Finest e-book readers for 2025

Any e-book reader will allow you to cram a Magnificence and the Beast-sized library’s price 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 additional options, like adjustable frontlighting. Some actually are pocketable. Others are waterproof or provide bodily page-turning buttons, whereas a couple of even allow you to take notes.

I’ve been utilizing e-book readers for almost 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 in opposition to the wall or a water-resistant, warm-glow Kindle that gained’t destroy your spa ambiance, these are one of the best e-book readers for everybody.

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

In the event you principally 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 gratifying studying expertise. The latter additionally conveniently improves sleep by reducing 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 Version Paperwhite additionally has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen advertisements. It has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon characteristic to search out in an e-reader.

Amazon is the most important on-line retailer on the earth, 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. When you have Prime and purchase numerous 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 by way of Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo provide gross sales, too, nevertheless it’s exhausting for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen advertisements until 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 largest flaw, although — which it shares with all Kindles except for Hearth 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. In contrast to 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 typically store from Kobo’s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble or Google Play Books or many different e-book shops), you possibly can’t simply learn these books on a Kindle with out utilizing a workaround. There are methods to transform and switch file codecs so you possibly can learn on the Kindle and vice versa, nevertheless it’ll take a few additional steps.

Nonetheless, for those who don’t purchase your books elsewhere otherwise you don’t thoughts purchasing from Amazon, you’ll be more than pleased 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 screen, 300ppi (black-and-white), 150ppi (shade) / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Bodily page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 assist, Bluetooth audio assist

The Kobo Libra Color is a superb 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 a couple of perks that make it extra useful and gratifying to make use of.

The colour show is the obvious. The Libra Color makes use of E Ink’s newest Kaledio shade display screen expertise, 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 shade — nevertheless it’s a pleasant contact that makes viewing a wider vary of content material extra nice. Ebook 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 conventional LED pill or as vibrant because the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version.

Nonetheless, not like the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version, the Libra Color works with a digital pen — the Kobo Stylus 2 (bought individually) — which helps you to spotlight textual content in numerous colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. You can too make the most 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 types, although I wouldn’t use it as a major note-taking gadget for the reason that seven-inch show can really feel cramped to put in writing on.

The colour show is barely a part of the enchantment, 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 need to 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 possibly can learn your articles offline for those who’re somebody who makes use of the long-standing bookmarking app.

Nonetheless, 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. It extra typically is than the Libra Color. The Kobo can’t simply faucet into Amazon’s huge library of ebooks, which could be irritating for those who’ve amassed a group of Kindle titles through the years. It may be performed, however you need to convert file codecs utilizing third-party apps, which is difficult and might take time.

But when these issues don’t matter or apply to you, the Kobo Libra Color offers you one of the best 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 screen, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: USB-C assist, Bluetooth audio assist

The bottom-model Kindle ($109.99 with advertisements) is one of the best 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 screen feels somewhat extra cramped than it does on the bigger shows of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Color. Nonetheless, the flip facet is that its small measurement makes it pocketable, mild, and straightforward for small arms to carry. Mixed with its comparatively inexpensive value, the Kindle can also be one of the best e-book reader for teenagers — particularly the Amazon Kindle Children Version which prices $20 extra. The child-friendly model shares the identical specs however is ad-free with parental controls, a two-year prolonged alternative assure, and a case. It additionally comes with six months of Amazon Children Plus, which grants youngsters entry to hundreds 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 additional conveniences just like the waterproofing you’ll discover within 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 so much snappier than the Nook). And since it’s an Amazon e-book reader, you’re additionally locked into the Amazon ecosystem and must pay additional 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 an excellent e-reader with stable note-taking skills. You may write straight on pages simply as on a bodily e book. The Kindle Scribe enables you to annotate e book pages as effectively, nevertheless it’s sophisticated involving resizable textual content containers that mess up the web page formatting and forestall you from doing staple items like circling phrases. In distinction, taking notes on the Ellipsa 2E feels way 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. You can too insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll robotically snap them into one thing that appears cleaner and nicer. You can too 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 authentic pocket book doc versus on a separate web page. The one factor lacking from the Elipsa 2E is the Scribe’s note-summarization characteristic, 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 value as the bottom Kindle Scribe. You may step as much as the 32GB Kindle Scribe for $20 extra or improve to 64GB for $40 additional. But given the Scribe’s limitations, I nonetheless advocate saving the cash and shopping for the Kobo Elipsa 2E as an alternative.

Word-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can also be an excellent e-reader with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo gadgets. There’s assist for a variety of file codecs, however you possibly can’t simply learn Kindle books with out changing them first. Its 227ppi show can also be barely much less sharp than the 300ppi display screen discovered on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Color. Nonetheless, the ten.3-inch display screen balances issues out a bit and makes textual content simpler to learn, so it’s not a noticeable downside. Plus, the Elipsa 2E comes with an adjustable heat mild for nighttime studying. That’s a characteristic rivals with extra superior note-taking capabilities — just like the $379.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 which helps you to do the whole lot 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 characteristic above however are nonetheless price highlighting. Listed below are essentially the most notable:

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version is the primary Kindle to characteristic E Ink’s shade display screen expertise and it stands out from different shade e-paper gadgets with customizations. It gives improved distinction, extra vibrant colours, and sooner display screen refreshes. With a $279.99 price ticket, it’s the costliest Kindle mannequin presently accessible that doesn’t assist a stylus for note-taking, and it consists of premium options like wi-fi charging which can be handy however probably not essential for a tool with months of battery life. Amazon doesn’t provide a less expensive model of the Colorsoft prefer it does with the Paperwhite, which is obtainable in normal and Signature Version variations, however if you need a shade display screen and need to follow Amazon, the Colorsoft is the best choice. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

In the event you’re searching for a non-Amazon various that’s extra inexpensive than the Kobo Libra Color, the Kobo Clara Color — the successor to the Kobo Clara 2E — is price a glance. At $159.99, the ad-free e-reader prices greater than the Kobo Clara 2E, however I believe it’s price the additional $10. It continues to supply the identical six-inch show and IPX8 waterproof design, however the e-reader now gives shade. Plus, it’s noticeably sooner — one thing I used to be comfortable to see, contemplating the occasional lag on the Clara 2E generally bought on my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Color’s bodily buttons or stylus assist, however that’s a good tradeoff at this value level.

Regardless of all the benefits of E Ink show expertise, 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 possibly can set up productiveness apps like electronic mail and messaging — assuming you’ve bought entry to Wi-Fi, in fact, 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 may very well 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 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 gadget really feel extra like a conventional pocket book. Like all Boox gadgets, it additionally gives fast entry to the Google Play Retailer, so you possibly can 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.

Nonetheless, 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’ll’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 gradual to make use of the latter, nevertheless it’s quick and cozy sufficient that I discovered myself taking part in round with the Phrase Search app far too typically. For me personally, I would like my e-reader to be devoid of such distractions — it’s one of many largest issues that distinguishes it from a pill, in spite of everything. However for those who’ve bought extra self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 may very well be price a glance.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble launched the brand new Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. In the event you personal numerous digital books from Barnes and Noble, this may very well be an excellent Kindle various. In any other case, I’d nonetheless advocate the Kobo Libra Color to all people else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is an efficient e-reader with so much to supply, together with a stunning 300ppi display screen, waterproofing, bodily page-turning buttons, and even a headphone jack. Nonetheless, 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 screen generally froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the gadget whereas in the midst of a e book.

Replace, February fifth: Up to date pricing and availability.

Andrew Liszewski contributed to this put up.