When comparing Amazon Kindle Paperwhite vs Icarus Illumina XL, the Slant community recommends Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for most people. In the question“What are the e-ink ebook readers under $200 with the largest screen sizes?” Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is ranked 1st while Icarus Illumina XL is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is:
The Paperwhite has a 1Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM (an increase from the second generation's 256MB). It uses 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, or 3G data to download ebooks to its 4GB of internal storage.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Improved performance
The Paperwhite has a 1Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM (an increase from the second generation's 256MB). It uses 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, or 3G data to download ebooks to its 4GB of internal storage.
Pro Sharp, bright screen.
The tablet uses a six-inch Carta E Ink touch screen, with a resolution of 1,448 by 1,072 and 300 pixels per inch. The screen is also glare free so you will be able to read in direct sunlight, on the subway or anywhere else you can imagine.
Pro Affordable
You can get it for only 119$ on Amazon.
Pro Big display, Good resolution
It features an 8" display with a 1024x1872 and 300 PPI resolution, more than enough for comfortable reading.
Pro Evenly-lit front display which can be turned completely off
Besides being able to use it in the dark, you can't tell where the LED lights are positioned, and that is a good thing since it won't oversaturate any area of it. Also, the display can be turned completely off to conserve battery, unlike the displays in some other brands and models.
Pro You can install any app you want on it using Google Play Store
Cons
Con No audiobook support.
The Kindle doesn't contain a headphone jack so it doesn't support audiobooks.
Con No waterproofing
Unfortunately, Amazon has not yet made it's Kindle lineup waterproof.
Con No turn-key user experience
Icarus only sells the hardware, and they don't have a very polished app or bookstore, leaving the user to figure out which apps work without bugs(and some don't) and where to purchase/downloads the ebooks. Although it does support DRM enabled ebooks, the reader app has lots of older fonts, and changing them is not easy.
Con Short battery duration
The battery will "only" last 2 weeks, which is short compared to most other e-ink readers out there.