The very best ereaders for 2024

Display measurement: 6” | Show sort: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 16GB| Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No

Learn our full Kobo Clara Color overview

Our earlier choose for this class, the Kobo Clara 2E was a wonderful ereader with a crisp show, a heat glow and responsive, intuitive contact controls all housed in a water-resistant design that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara can be up to date, I apprehensive we’d see Kobo system with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated worth. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Color not solely provides colour and a quicker processor, it’s simply $10 greater than the earlier technology.

Because the title suggests, this ereader provides colour to the web page, lending a little bit vibrance to e book covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The expertise comes from E Ink, within the type of the Kaleido 3 module that includes a colour filter layer on prime of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That leads to two totally different resolutions on one display screen: 150 dpi for colour and 300 dpi for textual content.

Full-color pages remind me of comedian e book artwork from the ‘60s, muted but saturated. Color makes book covers more enticing and adds a little variety to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s actually not a crucial function, but it surely provides vibrance and it’s enjoyable. 

There’s a slight distinction in readability between the colour and non-color model of the Clara. When you look intently, you may see a little bit of noise on the white components of the web page. That is because of the added colour filter layer. It is not distracting and solely one thing I seen when evaluating the 2 generations side-by-side. but when absolute readability is your main aim, you might be higher off with a non-color ereader.

Most likely the extra helpful improve right here is the twin 2GHz processor, a bump from the Clara 2E’s 1GHz CPU. There’s a noticeable enchancment within the pace of the web page turns and navigating from the menu to the web page and again once more is almost instantaneous. As with the 2E, the Color hardly ever errors a swipe for a faucet or a web page flip gesture for a menu request.

The adjustable heat entrance mild continues to be right here (it’s really a little bit hotter on the Color) and makes studying at evening simple on the eyes. The working system is identical, with intuitive entry to the Kobo retailer, your private books and titles out of your native library by way of Overdrive. You may customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font measurement, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a option to save a gaggle of show settings just like the Kindle does, so I’d like to see that added with future OS upgrades. However for now, the customizations are simply sufficient to get your e book the way you need it to look.

The Color is almost equivalent in form and measurement, and has the identical premium really feel because the 2E, although the plastic has a grainier end. The bezels are noticeably much less flush with the display screen now, although that didn’t alter my studying enjoyment.

Now that it prices $150, the Kobo Clara Color is $40 greater than the bottom mannequin Kindle. However the waterproof construct, heat entrance mild, responsive controls and lack of advertisements (which price $20 to do away with on Amazon’s system) make it value it. And, in nice information for the proper to restore crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired as soon as it falls outdoors of guarantee by a partnership with iFixit. 

Rakuten nonetheless makes the Kobo Clara BW, which is almost equivalent to our earlier “best overall” choose. It would not undergo from the slight readability loss that the colour overlay presents, but it surely additionally nonetheless has the older processor.   

After all, in case you already personal a mountain of Kindle books, you might wish to stick to Amazon’s system. In that case, your finest wager is . It prices $160 and was lately up to date with a extra highly effective processor and new E Ink tech that makes it exceptionally speedy with high-contrast textual content. The nice and cozy mild is nice and the flush entrance display screen feels premium. After all, Amazon now has its personal colour mannequin too, the , however at $280, it’s considerably dearer than the Clara Color and even the Paperwhite Signature Version.

Display measurement: 6” | Show sort: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB | Battery life: 6 weeks | Waterproof score: None | Heat mild: No | Lock display screen advertisements: Sure

When you simply wish to learn books, and haven’t any want for the perks that the fancier ereaders convey (colour, waterproof score, heat mild, and so on), then the bottom mannequin is for you. The six-inch, non-flush show is housed in a textured plastic that feels much less premium than, say, the Paperwhite and even the 2 Kobos on our record, however nonetheless feels lots sturdy. And it’s sufficiently small to slot in a coat or again pocket making it very travel-friendly.

It’s unlucky that the 2024 mannequin is $10 greater than the 2022 mannequin when not a lot has modified, but it surely’s nonetheless the most affordable ereader from any of the main producers. And if we all know one factor about Amazon, it’s that the corporate loves a great sale, so that you’ll seemingly discover it on low cost in case you can maintain out for Prime Day or Black Friday offers.

The Kindle is a no-frills gateway to one of the best of what Amazon has to supply, together with titles, with books by established authors in addition to newer, self-published writers; affords the widest collection of any subscription-based studying service on the market; and is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you may solely hear by a Kindle system or Amazon-owned app.

When you like to modify between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the way in which to go. Whenever you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync function strains up the place you’re within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you pay attention for an hour after which wish to learn – the synchronization allows you to choose up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we must always level out which you can’t pay attention and browse concurrently on the identical system.) In checks, the function was pretty correct, getting me shut sufficient on the web page or within the audio to determine my spot.

Web page turns are faster on the brand new mannequin however I’m disenchanted that there’s nonetheless no option to modify the zones and responses to touchscreen gestures, like there may be on each Kobo and Boox gadgets. Kindles all have a really slender strip on the left for going again a web page and I’m always lacking it and going ahead as a substitute. Although swipes usually work effectively.

Most likely probably the most noticeable lacking function is the dearth of heat mild. In comparison with any ereader with that choice, the display screen on the usual Kindle seems harsh and bluish, but it surely’s nonetheless far simpler in your eyes than a telephone or pill display screen. There’s loads of customization for the font, measurement and margins, too. You may even save your settings as a “theme,” one thing not provided by different gadgets. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing referred to as “tired eyes.”

Some individuals gained’t be bothered by the lock display screen advertisements that come customary on this Kindle (except you pay $20 to take away them). They’re pretty innocuous, largely selling Kindle e book offers or particular titles (it’s not such as you’ll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). Personally, I like with the ability to set the sleep display screen to the e book cowl of what I’m at the moment studying, but it surely’s simple to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy option to devour books on the lowest worth.

Display measurement: 7” | Show sort: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No

When Kobo got here out with the brand new Clara Color, it additionally debuted the new Libra Color, which is likely to be the extra thrilling of the 2 gadgets. Along with colour expertise from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus assist. It’s the one ereader on this record with that function, making it so much like a small E Ink pill — however all of its new options really make it a greater ereader.

After I wrote concerning the earlier technology ereader, the Libra 2, I used to be impressed by how snug it was for studying. None of that has modified; the buttons and auto-rotating display screen adapt the system to only about any studying place you selected and the skinny design, textured again and soft-touch plastic give it a premium really feel.

Kobo’s interface is almost the identical right here as with different fashions, properly organized to allow you to simply discover your present reads or browse and search new titles from Kobo’s retailer or your native library within the Overdrive tab. The customizations for mild and textual content allow you to get the web page trying simply the way you prefer it, however there aren’t so many choices that it feels such as you’re writing code.

The brand new options add to the expertise. In colour, e book covers all look extra engaging — although, in case your TBR record is already three ft lengthy, this gained’t not assist issues. The brand new processor makes waking from sleep, turning pages, navigating the menu and altering orientation zippy quick.

Then there’s the standing compatibility. Strive as they could, some new applied sciences don’t but beat their real-world counterparts. That’s largely how I really feel about styluses — I’m only a massive fan of pen on paper. However Kobo’s stylus makes it so enjoyable to spotlight textual content and scribble notes within the margins of a e book that I’m beginning to come round. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the aspect so it doesn’t get misplaced.

Urgent and holding the button on the aspect of the stylus highlights textual content whereas flipping it round erases. I by chance pressed the button a couple of occasions once I was making an attempt to put in writing, however I bought used to the location after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You may choose from 4 totally different highlighter colours and think about your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I may see being fairly helpful for e book membership reads, college assignments or simply refreshing your self on a previous learn earlier than you dive into the sequel.

Writing within the margins or instantly on the textual content labored on each e book I attempted. Although I ought to level out that in case you change the font measurement in a e book, your handwritten notes can be transformed to a sticky note-type field. Going again to the unique font restores your authentic scribbles.

The Kobo Libra Color is $30 dearer than the Libra 2, however you get so much for $220. If it have been simply an ereader, the stunning colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and straightforward highlights would make it well worth the worth. However you additionally get options that make it extra than simply an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta net browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks.

After all, the stylus prices further and also you gained’t get options like notebooks and writing within the margins with out it. Collectively, the set prices $290, which is a substantial $110 cheaper than the lately (and hottest) stylus-enabled ereader, . That one has a much bigger, 10.2-inch display screen, which is sweet for writing however, for me, is a little bit massive for an ereader. The Libra Color alternatively has simply the suitable options on the proper measurement, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness.

Display measurement: 6” | Show sort: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: 12 weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 | Heat mild: Sure, auto adjustable | Lock display screen advertisements: No

Learn our full Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version overview

After I reviewed the brand new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, I used to be struck by the elevated studying expertise it supplied. It’s remarkably quick, the textual content is splendidly crisp and it has a premium design that feels nice to carry. Amazon was in a position to enhance web page flip and scrolling speeds for each the usual Paperwhite and the Signature Version by giving them new processors and utilizing an oxide thin-film transistor layer to allow quicker modifications on the web page. The layer additionally permits for higher show readability than different transistor layers.

Each the usual and Signature fashions have heat entrance lights that forged a beautiful glow throughout a display screen that’s a little bit bigger now at 7-inches (up from 6.8 final time). The battery life is longer, promising as much as 12 weeks (as a substitute of 10), that means you’ll hardly ever must cost your ereader. Regardless of that, the Paperwhite fashions are literally three millimeters thinner than the earlier technology (and only a contact heavier).

With the Signature Version, you additionally get auto-adjusting entrance lights that dim or brighten as daylight fades otherwise you transfer from room to room. The storage capability goes up from 16GB to 32GB, so even in case you obtain an entire bunch of audiobooks, you aren’t more likely to run out of house too rapidly. And at last, you get a wi-fi charging choice for the periodic events when it’s time for a refill. All of these options are good to have, although not crucial — however for anybody who needs to learn ebooks in probably the most luxe approach doable, the Signature mannequin is the one to go for.

If you’d like an expertise that’s practically as deluxe, however don’t want the wi-fi charging, auto-adjusting lights and further capability, the Paperwhite continues to be noticeably extra premium than the usual Kindle, whereas nonetheless getting you entry to all of the perks that solely Kindles provide, like Goodreads integration, Kindle Unique titles, Kindle Limitless subscription books and Whispersync tech that strains up your audio and e-book reads so you may swap between the 2 codecs.

Display measurement: 7” | Show sort: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 64GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: splash-resistant | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No

Coloration E Ink screens are the “new” factor in ereaders — regardless that the tech has been commercially accessible since round 2010. E Ink introduced its Kaleido 3 show in 2022, and with the suitable mixture of colour saturation and readability, it’s now interesting sufficient for common consumption. The newest ereaders from each Boox and Kobo are colour fashions, and there’s little doubt Amazon will stick colour in a Kindle within the close to future (presumably as a alternative to the now-unavailable Kindle Oasis).

The Boox Go Coloration 7 (Amazon, Boox) is a pure option to supplant our earlier winner on this class. The Boox Web page continues to be accessible, and represents an excellent multipurpose pill that simply handles ereader and pill duties. The brand new Go Coloration not solely layers colour on prime of that, it additionally has double the storage capability, an additional gig of RAM and ships with Android 12. The again can also be textured as a substitute of slick, an improve my accident-prone fingers are grateful for. And all of this comes on the similar $250 record worth because the Web page.

Boox caught a quicker quad-core processor within the Web page. That made for a noticeable uptick in pace when in comparison with the reader’s predecessor, the Leaf 2. This seems to be the identical CPU within the Go Coloration and I haven’t seen an enormous pace distinction with the brand new reader — although it’s lots quick. The battery has the identical 2,300mAh capability, however ereader batteries final the order of some weeks, so an improve in that division wasn’t actually crucial.

The Go Coloration 7 runs on a fork of Android 12, which permits it to behave extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Like all Boox gadgets, this method is finest suited to the tech-savvy. Not like a Kindle or Kobo, which come preconfigured with a retailer and straightforward library-book entry, Boox ereaders provide little hand-holding in setup and utilization. Whereas there’s a retailer, it’s made up of public area titles — most individuals will learn books by importing ePubs manually or by ereader apps like Kobo, Kindle, Libby and others from the built-in Google Play retailer.

Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is properly featured with a great quantity of management over the look of the textual content. But it surely solely handles DRM-free ePubs from websites like Challenge Gutenberg or publishers like Tor. If you wish to learn ePubs with digital rights administration, which make up the overwhelming majority of present ebooks, you’ll want to make use of a special app. Paradoxically, I’ve been utilizing PocketBook’s ereader app to learn DRM ePubs I purchased from third events.

The pill is impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox customers have created APK information to tweak and enhance the expertise additional. The system even has a microphone and audio system, and might run apps like Spotify. In brief, the Go Coloration 7 can do excess of a typical ereader can, in case you’re keen to experiment.

The studying expertise is enhanced with a gentle, adjustable entrance mild with temperature management that makes for nice low-light studying and the flush, glare-free, display screen is lush and detailed. Like all colour ereaders, you do surrender a modicum of readability to accommodate the colour array, and the heat is noticeably extra yellow. I solely seen the distinction once I set comparable ereaders side-by-side and, actually, it’s the distinction between a brilliant duper crisp display screen and solely a brilliant crisp display screen.

The gentle and muted colours have a saturated seem like watercolors or previous comedian e book illustrations. Evaluating the identical e book cowl on the Kobo Clara Color and this, the Boox hues do look a contact grainier and fewer wealthy. However that’s a small sacrifice in case you want an ereader that may do excess of simply carry your books round.

Display measurement: 6.13” Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Water-proof: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No

Boox makes two sizes of its ereader. The is smaller than the , doesn’t have buttons and goes for about $80 much less. However after making an attempt it, I don’t suggest it. It’s laggy and getting the Google Play Retailer to work was a ache. As soon as I did, web page turns in apps like Kindle have been excruciatingly sluggish.

The Boox , nonetheless, is sort of enjoyable. It’s the identical measurement and form as a smartphone and, in a variety of methods, acts like one. The house display screen is a muted black and white model of what you may discover on an ordinary Android — you may even add a couple of widgets. Just like the Web page, it might obtain and run apps from the Google Play Retailer and has audio system to play music and movies. The E Ink display screen (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photographs, significantly transferring ones, look far grainier and rougher than they’d on an actual telephone’s LED display screen. That mentioned, the video high quality is one of the best I’ve seen on an E Ink display screen, due to a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Expertise.

However make no mistake, it’s not going to exchange your telephone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the one connectivity and the 16MP digicam is only for making doc scans you may convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display screen is gorgeous to learn. At $280, it’s dearer than an ordinary ereader — and a few E Ink tablets — but it surely’s a extremely moveable option to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. When you’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a captivating various.