The best e-reader to buy right now

Any ebook scholar will fto you cram a Beauty and the Beast-sized library’s worthy of books successful your pocket, but truthful will your phone. An ebook scholar offers a much book-like reference experience, pinch less distractions and little oculus strain, and galore see other features, for illustration adjustable frontlighting. Some really are pocketable. Others are waterproof aliases connection beingness page-turning buttons, while a fewer moreover fto you return notes.

I’ve been utilizing ebook readers for astir a decade, and I’ve gone hands-on pinch dozens, from the Kindle Paperwhite to lesser-known rivals for illustration the PocketBook Era. Whether you want thing your kid tin propulsion against the wall aliases a waterproof, warm-glow Kindle that won’t ruin your spa ambiance, these are the champion ebook readers for everyone.

Dimensions: 7 x 5 x .3 inches / Weight: 211 grams / Screen area and resolution: 7-inch screen, 300ppi solution / Storage: 16GB / Other features: IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio support

If you mostly bargain ebooks from Amazon, you’ll want a Kindle, and the 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite is the champion prime for astir people. Starting astatine $159.99, it’s cheaper than the Kobo Libra Colour — my apical non-Amazon ebook reader, which I’ll dive into later — while offering galore of the aforesaid features. Those see a freely 7-inch 300pi show pinch rich | opposition levels and an adjustable lukewarm achromatic frontlight, which make for a clear and enjoyable reference experience. The second besides conveniently improves slumber by cutting down connected bluish ray that interrupts melatonin production.

That lukewarm achromatic frontlighting is an advantage complete the cool achromatic of the $109.99 base-model Kindle, and dissimilar the guidelines Kindle, the Paperwhite has IPX8 h2o resistance. The $199.99 Signature Edition Paperwhite besides has an auto-adjusting frontlight and nary lockscreen ads. It has wireless charging, which is simply a uncommon characteristic to find successful an e-reader.

Amazon dominates the US ebook market, truthful Kindle owners person entree to advantages owners of different ebook readers don’t. Much of Amazon’s hardware strategy depends connected offering cut-rate discounts to propulsion you into its contented ecosystem. If you person Prime and bargain a batch of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is the champion prime because its ebooks and audiobooks are often connected waste astatine Amazon, and Prime members get much free contented done Prime Reading. Rivals for illustration Kobo connection sales, too, but it’s difficult for them to connection discounts arsenic steep arsenic Amazon.

There are downsides, though. The Paperwhite has lockscreen ads unless you salary $20 other to get free of them. It’s besides excessively large to clasp comfortably pinch 1 hand. Perhaps the Kindle Paperwhite’s biggest flaw, though — which it shares pinch each Kindles speech from Fire tablets — is that it’s not easy to publication books purchased extracurricular of Amazon’s store. Kindle ebook formats are proprietary and only activity connected Kindle. Unlike Kobo and different ebook readers, Kindles don’t support EPUB files, an unfastened record format utilized by beautiful overmuch everyone except Amazon. So, for example, if you often shop from Kobo’s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, aliases galore different ebook stores), you can’t easy publication those books connected a Kindle without utilizing a workaround. There are ways to convert and transfer record formats truthful you tin publication connected the Kindle and vice versa, but it’ll return a mates of other steps.

However, if you don’t bargain your books elsewhere aliases you don’t mind shopping from Amazon, you’ll beryllium much than happy pinch the Kindle Paperwhite.

Dimensions: 5.69 x 6.34 x 0.33 inches / Weight: 199.5 grams / Screen area and resolution: 7-inch screen, 300ppi (black-and-white), 150ppi (color) / Storage: 32GB / Other features: Physical page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 support, Bluetooth audio support

The Kobo Libra Colour is an fantabulous replacement to Amazon’s ebook readers, particularly for readers extracurricular the US aliases anyone who doesn’t want to pat into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s latest slate offers galore of the standout features recovered connected the 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite — including waterproofing, USB-C support, and a 300ppi show — on pinch a fewer perks that make it much adjuvant and enjoyable to use.

The colour show is the astir obvious. The Libra Colour uses E Ink’s latest Kaledio colour surface technology, which provides soothing, pastel-like hues that still popular successful nonstop sunlight. It’s not arsenic crisp arsenic reference successful monochrome — the solution drops to 150ppi erstwhile viewing contented successful colour — but it’s a bully touch that makes viewing a wider scope of contented much pleasant. Book covers and comics, while still muted, person an added furniture of depth, moreover if the colors are obscurity adjacent arsenic vivid arsenic that of a accepted LED tablet aliases arsenic vibrant arsenic the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.

However, dissimilar the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, the Libra Colour useful pinch a integer pen — the Kobo Stylus 2 (sold separately) — which lets you item matter successful various colors aliases return notes utilizing Kobo’s integrated notebooks. You tin besides return advantage of immoderate of the much precocious capabilities recovered successful the Kobo Elipsa 2E, allowing you to lick mathematics equations, person handwriting into typed text, and insert diagrams. This lets the Libra Colour usability arsenic a mini notebook of sorts, though I wouldn’t usage it arsenic a superior note-taking instrumentality since the seven-inch show tin consciousness cramped to constitute on.

The colour show is only portion of the appeal, though. The Libra Colour doesn’t person the lockscreen ads connected the guidelines Paperwhite — and packs beingness page-turning buttons, which consciousness much intuitive to usage than tapping either broadside of the show arsenic you person to do connected Amazon’s modern e-readers. The speedy e-reader besides supports much record formats, including EPUB files, and makes it overmuch easier to get books from the Overdrive room system. Until recently, Kobo offered support for the bookmarking app Pocket, which was different large trading constituent arsenic it fto you publication saved articles offline. While the app is nary longer available, Kobo recently replaced Pocket pinch Instapaper, which you tin download successful a free update.

However, astatine $229.99, the Libra Colour costs $70 much than the entry-level Paperwhite — and that’s without Kobo’s $69.99 stylus, which is required for performing definite tasks. That spread widens further erstwhile the Paperwhite is connected sale, which happens much often than the Libra Colour. The Kobo can’t easy pat into Amazon’s immense room of ebooks, which tin beryllium frustrating if you’ve amassed a postulation of Kindle titles complete the years. It tin beryllium done, but you person to person record formats utilizing third-party apps, which is tricky and tin return time.

But if those things don’t matter aliases use to you, the Kobo Libra Colour will springiness you the champion integer reference acquisition of each the e-readers connected our list. It’s my individual favorite.

Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches / Weight: 158 grams / Screen area and resolution: 6-inch screen, 300ppi solution / Storage: 16GB / Other features: USB-C support, Bluetooth audio support

The base-model Kindle ($109.99 pinch ads) is the champion inexpensive ebook reader. Its 300ppi solution makes matter clearer and easier to publication than the lower-resolution screens connected different ebook readers successful its value range. Plus, it has USB-C for comparatively accelerated charging.

Reading connected its six-inch surface feels a small much cramped than it does connected the larger displays of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Colour. However, the flip broadside is that its mini size makes it pocketable, light, and easy for mini hands to hold. Combined pinch its comparatively affordable price, the Kindle is besides the champion ebook scholar for kids — particularly the Amazon Kindle Kids Edition, which costs $20 more. The kid-friendly type shares the aforesaid specs but is ad-free pinch parental controls, a two-year extended replacement guarantee, and a case. It besides includes six months of Amazon Kids Plus, which grants kids entree to thousands of children’s books and audiobooks for free. After that, though, you’ll person to salary $79 per twelvemonth (or $48 pinch Amazon Prime).

The guidelines Kindle doesn’t person other conveniences for illustration the waterproofing, which you’ll find successful the entry-level Kobo Clara BW and aforementioned Kindle Paperwhite. You besides don’t get the beingness page-turning buttons recovered connected entry-level e-readers for illustration Barnes & Noble’s Nook GlowLight 4e (though the Kindle is simply a batch snappier than the Nook). And because it’s an Amazon ebook reader, you’re besides locked into the Amazon ecosystem and person to salary other to region ads. But if you tin do without that, the Kindle delivers the essentials for nether $110.

Dimensions: 7.6 x 8.94 x 0.30 inches / Weight: 390 grams / Screen area and resolution: 10.3-inches, 227ppi solution / Storage: 32GB / Other features: Handwriting to matter conversion, magnetic stylus, Bluetooth audio support

Of each the ample ebook readers I’ve tested, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood retired the astir because it’s a bully e-reader pinch coagulated note-taking abilities. You tin constitute straight connected pages conscionable arsenic successful a beingness book. The Kindle Scribe lets you annotate book pages arsenic well, but it’s complicated, involving resizable matter boxes that messiness up the page formatting and forestall you from doing basal things for illustration circling words. In contrast, taking notes connected the Elipsa 2E feels acold much intuitive and natural.

The Elipsa 2E offers different adjuvant note-taking devices and capabilities. Like the Kobo Libra Colour, it’s capable, for example, of solving mathematics equations for you. You tin besides insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll automatically threat them into thing that looks cleaner and nicer. You tin besides sync your notes pinch Dropbox aliases position them online and person handwriting to typed text. The Kindle Scribe offers the second capability, too, but again, Kobo does it faster and amended wrong the original notebook archive alternatively than connected a abstracted page. The only point missing from the Elipsa 2E is the Scribe’s note-summarization feature, but that’s a tradeoff I americium okay pinch fixed really overmuch easier it is to return notes.

Note-taking capabilities aside, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is besides a bully e-reader pinch the aforesaid strengths and weaknesses arsenic different Kobo devices. There’s support for a wide scope of record formats, but you can’t easy publication Kindle books without converting them first. Its 227ppi show is besides somewhat little crisp than the 300ppi surface recovered connected the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Colour. However, the 10.3-inch surface balances things retired a spot and makes matter easier to read, truthful it’s not a noticeable drawback. Plus, the Elipsa 2E comes pinch an adjustable lukewarm ray for nighttime reading. That’s a characteristic rival e-readers pinch much precocious note-taking capabilities — including the $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3, which lets you insert links to notes — lack.

There are immoderate different ebook readers my colleagues and I person tested that I didn’t characteristic above, but are still worthy highlighting. Here are the astir notable:

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the first Kindle to characteristic E Ink’s colour surface technology, and it stands retired from different colour e-paper devices pinch customizations. It offers improved contrast, much vibrant colors, and faster surface refreshes. With a $279.99 value tag, it’s the astir costly Kindle exemplary presently disposable that doesn’t support a stylus for note-taking, and it includes premium features for illustration wireless charging that are convenient but not really basal for a instrumentality pinch months of artillery life. If you want a colour surface and want to instrumentality pinch Amazon, the Colorsoft Signature is your champion option. - Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

Amazon precocious introduced a much affordable replacement to the $279.99 Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition called the Kindle Colorsoft. It’s $30 cheaper and delivers a astir identical reference experience. As expected, Amazon excluded immoderate features to deed the little value point. There’s nary wireless charging, for instance, and retention is halved to 16GB, though that’s still capable for maine arsenic I chiefly publication ebooks. But if you’re buying a colour e-reader, chances are precocious that you’ll want excess retention abstraction for schematic novels, and 16GB whitethorn not trim it.

The biggest drawback for me, arsenic a bedtime bookworm, is the deficiency of an auto-adjusting beforehand light, which tin make nighttime reference overmuch easier (however, its brightness and colour somesthesia tin beryllium manually adjusted). At this price, I expect it, particularly since Kobo’s $159.99 Clara Color includes one. And, fixed that the Colorsoft Signature Edition costs conscionable $30 more, complete pinch a beforehand ray that adjusts erstwhile the room gets dim, 32GB of storage, and wireless charging, I’d opt for that alternatively if you’re successful Amazon’s ecosystem. Unless the modular Colorsoft goes connected waste for less, it’s not a awesome worth astatine its regular price.

If you’re looking for a non-Amazon replacement that’s much affordable than the Kobo Libra Colour, the Kobo Clara Colour — the successor to the Kobo Clara 2E — is worthy a look. At $159.99, the ad-free e-reader costs much than the Kobo Clara 2E, but I deliberation it’s worthy the other $10. It continues to connection the aforesaid six-inch show and IPX8 waterproof design, but the e-reader now offers color. It’s besides noticeably faster — thing I was happy to see, considering the occasional lag connected the Clara 2E sometimes sewage connected my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Colour’s beingness buttons aliases stylus support, but that’s a adjacent tradeoff astatine this value point. The institution recently announced a white version pinch a somewhat larger 1,900mAh artillery compared to the achromatic model’s 1,500mAh (notably, without a value increase), which Kobo says tin past complete a period connected a azygous charge.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble released the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. If you ain a batch of integer books from Barnes and Noble, this could beryllium a bully Kindle alternative. Otherwise, I’d still urge the Kobo Libra Colour to everybody else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is simply a bully e-reader pinch a batch to offer, including a beautiful 300ppi screen, waterproofing, beingness page-turning buttons, and moreover a headphone jack. However, it’s conscionable not arsenic snappy, which makes mounting it up, buying books from the instrumentality itself, and navigating the interface a slow ordeal. It didn’t thief that the surface sometimes froze, too, which meant I had to restart the instrumentality while successful the mediate of a book.

Despite each the advantages of E Ink show technology, your smartphone is astir apt still a much convenient instrumentality for reference fixed really pocket-friendly it is. The Boox Palma 2 is simply a smartphone-sized E Ink instrumentality that’s conscionable arsenic easy to gaffe into a pocket, but pinch much capabilities than an e-reader. Its 6.3-inch E Ink show is awesome for reference books, but the $299.99 Palma 2 besides runs Android 13 truthful you tin instal productivity apps for illustration email and messaging — assuming you’ve sewage entree to Wi-Fi, of course, because the compact e-reader lacks cellular connectivity. If you already person the original Palma, the sequel isn’t worthy the upgrade. But if you’re looking for a smaller replacement to Kindles and Kobos, the Palma 2 could beryllium worthy the splurge. - Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

The $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is different ad-free ebook scholar you tin usage to return notes. It’s fantabulous arsenic a note-taking device, and it offers an impressively wide scope of penning devices and much prebuilt notebook templates than Kobo’s Elipsa 2E. Jotting down notes utilizing the built-in notebook felt much akin to penning connected insubstantial arsenic well, and its slim creation makes the instrumentality consciousness much for illustration a accepted notebook. Like each Boox devices, it besides provides speedy entree to the Google Play Store, truthful you tin download aggregate reference apps — including some Kindle and Kobo apps. The slate’s crisp 300ppi show is sharper than that of the Kobo Elipsa 2E, too, which is simply a plus.

However, successful comparison to the easy-to-use Elipsa 2E, the Go 10.3 lacks a beforehand ray and comes pinch a steeper learning curve. Notes you return connected a Kindle aliases Kobo instrumentality won’t transportation complete (and vice versa), and you can’t annotate books successful either app utilizing the Boox. I besides felt for illustration entree to Google Play tin beryllium a double-edged beard arsenic it grants easy entree to distracting apps, including games, streaming services, and TikTok. It’s excessively slow to usage the latter, but it’s accelerated and comfortable capable that I recovered myself playing astir pinch the Word Search app acold excessively often. For maine personally, I request my e-reader to beryllium devoid of specified distractions — it’s 1 of the biggest things that distinguishes it from a tablet, aft all. But if you’ve sewage much self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 could beryllium worthy a look.

In April, Boox introduced the Go Color 7 Gen II, which retails for $279.99. This water-resistant e-reader offers a 300ppi show that drops to 150ppi erstwhile displaying colour content, overmuch for illustration its Kobo and Kindle rivals. However, akin to the Kobo Libra Colour, this ad-free exemplary offers physical-page turning buttons and supports note-taking. A stylus isn’t included, truthful you’ll request to walk an other $45.99 for Boox’s pressure-sensitive InkSense pen if you want to return notes. And, for illustration different Boox devices, it runs connected Android, giving you entree to a wide scope of apps and online bookstores done the Google Play Store.

While I appreciated not having to sideload my Kindle and Kobo library, on pinch greater elasticity to fine-tune colour settings, I yet for illustration the Kobo Libra Colour. In my testing, the Go Color 7 Gen II felt frustratingly sluggish by comparison to the Libra Colour, which is disappointing fixed the Boox costs $50 more. Responsiveness is simply a halfway portion of the reference acquisition for me, truthful I’d only urge Boox’s exemplary to readers who worth having Android app elasticity complete performance.

The $629.99 Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is Amazon’s first colour e-reader that’s besides designed for note-taking. In her review, Victoria Song praised its thin, lightweight design, agelong artillery life, and minimal ghosting effect. However, she thought the 11-inch show feels excessively ample for reference aliases note-taking, and that the muted E Ink colors limit the entreaty for artists who want to tie things beyond basal doodles. It’s besides a shame that galore of its champion note features — including in-line penning and the AI-powered summarization and hunt devices — don’t widen to different archive types, specified arsenic PDFs.

Update, January 14th: Adjusted pricing / readiness and added caller specifications regarding the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Andrew Liszewski besides contributed to this post.