Reading books on my phone

While physical books are great, I prefer reading on my phone

What started as a test has become a habit, my mentality used to be “reading physical books is better than digital”, because we like to follow the motto:

reject modernity, 𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

Kindle experience

But after buying my first Kindle (7st gen), modernity had some good points, I preferred physical books, but a lot of the convenience of the Kindle made me continue digital.

Firstly, the progress bar, the psychological effect that it has on me telling me “there are only 10 pages left in the chapter” is motivation enough to keep me reading until the end of a chapter.

Immediately starting to read the book with the click of a button or leaving it without having to worry about losing the page, means I can read in short bursts, like when I’m waiting for the bus.

But still, the Kindle wasn’t as good as a book, the screen was small, the refresh rate was too slow, and reading at night still required a light (I had a model without a backlight).

Transferring books was annoying, I kept the Kindle almost always on airplane mode to save battery, so I had to connect it to my computer to transfer books with Calibre or connect it to Wi-Fi to transfer books with email or the Amazon store, and while it was not a big deal, it was still annoying.

Although the battery life was amazing, it was still another device to charge and carry around, with its own inconveniences.

Phone experience

I tried to use my phone as my main reading device after accidentally stepping on my Kindle, which unfortunately didn’t survive. Sometimes misfortune brings new opportunities.

Turns out I always carry my phone with me; just the mental barrier of having to carry my kindle was enough to make me read less.

Now I have the reading app very prominent on my phone screen, reminding me to read, meaning I have many short bursts of time to read before a meeting, while commuting, or while shopping, with the advantage that it’s time that otherwise would be wasted with some social media app.

The screen is way better; yes, it’s not e-ink, yet the backlight makes it easier to read in the dark, and the refresh rate and resolution are miles ahead of any e-ink device. I don’t get much strain from reading on screens like my phone or laptops, so this was not a problem for me, but I understand others might find it inconvenient.

My current phone might not be lighter than my Kindle device, but it’s definitely smaller; even the smallest Kindle device looks goofy in a pocket.

One of the best parts was using Google Play Books I’m not sure how, but they just let you upload any files you want and sync them over the internet for free. Just by navigating to Play Books upload and dragging the book, it automatically sends the book to all your devices and keeps them in sync, one of those services that just works.

And the app it’s good, integrating dictionary, notes, good UI, and a must have feature, using the volume buttons to turn pages.

Physical book experience

While I still buy physical books, most of the time I get the same book digitally just to read at night while my partner sleeps.

The transport of a huge book, the need for light to see properly, and how annoying is to turn the pages at the start and end of a thick book are problems that I want to let go of.

I will miss the smell, the sense of physical progress, the uncontested battery life, and the feeling of having a bookshelf, but I think I can live without them.

Conclusion

I try to be pragmatic, and while nostalgia is a huge component here, what made me read more during these past 4 years was my phone and the convenience that brings, so I’ll keep doing it.

Who knows, maybe in the future we can have screens in our retinas, and I will write this post again.