When comparing Kobo Aura H2O vs Icarus Illumina XL, the Slant community recommends Kobo Aura H2O for most people. In the question“What are the e-ink ebook readers under $200 with the largest screen sizes?” Kobo Aura H2O is ranked 2nd while Icarus Illumina XL is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Kobo Aura H2O is:
The Kobo Aura H20 uses a 6.8" screen, which is larger than most competing 6" devices. It uses the eInk Carta screen (same as the Kindle PaperWhite) at a resolution of 1430x1080 with a dpi of 265.
Specs
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Pros
Pro 6.8” Carta E Ink HD touchscreen at 1430 x 1080, 265 dpi
The Kobo Aura H20 uses a 6.8" screen, which is larger than most competing 6" devices. It uses the eInk Carta screen (same as the Kindle PaperWhite) at a resolution of 1430x1080 with a dpi of 265.
Pro Waterproof
The Kobo Aura H20 is waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
Pro Long battery life
The manufacturer quotes the battery life as lasting up to 2 months.
Pro Device can read a huge assortment of file types
The Kobo Aura H20 can read a large assortment of file types including kepub, epub, mobi (only non DRM versions), RTF, and cbr.
Pro 4GB internal storage
The Kobo Aura H20 has 4GB of internal storage.
Pro MicroSD slot that utilize cards up to 32GB
The Kobo Aura H20 has an expandable MicroSd slot that can use cards of up to 32GB.
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 page turn buttons
there are no page turn buttons on the device, instead the screen needs to be touched in corresponding spots to turn the page forward or back.
Con Infrared touchscreen technology
The Kobo Aura H20 uses infared touch screen technology instead of a capacitive screen. Usually this results in a less responsive screen and a slight delay from touch to result of action. This also means there is no pinch to zoom.
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.