features

Device and display

• 6 ″ E Ink® Carta ™ Display (1072 × 1448) 300 dpi
• Frontlight+ (SMARTlight)
• 16-level grayscale
• Dimensions 161,3 x 108 x 8mm
• Weight 155 g
• Dual Core Processor (2 × 1 GHz)
• Capacitive multi-touch screen
• 512 MB of RAM
• 1500 mAh battery (Li-Ion Polymer).
• 16GB hard drive

Connectivity

• Wireless connectivity Wi-Fi (802.11 b / g / n)
• USB-interface Micro-USB
• Bluetooth

Others

• HZO ProtectionTM protection (IPX 7)
• Text-to-Speech
• RSS News, Notes, Chess, Klondike, Scribble, Sudoku.
• Formats it reads (PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, RTF, PRC, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI, ACSM)
• Audio formats MP3, M4B

Packaging

The presentation is very good. A small rigid cardboard box that can later be used to store the device.

Although it may seem like a minor issue, the small quality details we see right from the start say a lot about a brand.

In the box we will find the device. A usb - miniusb cable for charging the device and a mini-usb to jack cable for the entire audio part.

Impressions and appearance

My first impression upon seeing it was that it was tiny, very tiny for a 6-inch, and cute . I really like how it looks. The size, the touch of color, those tiny frames make it adorable.

It has physical buttons at the bottom . The first one takes you directly to the e-reader's home page, the second one goes back, the third one goes forward, and the fourth one opens the settings menu.

The home button is very useful when you are a bit lost and want to quickly go to a landmark. While I have tested the ereader I have used it a lot. The configuration button is also very useful, because it is always more uncomfortable to be displaying menus on the touch screen.

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I like the pass buttons better on the sides. It is where I have gotten used to using them and I find it more comfortable perhaps because of the shape and grip of the ebooks. And that's another point to keep in mind.

Achieving such a beautiful e-reader with such a small frame comes at the cost of sacrificing grip . Sitting down, it's not a problem because you can hold it from the bottom, but if you try reading in bed, you'll find it's not so easy. And the material it's made of doesn't exactly inspire confidence either.

Software and functionalities

The list of things that the Touch HD 3 includes is very long and I wanted to try everything. The only thing that I have not tested has been the water protection to see that IPX7 that would allow us to submerge it in water.

The PocketBook has its own Linux-based operating system. And it is packed with very cool features. The most interesting:

Audiobooks

This is an e-reader for listening to audiobooks . Although you don't see the headphone jack, it comes with a mini-USB to headphone jack adapter that allows you to connect headphones and enjoy the increasingly popular audiobook format. You can buy them elsewhere or on the Pocketbook platform itself, although the catalog is currently lacking in Spanish, but it's sure to arrive soon.

You can also use the wireless headphones by pairing them via bluetooth and thus enjoy all the audio options without cables.

Audio Player

Continuing with the audio features. We can use the e-reader as an audio player by first uploading the files we want to listen to.

Of course, you can not listen to music in the background while we read. Or we read, or we play, or we listen to music, but not several things at the same time.

I miss having an option to listen to podcasts from the main platforms . I've managed to do it by accessing them through a browser. You can go to iVoox, for example, choose a podcast episode, and listen to it, but a native solution in the e-reader would be fantastic.

Text to speech

It has a text-to-speech function, which converts any of the formats it reads into speech . So you can take an epub, mobi, or pdf file and have it read it to you.

It works well I tested it in 2 languages, English and Spanish and although it does not have the cadence like an audiobook it can be useful in certain situations or for people with visual difficulties.

Games, notes, calculator and calendar

I have always defended that an ereader has a very clear functionality. It is a hyper-specialized device for a specific task. That is why it works very well and there is no point in comparing it with a tablet.

We found various features, such as several games including chess, solitaire, and Sudoku, a notepad, a calculator, and a calendar . But I don't think anyone will use it these days, given that they have a smartphone readily available. The only reason I can think of using it is to disconnect from their phones and avoid being bombarded by their constant notifications.

Ecosystem and connectivity

It has its own ecosystem, with an integrated store where you can purchase ebooks. It also has an app for Android and iOS that allows you to centralize everything.

Cloud. We have a certain amount of cloud storage space that is used to synchronize all the devices connected to our account.

Dropbox allows you to sync your Dropbox account with your device to read and manage ebooks.

Send to PocketBook allows you to send files in any of the formats that the e-reader reads via email, and they will appear on your e-reader when it syncs via Wi-Fi.

News RSS

It has an RSS reader, we can follow the feeds of the blogs that interest us, but the articles are read through the reader's browser and I don't like this very much because there are pages that do not load well, that put many strange elements, etc.

Automotive Lighting

This is where many devices fall short, but the Touch HD 3 handles it with ease. Uniform lighting with Smartlight.

It also allows us to increase and decrease the intensity of the light and SmartLight from within the ebook reader without interrupting our reading . To do this, simply slide your finger vertically across the screen. Swiping on the left controls SmartLight, and swiping on the right controls the front light. Very useful indeed.

What is missing?

Perhaps the main drawback is the lack of an SD card slot . There's no slot for inserting cards.

Something that I use a lot is to go surfing the internet, see an opinion article, on a website, in a newspaper, magazine, etc. and send it to the ereader to read it later. In Kindle it can be done with several plugins that are send to Kindle, in Kobo we can synchronize this content with Pocket but I have not found anything to emulate this functionality in the PocketBook ereader.

It is true that there is the news RSS but it is not the same, because as we have said it opens in the browser and because you have to enter a feed beforehand, of which you may not be interested in everything and what I propose is to send any web that you It is interesting when you see it so that you can read it quietly later.

Finally, a minor detail. I haven't seen any option to share highlights or opinions from the ebook on social media . Not that I think it's necessary—I don't use it myself—but I know many people do.

Valuation

The conclusion is that I would buy one and use it every day . And I don't say that about many e-readers. I've used it for many hours, feeling more and more comfortable with it, and it hasn't crashed once or given me any other problems.

As I have commented throughout the review, its weak points I think are the grip when lying down and not being able to send me the articles from the web as a read it later (but this is a use that many people do not do).

It does not have a microSD slot and that is something that always comes in handy for people who have their library mounted in this format.

I see it as an e-reader for people interested in audiobooks and all the audio features of an e-reader . And I think it should further develop this aspect by adding the ability to listen to and follow podcasts.

It moves at a high price compared to what we consider its competition, they are € 159 compared to the 129 of the Paperwhite or the Clara. And someone who does not value all the extras they have because they do not need them has the Kobo Libra at € 179. So I see it halfway between ranges. 

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