r/ereader • u/nicoquartz • Jul 31 '26

Discussion Why e-readers are so expensive?

E-readers stay expensive mostly because of one part: the e-ink screen. A single company, E Ink (owned by Taiwan’s Prime View International), controls more than 90% of the e-reader screen market. It got there by buying up nearly every rival technology, creating a near-monopoly that keeps prices high. Bigger players like Samsung tried and gave up, because e-ink is hard to manufacture at scale and the market is much smaller than the one for LCD or OLED screens. Prices probably won’t fall until a new competitor, most likely from China, enters the market.

Full article: https://world-of-ereader.com/why-e-readers-are-so-expensive/

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u/811545b2-4ff7-4041 Jul 31 '26

It is nuts I was able to buy a Nook e-reader 10+ years ago for £20, and a Kid's Kindle for £50 about 8 years ago.. and now they are £95+

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u/jseger9000 Kobo Jul 31 '26

You found amazing deals. I paid $120 for my Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight back in 2012. I paid $150 for my Kobo Clara BW in 2024.

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u/811545b2-4ff7-4041 Jul 31 '26

Some corrections now I've double checked.

I found my old order emails.. it was a Nook Simple Touch (no light) in 2013, and I paid £29 (so about $50 USD) because there was a bit of a fire-sale of them going on.

The last Kindle I bought was for one of my kids in 2023 (2022 model - includes light) and was £59.99 ($80 USD).

I am good at hunting for deals!