The perfect e book reader to purchase proper now

Any e book reader will allow you to cram a Magnificence and the Beast-sized library’s value of books in your pocket, however so will your cellphone. An e book reader affords a extra book-like studying expertise, with fewer distractions and fewer eye pressure, and lots of embody additional options, like adjustable frontlighting. Some actually are pocketable. Others are waterproof or supply bodily page-turning buttons, whereas a number of even allow you to take notes.

I’ve been utilizing e book readers for practically a decade, and I’ve gone hands-on with dozens, from the Kindle Paperwhite to lesser-known rivals just like the Pocketbook Period. Whether or not you need one thing your child can throw towards the wall or a water-resistant, warm-glow Kindle that received’t smash your spa ambiance, these are the perfect e book readers for everybody. 

Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x .32 inches / Weight: 205 grams / Display screen space and determination: 6.8-inch display, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio help 

In the event you principally purchase ebooks from Amazon, you’ll need a Kindle, and the Eleventh-gen Kindle Paperwhite is your best option for most individuals. Beginning at $139.99, it’s cheaper than the Kobo Libra Color — my prime non-Amazon e book reader, which I’ll dive into later — for most of the similar options. These embody a big 300pi show and an adjustable heat white frontlight, which make for a transparent and satisfying studying expertise. The latter additionally conveniently improves sleep by slicing down on blue mild that interrupts melatonin manufacturing. 

That heat white frontlighting is a bonus over the cool white of the $99.99 base-model Kindle, and in contrast to the bottom Kindle, the Paperwhite has IPX8 water resistance. The $189.99 Signature Version Paperwhite additionally has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen adverts. It additionally has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon characteristic to seek out in an e-reader.

Amazon is the biggest on-line retailer on this planet, and it dominates the US e book market, so Kindle homeowners have entry to benefits homeowners of different e book readers don’t. A lot of Amazon’s {hardware} technique will depend on providing cut-rate reductions to drag you into its content material ecosystem. When you’ve got Prime and purchase plenty of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is your best option as a result of Amazon makes it extremely straightforward to purchase and browse its stuff. Its ebooks and audiobooks are sometimes on sale, and Prime members get extra free content material by way of Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo supply gross sales, too, however it’s onerous for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon does.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen adverts except you pay $20 additional to do away with them. It’s additionally too large to carry comfortably with one hand. Maybe the Kindle Paperwhite’s greatest flaw, although — which it shares with all Kindles apart from Hearth tablets — is that it’s not straightforward to learn books bought outdoors of Amazon’s retailer. Kindle e book codecs are proprietary and solely work on Kindle. In contrast to Kobo and different e book readers, Kindles don’t help EPUB information, an open file format utilized by just about everybody besides Amazon. So, for instance, should you usually store from Kobo’s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble or Google Play Books or many different e book shops), you’ll be able to’t simply learn these books on a Kindle with out utilizing a workaround. There are methods to transform and switch file codecs so you’ll be able to learn on the Kindle and vice versa, however it’ll take a few additional steps.

Nevertheless, should you don’t purchase your books elsewhere otherwise you don’t thoughts buying from Amazon, you’ll be very happy with the Kindle Paperwhite.

Learn our Kindle Paperwhite assessment.

Dimensions: 5.69 x 6.34 x 0.33 inches / Weight: 199.5 grams / Display screen space and determination: 7-inch display, 300ppi (black-and-white), 150ppi (colour) / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Bodily page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 help, Bluetooth audio help 

The Kobo Libra Color is a superb various to Amazon’s e book readers, particularly for readers outdoors the US or anybody who doesn’t need to faucet into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s newest slate affords most of the standout options discovered on the Eleventh-gen Kindle Paperwhite — together with waterproofing, USB-C help, and a 300ppi show — together with a number of perks that make it extra useful and satisfying to make use of.

The colour show is the obvious. The Libra Color makes use of E Ink’s newest Kaledio colour display know-how, which gives soothing, pastel-like hues that also pop in direct daylight. It’s not as sharp as studying in monochrome — the decision drops to 150ppi when viewing content material in colour — however it’s a pleasant contact that makes viewing a wider vary of content material extra nice. E book covers and comics, whereas nonetheless muted, have an added layer of depth, even when the colours are nowhere close to as vivid as that of a standard LED pill.

Moreover, the Libra Color works with the Kobo Stylus 2 (bought individually), which implies you’ll be able to spotlight textual content with numerous colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. It’s also possible to make the most of among the extra superior capabilities discovered within the Kobo Elipsa 2E, permitting you to unravel math equations, convert handwriting into typed textual content, and insert diagrams. This lets the Libra Color operate as a mini pocket book of kinds, although I wouldn’t use it as a main note-taking system because the seven-inch show can really feel cramped to put in writing on.

The colour show is simply a part of the enchantment, although. The Libra Color additionally lacks lockscreen adverts — not like the bottom Paperwhite — and packs bodily page-turning buttons, which really feel extra intuitive to make use of than tapping both aspect of the show. The speedy e-reader additionally helps extra file codecs, together with EPUB information, and makes it a lot simpler to borrow books from the Overdrive library system. Native help for Pocket, in the meantime, means you’ll be able to learn your articles offline should you’re somebody who makes use of the long-standing bookmarking app.

Nevertheless, at $219.99, the Libra Color prices $70 greater than the entry-level Paperwhite — and that’s with out Kobo’s $69.99 stylus, which is required for performing sure duties. That hole widens additional when the Paperwhite is on sale, which it usually is. There’s additionally the truth that the Kobo can’t simply faucet into Amazon’s huge library of ebooks, which may be irritating should you’ve amassed a group of Kindle titles through the years. It may be executed, however you need to convert file codecs utilizing third-party apps, which is hard and may take time.

But when these issues don’t matter or apply to you, the Kobo Libra Color offers you the perfect digital studying expertise of all of the e-readers on our checklist. It’s my private favourite, if nothing else.

Learn our Kobo Libra Color assessment.

Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches / Weight: 158 grams / Display screen space and determination: 6-inch display, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: USB-C help, Bluetooth audio help 

The base-model Kindle ($99.99 with adverts) is the perfect low cost e book reader. Its 300ppi decision makes textual content clearer and simpler to learn than the lower-resolution screens on different e book readers in its value vary. Plus, it even has USB-C for comparatively quick charging. 

Studying on its six-inch display feels a bit extra cramped than it does on the bigger shows of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Color. Nevertheless, the flip aspect is that its small measurement makes it pocketable, mild, and straightforward for small palms to carry. Mixed with its comparatively inexpensive value, the Kindle can be the perfect e book reader for youths — particularly within the youngsters model Amazon sells for $20 extra. It shares the identical precise specs however is ad-free with parental controls, a two-year prolonged substitute assure, and a case. It additionally comes with one 12 months of Amazon Children Plus, which grants youngsters entry to 1000’s of children books and audiobooks free of charge. After that, although, you’ll should pay $79 per 12 months.

The bottom Kindle doesn’t have additional conveniences just like the bodily page-turning buttons discovered on Barnes & Noble’s entry-level e-reader, the Nook GlowLight 4e. Nevertheless, you do get one thing extra necessary: snappier responses. On many of the different entry-level e book readers I examined, together with the GlowLight 4e, I needed to wait a number of seconds after tapping the display for the web page to show. The Kindle, as compared, supplied no perceptive lag.

There are different tradeoffs. There’s no water resistance, not like the Paperwhite, and battery life is sweet, however it’ll final you three weeks tops — not months, just like the Paperwhite. And since it’s an Amazon e book reader, you’re additionally locked into the Amazon ecosystem and should pay additional to do away with adverts. But when you are able to do with out all of that, the Kindle delivers the necessities for beneath $100.

Dimensions: 7.6 x 8.94 x 0.30 inches / Weight: 390 grams / Display screen space and determination: 10.3-inches, 227ppi decision / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Handwriting to textual content conversion, magnetic stylus, Bluetooth audio help 

Of all the massive e book readers I examined, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out essentially the most due to its glorious note-taking skills. You may straight write on pages, and the notes won’t disappear, which makes for a extra intuitive note-taking expertise than the Kindle Scribe, which solely helps on-page notes on choose Kindle titles. In any other case, you’re restricted to creating annotations on playing cards which are like disappearing sticky notes. 

It’s also possible to sync your notes with Dropbox or view them on-line, and Kobo may even convert handwriting to typed textual content. Amazon rolled out an identical functionality for the Kindle Scribe, however it might solely convert handwriting to typed textual content if you export notebooks and never as precisely. In contrast, Kobo helps you to convert your handwriting not simply whereas exporting but in addition from inside a pocket book itself.

The Elipsa 2E additionally affords different useful note-taking instruments. Just like the Kobo Libra Color, it’s succesful, for instance, of fixing math equations for you. It’s also possible to insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll robotically snap them into one thing that appears cleaner and nicer. There’s additionally an awesome number of pen varieties and ink shades. 

True, the Kindle Scribe begins at $60 much less, however the Kobo Elipsa 2E comes with twice the storage. You can step as much as the 32GB Kindle Scribe if you need the identical storage capability, however that places it at basically the identical value because the Kobo. I like to recommend simply forking out the cash on the Elipsa 2E as an alternative.

Word-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can be a superb e-reader, however it comes with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo e-readers. There’s help for a variety of file codecs, however you’ll be able to’t simply learn Kindle books with out changing them first. Its 227ppi show can be barely much less sharp than the 300ppi display discovered on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Color. Nevertheless, the ten.3-inch display does stability issues out a bit and makes textual content simpler to learn, so it’s probably not a noticeable disadvantage.

There are another e book readers I examined that I didn’t characteristic above however are nonetheless value highlighting. Listed below are essentially the most notable:

In the event you’re in search of a non-Amazon various that’s extra inexpensive than the Kobo Libra Color, the brand new Kobo Clara Color — the successor to the Kobo Clara 2E — is value a glance. At $149.99, the ad-free e-reader prices greater than the Kobo Clara 2E (which you’ll nonetheless purchase), however I feel it’s value the additional $10. It continues to supply the identical six-inch show and IPX8 waterproof design, however the e-reader now affords colour. Plus, it’s noticeably sooner — one thing I used to be pleased to see, contemplating the occasional lag on the Clara 2E typically bought on my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Color’s bodily buttons or stylus help, however that’s a good tradeoff at this value level.

The $379 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is one other ad-free e book reader you should utilize to take notes. It’s glorious as a note-taking system, and it affords an impressively wide selection of writing instruments and extra prebuilt pocket book templates than Kobo’s Elipsa 2E. Jotting down notes utilizing the built-in pocket book felt extra akin to writing on paper as effectively, and its slim design makes the system really feel extra like a standard pocket book. Like all Boox units, it additionally gives fast entry to the Google Play Retailer, so you’ll be able to obtain a number of studying apps — together with each Kindle and Kobo apps. The slate’s crisp 300ppi show is sharper than that of the Kobo Elipsa 2E, too, which is a plus.

Nevertheless, compared to the easy-to-use Elipsa 2E, the Go 10.3 lacks a entrance mild and comes with a steeper studying curve. Notes you tackle a Kindle or Kobo system received’t switch over (and vice versa), and you may’t annotate books in both app utilizing the Boox. I additionally felt like entry to Google Play is usually a double-edged sword because it grants quick access to distracting apps, together with video games, streaming providers, and TikTok. It’s too sluggish to make use of the latter, however it’s quick and cozy sufficient that I discovered myself enjoying round with the Phrase Search app far too usually. For me personally, I want my e-reader to be devoid of such distractions — it’s one of many greatest issues that distinguishes it from a pill, in any case. However should you’ve bought extra self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 could possibly be value a glance.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble launched the brand new Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. In the event you personal plenty of digital books from Barnes and Noble, this could possibly be a superb Kindle various. In any other case, I’d nonetheless advocate the Kobo Libra Color to everyone else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is an effective e-reader with so much to supply, together with a stunning 300ppi display, waterproofing, bodily page-turning buttons, and even a headphone jack. Nevertheless, it’s simply not as snappy, which makes setting it up, shopping for books from the system itself, and navigating the interface a sluggish ordeal. It didn’t assist that the display typically froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the system whereas in the course of a guide.

Lastly, I didn’t point out the Kindle Oasis, which has bodily page-turning buttons, a bigger display, and was thought-about a high-end system when it launched in 2019. Amazon now not lists the ageing e-reader in its official Kindle lineup, nevertheless, and it lacks some options even the bottom mannequin affords, together with USB-C. That makes it much less interesting at $249.99 — that’s, assuming you’ll be able to even discover it in inventory. In the event you’re prepared to pay that a lot for a high-end reader, I’d check out the Kobo Libra Color as an alternative.

E book Go Shade 7, and Boox Palma

I’ve simply gotten my palms on the next e-readers from Boox: the Go Shade 7 and pint-sized Palma. I’ve but to check them, although my colleague David Pierce is an enormous fan of the $280 Boox Palma after spending a while with it. The smartphone-sized, 6.1-inch e book reader runs on Android and, just like the Boox Go 10.3, comes with the Google Play Retailer. Meaning you’ll be able to obtain a wide array of apps, from Amazon’s personal Kindle app to numerous note-taking apps. That stated, it’s too sluggish (and small) to actually use apps that could possibly be distracting, like TikTok or Instagram, so that you in all probability don’t want to fret about shedding focus or distractions in the identical you’ll with a pill or a extra succesful system. I’m curious to see the way it holds up towards different e-readers I’ve used, even when I haven’t examined many small-screen fashions.

Replace, September twelfth: Added my ideas on the Boox Go 10.3 and adjusted pricing.