The Best E-readers (2026): Kobo, Kindle
Featured in this article
Best E-Reader
Kobo Libra Colour
Kobo
Best Kindle
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation)
Amazon
Best Budget
Amazon Kindle (2024, 11th Gen)
Amazon
Best Budget Color E-Reader
Kobo Clara Colour
Amazon
Nothing will ever really replace a paperback or a hardcover book, but the best e-readers will give you the best digital version of that experience. E-readers (short for ebook readers) are just so convenient—and they might just make you read more too. Rather than lumping two or three books in a bag, an e-reader lets you carry thousands of books or dozens of audiobooks in a single, slim, rectangular tablet. Their paper-screens are easy on the eyes, and unan app on your phone, they won’t inundate you with distracting notifications. Books can also be expensive and take up a lot of physical space, but that’s not a problem with ebooks. Even better, you can check out digital books from a library without leaving your house.
Naturally, when you hear “e-reader,” you might think Kindle, there are some great non-Amazon e-readers out there too. Our favorite all-around e-reader is the Kobo Libra Colour ($200), which has a color screen, page turner buttons, and can even double as a digital notebook. If you’re looking for the best Kindle, our favorite is the 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite ($160) (and we’ve got an entire Best Kindles guide that breaks down the full Kindle lineup).
Looking for more reader recommendations? Don’t miss our guides to the Best Kindles, Best Digital Notebooks, Best Reading Lights, Best Kindle Accessories, and Best Gifts for Book Lovers.
Updated April 2026: We’ve added notes on the Boox Go 7, Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, and Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen) to Honorable Mentions.
Table of Contents
- Comparing Our Favorite E-Readers
- Honorable Mentions
- How Do You Get Ebooks?
- What File Formats Do E-Readers Support?
- Do You Need an E-Reader? What About a Phone or Tablet?
-
Best E-Reader
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Kobo
Libra Colour
Kobo
Kobo (With Stylus)
Amazon
If you’re looking for an e-reader that has everything from a color screen and page turner buttons to the ability to double as a digital notebook, then the Kobo Libra Colour is the one. Kobo makes a great range of e-readers that offer all the benefits of a Kindle, without an Amazon account required. The Libra Colour is especially fun not only for the color screen, but also for the Stylus 2 ($70), which lets you use the digital notebook feature. It’s a great price with and without the stylus, and it’s optional, so you can choose to add it if that’s your style. You also get page-turner buttons, something we have yet to see on a Kindle.
Not only does the Libra Colour pack a well-priced color screen, but its 7-inch screen also packs an adjustable front light and dark mode, and it can be rotated to landscape mode for reading. It’s also made from recycled materials, is waterproof (rated IPX8), and has Bluetooth support to listen to audiobooks. Kobo also works with Overdrive’s Libby app, though it takes a little more effort to connect to than using Libby with a Kindle. It’s also repairable, though we haven’t come across anything that needs fixing yet.
Specs Display: 7 inches with an adjustable front light Resolution: 300 ppi, black-and-white | 150 ppi, color Storage: 32 GB Weight: 7.03 ounces Battery and charging: Up to 40 days, USB-C charging Waterproof: Yes, IPX8 WIRED/TIRED
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- Color screen! Allows you to highlight and write notes in margins as you read, and use color in notebooks
- Page-turning buttons are a great reader feature
- Has separate book and notebook sections that are easy to navigate between
TIRED
- Writing experience isn’t as smooth, and it’s a small screen for writing
- Stylus has to be charged separately
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Best Kindle
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation)
Amazon
Amazon (Signature)
Our favorite Amazon e-reader is hands-down the Kindle Paperwhite. Kindles are a big favorite for e-readers, and the Paperwhite is a great option to get all the best features you can out of these devices. The Paperwhite was just updated last year with the 12th generation that has a larger display and a higher contrast ratio, so text and images look sharper than ever. It’s a little thinner, too, at just 7.8 millimeters thick (the previous generation was 8.1 millimeters, so not a huge difference).
The 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite comes in both a regular and Signature edition. The Signature costs $40 more, but comes with a handful of extra features, including wireless charging, auto-adjusting brightness and slightly more storage. Both versions promise a three-month battery life, which is a relief to any reader who doesn’t want to worry about constant recharging of their devices. It’s also easy to get books with both Amazon’s Kindle Store and a Kindle Unlimited membership, plus Kindles work with apps Libby from Overdrive to access library ebooks, and can download other formats PDFs for you to read. It does not, however, have a color screen.
If you’re shopping for a Kindle, it’s worth remembering that the best time to get a Kindle is during sale events Amazon Prime Day or other similar holiday sales. If you can wait for one of these, we recommend it.
Specs Display: 7 inches, adjustable warm light | auto-adjusting front light available on Signature Edition Resolution: 300 pixels per inch (ppi) Storage: 6 GB (Paperwhite) | 32 GB (Signature Edition) Weight: 7.4 ounces (Paperwhite) | 7.55 ounces (Signature Edition) Battery and charging: Up to 12 weeks, USB-C charging | wireless charging available on Signature Edition Waterproof: Yes, IPX8 WIRED/TIRED
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- Seven-inch, high-resolution display
- Auto-adjusting warm light
- Three-month battery (the longest Kindle offers)
TIRED
- No color options
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Best Budget
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Amazon
Kindle (2024, 11th Gen)
Amazon
Amazon’s basic Kindle is a great option if you’re looking for an affordable and compact ebook reader. The 2024 model comes with a few upgrades from older models, including a higher-resolution screen, a brighter front light, and a faster page-turn rate. It’s not a huge difference, and if you had the 2022 Kindle you ly won’t see a difference in performance. But if you’re upgrading from an older model, you’ll ly notice the snappier performance.
It’s smaller than the Kindle Paperwhite and most other e-readers, and the small size and light weight makes it comfortable to hold. It’s a great price for getting the same software and on-screen experience you would with more expensive models, but you’ll skip features an auto-adjusting warm light and a color screen that more expensive e-readers can offer. It also might be a little small if you your font on the larger size.
Specs Display: 6 inches, adjustable front light Resolution: 300 ppi Storage: 16 GB Weight: 5.56 ounces Battery and Charging: Up to 6 weeks; USB-C charging Waterproof: No WIRED/TIRED
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- Small, lightweight, and affordable. Fun colors, too!
- Definite performance improvement over previous iteration
- Storage has doubled since last model, and now has USB-C charging
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- No warm lighting option, or auto-adjusting light
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Best Budget Color E-Reader
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Kobo
Clara Colour
Amazon
Kobo
Target
If you’re looking for a color screen but don’t want to fork over two Benjamin Franklins (or closer to three!), then fear not, there’s an option for you. The Kobo Clara Colour is the size of the smallest Kindle, but for the price of a Paperwhite you’ll get a bright color screen. You’ll lose out on the page-turner buttons you’d get on Kobo’s Libra Colour, but if you’re not a button kind of person, you’ll be plenty happy with this e-reader. It has an auto-adjusting warm light and dark mode, plus an Overdrive integration and Bluetooth support. It’s also waterproof, made from recycled materials, and is repairable.
I how small and lightweight this little e-reader is, and it’s fun to get the benefits of larger e-readers without needing to carry a larger, heavier option. There’s also sort of a digital notebook feature—under Beta Features you’ll find the Sketchbook, which lets you write and doodle with your finger. You can also find the web browser under the same Beta Features menu. All in all, it’s an impressive little device, especially for the price point.
Specs Display: 6 inches, auto-adjusting warm light Resolution: 300 ppi (Black-and-White), 150 ppi (Color) Storage: 16 GB Weight: 6 ounces Battery and Charging: Up to 42 days; USB-C Waterproof: Yes, IPX8 WIRED/TIRED
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- Color screen
- Auto-adjusting warm light and dark mode
- Lightweight and comfortable to hold
- Great price point for color
TIRED
- Only a 6-inch screen
- Just 42 days of battery life
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Best for Kids
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Amazon
Kindle Paperwhite Kids (2024, 12th Generation)
Amazon
The kid-friendly Kindles got an update in 2024 with the same features as the non-Kid variants. My 8- and 10-year-olds have been using the Kindle Kids since the first versions launched. To my eye (looking over their shoulders), the images are noticeably clearer and sharper and the page turn speeds faster in the latest models.
The reason you get a Kindle Kids instead of repurposing your old Kindle is the kid-friendly case, which also has fun designs that my kids very much. You also get six months of access to Amazon Kids+, the company’s subscription service that includes tons of age-appropriate books, including lots of books in Spanish, and a two-year warranty. My 8-year-old s the smaller size of the basic (and cheaper) Kindle Kids ($130), and he also s the kid-friendly covers better. However, my 10-year-old s the bigger display on the Kids Paperwhite, which is better for reading graphic novels. I also prefer the Paperwhite over the basic Kindle because it’s waterproof, and she reads poolside at her brother’s swimming lessons. —Adrienne So
★ A Color Option: There’s now a Kindle Colorsoft Kids ($270), which is essentially a Colorsoft Kindle that comes with a fun cover and a year’s worth of Amazon Kids+ content. You’ll get a longer window of free Kids+ access with this model than Amazon’s other Kids models, and it’s a good option for kids who love graphic novels or comic books.
Specs Display: 7 inches, adjustable warm light Resolution: 300 ppi Storage: 6 GB (Paperwhite) Weight: 7.4 ounces (Paperwhite) Battery and charging: Up to 12 weeks, USB-C charging Waterproof: Yes, IPX8 WIRED/TIRED
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- Comes with a kid-friendly case and six months of Amazon Kids+ content
- Does a good job recommending age-appropriate books
- Paperwhite version has a bigger display and warm light
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- No color screen, which some kids might prefer
Comparing Our Favorite E-Readers
| Model | Display | Resolution | Color? | Storage | Weight | Battery Life and Charging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobo Libra Colour | 7 inches, adjustable front light | 300 ppi, black-and-white; 150 ppi, color | Yes | 32 GB | 7.03 ounces | Up to 40 days, USB-C charging |
| Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation) | 7 inches, adjustable warm light | 300 ppi (pixels per inch) | No | 6 GB | 7.4 ounces | Up to 12 weeks, USB-C charging |
| Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024, 12th Generation) | 7 inches, auto-adjusting front light | 300 ppi | No | 32 GB | 7.55 ounces | Up to 12 weeks, USB-C and wireless charging |
| Kobo Clara Colour | 6 inches, auto-adjusting warm light | 300 ppi, black-and-white; 150 ppi, color | Yes | 16 GB | 6 ounces | Up to 42 days, USB-C charging |
| Amazon Kindle (11th Generation) | 6 inches, adjustable front light | 300 ppi | No | 16 GB | 5.56 ounces | Up to 6 weeks; USB-C charging |
| Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids | 7 inches, adjustable warm light | 300 ppi | No | 6 GB | 7.4 ounches | Up to 12 weeks, USB-C |
Honorable Mentions
Below, you’ll find a few more e-readers we but don’t necessarily love as much as our top picks.
Boox Go 7 ($250) and Boox Color Go 7 ($290): Boox is known for its wide range of e-paper tablets, including the Palma 2 recommended above. If you’re looking for something a little larger with a similar Android-based experience, the Go 7 and Go Color 7 are a solid choice. There are page-turner buttons, and it’s a nice square shape that’s easy to hold and use. The Go 7 is black-and-white, but you can get a color screen for $40 more with the Go Color 7. I don’t use color features a ton, so it’s worth saving money if you won’t either, but it’s great that the price difference isn’t steep.
Boox Palma 2 for $316: This is a fun little pocket sized device, and it has a nice upgrade from the older model with fingerprint recognition, a faster CPU, and a newer version of Android. WIRED Review Adrienne So loves using it with the Kindle app, but she wishes it cost less. It’s currently unavailable, and I’m waiting to see if it comes back in stock or is replaced with a new version this year.
The Kindle Colorsoft.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Kindle Colorsoft Signature for $280 and Kindle Colorsoft ($250): 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 better contrast and image quality along with custom-formulated 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 experience of reading is still a little fuzzier when compared to the latest Paperwhite. It takes noticeably longer to process color images, too. It’s missing features that are by now standard on other color e-readers, page-turn buttons and stylus support. It’s not a bad Kindle, and color does enrich the whole e-reading experience, but we suggest waiting for a discount during an Amazon sale event. Kindle has since launched a cheaper option, the Kindle Colorsoft ($250) that has less storage (only 16 GB, versus 32 GB) and no auto-adjusting light or wireless charging.
Kindle Scribe (2nd Gen, 2024) for $400: The second-generation Kindle Scribe is a great option if you want an e-reader that doubles as a digital notebook, but also want to remain within the Kindle ecosystem. It has a 10.2-inch (300 ppi) paper-display with features adjustable warm light and an auto-adjusting front light. The included Premium Pen also has a soft-tipped eraser (mimicking that of a No.2 pencil). With Active Canvas and expandable margins, you can also mark up ebooks and write notes in the side panel. Amazon has announced three more Kindle Scribes are coming out this winter, including color options, so we’ll be testing those once they’re available.
Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen, 2025) for $500: The latest Kindle Scribe arrived in December 2025 with a color version, a new exterior design that does away with the single thicker side, and equal bezels and frames across all sizes. It has a new home page design that makes it easy to access your latest books and notebooks, and a quick-notes page you can also hop into. It also has a new set of AI features that can summarize things for you and even send your notes to an Alexa+-powered speaker so you can ask questions about them, but overall, these features aren’t necessary and just drive up the price. The older Kindle Scribe (2nd Gen) is still my preferred option if you want a Kindle e-reader that doubles as a digital notebook.
Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen) on the left, and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft on the right.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for $630: Amazon brought the color screen to the Kindle Scribe late last year, with a redesigned exterior to match the new third-gen Kindle Scribe. The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft works exactly how you’d expect, with a range of colors and tools you can use on the notebooks and while reading your books as well. There are also several AI features, which is part of what makes it so pricey. I think it’s too expensive for not being able to transform into an e-paper laptop the ReMarkable Paper Pro, but if you really wanted to stick with Kindle and have a colorful digital notebook and e-reader in one device, this is the one to get.
Nook GlowLight 4 Plus for $200: The 4 Plus is the only waterproof Nook in the lineup, and it has the biggest screen at 7.8 inches, along with 32 GB of storage. It also has physical page-turn buttons 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 tended to freeze. While the large library has cheap and even free ebooks, it’s not as good a selection as Kindle Unlimited. The process of getting a book from the library on a Nook is also beyond frustrating. You’ll need to download either Adobe Digital Editions or Android File Transfer before connecting the device to your computer physically and then transferring the files.
Nook 9-inch Lenovo Tablet for $150: If you mainly read cookbooks or other color-intensive materials, and you want a dedicated reader, you might want to consider this affordable tablet from Nook and Lenovo, which has the Nook app built in. As with the tablets mentioned above, you lose the E Ink screen and the distraction-free nature of an e-reader. You can at least turn off notifications while in certain apps, which I recommend doing for the Nook app. It ships with an old version of Android, and it’s not built for heavy work video or photo editing.
FAQs
How Do You Get Ebooks?
Ebooks can be cheap, but as with regular books, the cost can add up if you’re a big reader. You should take advantage of your library card and check out ebooks 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 via OverDrive. You can access these books a few ways, through Kindle or directly from OverDrive with a Kobo, or you can download the Libby app. These ebooks are automatically removed from your device and returned to the library when they’re due.
Each e-reader’s own book service varies in quality. Our favorite is Kindle Unlimited for $12 a month, which includes millions of titles, including audiobooks and magazines. Amazon’s Prime Reading also offers a handful of free books every month, which is good to know if you already have a Prime account. You can even lend books to friends and family for a short while (or have them 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 the e-readers in this guide except for Kindle—technically. You can still upload ePub files to your Kindle, but you’ll have 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 support AZW3 and KFX, specifically). Other formats that will work with these e-readers 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 don’t allow you to install third-party apps. The Boox, on the other hand, runs Android (mainly Android 11 and newer). So, that means you can use it to download any apps 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 have to buy a separate device to read ebooks. Smartphones and tablets are perfect for this purpose. You can use Amazon’s Kindle app to read ebooks (iOS, Android), and even download OverDrive’s Libby app (iOS, Android) for library book access anywhere as well. However, the E Ink screens found in e-readers are just nicer to look at. I also that these devices are one-trick ponies; there are no notifications to be distracted by or social media feeds to doomscroll through.
If you’d still rather have one smart device you can read on and use for other purposes, take a look at our Best Tablets and Best iPads guides for recommendations.
What About a Digital Notebook?
We’ve tried a few E Ink tablets meant for taking “handwritten” notes that can be organized and searched digitally. E-readers with that capability still prioritize reading. If the Kobo Libra Colour isn’t big enough for your note-taking needs, you might prefer these. Right now, our favorite E Ink tablet is the $629 ReMarkable Paper Pro which lets you take notes with a responsive stylus on a color E Ink screen. However, it’s not meant for reading—you can read PDFs on it, but the experience of getting books on it is far from seamless 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 books acquired in a variety of formats, from books purchased directly from each brand’s store, downloaded from local libraries via OverDrive/Libby, or PDFs acquired for free from God knows where.
In the process, we evaluate battery life, brightness, lag, screen responsiveness, and text sharpness. We check for extra tools annotation, and whether or not the tablet accommodates accessories a stylus. We also note if the tablet has other features, waterproofing or access to great exclusive subscription services.
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Nena Farrell is a writer and reviewer at WIRED. She primarily covers home and sleep products, smart home tech, gift guides, and parenting gear. She’s been a reviewer at WIRED since 2023, and before that was a smart home updates writer at The New York Times’ Wirecutter and an associate … Read More
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