Kobo Forma vs Note Air vs Note3

[marks_]

Hi!

I'm struggling to decide between the Forma, the Air and the Note3!

As a student, most of my readings are done in the form of pdfs for which I'm currently using an old tablet. As far as actual books go, I read a lot less (~10 books per year, not counting audiobooks), but I'd like to start reading more, especially over the coming summer months.

Onto the actual tablets - I really like the prospect of writing in a single notebook that I could carry around fairly easily, edit, transfer on my pc, etc. instead of a large number of notebooks, though that has been working quite well for me so far.
Now, I don't think writing is the most important thing, I'd primarily like to read pdf, djvu and epubs, but I'm worried about the smaller Forma's 8" screen for the pdfs, which would result in more scrolling than on the bigger screens plus it's scrolling on an already slower device...

I also found these videos: first second, but as far as I can tell, both of these are NOT using KOreader, and in the second video it seems to be a large, image-based pdf.

I've done some measuring using my tablet, and most of the material is not full-page, it's written in latex so that would fit just fine in around 12cm or the 4.8" width of the Forma. As I already have a tablet, I could possibly combine the two if a certain pdf simply can't fit or is too slow.

Regarding weight, the Forma being 2x lighter than the Notes is pretty nice, although I think I could manage holding the heavier Notes too - currently I'm reading a similarly sized (~B5 format), slightly heavier (470g) book which I've had no trouble holding, although I haven't held it for more than an hour...
The Forma's buttons also seem like a nice touch (pun not intended), but again, not really a dealbreaker for me.

However, the Notes seem like an overall better tablet, the significantly faster hardware, newer software and certainly sufficient size make me think I'd be able to get more use out of them in the long term, as well as read just as much on them.
The most important differences between the Air and the Note3 for me are the form (side vs bottom bezel), battery (4300 vs 3000 mAh), and memory (after the OS, Air having ~20GB and Note3 ~50GB). The side bezel is really enticing though, as it's how I'd naturally hold a tablet or smaller book, so it's more important than a little more storage and battery if the Air would be enough...

So just to recap, for the Forma, I like the lighter weight, buttons and ease of use (and it's possibly good enough for studying); for the Notes in general, I like the bigger screen, note taking and pdf markup, faster hardware (also has USB C!) and software that will stay updated for I'm assuming longer (Android 10). Between the two Notes, I like the design and magnetic pen of the Air more, whereas for the Note3 the hardware upgrade seems worth the higher cost, but possibly not the less comfortable model. Right now I'm liking the Air the most, but just slightly.

I'm having a surprisingly hard time deciding, I'd be very thankful if I could get some opinions!

[meeera]

Have you looked at the Kobo Elipsa too?

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by marks_

I'm having a surprisingly hard time deciding, I'd be very thankful if I could get some opinions!

I have Boox Note Air and Likebook Alita.
I use the Boox Note Air exclusively in landscape mode with Bluetooth keyboard as a notebook.
For handwritten notes in books and documents (study scripts, music notes, scores) I use Likebook Alita; it has the advantage of an SD card tray - I use it with 512 GB.
As far as I know, it is the only device with these features and there are only a few left - and I don't think something like this will come on the market again.

And about the pens - none of the supplied ones are really any good; but there are excellent ones from Staedtler or Lamy

[marks_]

Originally Posted by meeera

Have you looked at the Kobo Elipsa too?

Yep! I was waiting for them to release the mysterious new tablet before pulling the trigger on any of them, I was expecting a Forma upgrade with USB C and better hardware but oh well...

I don't think it will be available here for a while though, also no blue light filter is a very big problem for me, as I like to use the nightlight even during the day...

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

I don't think something like this will come on the market again.

Interesting, I can see it's available on Amazon at about the same price as an Air... I will have to look into this more, although it seems more akin to the Note3 than the Air.

Since you use both, how much space do the notes (like 4-6 pages) take? How much battery does writing drain compared to just reading? I plan on mostly reading anyway but I'm curious...

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by marks_

Since you use both, how much space do the notes (like 4-6 pages) take? How much battery does writing drain compared to just reading? I plan on mostly reading anyway but I'm curious...

I can't answer these questions.
I do not use any of these devices as a note taker in the traditional sense, but:
Boox Note Air with Bluetooth keyboard and pen in landscape mode as a garden and sun notebook (pen for the cursor).
Likebook Alita in portrait format for handwritten comments and markings in pdf files (music notes, study scripts, scores, libretti, etc) with the Staedtler pen.
Both are too big for reading, so I use Likebook P78.
With my Tolino Epos 2 (hardware = Kobo Forma), the crappy power button got on my nerves so badly that I gave it away.

But if you don't have to do a lot of scanning, then you should also consider Likebook P10 - also an Android device.