Top 5 compared
The best Kindles and e-readers
Thousands of books on one light, glare-free screen that reads like paper, at the cottage, on the bus or in bed.
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The top 5 at a glance
An e-reader is a handheld screen made for reading books. Its E Ink display looks like printed paper, stays readable in bright sun and has a front light for the dark, and a charge lasts weeks. Six-inch models are the smallest and lightest; seven-inch screens fit more words on a page. Warm light turns the page amber for bedtime, and colour screens show covers and comics in soft colour.
Kindles are built around Amazon’s store and its reading subscription. Kobo, based in Toronto, reads EPUB ebooks from most stores and borrows from the public library through OverDrive, which Kindles can’t do in Canada. Amazon has announced redesigned Kindles, and the 2024 models here are still sold new.
What matters
- Waterproofing, for the bath, the pool or the dock.
- 16GB of storage, which already holds thousands of ebooks.
- Bluetooth, if you’d like to listen to audiobooks too.
#1Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB)
$200–$300
Warm light for bedtime and waterproofing for the bath, neither of which the basic Kindle has, and a 7-inch screen in place of its 6-inch one, with fast page turns and weeks between charges.
What owners say: Owners call it easy to use from the first day, and the battery can go a month between charges; it’s light and travels well, though what it works with and the screen draw mixed reviews.
A closer look: Amazon’s 12-week battery figure assumes half an hour of reading a day with Wi-Fi off, so longer sessions mean charging more often. Audible books play through Bluetooth headphones or a speaker, and listening runs the battery down faster than reading does.
- Fast page turns
- Glare-free screen
- Dark mode
- Charges in under 2.5 hours
- USB-C cable in the box
Best for: Kindle books in bed or the bath
- Screen
- 7", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Up to 12 weeks
- Warm light
- Yes
- Bluetooth audiobooks
- Yes
- Weight
- 211 g (7.4 oz)
#2Kobo Clara BW eReader
$150–$200
The main alternative to a Kindle, from Toronto-based Kobo: a 6-inch waterproof reader with adjustable warm light that borrows ebooks from the public library right on the device, through OverDrive, which Kindles can’t do in Canada. It’s made partly from recycled and ocean-bound plastic.
What owners say: Owners like that it works right out of the box, slips into a deep pocket or a small purse and lasts a long time on a charge; how quickly it responds to a tap divides them.
A closer look: EPUB, PDF and MOBI files copy across from a computer over the USB cable, so books bought elsewhere sit beside anything from Kobo’s own store. Audiobooks take far more room, so the 16GB that holds about 12,000 ebooks fits only about 75 of them.
- Library ebooks through OverDrive
- Reads EPUB, PDF and MOBI
- Recycled and ocean-bound plastic
- Made by Toronto-based Kobo
- Dark mode
Best for: Library borrowers and buying books anywhere
- Screen
- 6", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Weeks (Kobo’s figure)
- Warm light
- Yes
- Bluetooth audiobooks
- Yes
- Weight
- 174 g (6.1 oz)
#3Amazon Kindle (16GB, Matcha)
$150–$200
Small and light at 158 g (5.6 oz), with a sharp 6-inch 300ppi screen, a front light 25% brighter at its top setting than the Kindle before it, and dark mode for reading with the lights off. It suits someone new to e-readers, or anyone who wants one to carry everywhere.
What owners say: Small enough to hold in one hand and light enough to take everywhere, owners say, and the battery impresses them, with some still above half after long stretches of reading. The screen and how it works with subscriptions split opinion.
A closer look: It isn’t waterproof, so keep it clear of the bath and the pool; for reading in the tub, the Paperwhite is waterproof. Only a USB-C cable comes in the box: a 9W USB power adapter charges it fully in about two hours, a computer’s USB port in about four.
- Adjustable front light
- Dark mode
- Charges in about 2 hours
- 75% recycled plastics
- USB-C cable in the box
Best for: A first e-reader
- Screen
- 6", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- No
- Battery
- Up to 6 weeks
- Warm light
- No
- Bluetooth audiobooks
- Yes
- Weight
- 158 g (5.6 oz)
#4Kobo Clara Colour eReader (16GB, Black)
$150–$200
A 6-inch colour E Ink screen shows book covers, comics and picture books in colour, with the same waterproofing and adjustable warm light as Kobo’s black-and-white Clara. Highlights come in several colours, and they can be changed or erased as you go.
What owners say: Owners are surprised how good the colour screen looks for covers and text alike, and find it easy to link to their library; it’s light and easy to read on, though reliability varies from one reader to the next.
A closer look: Highlights gather by chapter, so a cookbook or a study guide can be skimmed for its marked passages later. ComfortLight PRO shifts the light away from blue through the day by itself, and Kobo Plus, Kobo’s subscription for ebooks and audiobooks, reads on it too.
- Highlights in several colours
- Highlights gathered by chapter
- Library books through OverDrive
- Works with Kobo Plus
- Light shifts from blue automatically
Best for: Comics and colour covers
- Screen
- 6", 300ppi (150ppi in colour)
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Weeks (Kobo’s figure)
- Warm light
- Yes
- Bluetooth audiobooks
- Yes
- Weight
- 174 g (6.1 oz)
#5Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (32GB)
Over $300
Everything the Paperwhite does, plus a front light that adjusts itself to the room, wireless charging and twice the storage, at 32GB. It’s aimed at readers who are on it every night and want the extras.
What owners say: Owners find it effortless to use and like the screen size and the choice of font sizes and styles, with good battery life and quick page turns; overall performance gets mixed reports.
A closer look: The self-adjusting light is the difference you notice day to day: it dims as the room darkens, so reading in bed means no trips to the settings. Wireless charging needs a dock, sold separately; without one, the USB-C cable in the box charges it as usual.
- Light adjusts to the room
- Wireless charging (dock separate)
- USB-C cable in the box
- Charges in under 2.5 hours
- Metallic Black or Raspberry
Best for: Heavy readers
- Screen
- 7", 300ppi
- Storage
- 32GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Up to 12 weeks
- Warm light
- Yes
- Bluetooth audiobooks
- Yes
- Weight
- 214 g (7.5 oz)
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Paperwhite | #2Kobo Clara BW | #3Kindle | #4Kobo Clara Colour | #5Paperwhite Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best for colour | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.9 |
| Price | $200–$300 | $150–$200 | $150–$200 | $150–$200 | Over $300 |
| Screen | 7", 300ppi | 6", 300ppi | 6", 300ppi | 6", 300ppi (150ppi in colour) | 7", 300ppi |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB | 32GB |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | Up to 12 weeks | Weeks (Kobo’s figure) | Up to 6 weeks | Weeks (Kobo’s figure) | Up to 12 weeks |
| Warm light | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth audiobooks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 211 g (7.4 oz) | 174 g (6.1 oz) | 158 g (5.6 oz) | 174 g (6.1 oz) | 214 g (7.5 oz) |
| Best for | Kindle books in bed or the bath | Library borrowers and buying books anywhere | A first e-reader | Comics and colour covers | Heavy readers |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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