Comparison of our favorite e-readers
honorable mentions
Below, you’ll find some more e-readers we like but not necessarily as much as our top picks.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Kindle Scribe 2024 for $400:If you want an e-reader that also functions as a digital notebook, but also want to stay within the Kindle ecosystem, the second-generation Kindle Scribe is a great option. It has a 10.2-inch (300 ppi) paper-like display with features like adjustable warm light and auto-adjusting front light. The included premium pen also has a soft-tipped eraser (mimics a No. 2 pencil). With the active canvas and expandable margins, you can also mark up ebooks and write notes in the side panel. Amazon has announced that three more Kindle Scribus are coming this winter, including color options, so we’ll be testing them once they’re available.
Nook Glowlight 4 Plus for $200The Nook 4 Plus is the only waterproof Nook in the lineup, and it has the largest screen at 7.8 inches with 32GB of storage. It also has a physical page-turn button and a headphone jack for listening to audiobooks (but you can also connect wireless earbuds via Bluetooth). But it was often slower than my Kindle and froze. Although the larger library has affordable and even free e-books, it doesn’t have as good a selection as Kindle Unlimited. The process of getting a book from a corner library is also beyond frustrating. You’ll need to download Adobe Digital Editions or Android File Transfer before you can physically connect the device to your computer and then transfer files.
Kindle ColorSoft Signature for $280: The Kindle ColorSoft Signature is Amazon’s first Kindle with a color screen. It has a screen with an oxide backplane, which Amazon says delivers superior contrast and image quality, with custom-made coatings and nitride LEDs for brightness and color accuracy. But the screen is capped at 150 ppi for color images, versus 300 ppi for black and white, and the reading experience is still a bit blurry compared to the latest Paperwhite. Color images also take much longer to process. It’s missing features that are by now standard on other color e-readers, like page turn buttons and stylus support. this is not one Bad Kindle, and the colors enrich the entire e-reading experience, but we suggest waiting for discounts during the Amazon sale event. Kindle has since launched a cheaper alternative, the Kindle ColorSoft ($250) that has less storage (only 16GB, vs. 32GB) and no auto-adjusting light or wireless charging.
Nook 9-inch Lenovo tablet for $150: If you primarily read cookbooks or other color-intensive content, and you want a dedicated reader, you’ll want to consider the Nook and this affordable tablet from Lenovo, which has the Nook app built-in. With the tablets mentioned above, you lose the E Ink screens and distraction-free nature of e-readers. You can turn off notifications in at least some apps, which I recommend doing for Nook apps. It comes with an older version of Android, and is not designed for heavy work like video or photo editing.
questions to ask
eBooks can be inexpensive, but like regular books, the cost can add up if you’re a big reader. You should take advantage of your library card and read e-books instantly from the comfort of your home. We have a detailed guide that explains how to get free library books, but the short version is that most libraries distribute books through Overdrive. You can access these books a few ways, through Kindle or directly from Overdrive with Kobo, or you can download the Libby app. These e-books are automatically removed from your device and returned to the library at the scheduled time.
The quality of each e-reader’s own book service varies. Our favorite is Kindle Unlimited at $12 per month, which includes millions of titles, including audiobooks and magazines. Amazon’s Prime Reading also offers a few free books every month, which is good to know if you already have a Prime account. You can also lend books to friends and family for a period of time (or ask them to share a book with you). We have a roundup of the best ebook subscription services here.
What file formats do e-readers support?
The most widely used format is ePub, which works natively with all e-readers in this guide except Kindle—technicallyYou can still upload ePub files to your Kindle, but you’ll have to use the “Send to Kindle” feature (through Amazon, your email, or the Kindle app) to convert it to Amazon’s proprietary format called AZW, (Newer Kindles specifically support AZW3 and KFX), Other formats that these e-readers work with include PDF, TXT, HTML, DOC, and DOCX,
Can I install apps on an e-reader?
The Kindle, Kobo, and Nook use proprietary operating systems that do not allow you to install third-party applications. Boox, on the other hand, runs Android (primarily Android 11 and newer). So, this means you can use it to download any app available in the Google Play Store or side-load apps from your computer.
Do you need an e-reader? What about a phone or tablet?
you don’t do that to pass Buying a separate device to read e-books. Smartphones and tablets are perfect for this purpose. You can use Amazon’s Kindle app (iOS, Android) to read e-books, and even download OverDrive’s Libby app (iOS, Android) for library book access anywhere. However, the E Ink screens found in e-readers are much nicer to look at. I also like that these tools are a one-trick pony; There’s no information to distract from or doomscroll through social media feeds.
If you still want a smart device you can read And Use for other purposes, take a look at our best tablets and best iPad guides for recommendations.
What about digital notebooks?
We’ve tried some E Ink tablets for taking “handwritten” notes that can be digitally organized and searchable. E-readers with that capability still prioritize reading. If the Kobo Libra Color isn’t large enough for your note-writing needs, you might prefer these. Right now, our favorite is the E Ink tablet $629 Remarkable Paper Pro Which lets you take notes with a responsive stylus on a colorful E Ink screen. However, it’s not for reading – you can read PDFs on it, but the experience of getting books on it isn’t as seamless as compared to Kobos and Kindles.
How does WIRED test e-readers?
The most important thing we do when testing e-readers is read on them! We spend hours reading purchased books in a variety of formats, from books purchased directly from each brand’s store, to books downloaded from local libraries via Overdrive/Libby, or from PDFs obtained for free from god knows where.
In the process, we evaluate battery life, brightness, lag, screen response, and text sharpness. We check out additional tools like annotations, and also whether the tablet accommodates accessories like a stylus. We also pay attention to whether the tablet has other features, like waterproofing or access to great exclusive subscription services.
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