Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight 3 Launch: Affordable eReader with Blue Light Reduction and Classic Design
Not only have new eBook readers recently hit the market in Germany, but there are also updates from the eReading market in the USA. Besides Amazon’s new release – the Kindle Oasis – the main competitor Barnes & Noble has unveiled the Nook Glowlight 3. This follows the Nook Glowlight Plus and can be understood as a back-to-basics device in several areas.
At first glance, you can see that this return-to-roots principle applies to the design. The new Nook Glowlight 3 has been developed to visually resemble the first Nook Touch very closely. The pleasing and modern look of the predecessor has thus been replaced by a rather old-fashioned casing that stands out with very wide borders. The frame is especially thick above and below the screen.
After years of a trend towards having as few physical buttons as possible on eBook readers, the market is evolving with the latest models towards better usability and bringing back page-turn buttons. The Nook Glowlight 3 is no exception and features – just like the old Nook Touch – page-turn buttons on both sides of the display.
Blue Light Reduction Reaches the Affordable Price Segment
The most interesting technical innovation involves the front lighting: Just like Tolino and Kobo, Barnes & Noble now allows for color temperature adjustment on the Nook Glowlight 3. This ranges from cool white to warm yellowish tones, aiming to ensure that evening reading enjoyment doesn’t disrupt the sleep cycle. Blue light can potentially have adverse effects on the sleep-wake rhythm depending on its intensity and the viewer’s sensitivity, which is why experts have long recommended avoiding artificial light sources at least 1 hour before bedtime. Modern LEDs, in particular, tend to emit a significant amount of blue light. You can find more information on the topic here.
The 6-inch screen resolves at – as is now standard – 300 ppi, offering a crystal-clear display. Although the screen technology isn’t specified, it’s reasonable to assume it’s again E-Ink Carta. This is also suggested by the comparison photos by colleague Nathan.
Aside from that, the new eReader offers standard specifications: Wi-Fi is featured to complete eBook purchases directly on the device, and its 8 GB internal memory is not expandable. Of this, 6.5 GB is available to the user, with 5.5 GB exclusively reserved for Barnes & Noble content, leaving only 1 GB for free use. The Nook series has faced criticism for this uneven (and entirely unnecessary) memory allocation since its inception.
The greatest advantage of the Nook Glowlight 3, alongside the blue light-reducing lighting, is undoubtedly the price: At just $120, the eBook reader costs the same as the (ad-supported) main competitor Kindle Paperwhite. While the competing model also offers built-in lighting and a high-resolution display, it lacks color temperature adjustment. Here, you currently need to pay at least around 150 euros (regularly 179 euros) for the Tolino Vision 4 HD.
Unique Features Against Amazon
Besides the noticeable old-school look of the Glowlight 3, the eReader’s specifications stand out compared to the current Amazon models. While the predecessor finally offered a much-needed hardware upgrade with a 300-ppi display, was particularly stylish, and came with built-in water protection and a tactilely pleasing aluminum back, the advantages in everyday reading over the Kindle models were limited.
With the Glowlight 3, Barnes & Noble is reversing the design alignment with Amazon and highlighting useful unique features. For instance, the retail giant doesn’t offer a blue light-reducing eBook reader, and the Kindle Oasis with physical page-turn buttons costs more than double.
Even though Barnes & Noble has massively lost market share in the past due to questionable decisions (resulting in the abandonment of expansion plans into Europe), the Nook Glowlight 3 could potentially attract customers during the current holiday season, given its strong distinction from Amazon. At least in the USA.
