One of the best 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 gives a extra book-like studying expertise, with fewer distractions and fewer eye pressure, and lots of embrace further options, like adjustable frontlighting. Some actually are pocketable. Others are waterproof or supply bodily page-turning buttons, whereas just a few 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 gained’t smash your spa ambiance, these are the perfect e-book readers for everybody.

Dimensions: 7 x 5 x .3 inches / Weight: 211 grams / Display space and determination: 7-inch display, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio assist

If you happen to largely purchase ebooks from Amazon, you’ll desire a Kindle, and the Twelfth-gen Kindle Paperwhite is your best option for most individuals. Beginning at $159.99, it’s cheaper than the Kobo Libra Color — my high non-Amazon e-book reader, which I’ll dive into later — whereas providing most of the identical options. These embrace a spacious 7-inch 300pi show with wealthy distinction ranges and an adjustable heat white frontlight, which make for a transparent and satisfying studying expertise. The latter additionally conveniently improves sleep by chopping down on blue mild that interrupts melatonin manufacturing.

That heat white frontlighting is a bonus over the cool white of the $109.99 base-model Kindle, and in contrast to the bottom Kindle, the Paperwhite has IPX8 water resistance. The $ 199.99 Signature Edition Paperwhite additionally has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen advertisements. It has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon function to seek out in an e-reader.

Amazon is the most important 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 is dependent upon providing cut-rate reductions to drag you into its content material ecosystem. In case you have Prime and purchase a number of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is your best option as a result of Amazon makes it extremely straightforward to purchase and skim its stuff. Its ebooks and audiobooks are sometimes on sale, and Prime members get extra free content material via Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo supply gross sales, too, nevertheless it’s laborious for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen advertisements except you pay $20 further to eliminate 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 Fireplace tablets — is that it’s not straightforward to learn books bought exterior of Amazon’s retailer. Kindle e-book codecs are proprietary and solely work on Kindle. Not like Kobo and different e-book readers, Kindles don’t assist EPUB information, an open file format utilized by just about everybody besides Amazon. So, for instance, for those who 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 transfer file formats so you’ll be able to learn on the Kindle and vice versa, nevertheless it’ll take a few further steps.

Nevertheless, for those who don’t purchase your books elsewhere otherwise you don’t thoughts procuring from Amazon, you’ll be very happy with the Kindle Paperwhite.

One of the best non-Amazon e-book reader

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

The Kobo Libra Color is a wonderful various to Amazon’s e-book readers, particularly for readers exterior the US or anybody who doesn’t need to faucet into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s newest slate gives most of the standout options discovered on the Twelfth-gen Kindle Paperwhite — together with waterproofing, USB-C assist, and a 300ppi show — together with just a few 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 — nevertheless 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 or as vibrant because the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version.

Nevertheless, not like the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version, the Libra Color works with a digital pen — the Kobo Stylus 2 (sold separately) — which helps you to spotlight textual content in varied colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. It’s also possible to reap the benefits of a few of the extra superior capabilities discovered within the Kobo Elipsa 2E, permitting you to resolve math equations, convert handwriting into typed textual content, and insert diagrams. This lets the Libra Color perform as a mini pocket book of kinds, although I wouldn’t use it as a major note-taking gadget because the seven-inch show can really feel cramped to put in writing on.

The colour show is just a part of the attraction, although. The Libra Color doesn’t have the lockscreen advertisements on the bottom Paperwhite — and packs bodily page-turning buttons, which really feel extra intuitive to make use of than tapping both facet of the show as you must do on Amazon’s trendy e-readers. 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 assist for Pocket, in the meantime, means you’ll be able to learn your articles offline for those who’re somebody who makes use of the long-standing bookmarking app.

Nevertheless, at $229.99, 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 occurs extra usually than the Libra Color. The Kobo can’t simply faucet into Amazon’s huge library of ebooks, which may be irritating for those who’ve amassed a group of Kindle titles through the years. It may be finished, however you must 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 will provide you with the perfect digital studying expertise of all of the e-readers on our listing. It’s my private favourite.

One of the best low cost e-book reader

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

The base-model Kindle ($109.99 with advertisements) 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 worth vary. Plus, it even has USB-C for comparatively quick charging.

Studying on its six-inch display feels just a little extra cramped than it does on the bigger shows of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Color. Nevertheless, the flip facet is that its small dimension makes it pocketable, mild, and straightforward for small fingers to carry. Mixed with its comparatively reasonably priced worth, the Kindle can also be the perfect e-book reader for youths — particularly the Amazon Kindle Kids Edition which prices $20 extra. The child-friendly model shares the identical specs however is ad-free with parental controls, a two-year prolonged substitute assure, and a case. It additionally comes with six months of Amazon Kids Plus, which grants youngsters entry to 1000’s of youngsters’s books and audiobooks without cost. After that, although, you’ll must pay $79 per 12 months.

The bottom Kindle doesn’t have further conveniences just like the waterproofing you’ll discover in the entry-level Kobo Clara BW and Paperwhite. You additionally don’t get the bodily page-turning buttons discovered on Barnes & Noble’s entry-level e-reader, the Nook GlowLight 4e (although the Kindle is quite a bit snappier than the Nook). And since it’s an Amazon e-book reader, you’re additionally locked into the Amazon ecosystem and must pay further to take away advertisements. But when you are able to do with out that, the Kindle delivers the necessities for beneath $110.

One of the best e-book reader for taking notes

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

Of all the massive e-book readers I examined, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out essentially the most as a result of it’s e-reader with stable note-taking skills. You’ll be able to write straight on pages simply as on a bodily e book. The Kindle Scribe helps you to annotate e book pages as nicely, nevertheless it’s difficult involving resizable textual content packing containers that mess up the web page formatting and forestall you from doing basic items like circling phrases. In distinction, taking notes on the Elipsa 2E feels much more intuitive and pure.

The Elipsa 2E gives different useful note-taking instruments and capabilities. 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 mechanically snap them into one thing that appears cleaner and nicer. It’s also possible to sync your notes with Dropbox or view them on-line and convert handwriting to typed textual content. The Kindle Scribe gives the latter functionality, too, however once more, Kobo does it sooner and higher throughout the unique pocket book doc versus on a separate web page. The one factor lacking from the Elipsa 2E is the Scribe’s note-summarization function, however that’s a trade-off I’m okay with given how a lot simpler it’s to take notes.

Lastly, the Kobo Elipsa 2E comes with twice the storage (32GB) for a similar worth as the bottom Kindle Scribe. You can step as much as the 32GB Kindle Scribe for $20 extra or improve to 64GB for $40 further. But given the Scribe’s limitations, I nonetheless suggest saving the cash and shopping for the Kobo Elipsa 2E as a substitute.

Notice-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can also be e-reader with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo units. There’s assist 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 also 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 balances issues out a bit and makes textual content simpler to learn, so it’s not a noticeable disadvantage. Plus, the Elipsa 2E comes with an adjustable heat mild for nighttime studying. That’s a function rivals with extra superior note-taking capabilities — just like the $379.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 which helps you to do all the things the Scribe does and extra, like insert hyperlinks to notes — lacks.

Different e-book readers that didn’t make the reduce

There are another e-book readers my colleagues and I’ve examined that I didn’t function above however are nonetheless value highlighting. Listed here are essentially the most notable:

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version is the primary Kindle to function E Ink’s colour display know-how and it stands out from different colour e-paper units with customizations. It gives improved distinction, extra vibrant colours, and sooner display refreshes. With a $279.99 price ticket, it’s the most costly Kindle mannequin presently obtainable that doesn’t assist a stylus for note-taking, and it contains premium options like wi-fi charging which might be handy however probably not obligatory for a tool with months of battery life. Amazon doesn’t supply a less expensive model of the Colorsoft prefer it does with the Paperwhite, which is on the market in normal and Signature Version variations, however if you’d like a colour display and need to stick to Amazon, the Colorsoft is the best choice. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

If you happen to’re searching for a non-Amazon various that’s extra reasonably priced than the Kobo Libra Color, the Kobo Clara Color — the successor to the Kobo Clara 2E — is value a glance. At $159.99, the ad-free e-reader prices greater than the Kobo Clara 2E, 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 gives colour. Plus, it’s noticeably sooner — one thing I used to be completely happy to see, contemplating the occasional lag on the Clara 2E typically acquired on my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Color’s bodily buttons or stylus assist, however that’s a good tradeoff at this worth level.

Regardless of all some great benefits of E Ink show know-how, your smartphone might be nonetheless a extra handy gadget for studying given how pocket-friendly it’s. The Boox Palma 2 is a smartphone-sized E Ink gadget that’s simply as straightforward to slide right into a pocket, however with extra capabilities than an e-reader. Its 6.3-inch E Ink show is nice for studying books, however the $279.99 Palma 2 additionally runs Android 13 so you’ll be able to set up productiveness apps like electronic mail and messaging — assuming you’ve acquired entry to Wi-Fi, after all, as a result of the compact e-reader lacks mobile connectivity. If you have already got the unique Palma, the sequel isn’t definitely worth the improve. However for those who’re searching for a smaller various to Kindles and Kobos, the Palma 2 could possibly be definitely worth the splurge. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

The $379 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is one other ad-free e-book reader you need to use to take notes. It’s wonderful as a note-taking gadget, and it gives an impressively big 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 nicely, and its slim design makes the gadget 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 gadget gained’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 generally is a double-edged sword because it grants easy accessibility to distracting apps, together with video games, streaming providers, and TikTok. It’s too gradual to make use of the latter, nevertheless it’s quick and cozy sufficient that I discovered myself enjoying round with the Phrase Search app far too usually. For me personally, I would like 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 for those who’ve acquired 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. If you happen to personal a number of digital books from Barnes and Noble, this could possibly be Kindle various. In any other case, I’d nonetheless suggest the Kobo Libra Color to everyone else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is an efficient e-reader with quite a bit 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 gadget itself, and navigating the interface a gradual ordeal. It didn’t assist that the display typically froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the gadget whereas in the course of a e book.

Replace, February twenty seventh: Specified execs/cons for every advice and added a piece explaining how we check e-book readers. Andrew Liszewski contributed to this publish.