Moaan InkPalm Plus is weird, cheap, small, and my kind of e-reader

Physical buttons vs. touchscreens

• Many commenters strongly prefer physical page-turn buttons for one‑handed use, reliability, and avoiding accidental turns and smudged screens.
• Others find touch-only devices (Paperwhite, Scribe, etc.) “good enough” and don’t miss buttons.
• Some hybrid devices allow both, but not always with a way to fully disable touch.
• Bluetooth “camera clicker” remotes and volume buttons on Android e‑ink devices are popular hacks to regain “buttons.”

Battery life and lighting

• Oasis and some modern readers are criticized for weaker battery life versus older Kindles; a week vs. a month is a common contrast.
• Airplane mode is repeatedly cited as a major battery saver, but some still find life disappointing.
• Front/back lights with very low brightness and adjustable color temperature are viewed as essential; inability to turn light fully off is seen as a design flaw on some devices.

Form factors: phone-shaped vs. traditional e-readers

• Phone-sized e‑ink devices (InkPalm, Boox Palma, Hisense A9, etc.) are praised for pocketability and for replacing doomscrolling with reading.
• Critics dislike the tall, narrow aspect ratio: too few words per line, awkward justification, and “phone-shaped” redundancy given phones already exist.
• Supporters argue narrow columns can aid eye tracking and that e‑ink is noticeably easier on the eyes and more focused than phones.

Typography and readability

• Short lines and poor justification/hyphenation are frequent complaints; some blame manufacturer software and prefer KOReader for finer control.
• Others disable justification/hyphenation entirely due to bad markup in many ebooks.

Use cases and reading habits

• Transit commuters and backpackers like very small devices they can always carry.
• Some report reading almost exclusively on phones/tablets for simplicity; others reserve e‑ink for focused, long-form reading and outdoor use.
• Motion sickness while reading in vehicles leads some to prefer audiobooks.

Large-format e-ink for PDFs and technical books

• Several recommend 10–13" e‑ink tablets (Boox Max, Kindle Scribe, reMarkable, Sony DPT) for letter-sized or technical PDFs.
• Trade‑offs include weight, lack of backlight on some models, and limited formats/transfer options.

Software, openness, and Android

• Android-based e‑ink devices are valued for running KOReader, Instapaper, Kindle/Kobo apps, and even terminals/browsers optimized for e‑ink.
• There is interest in open, up-to-date, privacy-respecting e‑ink devices (LineageOS on Hisense, desire for Samsung/Google/Apple entries), but current offerings are seen as fragmented and often locked down.