Greatest ereader for 2025 | The Verge

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 provides a extra book-like studying expertise, with fewer distractions and fewer eye pressure, and lots of embody further 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 towards the wall or a water-proof, warm-glow Kindle that gained’t wreck your spa ambiance, these are the perfect e-book readers for everybody.

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

For those who largely purchase ebooks from Amazon, you’ll need a Kindle, and the Twelfth-gen Kindle Paperwhite is the only 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 most of the similar options. These embody 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 chopping 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 Version Paperwhite additionally has an auto-adjusting frontlight and no lockscreen advertisements. It has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon characteristic to seek out in an e-reader.

Amazon is the biggest on-line retailer on the earth, and it dominates the US e-book market, so Kindle house owners have entry to benefits house owners of different e-book readers don’t. A lot of Amazon’s {hardware} technique relies on providing cut-rate reductions to drag you into its content material ecosystem. You probably have Prime and purchase a number of Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is the only option as a result of Amazon makes it extremely straightforward to purchase and browse its stuff. Its ebooks and audiobooks are sometimes on sale, and Prime members get extra free content material by means of Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo provide gross sales, too, nevertheless it’s onerous for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen advertisements until you pay $20 further to eliminate them. It’s additionally too huge 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 straightforward 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 information, an open file format utilized by just about everybody besides Amazon. So, for instance, in case you usually store from Kobo’s bookstore (or Barnes & Noble or Google Play Books or many different e-book shops), you may’t simply learn these books on a Kindle with out utilizing a workaround. There are methods to transform and switch file codecs so you may learn on the Kindle and vice versa, nevertheless it’ll take a few further steps.

Nevertheless, in case you 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 screen space and backbone: 7-inch display screen, 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 Color is a wonderful various 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 provides most of the standout options discovered on the Twelfth-gen Kindle Paperwhite — together with waterproofing, USB-C help, 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 supplies 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. Guide 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.

Nevertheless, in contrast to the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version, the Libra Color works with a digital pen — the Kobo Stylus 2 (offered individually) — which helps you to spotlight textual content in numerous colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. You can even make the most of among 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 operate as a mini pocket book of kinds, although I wouldn’t use it as a main note-taking gadget because the seven-inch show can really feel cramped to jot down on.

The colour show is simply 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 it’s important 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 help for Pocket, in the meantime, means you may learn your articles offline in case you’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 could be irritating in case you’ve amassed a group of Kindle titles through the years. It may be executed, however it’s important 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 provides you with the perfect digital studying expertise of all of the e-readers on our checklist. 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 screen space and backbone: 6-inch display screen, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: USB-C help, Bluetooth audio help

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 value vary. Plus, it has USB-C for comparatively quick charging.

Studying on its six-inch display screen feels a little bit 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 measurement makes it pocketable, gentle, and straightforward for small fingers to carry. Mixed with its comparatively inexpensive value, the Kindle can be the perfect e-book reader for teenagers — particularly the Amazon Kindle Youngsters 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 Youngsters Plus, which grants youngsters entry to hundreds of kids’s books and audiobooks free of charge. After that, although, you’ll need to $79 per 12 months (or $48 with Amazon Prime).

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 so much snappier than the Nook). And since it’s an Amazon e-book reader, you’re additionally locked into the Amazon ecosystem and need to pay further to take away advertisements. But when you are able to do with out that, the Kindle delivers the necessities for underneath $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 screen space and backbone: 10.3-inches, 227ppi decision / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Handwriting to textual content conversion, magnetic stylus, Bluetooth audio help

Of all the big e-book readers I examined, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out probably the most as a result of it’s an excellent e-reader with strong note-taking skills. You possibly can write straight on pages simply as on a bodily e-book. The Kindle Scribe allows you to annotate e-book pages as effectively, nevertheless it’s difficult 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 Elipsa 2E feels way more intuitive and pure.

The Elipsa 2E provides 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 even insert diagrams and drawings, and it’ll robotically snap them into one thing that appears cleaner and nicer. You can even sync your notes with Dropbox or view them on-line and convert handwriting to typed textual content. The Kindle Scribe provides the latter functionality, too, however once more, Kobo does it quicker and higher inside 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 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 advocate saving the cash and shopping for the Kobo Elipsa 2E as a substitute.

Observe-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can be an excellent e-reader with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo units. There’s help for a variety of file codecs, however you may’t simply learn Kindle books with out changing them first. Its 227ppi show can be barely much less sharp than the 300ppi display screen discovered on the Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Libra Color. Nevertheless, the ten.3-inch display screen 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 gentle for nighttime studying. That’s a characteristic rival e-readers with extra superior note-taking capabilities — together with the $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3, which helps you to insert hyperlinks to notes — lacks.

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

There are another e-book readers my colleagues and I’ve examined that I didn’t characteristic above however are nonetheless value highlighting. Listed here are probably 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 units with customizations. It provides improved distinction, extra vibrant colours, and quicker display screen refreshes. With a $279.99 price ticket, it’s the most costly Kindle mannequin at present obtainable that doesn’t help a stylus for note-taking, and it contains premium options like wi-fi charging which can be handy however probably not vital 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 commonplace and Signature Version variations, however if you need a shade display screen and wish to persist with Amazon, the Colorsoft is your only option. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

For those who’re on the lookout 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 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 provides shade. Plus, it’s noticeably quicker — one thing I used to be comfortable to see, contemplating the occasional lag on the Clara 2E generally obtained on my nerves. You don’t get the Clara Color’s bodily buttons or stylus help, however that’s a good tradeoff at this value level.

Regardless of all some great 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 may set up productiveness apps like e-mail and messaging — assuming you’ve obtained 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 well worth the improve. However in case you’re on the lookout for a smaller various to Kindles and Kobos, the Palma 2 may very well be well worth the splurge. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

The $409.99 Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is one other ad-free e-book reader you should utilize to take notes. It’s wonderful as a note-taking gadget, and it provides 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 effectively, and its slim design makes the gadget really feel extra like a conventional pocket book. Like all Boox units, it additionally supplies fast entry to the Google Play Retailer, so you may 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 gentle 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 companies, 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 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 in case you’ve obtained extra self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 may very well be value a glance.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble launched the Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. For those who personal a number of 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 everyone 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. 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 screen generally froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the gadget whereas in the midst of a e-book.

Replace, June Twelfth: Adjusted pricing / availability. Andrew Liszewski additionally contributed to this submit.