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 affords a extra book-like studying expertise, with fewer distractions and fewer eye pressure, and plenty 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 in opposition to the wall or a water-resistant, warm-glow Kindle that gained’t smash 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 screen space and backbone: 7-inch display screen, 300ppi decision / Storage: 16GB / Different options: IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth audio assist

When you principally 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 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 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 adverts. It has wi-fi charging, which is a uncommon characteristic to seek 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 will depend on providing cut-rate reductions to drag you into its content material ecosystem. When you have Prime and purchase numerous Kindle ebooks, the Paperwhite is the only 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 Prime Studying. Rivals like Kobo provide gross sales, too, but it surely’s laborious for them to supply reductions as steep as Amazon.

There are downsides, although. The Paperwhite has lockscreen adverts until you pay $20 additional to eliminate them. It’s additionally too huge to carry comfortably with one hand. Maybe the Kindle Paperwhite’s largest flaw, although — which it shares with all Kindles other than 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 recordsdata, an open file format utilized by just about everybody besides Amazon. So, for instance, in the event you usually 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, but it surely’ll take a few additional steps.

Nevertheless, in the event you don’t purchase your books elsewhere otherwise you don’t thoughts procuring 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 (coloration) / Storage: 32GB / Different options: Bodily page-turning buttons, waterproofing, Kobo Stylus 2 assist, Bluetooth audio assist

The Kobo Libra Color is a wonderful different to Amazon’s e book readers, particularly for readers exterior the US or anybody who doesn’t wish to faucet into Amazon’s ecosystem. Kobo’s newest slate affords 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 pleasurable to make use of.

The colour show is the obvious. The Libra Color makes use of E Ink’s newest Kaledio coloration 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 coloration — but it surely’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 (offered individually) — which helps you to spotlight textual content in numerous colours or take notes utilizing Kobo’s built-in notebooks. You may also reap the benefits of among 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 for the reason that seven-inch show can really feel cramped to write down on.

The colour show is simply 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 assist for Pocket, in the meantime, means you possibly can learn your articles offline in the event 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 the event you’ve amassed a set of Kindle titles over time. It may be carried out, 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 gives you one of the best 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 assist, Bluetooth audio assist

The bottom-model Kindle ($109.99 with adverts) 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 worth 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. Nevertheless, the flip facet is that its small dimension makes it pocketable, mild, and simple for small arms to carry. Mixed with its comparatively inexpensive worth, the Kindle can be one of the best e book reader for youths — 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 substitute assure, and a case. It additionally comes with six months of Amazon Children Plus, which grants children entry to 1000’s of kids’s books and audiobooks without spending a dime. After that, although, you’ll must pay $79 per yr.

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 loads 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 adverts. 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 assist

Of all the big e book readers I examined, the Kobo Elipsa 2E stood out essentially the most as a result of it’s a very good e-reader with stable note-taking skills. You’ll be able to write immediately on pages simply as on a bodily ebook. The Kindle Scribe helps you to annotate ebook pages as nicely, but it surely’s sophisticated involving resizable textual content bins that mess up the web page formatting and stop you from doing staple items like circling phrases. In distinction, taking notes on the Elipsa 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 mechanically 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 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 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 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.

Observe-taking capabilities apart, the Kobo Elipsa 2E can be a very good e-reader with the identical strengths and weaknesses as different Kobo units. 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 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 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 all the pieces the Scribe does and extra, like insert hyperlinks to notes — lacks.

Different e book readers that didn’t make the minimize

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

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Version is the primary Kindle to characteristic E Ink’s coloration display screen expertise and it stands out from different coloration e-paper units with customizations. It affords improved distinction, extra vibrant colours, and sooner display screen refreshes. With a $279.99 price ticket, it’s the costliest Kindle mannequin presently obtainable that doesn’t assist a stylus for note-taking, and it consists of premium options like wi-fi charging which might be handy however probably not mandatory 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’d like a coloration display screen and wish to follow Amazon, the Colorsoft is your best choice. – Andrew Liszewski, Senior Reporter

When you’re in search of a non-Amazon different 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 believe 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 coloration. Plus, it’s noticeably sooner — one thing I used to be completely satisfied to see, contemplating the occasional lag on the Clara 2E typically received 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 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 e-mail and messaging — assuming you’ve received 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 the event you’re in search of a smaller different to Kindles and Kobos, the Palma 2 might be well 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 gadget, 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 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 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.

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’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 sluggish to make use of the latter, but it surely’s quick and comfy sufficient that I discovered myself enjoying round with the Phrase Search app far too usually. For me personally, I want my e-reader to be devoid of such distractions — it’s one of many largest issues that distinguishes it from a pill, in any case. However in the event you’ve received extra self-control than I do, the Go 10.3 might be value a glance.

In 2023, Barnes and Noble launched the brand new Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. When you personal numerous digital books from Barnes and Noble, this might be a very good Kindle different. In any other case, I’d nonetheless advocate the Kobo Libra Color to everyone else. The $199.99 Nook Glowlight 4 Plus is an effective e-reader with loads 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 sluggish ordeal. It didn’t assist that the display screen typically froze, too, which meant I needed to restart the gadget whereas in the midst of a ebook.

Replace, Might Twelfth: Added a featured picks part to the highest, a what’s coming subsequent part, and adjusted pricing / availability. Andrew Liszewski additionally contributed to this submit.