The best ereaders for 2025

[ad_1] After testing round a dozen ereaders, we predict the perfect guess for most individuals is the Kobo Clara Color. However the base-model Kindle can also be good, providing an affordable and simple entry level into ebooks. And Boox makes a number of E Ink readers that do extra than simply show books. Now that the majority ereader firms additionally provide colour fashions, the sector is wider than ever. In brief, there are some things to contemplate earlier than shopping for your subsequent (or first) ereader and this information covers product suggestions alongside recommendation on find out how to get probably the most out of your new gadget.

Desk of contents The most effective e-book readers for 2025 <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/uo.GnHLoia308X3PETH7ag--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-05/6f44e890-1144-11ef-b7e7-5616b0c0e5c3" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 6” | Show kind: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 16GB| Battery life: As much as 42 days (30 min. each day, 30% brightness, Wi-Fi/BT off) | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 (submergible to six toes for 60 minutes) | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No | Textual content codecs: EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR

Learn our full Kobo Clara Color assessment

Our earlier decide 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-proof design that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara could be up to date, I frightened we’d see Kobo gadget with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated value. 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 era.

Because the title suggests, this ereader provides colour to the web page, lending a bit vibrance to ebook 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 ends in 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 ebook artwork from the ‘60s, muted however saturated. Colour makes ebook covers extra engaging and provides a bit selection to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s definitely not a mandatory characteristic, nevertheless it provides vibrance and it’s enjoyable.

There's a slight distinction in readability between the colour and non-color model of the Clara. In the event you look intently, you possibly can see a little bit of noise on the white components of the web page. That is as a result of 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 objective, chances are you'll 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 velocity 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 not often errors a swipe for a faucet or a web page flip gesture for a menu request.

The adjustable heat entrance gentle remains to be right here (it’s really a bit hotter on the Color) and makes studying at night time simple on the eyes. The working system is similar, with intuitive entry to the Kobo retailer, your private books and titles out of your native library by way of Overdrive. You'll be able to customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font dimension, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a option to save a bunch 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 ebook the way you need it to look.

The Color is almost similar in form and dimension, 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 gentle, responsive controls and lack of advertisements (which value $20 to eliminate on Amazon's gadget) make it value it. And, in nice information for the appropriate 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 similar to our earlier "greatest general" decide. It does not undergo from the slight readability loss that the colour overlay presents, nevertheless it additionally nonetheless has the older processor.

In fact, when you already personal a mountain of Kindle books, chances are you'll need to persist with Amazon's system. In that case, the perfect Kindle is Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite. It prices $160 and was just lately up to date with a extra highly effective processor and new E Ink tech that makes it exceptionally speedy whereas displaying high-contrast textual content. The nice and cozy gentle is nice and the flush entrance display screen feels premium.

Yet one more consideration, now that Amazon now has its personal colour mannequin too, is the Colorsoft. The unique prices $280, which is considerably dearer than the Clara Color and even the Paperwhite Signature Version. In July, Amazon launched a barely cheaper colour mannequin for $230. It has much less storage, no wi-fi charging and no auto-adjusting front-lights, however prices $30 lower than the unique.

Professionals Customizable settingsEven extra responsive contact controlsColor is nice and textual content is crisp Cons Kobo's retailer not as huge as Kindle's. $150 at Rakuten Kobo

<img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/r2UBIJi8LTnLOE4w.giS4w--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-11/aa5027b0-9a47-11ef-bfff-2849403781b5" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 6” | Show kind: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB | Battery life: 6 weeks | Waterproof ranking: None | Heat gentle: No | Lock display screen advertisements: Sure | Textual content codecs: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP by conversion

In the event you simply need to learn books, and don't have any want for the perks that the fancier ereaders convey (colour, waterproof ranking, heat gentle, and so on), then the bottom mannequin Kindle 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, nevertheless it's nonetheless the most cost effective ereader from any of the most important producers. And if we all know one factor about Amazon, it’s that the corporate loves an excellent sale, so that you’ll probably discover it on low cost when you can maintain out for Prime Day or Black Friday offers.

The reader is a no-frills gateway to the perfect of what the Kindle ecosystem has to supply, together with Kindle Unique titles, with books by established authors in addition to newer, self-published writers; Kindle Limitless presents the widest collection of any subscription-based studying service on the market; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you possibly can solely hear by a Kindle gadget or Amazon-owned app.

In the event you like to change between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the best way to go. Whenever you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync characteristic traces up the place you're within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you hear for an hour after which need to learn – the synchronization enables you to decide up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we should always level out you can’t hear and browse concurrently on the identical gadget.) In assessments, the characteristic 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 upset that there’s nonetheless no option to modify the zones and responses to touchscreen gestures, like there may be on each Kobo and Boox units. 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 properly.

Most likely probably the most noticeable lacking characteristic is the 6-inch display screen's lack of heat gentle. In comparison with any ereader with that possibility, the display screen on the usual Kindle seems harsh and bluish, nevertheless it’s nonetheless far simpler in your eyes than a telephone or pill display screen. There’s loads of customization for the font, dimension and margins, too. You'll be able to even save your settings as a “theme,” one thing not supplied by different units. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing known as “drained eyes.”

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

Professionals Probably the most inexpensive ereaderCompact and sturdy construct is very portableGrants entry to Kindle’s huge e-book catalog plus library booksBest integration between audio and textual content Cons No heat lightNot waterproofCan't learn third celebration ebooks $110 at Amazon <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/dsV1688AC6jq2RDXNfEi5A--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-05/fa1fb270-114d-11ef-b77d-5996edca1995" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 7” | Show kind: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 (submergible to six toes for 60 minutes) | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No | Textual content codecs: EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR

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

After I wrote in regards to the earlier era 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 gadget to simply 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 gentle 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, ebook covers all look extra engaging — although, in case your TBR record is already three toes 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. Attempt as they could, some new applied sciences don’t but beat their real-world counterparts. That’s principally 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 focus on textual content and scribble notes within the margins of a ebook that I’m beginning to come round. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the facet so it doesn’t get misplaced.

Urgent and holding the button on the facet of the stylus highlights textual content whereas flipping it round erases. I unintentionally pressed the button a number of occasions once I was attempting to jot down, however I acquired used to the location after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You'll be able to decide from 4 totally different highlighter colours and consider your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I may see being fairly helpful for ebook membership reads, college assignments or simply refreshing your self on a previous learn earlier than you dive into the sequel.

Notice-taking within the margins or straight on the textual content labored on each ebook I attempted. Although I ought to level out that when you change the font dimension in a ebook, your handwritten notes can be transformed to a sticky note-type field. Going again to the unique font restores your authentic annotations.

The Kobo Libra Color is $30 dearer than the Libra 2, however you get rather a lot for $220. If it had been simply an ereader, the beautiful colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and simple highlights would make it definitely worth the value. However you additionally get options that make it extra than simply an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta internet browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks.

In fact, the stylus prices additional 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 just lately up to date (and hottest) stylus-enabled ereader the Amazon Kindle Scribe. It is also cheaper than Kobo's personal 10-inch mannequin, the Elipsa 2E. The Scribe has a, 10.2-inch display screen and the Elipsa 2E has a ten.3-inch display screen. That is a pleasant dimension for writing however, for me, is a bit massive for an ereader. The Libra Color then again has simply the appropriate options on the proper dimension, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness. Amazon used to have an ereader with buttons within the Kindle Oasis, however that mannequin has been discontinued.

Professionals Premium construct that is snug to holdCrisp textual content and wonderful colorsResponsive and intuitive contact controls and buttonsAdding the stylus permits for margin notes Cons Kobo's retailer is much less huge than Kindle's $220 at Rakuten Kobo <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/7ggBboH5GTZNn.QHMO4VxQ--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-11/d17aaab0-9b9e-11ef-bbef-ea9b91ebb9d3" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 6” | Show kind: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: 12 weeks | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 | Heat gentle: Sure, auto adjustable | Lock display screen advertisements: No| Textual content codecs: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, DOCX, DOC, HTML, EPUB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP by conversion

Learn our full Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version assessment

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 adjustments 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 stunning glow throughout a display screen that’s a 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 not often must cost your ereader. Regardless of that, the Paperwhite fashions are literally three millimeters thinner than the earlier era (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 when 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 possibility for the periodic events when it’s time for a refill. All of these options are good to have, although not mandatory — however for anybody who needs to learn ebooks in probably the most luxe manner attainable, the Signature mannequin is the one to go for.

If you would like an expertise that’s practically as deluxe, however don’t want the wi-fi charging, auto-adjusting lights and further capability specs, the non-Signature Paperwhite remains to be noticeably extra premium than the usual Kindle, with a bigger display screen, ultra-crisp textual content and an expensive construct. Plus you continue to get entry to all of the perks that solely Kindles provide, like Goodreads integration, Kindle Unique titles, Kindle Limitless subscription books and Whispersync tech that traces up your audio and e-book reads so you possibly can swap between the 2 codecs.

There's additionally the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Youngsters, which is similar gadget, however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and a six-month subscription to Amazon Youngsters+.

Professionals Display screen shows crisp textual content with a stunning heat lightFlush-front display screen and soft-touch again really feel premiumNoticeably quicker web page turns and scrollingAuto-adjusting heat entrance gentle is useful Cons Energy button on the underside edge is simple to unintentionally triggerCan’t modify contact display screen controlsFewer web page and font changes than the competitionThe options unique to the Signature aren’t important $200 at Amazon <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/sm2XJDR0TOnqgL2koOXfeg--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-08/0ebf0b20-5f48-11ef-9f39-f3b623b8230c" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 7” | Show kind: Black/white and colour E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi colour | Capability: 64GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof ranking: splash-resistant | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No | Textual content codecs: PDF, CAJ, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOC, DOCX, FB2, CHM, RTF, HTML, ZIP, PRC, PPT, PPTX, PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF

Colour E Ink screens are the “new” factor in ereaders — despite the fact that the tech has been commercially obtainable since round 2010. E Ink introduced its Kaleido 3 show in 2022, and with the appropriate mixture of colour saturation and readability, it’s now interesting sufficient for common consumption. Now Boox, Kobo and, eventually, Amazon all have fashions with colour screens.

The Boox Go Colour 7 (obtainable from Amazon and Boox) is a pure option to supplant our earlier winner on this class, the Boox Web page. The Go Colour 7 not solely provides colour, it additionally comes with double the storage capability, an additional gig of RAM and ships with Android 12. The again is now textured as a substitute of slick, an improve my accident-prone fingers are grateful for, and the processor is quicker too, going from a 2.0Ghz octa core CPU to a 2.4Ghz chip. This all comes on the similar $250 record value because the Web page. 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 mandatory.

For the reason that Go Colour 7 runs on a fork of Android 12, it acts extra like a pill than a standard ereader. Like all Boox units, this strategy is greatest suited to the tech-savvy. In contrast to a Kindle or Kobo, which come preconfigured with a retailer to purchase books, in addition to simple borrowing out of your native library system, 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, extra probably, you’ll learn on a third-party ereader app like Kobo, Kindle, Libby and others, which you’ll obtain from the built-in Google Play retailer.

Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is properly featured with an excellent quantity of management over the look of the textual content. But it surely solely handles DRM-free ePub recordsdata from websites like Mission 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 distinct app. Mockingly, I’ve been utilizing the ereader app from PocketBook (a rival firm) to learn the DRM ePubs I buy from third events.

The Go Sequence readers are impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox customers have created APK recordsdata to tweak and enhance the expertise additional. The gadget even has a microphone and audio system, and might run apps like Spotify. In brief, the Go Colour 7 can do excess of a typical ereader can, when you’re prepared to experiment.

The expertise is enhanced with a delicate, adjustable entrance gentle 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 hand over 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 delicate and muted colours have a saturated appear to be watercolors or previous comedian ebook illustrations. Evaluating the identical ebook 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 when you want an ereader that may do excess of simply carry your books round.

Professionals Succesful, customizable tabletSupports a number of ereader appsSolid construct with a muted colour display screen Cons Not simple for beginnersNative ereader app does not help DRM filesBuilt-in retailer is simply public area titles $250 at Onyx Boox <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white object-contain @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/HtRZA54tOZSzPmCgKwjs_g--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-05/679d9b20-1151-11ef-bdfa-17db1e46f218" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

li]:list-decimal [&_ol]:space-y-6 [&_ul>li]:list-disc [&_ul]:space-y-6"> Display screen dimension: 6.13” | Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Water-resistant: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen advertisements: No | Textual content codecs: PDF, CAJ, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOC, DOCX, FB2, CHM, RTF, HTML, ZIP, PRC, PPT, PPTX

Boox has the widest vary of codecs of any ereader firm I’ve examined — and the Boox Palma is probably the most enjoyable. It’s the identical dimension and form as a smartphone and, in lots of methods, it acts like one, too. The house display screen is a muted black-and-white model of what you may discover on a normal Android telephone — you possibly can even add widgets. Like most Boox units, it could 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 grainier and rougher than they might on an actual telephone’s LCD or OLED display screen. That mentioned, the video high quality is the perfect I’ve seen on an E Ink display screen, because of a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Expertise.

The most recent era of the Palma provides an upgraded processor, a fingerprint unlock button and ships with Android 13, all of which ought to make it much more succesful. However make no mistake, it’s not going to interchange your telephone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the one connectivity and the 16MP digital camera is only for making doc scans you possibly can convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display screen is beautiful to learn. At $280, it’s dearer than a normal ereader — and even some E Ink tablets — nevertheless it’s a extremely transportable option to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. In the event you’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is an enthralling various.

$300 at Amazon What to search for in an ereader Loads of apps, together with the Kindle app, will allow you to obtain and browse digital books on an iPhone, Android Cellphone or pill. However what makes e-book readers totally different is the display screen: practically all of them use expertise from an organization known as E Ink. It manufactures digital paper shows (EPD) composed of three sheets: one containing tens of millions of microcapsules full of black and white ink particles sandwiched between clear electrode layers. When a cost is utilized, both the black or white particles shift to the highest, forming letters and the whitespace round them.

Colour ereaders add a colour filter array on prime of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. The result's two totally different resolutions on one display screen — the colour readability is 150 dpi whereas black and white photographs and textual content are nonetheless 300 dpi.

As a result of these shows are so totally different from normal backlight LED panels, you possibly can count on most good ereaders to do quite a lot of issues properly. They’ll be simpler to stare at for lengthy durations of time and simpler to learn in direct daylight. Additionally, since E Ink shows solely require energy to rearrange the ink, these units have for much longer battery lives than even the perfect tablets: we’re speaking weeks on a single cost, not days.

The ereader market shouldn't be as saturated as, say, the smartphone market, however there are nonetheless loads of choices on the market and so they do have small however necessary variations amongst them. They have an inclination to vary from round $100 to greater than $400, although normally the upper finish choices are stylus-enabled learn/write E Ink tablets just like the Kindle Scribe. Past value, you must think about bodily properties like buttons, lights, storage and determination, in addition to how the software program enables you to discover and entry books.

Studying options With any ereader, you’ll navigate the OS by way of faucets and swipes, and a few add bodily page-turn buttons. Most with built-in buttons have an auto-rotating display screen so you possibly can press along with your proper or left hand.

As E Ink expertise has superior, decision has tremendously improved – even the price range Kindle ereader has a 300 ppi show. You'll be able to nonetheless discover fashions with decrease decision, however we don’t suggest them.

Some ereaders have entrance LEDs that help gentle temperature adjustment. Meaning you possibly can change to a hotter gentle after the solar goes down, which is able to really feel simpler on the eyes. In the event you’re involved about blue gentle, you must go for a reader with that characteristic. Lastly, darkish mode is offered on most later mannequin ereaders, permitting you to invert the black and white textual content and background, which some individuals discover simpler to learn in low-light settings.

Different options The capabilities of those pocket libraries have superior significantly because the early days. Along with storing books, some allow you to browse the net, run apps and play music. The display screen’s body charge can’t deal with gaming, nevertheless it’s adequate to point out you the Wikipedia entry for Striver’s Row whilst you learn Criminal Manifesto.

In the event you take heed to audiobooks, you might have considered trying a Bluetooth-enabled ereader able to taking part in them. Many of the fashions we examined have that potential, with the notable exception of the Nook ereader we tried. Needless to say audiobook recordsdata can take up more room than print recordsdata so you will in all probability desire a gadget with a better storage capability when you plan on doing lots of listening.

Above all, you must think about the place and the way you plan to search out books to learn. Most ereaders make it best to buy by their very own digital bookstores, however all of them (even Kindles) will now allow you to obtain titles from different sources, like libraries, unaffiliated e-book sellers and free public area websites.

<img alt="An assortment of ereaders, including ones from Kobo, Kindle, Boox, Nook and PocketBook are arranged on a tan bamboo desk with a white keyboard and black mouse in the background. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="md:rounded-[10px]" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0rFeIcg.Gh8fko11Y0K7Ww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-03/c06d4490-cf16-11ed-96e7-3cba2c2f1226"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget Methods to get books on your ereader Kindle, Nook and Kobo all have their very own shops that you simply entry straight from every model’s units. Costs are the identical amongst all sellers, too. Publishers set the value of an e-book, not the retailer, so a title will value the identical at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBooks.com and the Kobo retailer.

Amazon presents Kindle Limitless for $12 monthly, and it contains 4 million titles from which you'll be able to decide your subsequent learn. It contains audio and ebooks, however you gained’t discover many massive, new releases or older bestsellers. Kobo has a subscription known as Kobo Plus with about 1.3 million titles: it goes for $8 monthly for ebooks solely, $8 for audiobooks solely or $10 for each.

Shopping for a ebook from a proprietary retailer immediately delivers it to your gadget, supplied you’re related to WiFi. It additionally syncs your studying throughout units and apps, so you possibly can decide up the place you left off in your telephone when you forgot your ereader at dwelling. It really is probably the most handy option to go, however when you don’t need to be locked into one model’s retailer, or when you go for an ereader with out its personal market, you do have choices.

Methods to add ePubs onto an ereader Shops like ebooks.com and Google Play have tens of millions of ebooks on the market as digital rights-managed (DRM) ePub recordsdata, which Kobo, Nook and PocketBook readers can learn of their native ereader apps. Kindles don’t help DRM ePub recordsdata in any respect and Boox units require third celebration studying apps (of which there are a lot of) to learn these recordsdata. Titles from Apple Books are solely readable in iOS units.

Titles from some publishers like Tor and public area classics from websites like Mission Gutenberg are additionally offered as ePubs, however with out the added DRM. Consequently, Kindles and the Boox Neoreader do help these recordsdata. Books you get from third-party sources will look identical to ones you acquire from a proprietary retailer, because of the flowable, formatted nature of ePub recordsdata. Whereas these device-agnostic e-book collections provide you with additional choices for locating your subsequent learn, they require a number of further steps to get the recordsdata onto your ereader.

To take action, you’ll usually want a pc working a free program known as Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). After shopping for and downloading the ePub file, open ADE and plug your ereader into your laptop (all readers right here have a USB-C port for charging and information transfers). Your gadget ought to pop up within the left panel. Drag and drop the ePub file out of your downloads folder into the principle panel in ADE. The file will show as a picture of the ebook cowl. Drag that picture onto your gadget on the left panel. If the file contains digital rights administration (which protects towards unauthorized copying) you’ll must authorize your ereader, which requires utilizing or making a free Adobe ID. When you’ve completed including recordsdata to add, eject the reader out of your laptop to finish the switch course of.

Kindles use a web-based uploader as a substitute of the ADE technique. However since Kindle makes use of its personal proprietary DRM expertise as a substitute of Adobe's, the one recordsdata it could settle for from third events are non-DRM recordsdata, reminiscent of from Tor Publishing or Mission Gutenberg. After downloading a appropriate ePub file, drag and drop it into your browser with the Ship to Kindle web page open. So long as you’re signed into Amazon, this wirelessly transfers the recordsdata to your related gadget.

Boox additionally makes use of a browser uploader known as BooxDrop (together with many different strategies) to ship ePubs to the gadget. Open it from the Boox App menu and also you’ll see a device-specific url. Kind that into your browser to entry a file supply portal that uploads to your library. Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, additionally doesn’t help recordsdata with DRM, so that you gained’t have the ability to learn present titles from most publishers utilizing that app. Fortuitously, Boox units run practically each ereader app on the market, Kobo and Kindle included, letting you entry ePubs any variety of methods.

Just lately, Bookshop.org, the web vendor of bodily books that helps indie bookstores, began promoting ebooks and as much as 100% of the earnings will go to native booksellers. The corporate makes use of a distinct rights administration system than ADE so, proper now, you possibly can solely learn titles you purchase from them on the Bookshop.org app, however the firm is working with the makers of each Kindle and Kobo to increase compatibility to these ereaders.

Methods to learn library books on an ereader Your native library card enables you to borrow audio and ebooks by a program known as Overdrive and its companion app Libby. On a Kobo, you've got have built-in entry to Overdrive in a separate tab. When you’ve linked your public library card, the search operate will embody outcomes for titles obtainable out of your native library system; a number of faucets will add your picks to your gadget for the size of the mortgage. I personally discover it best to borrow the title I would like by the Libby app on my telephone. After that, the ebook pops up on my Kobo’s dwelling display screen as soon as the gadget syncs.

To learn library books on a Kindle, you possibly can both undergo the Libby app or the Overdrive part of your library’s web site. When you click on Borrow, you’ll see the choice to “Learn now with Kindle,” which takes you to Amazon’s web site to sign up. After that, the ebook can be delivered to your gadget the following time it connects to WiFi.

For different ereaders, you’ll undergo your library’s Overdrive portal and obtain the ePub after clicking the Borrow button. You'll be able to then use the ADE course of we described above. Units that run exterior apps, like Boox's Web page, Go Colour 7 or Palma, let you learn library books by way of the Libby app, simply as you'd on a smartphone or iPad.

You may as well use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks, however you gained’t have the ability to entry them by your ereader. (The exception is an ereader, like a Boox gadget, that permits exterior apps). I discovered it was simpler to take heed to an audiobook on my telephone anyway, no matter whether or not I borrowed it by Libby or purchased it from Kindle or Kobo.

<img alt="Four ereaders are arranged on a dark brown wooden table outside. There are Boox, Kindle and Kobo devices showing the covers of different novels from Tana French, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Martha Wells. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="md:rounded-[10px]" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ch6enCNjrCeZjqXeIOWToQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-03/0376ace0-cf17-11ed-8f7e-8cbebb86b05f"/> Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget How we take a look at ereaders When placing collectively any information, the very first thing we do is spend hours researching the sector. We have a look at what’s obtainable, what’s new, and what consumers {and professional} reviewers should say. Then we slender a listing to the perfect candidates for hands-on testing.

Over the course of the previous two years, I’ve examined simply over a dozen ereaders, representing 5 totally different manufacturers: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Boox and PocketBook. I purchased, borrowed and uploaded books for every gadget utilizing the strategies above. I used each for between a number of days to a couple months. I evaluated each within the areas of ebook entry, ease of studying, additional options and general worth. Right here’s every part we examined to this point:

Different ereaders we examined Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Amazon’s first colour Kindle impressed with its fast page-turns and cargo occasions, auto-adjusting entrance gentle and, after all, a decently hanging colour E Ink show. However at $280, it’s dearer than all the different colour ereaders in its dimension vary, together with the Kobo Libra Color and the Boox Go Colour 7.

Additionally, some Colorsoft homeowners reported seeing a yellow band on the backside of their ereader’s show. This difficulty didn't have an effect on our first assessment unit in the course of the authentic testing interval, however it will definitely appeared. An Amazon spokesperson instructed Engadget: "A small variety of clients have reported a yellow band alongside the underside of the show. We take the standard of our merchandise critically—clients who discover this will attain out to our customer support workforce for a substitute or refund, and we’re making the suitable changes to make sure that new units is not going to expertise this difficulty transferring ahead."

Amazon despatched us a brand new Colorsoft ereader on the finish of 2024 and it does seem that the fixes the corporate made resolved the yellow-band difficulty. The display screen on our second assessment unit seems hotter general, however not overly so. It’s extra akin to the display screen on the Kobo Libra Color, and that’s an excellent factor.

Boox Go 7 stylus-enabled ereader Boox just lately launched two new stylus-enabled generations of their seven-inch reader: The monochrome Go 7 and a color-screen Go Colour 7 (Gen II). After attempting out the stylus-enabled Go 7, I nonetheless like the usual, non-stylus enabled model higher. True, I appreciated the Pocket book app with its array of handwriting templates and I appreciated the low-to-no latency with the stylus. It additionally presents an excellent assortment of brush, pen and magnificence choices. However outdoors of the Pocket book app, I didn’t discover a lot use for the stylus.

I used to be in a position to doodle within the margins of DRM-free books in Boox’s native NeoReader, nevertheless it doesn’t work in different apps or on any rights-managed books. There is a FreeMark possibility that lets you draw or write atop any app, nevertheless it saves your doodles as separate photographs, versus permitting you to mark up the web page itself. I additionally discovered enabling the stylus to be a bit glitchy. In the event you plan to do lots of writing, you’ll in all probability be higher served by an E Ink pill, however in order for you an ereader that may mark up your books, I counsel going with the Kobo Libra Colour, detailed above.

Ereader FAQs What is the distinction between an ereader and an e-ink reader? Actually, they're the identical factor. E Ink is an organization that designs and manufactures the paper-like screens present in most ereader units. Technically, something you learn ebooks on can act as an ereader, so your telephone, iPad or Android pill may all serve that function, however they’re not thought-about devoted ereaders. Whereas there are some units marketed as ereaders which have LCD or OLED screens as a substitute of E Ink, they aren’t as frequent. One of many advantages of ereaders is the E Ink display screen’s paper-like high quality, which causes much less eye pressure for many individuals.

However there's a distinction between ereaders and E Ink tablets. These bigger e-ink units additionally make use of E Ink screens, however they've stylus enter and are sometimes used for be aware taking and different duties along with studying ebooks. We've got a complete information dedicated to serving to you select an E Ink pill.

Are there advertisements on my ereader? The bottom mannequin Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite include advertisements by default, however you possibly can decide to pay $20 to take away them, both on the time of buy or after you begin utilizing the gadget. The advertisements are restricted to the lockscreen and are usually for different books or Kindle companies. Kobo and Boox ereaders don’t include advertisements.

Which ereader has the longest battery life? Of the units we examined, the Boox Go Colour 7 has the biggest listed battery capability at 2,300mAh (Amazon doesn’t record the capability of its Kindle units). However because of the character of E Ink screens and the comparatively restricted processing energy required to show e-books, practically all ereaders can go for weeks earlier than they want a recharge. Meaning battery life in all probability isn’t as a lot of a deciding consider shopping for an ereader as it will be with a pill or smartphone.

Which ereaders can learn Kindle books? Amazon’s Kindle ereaders are the apparent reply, however different units able to working apps may also learn titles from the Kindle retailer. For instance, you possibly can obtain the Kindle app on a Boox ereader by Google Play (the shop comes normal within the Boox app menu). You'll be able to then signal into your Kindle account and entry all of the books in your library — the identical manner you’d learn Kindle books in your telephone or pill.

Can you purchase Kindle books with no Kindle? Sure. You should buy Kindle books by the Kindle app or by Amazon’s web site by way of a browser. You'll be able to learn these titles on a Kindle or any gadget that may run the Kindle app, reminiscent of a smartphone, pill or laptop. Simply remember that Kindle titles can solely be learn by one among Amazon’s ereaders or the Kindle app. The corporate makes use of proprietary digital rights administration on all ebooks it sells that may’t be learn by different ereader apps like Kobo or Adobe ADE.

What is the distinction between Kindle and Kobo? Each Kindle and Kobo are manufacturers of devoted ereaders that help looking out, shopping for, downloading and studying ebooks from their very own shops. Each additionally help borrowing books out of your native library by way of Overdrive and Libby.

The distinction is that Kindle is owned by Amazon and makes use of the Kindle retailer, whereas Kobo is owned by Rakuten and its books come from the Kobo retailer. Each shops come pre-loaded as a tab on their respective ereader and each carry most in-print books. Every retailer additionally carries their very own unique ebooks as properly, however Amazon’s library of Kindle-only books is far bigger than Kobo’s. Amazon additionally presents Amazon Authentic tales to learn on the Kindle, that are free quick fiction and nonfiction reads which can be free to Prime members.

Which ereader is greatest for library books? Each Kobos and Kindles have easy methods for borrowing library books. Different ereaders, like Boox, allow you to borrow books after downloading the Libby App. Solely Kobo ereaders allow you to seek for and borrow books straight on the ereader, with a devoted Overdrive tab. Kindles, then again, make the most of a handy “learn on Kindle” operate from the Libby app or web site. You'll be able to ship a borrowed ebook to your Kindle simply by signing into your account. Each strategies are fairly simple, so which is the perfect for you in all probability will depend on different elements than simply the library-book characteristic.

Current updates August 2025: Included new continuously requested questions protecting battery life, E Ink screens and advertisements on ereaders. Talked about Amazon’s launch of a less expensive Colorsoft Kindle.

July 2025: Added our impressions of the brand new stylus-enabled Boox Go 7 sequence. Up to date our Boox Palma suggestion to account for the upgrades to the Boox Palma 2. Included textual content codecs to our specs and the battery lifetime of the Kobo Clara Color.

March 2025: Added information about Bookshop.org moving into the e-book market. Up to date details about price-setting by publishers.

January 2025: Up to date the "Others we examined" part to incorporate impressions of the second Kindle Colorsoft assessment unit we obtained.

August 2024: Changed our Android pill decide with the brand new Go Colour 7 ereader from Boox. Up to date ebook titles to present examples. Added an FAQ part to elucidate the distinction between Kobo and Kindle ereaders and additional element library-book help on totally different fashions.

November 2024: Following the discharge of Amazon's new Kindle ereaders, we examined and reviewed the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, the base-model Kindle and Amazon's new colour ereader, the Kindle Colorsoft. Accordingly, we up to date our price range decide, added a premium decide and famous our expertise with the Colorsoft.