Review of PocketBook 632 - the flagship ultra-compact 6-inch reader with multi-colored backlight

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At the end of 2018, the PocketBook company begansales of new line of readers. All three new models - PocketBook 616, 627 and 632 - are united by a common design code. Most importantly: these readers are about 20% smaller than the models of the previous generation, plus noticeably lighter. The difference in dimensions, well, if not stunning, at least impressive. At this point, we will return below, and now admire all the representatives of the new line:

From left to right: PocketBook 616, PocketBook 627, PocketBook 632

PocketBook 616 and 627 models went on sale atAugust-September 2018, but the PocketBook 632 was a bit late - until November. The reasons for the delay are obvious. PocketBook 616 is an entry-level reader, PocketBook 627 is a middle-class model, but PocketBook 632 is a real flagship. It concentrates all the best that not only PocketBook company can offer in readers, but also any other reader manufacturers in general. And so it is logical that it took a little longer to prepare this model for entering the market. Today, the PocketBook 632 can already be bought for about 12,900 rubles.

Comparison with predecessor

Design, construction, management

Screen and backlight

Hardware platform

Battery life

Software

PocketBook Cloud

Equipment

Should I buy?

Well, let's consider the new flagshipPocketBook in detail and see what we can offer one of the most clever devices for reading from the market leader (and PocketBook, if someone does not know, over the past years controls about 70% of the Russian reader market).

Comparison of PocketBook 632 with its predecessor

PocketBook 632 replaces the modelPocketBook 631 Plus, released at the very end of 2017. Let's see what the new model is better than its predecessor. We also included a PocketBook 740 model in the table. This is a large 7.8-inch reader. In fact, the PocketBook 632 is its version with a smaller diagonal - 6 inches. However, the differences do not end there, and some moments in the PocketBook 740 and 632 models are implemented differently.

Specifications

Pocketbook 632

Pocketbook 631 Plus

Pocketbook 740

Reader

Flagship 6-inch reader, 2018

Flagship 6-inch reader, 2017

Flagship 7.8-inch reader, 2018

Screen

E Ink Carta
6 inches
1448 × 1072 points (300 dpi)
touchE Ink Carta
6 inches
1448 × 1072 points (300 dpi)
touchE Ink Carta
7.8 inches
1872 × 1404 points (300 dpi)
sensory

Backlight

With the ability to adjust the color temperature

Built-in memory

16 GB

8 GB + microSD

Memory is operational

512 MB

1 GB

CPU

1 GHz, dual core

1 GHz, single core

1 GHz, dual core

Battery

1 500 mAh (up to two months battery life)

1 500 mAh (up to a month of autonomous work)

1,900 mAh (up to two months battery life)

Wi-Fi

802.11b / g / n

Audio player

Not

Yes (MP3, 3.5 mm jack)

Not

Text Sounding (Text-To-Speech)

Not

there is

Not

Book Formats

PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, RTF, PRC, TCR, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI, and ACSM (18 formats, maximum for the market )

Add. options

ReadRate, Dropbox, Books by email, PocketBook Sync

PocketBook Cloud

there is

Cover sensor to automatically turn off sleep mode when opening the cover

there is

Not

there is

Applications

RSS News, Scribble, Library, Browser, Gallery, Notes, Calculator, Bookstore, Solitaire, Dictionary, Sudoku, Chess

Control

Touch screen + front panel hardware keys

Body material

Plastic

Dimensions / Weight

161 × 108 × 8 mm / 155 g

175 × 114 × 9 mm / 180 g

195 × 137 × 8 mm / 210 g

Price

12 900 p.

12 900 p. (out of production)

15 900 p.

From left to right: PocketBook 632, PocketBook 631 Plus, PocketBook 740

What can be said after studying the table andPictures where all three readers are shown? PocketBook 632 is much more compact than PocketBook 631 Plus. Approximately 20%. And it is easier by 25 g. In addition, the new model has a noticeably faster hardware platform - with a dual-core central processor. Plus, the battery life has increased - about two times. With a similar (1 500 mAh) battery capacity. This was achieved through the use of much more economical (albeit faster) hardware platform. The battery life of the PocketBook 632 is similar to the PocketBook 740 model.

At the same time, there is no card slot in PocketBook 632Microsd. This is offset by the presence of as much as 16 GB of internal memory - against 8 GB in models 631 Plus and 740. The user can use about 14 and about 6 GB, respectively. Recall that in the 6 GB of memory can accommodate about ten thousand books in FB2 format with pictures. In 14 GB, therefore, about 20 thousand. Therefore, the lack of support for MicroSD in PocketBook 632 can hardly be called a serious drawback. Twenty thousand books is a lot. Few people read so much in a lifetime.

What has been simplified in PocketBook 632 isaudio part. Yes, there is no MP3 player in the PocketBook 631 Plus. But let's put our hands on our hearts and admit: you can also listen to music and audiobooks from your smartphone. Ears from this will not be worse. But it is worth reading books from the reader. Because the E Ink screens that are used in poker books are absolutely harmless to view. Unlike LCD displays of any smartphones, laptops and tablets.

So it turns out that the PocketBook 632Compared to its predecessor, there are a lot of advantages (dimensions, autonomy, speed of work), but there are practically no minuses. As for comparison with the PocketBook 740, the PocketBook 632 largely repeats the flagship 7.8-inch reader. Yes, PocketBook 740 has a more powerful battery and more RAM (1 GB vs. 512 MB in 632), but this is due to the use of a higher resolution screen. The higher the resolution - the more RAM you need, and the more energy is spent on the backlight. In general, in practice, both the speed and “autonomy” of the PocketBook 740 and 632 are the same.

Design, construction, management

The first thing you think about when you take a PocketBook632 in hand, oh, how small it is! Yes, the model turned out ultracompact. Exactly the same as the other two representatives of the new line - PocketBook 616 and 627. What does this most ultra-compact?

Reader can easily carry in the pocket of jeans.

In addition, the reading room can be wrapped with one hand from behind, especially without straining your fingers.

Readers of the previous generation (includingPocketBook 631 Plus) were much larger, and this was not allowed. More precisely, they did not fit into the pockets of jeans at all, but it was possible to clasp their hands, but it was uncomfortable to hold them with one hand for a long time. But from the PocketBook 632 hand does not get tired. Including due to the extremely small weight for a 6-inch reader - only 155 g. For comparison: PocketBook 631 Plus weighs 180 g. It would seem that the difference is insignificant. But this is if you do not keep the reader in a bent arm for several hours. If you hold, it turns out that every extra gram will be just superfluous. And the easier the reader is, the better. Therefore, PocketBook 632 is much more convenient than its predecessor.

Left - PocketBook 631 Plus, right - PocketBook 632One on the other. Below - PocketBook 631 Plus, on top - PocketBook 632

Dimensions managed to reduce the traditionalmobile devices methods. The frames around the display have become noticeably narrower. Buttons on the front panel also decreased. Four keys. The middle two are responsible for turning the pages. Extreme left - for returning to the main working screen. The extreme right is for invoking the context menu.

Traditionally, for PocketBook readers, the “home” and “context menu” buttons can be reassigned in the settings, setting the functions from the impressive list for a short and long press.

It is worth emphasizing that PocketBook 632 -The device is very versatile. It offers two control systems at once - the classic push-button as well as the touch screen. Who likes what - you can and use. Plus, no one forbids combining these systems. For understanding: in the overwhelming majority of sensory readers from other manufacturers there are no buttons. To control them only touch screens, which is less convenient.

On the bottom edge of the PocketBook 632 case - keyIncludes and a microUSB port for recharging and downloading books from a computer. Usually in the poketbooks there is also a microSD card slot. But the model 632, as we said above, does not support flash drives. Which is not very good, but not terrible.

Pay attention to the color solution PocketBook632 - it is very original and fresh. The front panel of the reader is black, but the back is made of a velvety plastic of copper color. In real life, he looks, we will not be afraid of this word, it falls off. Much better than the pictures.

Build quality is traditional for PocketBookhigh Reader is perceived as an expensive high-quality thing - both thanks to excellent materials, and thanks to this very careful assembly. In general, the flagship he is the flagship - more and nothing to add.

Screen and backlight

PocketBook 632 received a 6-inch screen E InkCarta (the latest generation of electronic ink) with a resolution of 1448 x 1072 dots - the maximum for such a diagonal. Pixel density reaches 300 ppi, so the human eye is not able to see the individual points. Due to this, the image is as crisp and smooth. There is no difference in image quality with PocketBook 631 Plus. What is in the new model, what in the old screen is simply the best on the market.

The quality of the picture display PocketBook 632compare with a good paper book. The letters are clear and black, the background is almost white. Due to the high resolution on the fonts almost all the “whorls” and other very small elements are visible.

The image on the screen can rotate inDepending on the position of the reader in space - you can read both in vertical and in horizontal mode. The text is reoriented automatically by the G-sensor. However, in the settings this sensor can be disabled.

As befits the flagship reader in 2018, inPocketBook 632 has a backlight. And not simple, but the most that neither is modern - with adjustable color temperature. What does this feature do? It allows you to choose a shade of light in a wide range - from white to orange. Like this:

Initially, the white light. But with the slider ...

... it can be made more yellow or even at allorange. What can it be useful for? Yes, a lot for what. For example, some people prefer a neutral cold white light, while others like a warm, yellowish one. To make the screen look like a good old book from the Soviet library. In addition, the adjustment of the color temperature of the backlight provides a more comfortable reading in the evening, before going to bed. The fact is that the warmer the light, the less tired the eyes, the faster the optic nerve relaxes and the sooner you want to fall asleep. Therefore, a neutral white light, which does not relax, and does not strain, is logical to use in the morning and afternoon when you do not plan to sleep, and yellow / orange - in the evening and at night.

The backlight (and its brightness and hue) canchange automatically depending on the time of day. Moreover, there is also a function of the finest setting of brightness and color temperature - for each hour you can set your own light and shade. After that, the settings are saved to the profile, and PocketBook 632 itself changes color and shade as the user likes.

It remains to add that the adjustment technologyThe color temperature of the backlight of E Ink screens is of two types. The first is the “proprietary” development of E Ink. A company that offers the same name screens. This option is put only the largest top manufacturers of readers, including, of course, the company PocketBook. The second option is the Chinese development, which increases the energy consumption of percent by 30%. That is, even the monotonous backlight of the screen "eats" energy very noticeably. And the Chinese version of the backlight with the color temperature adjustment is a third more voracious than the usual monophonic backlight. This type of backlight is installed in the readers of all B-brands, without exception, where there is a function for adjusting the color temperature. For comparison: in the case of the PocketBook 632, its adjustable backlight from the E Ink does not differ in terms of power consumption from the one-color.

Hardware platform

PocketBook 632 became the second after PocketBook 740Reader company with a new dual-core processor. For smartphones of this (two cores) a little while ago, but for electronic readers, due to the narrowness of the tasks solved on them, two computational cores are a real breakthrough. The new chip has provided an increase in the speed of work in two or three times compared with the models of the previous generation. Below is a comparison of the PocketBook 632 with the PocketBook 631 Plus reader:

Tasks

PocketBook 631 Plus (2017 model)

PocketBook 632 (2018 model)

Opening PDF (107 MB)

9 seconds

3 seconds

Opening FB2.ZIP (1.5 MB)

4 seconds

2 seconds

Inclusion with the opening of the book

14 seconds

6 seconds

Download site in browser

11 seconds

6 seconds

To summarize, the speed of PocketBook 632 can be compared with a middle-class smartphone. There are no annoying brakes, everything is quick and smooth.

Battery life

Thanks to the new hardware platform andthe optimized PocketBook 632 software on one battery charge allows you to read not 8 thousand pages, like all 6-inch readers of the previous generation, but about 15 thousand. In practice, it is about 2 (two) months of work without recharging - against 1 month in the case of the usual 6-inch models of previous generations. In other words, PocketBook 632 duplicates the record set earlier by the PocketBook 740 model.

Tasks

PocketBook 631 Plus (2017 model)

PocketBook 632 (2018 model)

Battery test (reading 300 backlit pages)

Minus 5% battery charge

Minus 2% battery charge

Predicted page read on full battery

6,000 pages

15,000 pages

Software

Software at PocketBook 632 is traditional for readersPocketBook companies heaped up. But first things first, and let's start with the general logic of the interface. If you used an Android-smartphone, then you can figure it out in the packagebook without any problems. Although it is based on Linux, when creating the interface, apparently, the developers were guided by Android.

PocketBook 632 also has a curtainswitches, a menu with a grid of icons and a manager of running applications. The icons at the bottom of the desktop also resemble Android. True, you will not find the “Phone” and “Messages” icons there - in the PocketBook 632 in their place are icons corresponding to the reader’s capabilities. On the main working screen above these icons displays the most recently added and opened books.

Open the book, call the context menu andsee a bunch of text options. Fonts, hyphenation, tracing, and so on and so forth - perfectionists will definitely be happy. The text can be formatted and so, and commercials. The field for experiments is gigantic.

The library is a section in which books are displayed in the reader’s memory — it has several display options and very flexible sorting of books.

When reading, you can leave comments to books.and, for example, use dictionaries. They are in memory of PocketBook 632 four pieces, including the Anglo-Russian and German-Russian. We select the word in the text with our finger - and right there in the separate window over the text we get the translation. Very comfortably. Especially for those who study foreign languages by reading the books of foreign authors in the original.

Download books in PocketBook 632 can be massdifferent ways. The easiest is using a cable, that is, from a computer. But there are several online methods. For example, through the option "Books by e-mail". The reader has an e-mail address. We send the book to him from the computer - and as soon as PocketBook 632 connects to the Wi-Fi network, the file will be in the memory of the reader. The download through the Dropbox service works in the same way: we drop the book into the Dropbox folder on the computer - and after a couple of seconds the work is already in the reader. You can buy more books directly from PocketBook 632 using the BookLand.com store. This is Russia's largest online catalog of electronic books - about 3.5 million works in 17 languages.

Also note the advanced browser. It works very quickly and even opens videos on YouTube - however, the pleasure of watching videos on a monochrome E Ink screen is not very much. The main thing in the browser - the ability to save sites in the form of books. We downloaded this or that page with the article for breakfast at home - and then watch it on the subway on the way to work (or in another place where there is no Internet) like a regular book. Very comfortably!

And, of course, it is impossible not to recall the main thing: PocketBook 632, like all other readers of this company, supports as many as 18 formats of books and documents. This is the very best for the market. Usually readers work with 5-10 formats, not more. Pocketbooks support PDF, PDF (DRM), EPUB, EPUB (DRM), DJVU, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, RTF, PRC, TCR, TXT, CHM, HTM, HTML, MOBI and ACSM. This means that virtually any book found on the Internet on PocketBook 632 will open without problems. You do not have to bother with converters and watch the sad message like “format not supported” on the screen.

And another thing to note. PocketBook for a long time - for two or three years - provides support for its readers. New firmware with corrections and new features are released, and they are regularly released. We, for example, "caught" an update weighing a quarter of a gigabyte.

PocketBook Cloud

This option first appeared in the PocketBook model.740 in the spring of 2018. Then, using the firmware update, it was added to PocketBook 631 and 631 Plus. Well, in the middle class model of PocketBook 627, this useful option is also available.

PocketBook Cloud - a cloud service for those whojust still lives reading. And it reads not only from the reader, but in general from all the available devices, including smartphones, tablets and computers. It is clear that the most correct way is to read it from a pocketbook with a harmless E Ink screen. But this is not always possible. For example, at work: a smartphone will not cause suspicion to the authorities, but a reader - yes. The bosses will understand that you are indulging in literary pleasures in the workplace during work hours and impose sanctions. So, PocketBook Cloud provides such features:

synchronization of the library and reading positions between the package, a smartphone, a tablet (with iOS or Android) and a computer (through a browser);
Library storage, for which 5 GB of space is issued.

How does all this work? Yes, very simple. Open the book on the reader, read it. Stay, for example, on page 10. Then you go to work in the office. You open the PocketBook Reader application (available for iOS and Android) on a smartphone - and your book is already displayed in it, although you didn’t download it yourself. You open the book - and it is already exactly on page 10. That is, on the same where you stopped reading from the reader. Then you read on your smartphone and, let's say, stop at page 18. In the office, go to the PocketBook Cloud website from your computer and also read from 18 pages. You finish with 25. At home, turn on PocketBook 632 - and the book opens on this very 25 page. Conveniently? Yes, not the word. For Orthodox book lovers, again, the PocketBook Cloud is a great thing. And very solidly implemented.

Package PocketBook 632

PocketBook 632 delivery kit is typical forReaders of this brand - cable, manual and warranty card. The latter is most valuable: PocketBook gives two years warranty for its readers. In common, in the case of any other readers that are presented on the Russian market. Moreover, if you buy a PocketBook reader (not only 632, but generally any) in the company's online store, then they will give another year of warranty as a gift. Total will be three years - a record for the market!

Total

PocketBook managed to jump higher than its head. In the sense that the PocketBook 631 Plus model seemed almost perfect reader - fast, convenient, with an excellent screen and the ability to adjust the color temperature of the backlight. It would seem that there can still be improved? But in PocketBook 632 improved three key points. Firstly, the reader has become much more compact - that’s just really small for a 6-inch model. Secondly, the reader has become two times faster and is now comparable in speed with smartphones. Thirdly, PocketBook 632 has been working without recharging for more than a month, but two months. To this, branded poketbuk chips are added: as many as 18 book formats (maximum among all readers!), A handy “cloud” of PocketBook Cloud, high-quality E Ink screen, perfect build quality, three years warranty when purchased from a company online store. In short, the PocketBook 632 is a really cool reader, the unconditional flagship of the end of 2018. What he lacks is protection from water. It can be obtained in the model PocketBook 641 Aqua 2 (costs 10,900 rubles), but it is weaker in other parameters.

In short, if you definitely needThe best and most sophisticated 6-inch reader on the market is welcome for PocketBook 632. And don’t forget to cook 12,900 rubles. If the budget for the purchase of the reader is more modest, then you can look at the PocketBook 627 or 616 for 10,900 and 8,900 rubles, respectively. Technically, they are not as advanced as the 632, but they are exactly as light and compact. And the 616 and 627 have very good backlit screens. This is quite enough for many users for complete bibliophile happiness.

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