No Stupid Questions

I've had kindle devices for over a decade, and my latest (kindle paperwhite) is perfect to read in bed at night while my wife is sleeping, adjust the brightness down to 2-3 and it's easy on the eyes to read in the dark, and dim enough that you can't even use it to find your way to the bathroom.

Braille

Are there e-readers with very very dim light that still allow comfortable reading?

I have not used any myself, but I have heard that both Kindle e-reader and Kobo support this.

Yes, the Kindle Paperwhite and Oasis have good low level backlights. I've had both and currently use and recommend the latter for clarity, touch sensitivity and size.

Any e-ink display eReader will work for you, but I personally recommend Kobo. They have a more open approach to loading files compared to Kindle, and they tend to be very affordable for a high quality device.

Ereaders like kobo / kindle have gentle backlight, just make sure you get one with adjustable warm /cool white backlight, so you can make it warm and not blue. I also use a little clip on booklight with adjustable brightness and color. If it's dim and red/orange you're not disturbing anyone but it illuminates the page perfectly.

Well you could read a book and use a red light.

I have a Kobo, and it allows for a very dim backlight and warm backlight temperature. I find it super comfortable for reading in the dark

Use a headlamp with red light 🔦🔴. They are specifically made for not waking other people up while camping. The red light also is not a problem before sleep, unlike blue light.

I have a Kobo Clara 2E for pretty much this reason. The lit screen has multiple levels of luminosity and adjustable yellow tone. I keep mine at a cool stone white but it can go really yellow if that's what you want. On top of that, Kobo is much more user friendly for loading ebooks, it's compatible with a whole range of ebook formats unlike Kindle.

If you don't want to give money to Bezos Pocketbook e-readers are really good and have good backlight that you can set to very dim level.

Kobo and pocketbook are good e-readers. Kindles have harder time with piracy and independent bookstores and you give money to bezos.

I had pocketbook. Not the best way to read comics or pdfs but for books is great. Customization is tricky but doable.

I use a $15 book light with adjustable brightness. It has a flexible arm so it only shines light on the page, versus an electronic device which shines light on your face.

I didn't see anyone mention things like this. Amber light with a dimmer that you can put on a physical book.

@sonovebitch@lemmy.world TBH an e-ink device with dark mode works well for me

I use a fucking goddamn clampy lamp that clamps onto the fucking goddamn headboard of the bed and holy shit it's fucked

Everyone is saying e-ink, but if everyone is asleep, a very dim light is something most people easily sleep thu. Give your eyes a minute to adjust and you'll be able to read tho.

There's a shit ton of reading lamps with dimmers these days.

And it's better than moving from physical books to kindle if you already have a bunch of books and re-read often.

The Kindle Paperwhite is great. I think the Oasis gets even dimmer, but you’ll need to pay a premium for it. Personally, I prefer to stay away from Amazon e-readers now that there are other good options available, though.

If you don’t want to be locked into the Kindle ecosystem, the Kobo Libra 2 is a good option. It lets you set the warmth of the front light, lights the screen very evenly, and even supports dark mode for ebooks.

I really like the Onyx Boox line myself (though my experience is admittedly limited - I’ve only used the Note Air 3C), but their full Google Play store support might be a negative for you, if you don’t trust yourself to not install social media apps. My experience is that having apps for Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc., all on the device is a huge improvement to my experience.

The Onyx Boox e-readers are also a bit more expensive than alternatives - the cheapest e-reader by them that I would recommend is the Poke5 at 180 USD and the one I personally want is the Page at $250. (There’s also an in-between model, the Leaf2, at $200, that looks solid.) Of course, if you want a phone-sized e-reader, the Onyx Boox Palma is the only good option that I know of. Unfortunately, it’s also $280.

All that said, is there a comfortable place outside your bedroom (or at least outside your bed) that you can read? It’s technically better if you don’t read in the same place that you sleep (though reading on an e-reader in bed is still gonna be better than being on your phone late at night).

I got my wife an adjustable spotlight for reading with a controllable brightness this Christmas and she loves it. We usually use it while we're on the couch and I'm watching TV, but it can focus the light down to a small enough spotlight that it doesn't even register in my perifieral but still lights the book she's reading plenty bright enough. It might not be the best solution to use in bed, but it was a lot cheaper than a kindle. (Which she has and doesn't use)

My Kindle Touch has a night mode with blue light inhibitor

Most kindles and kobos with color temp front lights are your best friend.

Kobo Clara 2e or the Kindle 11th Gen should work.

Audiobooks with earphones? There's wispersync so your progress matches across devices. It's also much cheaper to buy an audiobook if you have the epub/mobi/kindle version

I read in the dark on my iPad with white text on a black screen and night mode on. It’s easy on the eyes and I can read in the dark without disturbing anyone.

Alreader, I believe on both android and iphone. I use it at a very low intensity level with red text and black background.

Also if you're hyper concerned about blue light, get some red-toned laser safety glasses, you can get some that go over existing glasses if you need them, and they will, if any good, cut out basically all blue / green light regardless of what's going on around you. Recommend putting them on 2h before bed for best results.

Love my Kindle.

Where I live, I would a Nook GlowLight 3 because the device filters blue light when you read late.

But I usually like to read with the lights on instead though I hope this answers your question better.

Can't beat an audiobook in that case!

I have a cheapish samsung tablet that has blue light filtering, a black and white option, and super low screen brightness options. Low enough that if you're in a dark room, it's low enough that i can't have it all the way down and still read.