Best ebook readers for 2025

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 telephone. An e book reader affords 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 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 received’t break your spa ambiance, these are the most effective e book readers for everybody. 

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

Should 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 prime non-Amazon e book reader, which I’ll dive into later — whereas providing lots 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 pleasurable studying expertise. The latter additionally conveniently improves sleep by slicing down on blue gentle 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 adverts. It has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon function to search out in an e-reader.

Amazon is the most important on-line retailer on the 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 depends upon providing cut-rate reductions to drag you into its content material ecosystem. When you’ve got Prime and purchase a variety of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is your best option as a result of Amazon makes it extremely simple to purchase and browse its stuff. Its ebooks and audiobooks are sometimes on sale, and Prime members get extra free content material by Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo provide gross sales, too, however it’s onerous for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen adverts until you pay $20 additional to do away with them. It’s additionally too massive to carry comfortably with one hand. Maybe the Kindle Paperwhite’s greatest flaw, although — which it shares with all Kindles other than Fireplace tablets — is that it’s not simple 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 recordsdata, an open file format utilized by just about everybody besides Amazon. So, for instance, if you happen to typically 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 ways to convert and transfer file formats so you’ll be able to learn on the Kindle and vice versa, however it’ll take a few additional steps.

Nonetheless, if you happen to don’t purchase your books elsewhere otherwise you don’t thoughts buying from Amazon, you’ll be very happy with the Kindle Paperwhite.

Read our Kindle Paperwhite review.

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 (shade) / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Bodily page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 help, Bluetooth audio help 

The Kobo Libra Colour is a wonderful different to Amazon’s e book readers, particularly for readers outdoors the US or anybody who doesn’t wish to faucet into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s newest slate affords lots of the standout options discovered on the Twelfth-gen Kindle Paperwhite — together with waterproofing, USB-C help, and a 300ppi show — together with just a few perks that make it extra useful and pleasurable to make use of.

The colour show is the obvious. The Libra Color makes use of E Ink’s newest Kaledio shade 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 shade — 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 or as vibrant because the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.

Nonetheless, in contrast to 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 numerous colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. You may also benefit from a few of 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 perform as a mini pocket book of kinds, although I wouldn’t use it as a major note-taking machine because the seven-inch show can really feel cramped to jot down on.

The colour show is barely a part of the enchantment, although. The Libra Color doesn’t have the lockscreen adverts 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 fashionable e-readers. The speedy e-reader additionally helps extra file codecs, together with EPUB recordsdata, 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 if you happen to’re somebody who makes use of the long-standing bookmarking app.

Nonetheless, at $219.99, the Libra Color prices $60 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 might be irritating if you happen to’ve amassed a group of Kindle titles over time. It may be carried out, 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 most effective digital studying expertise of all of the e-readers on our record. It’s my private favourite.

Read our Kobo Libra Colour review.

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 ($109.99 with adverts) is the most effective 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 a bit 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 dimension makes it pocketable, gentle, and straightforward for small arms to carry. Mixed with its comparatively inexpensive worth, the Kindle can also be the most effective e book reader for teenagers — 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 free of charge. After that, although, you’ll should pay $79 per yr.

The bottom Kindle doesn’t have additional 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 so much snappier than the Nook). And since it’s an Amazon e book reader, you’re additionally locked into the Amazon ecosystem and should pay additional to take away adverts. But when you are able to do with out that, the Kindle delivers the necessities for beneath $110.

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 probably the most as a result of it’s a great e-reader with stable note-taking talents. You possibly can write immediately on pages and margins simply as on a bodily ebook. The Kindle Scribe allows you to annotate ebook pages as nicely, however it’s sophisticated 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 Ellipsa 2E feels much more intuitive and pure.

The Elipsa 2E affords 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 may also insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll routinely snap them into one thing that appears cleaner and nicer. You may also sync your notes with Dropbox or view them on-line and convert handwriting to typed textual content. The Kindle Scribe affords the latter functionality, too, however once more, Kobo does it quicker 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 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 additional. But given the Scribe’s limitations, I nonetheless advocate saving the cash and shopping for the Kobo Elipsa 2E as a substitute.

Be aware-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can also be a great e-reader with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo units. 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 also be barely much less sharp than the 300ppi display discovered on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Color. Nonetheless, the ten.3-inch display 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 gentle 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 every little thing the Scribe does and extra, like insert hyperlinks to notes — lacks.

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

Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the primary Kindle to function E Ink’s shade display know-how and it stands out from different shade e-paper units with customizations. It affords improved distinction, extra vibrant colours, and quicker display refreshes. With a $279.99 price ticket, it’s the costliest Kindle mannequin at the moment obtainable that doesn’t help a stylus for note-taking, and it contains premium options like wi-fi charging which might be handy however probably not crucial 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 out there in customary and Signature Version variations, however in order for you a shade display and wish to stick to Amazon, the Colorsoft is your best choice. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter 

Should you’re in search of a non-Amazon different that’s extra inexpensive than the Kobo Libra Color, the brand new Kobo Clara Colour — 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, 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 shade. Plus, it’s noticeably quicker — one thing I used to be joyful 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 help, however that’s a good tradeoff at this worth level.

Regardless of all the benefits of E Ink show know-how, your smartphone might be nonetheless a extra handy machine for studying given how pocket-friendly it’s. The Boox Palma 2 is a smartphone-sized E Ink machine that’s simply as simple 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 e 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 if you happen to’re in search of a smaller different 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 glorious as a note-taking machine, 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 nicely, and its slim design makes the machine 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.

Nonetheless, compared to the easy-to-use Elipsa 2E, the Go 10.3 lacks a entrance gentle and comes with a steeper studying curve. Notes you tackle a Kindle or Kobo machine received’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 could be 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, however it’s quick and cozy sufficient that I discovered myself enjoying round with the Phrase Search app far too typically. 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 if you happen to’ve bought extra self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 may very well be value a glance.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble launched the brand new Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. Should you personal a variety of digital books from Barnes and Noble, this may very well be a great Kindle different. 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 effective e-reader with so much to supply, together with a stunning 300ppi display, 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 machine itself, and navigating the interface a gradual ordeal. It didn’t assist that the display generally froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the machine whereas in the course of a ebook.

Replace, January twenty fifth: Added the brand new Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite as picks, talked about the brand new Kindle Scribe and Kindle Colorsoft, and up to date pricing and availability.

Andrew Liszewski contributed to this submit.