When comparing InkBOOK 8 vs Icarus Illumina XL, the Slant community recommends Icarus Illumina XL for most people. In the question“What are the e-ink ebook readers under $200 with the largest screen sizes?” Icarus Illumina XL is ranked 3rd while InkBOOK 8 is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Icarus Illumina XL is:
It features an 8" display with a 1024x1872 and 300 PPI resolution, more than enough for comfortable reading.
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Pros
Pro It has a front-lit display
This means you will be able to use it in the dark as well.
Pro You are not limited to Inkbook's ebook selection
This reader will let you import e-books from other retailers, and it supports Adobe DRM for EPUB and PDF.
Pro It runs on Android 4.2
That means you can run android software on it, including thousands of apps directly available from their built-in app store like Moon+ Reader, Kindle, Kobo, etc.
Pro You can listen to Audiobooks
It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which you can use to listen to audiobooks or just to music.
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 Big screen, low resolution
Despite the screen being 8 inches, it has a fairly low resolution: 1024x768 with only 160 PPI. Ebook pictures will not look so pretty on this display.
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.