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Any ebook reader will let you cram a Beauty and the Beast<\/em>-sized library\u2019s worth of books in your pocket, but so will your phone. An ebook reader offers a more book-like reading experience, with fewer distractions and less eye strain, and many include extra features, like adjustable frontlighting. Some really are<\/em> pocketable. Others are waterproof or offer physical page-turning buttons, while a few even let you take notes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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What I\u2019m looking for<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Comfort<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n\n
How easy is it to use and read on? A sharp display and relatively fast performance are essential to an enjoyable reading experience, as are size and weight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Build quality<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n\n
Some e-readers come with different features, like waterproofing, which means you really can read anywhere. Others offer buttons that make using the e-reader more intuitive to use.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Supported content types<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n\n
There must be easy, direct access to a wide selection of digital titles, which includes audiobooks as well as various file formats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Affordability<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n\n
Is the price justified, given what the e-reader offers?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I\u2019ve been using ebook readers for nearly a decade, and I\u2019ve gone hands-on with dozens, from the Kindle Paperwhite to lesser-known rivals like the Pocketbook Era. Whether you want something your kid can throw against the wall or a waterproof, warm-glow Kindle that won\u2019t ruin your spa ambience, these are the best ebook readers for everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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As a final note, be aware\u00a0Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is taking place on October\u00a010th and 11th. That means some of these e-readers, especially the Kindles, will be on sale. It might be worth waiting a few more days to pick one up then if you want to save some money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The best Kindle<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
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$140<\/span><\/p>\nAmazon\u2019s latest Kindle Paperwhite has a 6.8-inch E Ink display with adjustable color temperature for nighttime reading. It also boasts a fast processor, months-long battery life, IPX8 waterproofing, and a USB-C port.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dimensions: <\/strong>6.9 x 4.9 x .32 inches <\/strong>\/ Weight:<\/strong> 205 grams \/ Screen area and resolution<\/strong>: 6.8-inch screen, 300ppi resolution \/ Storage:<\/strong> 8GB or 16GB \/ Other features:<\/strong> IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio support\u00a0<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
If you mostly buy ebooks from Amazon, you\u2019ll want a Kindle, and the 11th-gen Kindle Paperwhite is the best choice for most people. Starting at $139.99, it\u2019s cheaper than the Kobo Libra 2 \u2014 my top non-Amazon ebook reader, which I\u2019ll dive into later \u2014 for many of the same features. Those include a large 300pi display and an adjustable warm white frontlight, which make for a clear and enjoyable reading experience. The latter also conveniently improves sleep by cutting down on blue light that interrupts melatonin production.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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That warm white frontlighting is an advantage over the cool white of the $99.99 base-model Kindle, and unlike the base Kindle, the Paperwhite has IPX8 water resistance. The $189.99 Signature Edition Paperwhite also has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen ads. It also has wireless charging, which is a rare feature to find in an e-reader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The Kindle Paperwhite comes with an adjustable warm white frontlight.<\/em><\/figcaption>Photo by Chaim Gartenberg \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world, and it dominates the US ebook market, so Kindle owners have access to advantages owners of other ebook readers don\u2019t. Much of Amazon\u2019s hardware strategy depends on offering cut-rate discounts to pull you into its content ecosystem. If you have Prime and buy a lot of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is the best choice because Amazon makes it incredibly easy to buy and read its stuff.\u00a0Its ebooks and audiobooks are often on sale, and Prime members get more free content through Prime Reading. Rivals like Kobo offer sales, too, but it\u2019s hard for them to offer discounts as steep as Amazon does.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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There are downsides, though. The Paperwhite has lockscreen ads unless you pay $20 extra to get rid of them. It\u2019s also too big to hold comfortably with one hand. Perhaps the Kindle Paperwhite\u2019s biggest flaw, though \u2014 which it shares with all Kindles aside from Fire tablets \u2014 is that it\u2019s not easy to read books purchased outside of Amazon\u2019s store. Kindle ebook formats are proprietary and only work on Kindle.\u00a0Unlike Kobo and other ebook readers, Kindles don\u2019t support EPUB files, an open file format used by pretty much everyone except<\/em> Amazon. So, for example, if you often shop from Kobo\u2019s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble or Google Play Books or many other ebook stores), you can\u2019t easily read those books on a Kindle without using a workaround. There are ways to convert and transfer file formats so you can read on the Kindle and vice versa, but it\u2019ll take a couple of extra steps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
However, if you don\u2019t buy your books elsewhere or you don\u2019t mind shopping from Amazon, you\u2019ll be more than happy with the Kindle Paperwhite.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Read our full review of the Kindle Paperwhite.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
The best non-Amazon ebook reader<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
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$190<\/span><\/p>\nThe Kobo Libra 2 features physical page-turning buttons along with a sharp 7-inch E Ink display free of ads. It also boasts IPX8 waterproofing and 32GB of storage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dimensions: <\/strong><\/em>5.69 x 6.36 x 0.35 inches \/ Weight:<\/strong> 215 grams \/ Screen area and resolution<\/strong>: 7-inch screen, 300ppi \/ Storage: <\/strong>Up to 32GB \/ Other features: <\/strong>Physical page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Bluetooth audio support\u00a0<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The Kobo Libra 2 is an excellent alternative to an Amazon ebook reader, especially for readers outside the US. It\u2019s just as nice as the Paperwhite, with many of the Paperwhite\u2019s standout features, like waterproofing, USB-C support, and a 300ppi display. It doesn\u2019t work as well with Amazon\u2019s ecosystem, of course, but it offers a few extra perks that make the e-reader, in some ways, even more enjoyable to use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The Kobo Libra 2 is my favorite ebook reader to use<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For one thing, it supports more file formats, including EPUB. It\u2019s also much easier to directly borrow books from the Overdrive library system, while native support for Pocket means you can read your saved articles offline. The Libra 2 also comes with easy-to-use physical buttons and starts at 16GB of storage, double the capacity of the base Paperwhite. There are no annoying lockscreen ads to contend with, either. Plus, instead of a flat-front screen, the display is slightly recessed into the frame.\u00a0I loved that as it meant I didn\u2019t accidentally tap the screen and skip a page, as I often did with the Paperwhite. It also kept the screen cleaner and \u2014 combined with the wide side bezel \u2014 made the Libra 2 more comfortable to hold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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1\/3<\/p>\n
The Kobo Libra 2 comes with physical page-turning buttons.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n
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1\/3<\/p>\n
The Kobo Libra 2 comes with physical page-turning buttons.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The Kobo Libra 2 is my favorite ebook reader to use. I kept having to restrain myself from using it all the time to give the other e-readers on this list a fair chance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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However, at $189, it costs $50 more than the ad-supported Paperwhite, though it\u2019s only $20 more than the ad-free Paperwhite. That gap widens even more when the Paperwhite is on sale, which it regularly is. Plus, as somebody whose digital library consists mainly of Amazon ebooks, I found the fact that I couldn\u2019t easily and quickly read my vast collection of Kindle books frustrating. You can do it, but you\u2019ll have to convert file formats using third-party apps, which can take time, especially if you have a large library. But if those things don\u2019t matter or apply to you, the Kobo Libra 2 will give you the best digital reading experience of all the e-readers on this list.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The best cheap ebook reader<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
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$100<\/span><\/p>\nAmazon\u2019s new entry-level Kindle is essentially the budget-friendly, 6-inch version of the Kindle Paperwhite. It lacks waterproofing but otherwise is similar with the same sharp display and USB-C support. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dimensions: <\/strong>6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches <\/strong>\/ Weight: <\/strong>158 grams \/ Screen area and resolution<\/strong>: 6-inch screen, 300ppi resolution \/ Storage:<\/strong> 16GB \/ Other features: <\/strong>USB-C support, Bluetooth audio support\u00a0<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The base-model Kindle ($99.99 with ads) is the best cheap ebook reader. Its 300ppi resolution makes text clearer and easier to read than the lower-resolution screens on other ebook readers in its price range, and its 16GB of storage is double even that of the Paperwhite. It even has USB-C for relatively fast charging.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Reading on its six-inch screen feels a little more cramped than it does on the larger displays of the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra 2. However, the flip side is that its small size makes it pocketable, light, and easy for small hands to hold. Combined with its relatively affordable price, the Kindle is also the best ebook reader for kids\u00a0\u2014 especially in the kids version Amazon sells for $20 more. It shares the same exact specs but is ad-free with parental controls, a two-year extended replacement guarantee, and a case. It also comes with one year of Amazon Kids Plus, which grants kids access to thousands of kids books and audiobooks for free. After that, though, you\u2019ll have to pay $79 per year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The kid-friendly version of the Kindle comes with colorful cases.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Kindle Kids<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The base Kindle doesn\u2019t have extra conveniences like the physical page-turning buttons found on Barnes & Noble\u2019s entry-level e-reader, the Nook GlowLight 4e. However, you do get something more important: snappier responses. On most of the other entry-level ebook readers I tested, including the GlowLight 4e, I had to wait a few seconds after tapping the screen for the page to turn. The Kindle, in comparison, offered no perceptive lag.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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There are other tradeoffs. There\u2019s no water resistance, unlike the Paperwhite, and battery life is good, but it\u2019ll last you three weeks tops \u2014 not months, like the Paperwhite. And because it\u2019s an Amazon ebook reader, you\u2019re also locked into the Amazon ecosystem and have to pay extra to get rid of ads. But if you can do without all of that, the Kindle delivers the essentials for under $100.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Read my full review of the Kindle.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
The best ebook reader for taking notes<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
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$400<\/span><\/p>\nThe Kobo Elipsa 2E is an ad-free 10.3-inch e-reader you can write on with the included stylus. It offers a whole host of useful features, like the ability to convert handwriting to typed text and a great selection of pen types.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dimensions: <\/strong>7.6 x 8.94 x 0.30 inches \/ Weight: <\/strong>390 grams \/ Screen area and resolution<\/strong>: 10.3-inches, 227ppi resolution \/ Storage:<\/strong> 32GB \/ Other features: <\/strong>Handwriting to text conversion, magnetic stylus, Bluetooth audio support\u00a0<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Of all the large ebook readers I tested, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out the most because of its excellent note-taking abilities. You can directly write on pages, and the notes will not disappear, which makes for a more intuitive note-taking experience than the Kindle Scribe, which only supports on-page notes on select Kindle titles. Otherwise, you\u2019re limited to making annotations on cards that are like disappearing sticky notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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You can also sync your notes with Dropbox or view them online, and Kobo can even convert handwriting to typed text. Amazon recently rolled out a similar capability for the Kindle Scribe, but it can only convert handwriting to typed text when you export notebooks and not as accurately. By contrast, Kobo lets you convert your handwriting not just while exporting but also <\/em>from within a notebook itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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1\/2<\/p>\n
The Kobo Elipsa 2E lets you insert diagrams, convert handwriting to text, and can even solve math equations for you.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The Kobo Elipsa 2E lets you insert diagrams, convert handwriting to text, and can even solve math equations for you.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The Elipsa 2E also offers other helpful note-taking tools. It\u2019s even capable, for example, of solving math equations for you. You can also insert diagrams and drawings, and it\u2019ll automatically snap it into something that looks cleaner and nicer. There\u2019s also a great selection of pen types and ink shades.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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True, the Kindle Scribe starts at $60 less, but the Kobo Elipsa 2E comes with twice the storage. You can<\/em> step up to the 32GB Kindle Scribe if you want the same storage capacity, but that puts it at essentially the same price as the Kobo. I recommend just forking out the money on the Elipsa 2E instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I also recommend the Elipsa 2E over the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus, even though it, too, offers much better writing tools than the Kindle Scribe. That\u2019s because it costs a whopping $449 and also isn\u2019t as readily available in the US market. The Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus also comes with too many distracting extras, like an easy-to-access music player and the Google Play app store preinstalled so you can download multiple reading apps, including both the Kindle and Kobo apps. However, Kindle and Kobo notes didn\u2019t show up on the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus \u2014 and you can\u2019t annotate their books anywhere as easily as you can on their respective devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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1\/2<\/p>\n
The Kobo Elipsa 2E comes with an included stylus.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n
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1\/2<\/p>\n
The Kobo Elipsa 2E comes with an included stylus.<\/figcaption>Photo by Sheena Vasani \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Note-taking capabilities aside, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is also a good e-reader, but it comes with the same strengths and weaknesses as other Kobo e-readers. There\u2019s support for a wide range of file formats, but you can\u2019t easily read Kindle books without converting them first. Its 227ppi display is also slightly less sharp than the 300ppi screen found on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra 2. However, the 10.3-inch screen does balance things out a bit and makes text easier to read, so it\u2019s not really a noticeable drawback. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Other ebook readers that didn\u2019t make the cut<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
There are some other ebook readers I tested that I didn\u2019t feature above but are still worth highlighting. Here are the most notable: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019re looking for a non-Amazon alternative that\u2019s more affordable than the Kobo Libra 2, the Kobo Clara 2E<\/strong> is worth a look. It sells for $139 and also offers waterproofing as well as a sharp, 300ppi display, but it lacks buttons. As I mentioned in my review earlier this year, I also liked that it doesn\u2019t come with ads but found it\u2019s not as fast as the Kindle Paperwhite. However, now that I\u2019ve used the e-reader for quite some time, I find it\u2019s snappy enough, and the occasional lag isn\u2019t as distracting as I imagined it\u2019d become. The Libra 2 is still faster, though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I also didn\u2019t mention the Kindle Oasis<\/strong>, which has physical page-turning buttons and which many consider a high-end device. At this point, though, it\u2019s old and lacks some features even the base Kindle offers, like USB-C support. That makes it less appealing at $249. If you are willing to pay that much for a high-end reader, I\u2019d take a look at the Kobo Libra 2 or the Kobo Sage instead. The latter is $269, yet not only does it come with buttons and USB-C, but you can also use it to take notes. The eight-inch screen feels very cramped to write on, though, so I wouldn\u2019t recommend it as a primary note-taking device.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Finally, Barnes and Noble recently released the new Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. If you own a lot of digital books from Barnes and Noble, this could be a good Kindle alternative. Otherwise, I\u2019d still recommend the Kobo Libra 2 to everybody else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is a good e-reader with a lot to offer, including a lovely 300ppi screen, waterproofing, physical page-turning buttons, and even a headphone jack. However, it\u2019s just not as snappy, which makes setting it up, buying books from the device itself, and navigating the interface a slow ordeal. It didn\u2019t help that the screen sometimes froze, too, which meant I had to restart the device while in the middle of a book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Update October 5th, 2023:<\/strong>\u00a0Refreshed links \/ prices, added Barnes and Noble\u2019s Nook Glowlight 4 Plus e-reader, and noted the upcoming <\/em>Amazon Prime Big Deal Days<\/em> event.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[ad_1] Any ebook reader will let you cram a Beauty and the Beast-sized library\u2019s worth of books in your pocket, but so will your phone. An ebook reader offers a more book-like reading experience, with fewer distractions and less eye strain, and many include extra features, like adjustable frontlighting. Some really are pocketable. Others are …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8032"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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