Top 5 compared
The best Kindles and e-readers
Thousands of books on one light, glare-free screen, with weeks between charges.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 5 at a glance
An e-reader is a handheld screen made for reading books. Its E Ink display reads like paper, even in bright sun, with a front light for reading in the dark, and it comes in black and white or in color, which suits comics, picture books and covers. The first Kindle went on sale in November 2007 and sold out in five and a half hours.
Amazon has since brought out thinner, lighter Kindles; the 2024 models here have years of owners’ reports behind them. Kindles are built around Amazon’s store and Kindle Unlimited, while Kobo reads EPUB books bought almost anywhere and has its own store and audiobooks.
What matters
- 6 inches slips into a pocket; 7 fits more words on a page.
- Waterproofing, for the bath, the pool and the beach.
- Warm light, which turns the page amber for reading in bed.
- Kindles “with ads” show offers on the lock screen; ad-free costs extra.
#1Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB)
$150–$200
A 7-inch screen, an inch bigger than entry-level e-readers, with warm light for bedtime and quick page turns, and it’s waterproof enough to read in the bath. The Signature Edition below adds a self-adjusting light, wireless charging and more storage, extras most readers can happily go without.
What owners say: Battery life impresses owners, one of whom says it hardly ever needs charging. It’s comfortable to hold through long reading sessions and slips easily into a purse; a few feel it does less than they’d hoped.
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.
- Glare-free screen
- Fast page turns
- Dark mode
- USB-C charging
Best for: Long reads on a bigger screen
- Screen
- 7", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Up to 12 weeks
- Warm light
- Yes
- Extras
- Audible over Bluetooth
#2Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (32GB)
$200–$300
Everything the Paperwhite does, plus a front light that adjusts itself to the room, wireless charging and twice the storage, at 32GB.
What owners say: The battery and quick charging stand out for owners, along with fast page turns and the metallic finish; one likes white text on black at night. Value divides them, some calling it overpriced, and a few see a yellowish tint on the screen.
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.
- Charging dock sold separately
- USB-C cable in the box
Best for: Heavy readers
- Screen
- 7", 300ppi
- Storage
- 32GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Up to 12 weeks
- Warm light
- Yes
- Extras
- Auto light, wireless charging
#3Amazon Kindle (16GB)
$100–$150
Small and light at 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.
What owners say: It fits in one hand and goes everywhere, owners say, and the screen size feels just right. Opinions split on battery life and reliability, and some have run into glitches.
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 to IPX8. 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.
- Glare-free screen
- Dark mode
- USB-C cable, no adapter
Best for: A first e-reader
- Screen
- 6", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- No
- Battery
- Up to 6 weeks
- Warm light
- No
- Extras
- 5.6 oz, the lightest here
#4Kobo Clara BW eReader
$150–$200
The main alternative to a Kindle: a 6-inch waterproof reader with adjustable warm light, made partly from recycled and ocean-bound plastic.
What owners say: A clean, simple interface and a crisp, high-contrast screen please owners, and it sits comfortably in one hand. Several mention borrowing library books on it.
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.
- Reads EPUB, PDF and MOBI
- Recycled and ocean-bound plastic
Best for: Buying books anywhere
- Screen
- 6", 300ppi
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Weeks (Kobo’s figure)
- Warm light
- Yes
- Extras
- Bluetooth audiobooks
#5Kobo Clara Colour eReader (16GB)
$150–$200
A 6-inch color E Ink screen shows book covers, comics and picture books in color, with the same waterproofing and adjustable warm light as Kobo’s black-and-white Clara. Highlights come in several colors, and they can be changed or erased as you go.
What owners say: Several owners rate it above the Kindles they’ve used, and they like its small, light size and the color screen, which some say has them reading more. Library borrowing works with one library at a time, which frustrates a few.
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 reading subscription for ebooks and audiobooks, starts with a 30-day free trial.
- Highlights sorted by chapter
- Change or erase highlights
- Light shifts through the day
- Dark mode
Best for: Comics and color covers
- Screen
- 6", color E Ink
- Storage
- 16GB
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Battery
- Weeks (Kobo’s figure)
- Warm light
- Yes
- Extras
- Color highlights, OverDrive
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Paperwhite | #2Paperwhite Signature | #3Kindle | #4Kobo Clara BW | #5Kobo Clara Colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | Best Kindle rival | Best for color | |
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | $150–$200 | $200–$300 | $100–$150 | $150–$200 | $150–$200 |
| Screen | 7", 300ppi | 7", 300ppi | 6", 300ppi | 6", 300ppi | 6", color E Ink |
| Storage | 16GB | 32GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | Up to 12 weeks | Up to 12 weeks | Up to 6 weeks | Weeks (Kobo’s figure) | Weeks (Kobo’s figure) |
| Warm light | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | Audible over Bluetooth | Auto light, wireless charging | 5.6 oz, the lightest here | Bluetooth audiobooks | Color highlights, OverDrive |
| Best for | Long reads on a bigger screen | Heavy readers | A first e-reader | Buying books anywhere | Comics and color covers |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
