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Last updated on 1. September 2025 at 22:11. All statements without guarantee.
PocketBook Verse Pro: At a Glance
With the Verse Pro, PocketBook is targeting users who want a compact e-reader with premium features and a high degree of customization. The e-reader sports a modern design that clearly sets it apart from its predecessor, the Touch HD 3: slimmer bezels, a more compact body, and the omission of the former “chin” make for a more contemporary look. At the same time, it scores with an ergonomically designed back with a grippy texture, improved button placement, and a switch to sturdier plastic. The decision to drop the previously used soft-touch finish also contributes to a more durable feel.
Crisp display, practical light controls
The built-in 6-inch E Ink Carta display with 300 ppi delivers excellent sharpness and very good contrast. The front light lets you tailor both brightness and color temperature. There is a slight vertical brightness gradient, but in practice only particularly sensitive users are likely to notice it. Especially handy: the lighting can be automated via a timeline that can be set separately for cool and warm light—a convenient solution that works reliably even without a light sensor. Maximum brightness is 90 cd/m² for cool light and 60 cd/m² for warm light—levels that will suit most reading environments.
Powerful software, flexible use
PocketBook has steadily improved its user interface in recent years—and the Verse Pro benefits from that. The operation is intuitive, and the customization options in reading mode are extensive, allowing you to tailor the reading experience. These options range from changing the font and controlling margins to adjusting dynamic page numbers. It’s rounded out by a capable note-taking feature with two modes, which should especially appeal to avid readers and students. One of its strengths remains the excellent library management, which efficiently organizes both simple and complex eBook collections.
Privacy-conscious users can also use the device without signing in—a plus over many competitors. The lack of automatic collection of usage data further underscores this focus.
Audiobooks, text-to-speech, and more
Audio features are available via Bluetooth, letting you play music as well as use the built-in text-to-speech function. Audiobooks can be managed through a separate app, which keeps things tidy. The freedom to source content from different providers—unlike the Audible lock-in on Amazon devices—gives the Verse Pro extra flexibility.
Small screen, big PDF capabilities
Even though the 6-inch display is on the small side for complex PDF documents, PocketBook impresses with a powerful software solution: reflow, column views, zoom levels, and fine-tuning options enable a largely comfortable experience. For regular PDF readers, however, a larger model is advisable.
The PocketBook Verse Pro proves to be a consistent evolution in the 6-inch segment. With its modern design, high display quality, well-thought-out controls, and a strong software package, it meets many of the demands of discerning avid readers. Minor drawbacks such as the lack of storage expansion or slight lighting irregularities hardly matter in the overall picture. If you’re looking for a compact e-reader that also delivers on audiobook support and privacy control, you’ll find the Verse Pro an appealing companion.
PocketBook Verse Pro: Full Review
With the Verse Pro, PocketBook refreshes its lineup in the compact 6-inch class, meaning the company has now updated its portfolio across all key market segments.
The Verse Pro brings the familiar PocketBook advantages: a wide range of features, customizable buttons, and a high degree of flexibility overall. With audiobook support, built-in water protection, and an E Ink Carta screen, there are some interesting extras for demanding users as well.
We take a close look in the following in-depth review to see whether the PocketBook Verse Pro also convinces in everyday use.
Note: PocketBook provided the test device with no conditions attached and no influence on the review.
Build quality, features and handling
The PocketBook Verse Pro adopts the modern design language introduced with models like the Era and InkPad 4, and is structurally identical to its sister models Verse and Verse Pro Color. The bezels around the display have become narrower, and the distinctive “chin” beneath the still-present physical buttons has been eliminated entirely.
This makes the Verse Pro not only more compact (156 × 108 × 7.6 mm) than its predecessor, the Touch HD 3 (161.3 × 108 × 8 mm), but also noticeably more contemporary. At 186 grams, the Verse Pro remains pleasantly light, though it weighs 31 grams more than the Touch HD 3. The difference is noticeable, but since 186 grams is still very light, it’s no big deal.
Tactilely, the new eReader has also changed. Instead of the soft-touch material PocketBook used for years, which could become unpleasantly sticky over time, the Verse Pro uses a smoother plastic. Although the Touch HD 3’s soft-touch surface—sticky issue aside—felt nice in the hand, the new material seems more robust in the long run.
Ribbed plastic on the back for a secure grip
That also applies to the back, which is now made of harder plastic with a ribbed surface. This change improves durability and grip.
Another update compared to the previous generation concerns the power button: it now sits in the button bar below the display and replaces the sometimes awkward-to-press button on the bottom edge of the Touch HD 3.
As with the Touch HD 3, the Verse Pro does without microSD expansion, as it can’t be combined with the built-in IPX8 water protection. The internal 16 GB of storage (around 13 GB usable) is generous enough that most users won’t run into space issues. Only if you store a lot of audiobooks on the device could it get tight.
The removal of USB OTG and the ability to connect USB sticks directly to access their contents isn’t a dramatic loss for most users, but it’s a pity for power users. The Verse Pro Color still offers this option.
The 6-inch screen, like on the Touch HD 3, is slightly recessed into the housing, but not as deeply as the competing Tolino Shine 5, making the Verse Pro look more modern.
Smartly designed button bar below the display
The button layout remains unchanged and offers a home button plus two page-turn keys. This means the Verse Pro continues to be one of the few devices in this size class with physical buttons. Particularly handy: the two outer buttons are flat, while the page-turn buttons are slightly convex. This three-dimensional design makes it easy to tell them apart by feel, even though they’re arranged in a continuous bar.
A dual-core processor combined with 512 MB of RAM ensures good performance. The 1,500 mAh battery is generously sized for this segment and delivers good runtimes. With its USB-C port, the device is also well equipped for the future.
Display and lighting
The PocketBook Verse Pro features a 6-inch E Ink Carta display. With a resolution of 300 ppi, the screen is not only razor-sharp, but also offers very good contrast values that are on par with various E Ink Carta 1200 devices.
The eReader offers very good readability
Lighting quality and night light
Even though the screen is very readable in most situations without turning on the built-in LEDs, the front light makes the Verse Pro comfortable to use in the dark as well. With cool-white and warm-orange LEDs, you can tune the lighting to your liking.
The lighting gets sufficiently bright…
… and its color temperature can be adjusted
The uniformity is okay, but could be more even. The vertical brightness gradient from top to bottom is somewhat visible depending on the brightness setting and may be a bit distracting for sensitive users. In this respect, the cheaper Verse (without Pro) and the Verse Pro Color do better.
If you lower the brightness, the effect diminishes to the point where it likely won’t bother most users.
Brightness
The maximum brightness of an average 90 cd/m² is high and noticeably improves readability during the day. At 60 cd/m², the maximum brightness of the warm-orange light is significantly dimmer, which is perfectly fine since this setting is usually used in the evening or at night. At those times, you lower the brightness anyway for better sleep.
The minimum brightness is 0.17 cd/m²—low enough that even light-sensitive people shouldn’t be dazzled.
The color temperature without night light is 6,650 Kelvin. With night light enabled, it’s 2,660 Kelvin.
As always, note that variations within a model line are possible, and in practice there can be differences from one device to another.
Maximum screen brightness in cd/m² (higher is better)
- Tolino Shine Color (cool) 117
- Tolino Shine Color (warm) 106
- PocketBook Verse Pro Color (cool) 100
- Tolino Shine 5 (cool) 99
- Tolino Shine 5 (warm) 96
- PocketBook Verse Pro (cool) 90
- PocketBook Verse (cool) 68
- PocketBook Era Color (cool) 62
- PocketBook Verse Pro (warm) 60
- PocketBook Verse Pro Color (warm) 60
- PocketBook Verse (warm) 42
- PocketBook Era Color (warm) 40
Minimum screen brightness in cd/m² (lower is better)
- Tolino Shine 5 0.40
- Tolino Shine Color 0.28
- PocketBook Verse 0.20
- PocketBook Verse Pro 0.17
- PocketBook Verse Pro Color 0.13
- PocketBook Era Color 0.10
Touchscreen and ghosting
In addition to the hardware buttons, the Verse Pro is primarily operated via the capacitive touchscreen, which responds quickly and precisely.
Ghosting behavior—the persistence of previous pages—is also very good and in line with other modern E Ink Carta devices. A very faint persistence is visible if you look closely, but you have to pay attention to notice it.
Automatic lighting and night light
The PocketBook Verse Pro features the manufacturer’s familiar lighting automation. It can be set and enabled separately for the regular light and the orange night light.
Deep in the settings menu, this automation can also be customized. Using a time chart, you can define brightness and night light based on the time of day.
You can automate the lighting using a time chart
Compared to a built-in light sensor, this type of automation has the advantage that it isn’t prone to reacting to short-term changes in light. The downside is that it doesn’t respond to the environment immediately.
Regardless, it’s a very good solution, especially if you value customizability. If you don’t want to use automation, you can of course adjust the lighting manually.
Reading and ease of use
Over the past few years, PocketBook has significantly improved its in-house eReader user interface. As a result, the Verse Pro can easily keep up with devices from Amazon and Tolino in terms of usability—and even surpasses them in some areas.
The Verse Pro is also very attractive for privacy-conscious users. You don’t need to sign in to the integrated store to use the device to its fullest—except, of course, for buying eBooks and audiobooks. To use the eReader without an account, you have to skip Wi-Fi setup on first start. Otherwise, a store sign-in becomes necessary.
In addition, PocketBook no longer collects anonymous usage data, which could previously be disabled but, according to the manufacturer, has now been eliminated entirely. The Verse Pro thus combines the convenience of a very well-integrated store with the alternative option of particularly privacy-friendly use.
Below are the device’s most important functions. The review is based on software version U634.6.8.4117.
Home screen
The Verse Pro’s home screen follows PocketBook’s proven design. The top area shows the three most recently read or added books, with recommendations from the integrated eBook store below. With a swipe, you can display more eBooks without switching to the library (see below).
The status bar at the top provides quick access to functions like lighting, Wi‑Fi, and synchronization, all of which can be customized. At the bottom of the screen are five customizable shortcuts: Library, Audiobooks, Shop, Notes, and Apps.
PocketBook home screen
A special PocketBook feature is the ability to hide these store recommendations if the device is purchased directly from the manufacturer. Note: There may be differences when purchasing the Verse Pro via various partner shops. If you buy the device directly from PocketBook, the recommendations can be hidden as described.
After disabling the store section, the layout changes slightly: the most recently read or added books are enlarged and shown in the center, and the store section disappears.
The PocketBook Verse Pro also offers a dark mode. It can be easily activated via the control bar and applies to the entire system.
Dark mode across the entire user interface
Library
The Verse Pro’s library offers extensive filter and sorting options, as known from other PocketBook devices.
Books can be filtered by authors, genres, collections, favorites, folders, formats, or the PocketBook Cloud. Sorting by last opened, date added, title, and author is also possible.
Excellent library feature
By default, the cover view is used, where only the book cover is displayed. You can also display the title and author as text.
As is typical for PocketBook, the book list scrolls vertically and continuously. This may feel unusual at first, but it quickly proves very comfortable. Alternatively, you can use the page-turn keys or virtual buttons to move through the library page by page.
The device supports both a folder structure and the tag system of the free Calibre eBook management software. This allows a seamless transfer of existing sorting systems when switching to the Verse Pro from another device.
No other vendor currently offers better library management.
Reading
When reading on the PocketBook Verse Pro, you can turn pages by tapping or swiping on the touchscreen or by using the hardware buttons. The touch zones can be customized with predefined actions.
In addition to the buttons, you can also customize the touch zones
You can adjust line and margin spacing, font size, and hyphenation. The font can also be changed, including options for regular, bold, and italic. If your preferred font is missing, you can install it manually.
Font and layout options
PocketBook also lets you hide various on-screen elements, such as page numbers, the status bar, the number of pages remaining in the chapter, and the dynamically calculated total page count, which depends on the chosen font size. If you use the latter, the calculation takes a bit of time.
Highlights and notes
The PocketBook Verse Pro offers two note modes: simple and advanced.
A long press on a word (about two seconds) opens a context menu where the word can be highlighted or a note can be added. An important new feature now allows you to open and edit notes in simple mode as well.
Note-taking in action
In advanced note mode, various tools are displayed at the top of the screen:
- Highlight
- Write note
- Handwritten markup
- Eraser
- Screenshot (with size selection)
Compared to the simple mode, the advanced mode has the advantage that the toolbar remains pinned at the top of the screen when turning pages. This lets you quickly and easily add new notes and highlights without having to open the context menu each time. This feature is especially helpful for users who annotate frequently.
Notes can be exported in HTML format. Handwritten markups cannot be exported; in the export they only appear as a reference.
Dictionaries
The PocketBook Verse Pro offers a large selection of free dictionaries, which, compared to the previous generation, have improved recognition of grammatical forms.
If no exact match is found, the dictionary searches for the next best matching word, which works well in many cases. If a wrong word is still displayed, it can be corrected via the virtual QWERTZ keyboard.
Dictionary function in action
PocketBook is also continuing to optimize word form recognition and has introduced a “morphology” extension for some dictionaries. This is intended to further improve the recognition of different grammatical forms. Depending on the dictionary, it works quite well, but it’s still not perfect and can still result in incorrect or missing matches.
A criticism I voiced many years ago remains: you need to tap twice to open a dictionary entry. First you tap the word, then select the dictionary function in the context menu. Other providers like Amazon and Tolino require only one step. It may sound minor, but if you look up words often, the extra tap can quickly become annoying.
It takes two taps to reach the dictionary
However, the Verse Pro offers a special dictionary mode that reduces this hurdle a bit. When this mode is enabled, a single tap is enough to look up a word without opening the context menu each time. If you then want to create a note, you have to exit dictionary mode first.
Further features include customizable font size in the dictionary window and the ability to create a note directly for a looked-up word, allowing you to build your own vocabulary list for later study.
You can also have a looked-up word read aloud using the text-to-speech function (see below).
The following dictionaries can be downloaded directly via the user interface (provider: PocketBook unless otherwise noted):
- Arabic → English
- Armenian → English
- Azerbaijani → English
- Chinese (simplified) → English
- Chinese (traditional) → English
- Czech → English
- Dutch → English
- English → Arabic
- English → Armenian
- English → Azerbaijani
- English → Chinese (simplified)
- English → Chinese (traditional)
- English → Czech
- English → Dutch
- English → English (Webster’s 1913 v2)
- English → Estonian
- English → French
- English → German (PocketBook)
- English → German (Free)
- English → Greek
- English → Hebrew
- English → Hungarian
- English → Italian
- English → Latvian
- English → Lithuanian
- English → Polish
- English → Portuguese
- English → Romanian
- English → Russian
- English → Slovak
- English → Spanish
- English → Swedish
- English → Turkish
- English → Ukrainian
- Estonian → English
- French → English
- French → German (FreeDict)
- German → English
- German → French (FreeDict)
- German → German (Wiktionary)
- German → Russian
- Greek → English
- Hebrew → English
- Hungarian → English
- Italian → English
- Italian → Italian (Wiktionary)
- Latvian → English
- Lithuanian → English
- Polish → English
- Portuguese → English
- Romanian → English
- Slovak → English
- Spanish → English
- Spanish → Spanish (Wiktionary)
- Swedish → English
- Turkish → English
- Ukrainian → English
PocketBook thus continues to offer one of the most internationally accessible dictionary functions on the eReading market.
On the device, the dictionaries are organized by source language, which provides very good clarity. Dictionaries you don’t need can be deleted, making handling easier if you frequently switch between different dictionaries. If you need them again later, they can be re-added via the menu without any trouble.
Audiobooks, music and text-to-speech
The Verse Pro can play audio via Bluetooth speakers or headphones. There’s no built-in speaker, unlike the PocketBook Era.
The music player offers standard functions such as adding individual files or whole folders and creating playlists in M3U format. These playlists can be edited by deleting or reordering tracks. Features like shuffle and repeat are also available. The player runs in the background, so you can read and listen to music at the same time.
The audiobook player is similar but omits functions unnecessary for audiobooks, such as shuffle or repeating individual tracks. Separating the music and audiobook players makes things clearer.
Audiobook player over Bluetooth
A big advantage over Amazon’s audiobook solution is independence from a single provider like Audible. This lets you use audiobooks from different sources.
Audible, in turn, is not supported, which in my view is a small price to pay for the freedom to choose different providers and use free audiobooks as well. You’re not tied to any particular ecosystem. That said, you can of course also enjoy the convenience of the well-integrated PocketBook store to purchase audiobooks directly.
The Verse Pro also offers a text-to-speech (TTS) function. It can read the text of an eBook aloud using a synthetic voice.
Male and female voices are available for various languages. Downloading these voices works just like downloading dictionaries (see above), directly via the user interface, and only takes a few minutes.
The text being read is underlined, which makes it easier to follow along. The reading speed can be adjusted to your preference.
The quality of the TTS engine is good, even if it can’t match the latest AI-based voices. It’s perfectly adequate to support reading or for shorter car rides.
PDF functionality and readability
Compared to other mainstream providers, PocketBook still offers the best rendering of PDF files. Despite the compact 6-inch display, which is far from ideal for reading large A4 documents, large-format documents are still readable thanks to the software features. And thanks to the 300 ppi resolution, documents are often still legible even in full-page view—not ideal for extended reading, of course, but handy for getting a quick overview.
The following display options are available:
- Scroll mode: Enables smooth scrolling through PDFs.
- Single-page view: Displays one page of the PDF at a time.
- Column view (2 & 3): Splits the PDF page into two or three vertical areas, which is particularly useful for documents with a column layout.
- Reflow: Adapts the layout to the screen size by rearranging text and images. This is advantageous for smaller screens, but can cause formatting issues with more complex layouts.
- Zoom (30 to 300%): Lets you zoom in and out of PDF documents.
- Margin crop (off, automatic, manual): Crops margins to display more text on the screen.
- Image adjustments (gamma, brightness, contrast): Customizable settings to improve the PDF’s readability.
In testing, the Verse Pro handled even large, image-heavy PDFs without stability issues. Only the pinch-to-zoom function could be a bit smoother.
For large-format PDFs, the 6-inch screen is actually too small, but thanks to 300 ppi it still provides a good overview …
… and with column mode it also provides usable readability for 2- or 3-column texts
That said, it must be emphasized that the 6-inch display is borderline small for much of this content. Despite the good software features, using large-format PDFs is a compromise. Landscape mode can help a bit here.
eBook store and PocketBook Cloud
The PocketBook Verse Pro lets you purchase eBooks directly via the integrated store over Wi‑Fi. The specific store used varies depending on where you bought the device, but the basic functionality is the same and is integrated with the PocketBook Cloud. A separate PocketBook Cloud account hasn’t been required for some time now, which simplifies use.
To purchase eBooks or audiobooks, you need to register in the store and add a payment method. Purchased eBooks are automatically uploaded to online storage and can be synchronized with the device.
Very well integrated eBook and audiobook store
You can also use Dropbox for synchronization. This links the device to a cloud folder, opening up a variety of use cases. One example would be converting news feeds to ePub using Calibre and saving them directly to a Dropbox folder on your PC so they’re available on the eReader without fuss. It also makes transferring eBooks purchased on a PC easier, for example.
Another useful feature is “Send-to-PocketBook,” which lets you send eBooks to the device via email.
Overall, the Verse Pro’s store and cloud features are very user-friendly and convenient, matching Amazon when it comes to eBook purchases and even surpassing Tolino. While the Tolino partners—despite a recent software overhaul—mostly rely on mobile versions of their online stores that aren’t optimally integrated into the user interface, the PocketBook Verse Pro offers a seamless, unified shopping experience.
Web browser and Onleihe
The Verse Pro’s web browser is reliable and renders most websites correctly, making it very practical for quick online research. You can also use alternative eBook stores directly on the device.
Browser features include pinch-to-zoom, moving the viewport using the page-turn keys, a landscape mode, and the ability to save favorites. Images and JavaScript can be disabled if needed. Compared to the latest generation of Tolino eReaders and Kindle models, PocketBook delivers the best browsing experience among mainstream providers. Only Android-based devices—such as older Tolino models or Onyx Boox tablets—are better.
The capable browser can be handy for quick research
For Onleihe, the Verse Pro offers a specially prepared app. It’s designed exclusively for using Onleihe, which makes borrowing eBooks much easier and more convenient.
Thanks to support for CARE DRM, reading Onleihe eBooks is no problem.
Conclusion
The PocketBook Verse Pro expands the company’s 6-inch segment with a versatile device that stands out with modern design, a high-contrast E Ink Carta display, and practical hardware buttons. The software impresses with extensive customization options, easy operation, and privacy-friendly use without being forced to sign in (as long as you skip the initial Wi‑Fi setup!).
Very good, compact eReader with a high-contrast display and useful features
The lighting does show slight unevenness that may be noticeable depending on brightness. Skipping storage expansion in favor of water protection usually isn’t an issue in practice, but it could matter for users with lots of audiobooks.
All in all, the Verse Pro is a solid device with few weaknesses that convinces with its particularly compact form factor, functionality, and flexibility.
PocketBook eBook Reader with Coupon Code
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Save 10% on the list price with the coupon code “allesebook“.
The code must be entered during checkout on PocketBook.de.
In the shop at PocketBook.de
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Bundle Deals
Tip: Some of the following bundle offers can be personalized at PocketBook.de, e.g. the color of the cover can be changed.
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Save 10% on the list price with the coupon code “allesebook“.
The code must be entered during checkout on PocketBook.de.
Last updated on 1. September 2025 at 22:11 – All statements without guarantee.
PocketBook Verse Pro: Technical Specifications
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | PocketBook |
| Market launch | 2023 |
| Device type | E-Reader |
| Device category | Mid-range |
| Price (USD / EUR) | 169 |
| Available colors | blue, red |
| Size & Weight | |
| Size (L × B × T) | 156 x 108 x 7.6 mm |
| Weight (g) | 186 |
| Display | |
| Technology | E-Ink Carta |
| Flexible Display Technology | No |
| Size (inch) | 6 |
| Resolution (px) | 1448×1072 |
| Pixel density (ppi) | 300 |
| Colors | No |
| Color depth | 16 greyscale |
| Touchscreen | Yes, capacitive |
| Built-in light | Yes, dual-tone frontlight |
| Flush display | No |
| Connections | |
| USB | USB-C |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Cellular connectivity | No |
| GPS | No |
| Hardware Specs | |
| CPU Cores | Unknown |
| CPU Type | |
| RAM (GB) | |
| Internal Storage (GB) | 16 |
| Internal Storage up to (GB) | |
| Storage Expansion | No |
| Speakers | No |
| Microphone | No |
| Battery (mAh) | |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Features | |
| Text-to-speech | Yes |
| Page turn buttons | Yes |
| Water protection | IPX8 |
| Accelerometer | Unknown |
| E-book store | Yes |
| Supported file types | ACSM, CHM, DJVU, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, EPUB(DRM), FB2, FB2.ZIP, HTM, HTML, MOBI, PDF, PDF (DRM), PRC, RTF, TXT, AZW, CBR, AZW3, CBZ, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, M4A, M4B, OGG, OGG.ZIP, MP3, MP3.ZIP |
All information provided without guarantee.
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