After testing round a dozen ereaders, we expect one of the best wager 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 just a few E Ink readers that do extra than simply show books. Now that almost all ereader firms additionally supply shade fashions, the sector is wider than ever. In brief, there are some things to think about earlier than shopping for your subsequent (or first) ereader and this information covers product suggestions alongside recommendation on the best way to get essentially the most out of your new gadget.
Desk of contents
The very best e book readers for 2025
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 6” | Show sort: Black/white and shade E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi shade | Capability: 16GB| Battery life: As much as 42 days (30 min. every day, 30% brightness, Wi-Fi/BT off) | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: 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 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 fearful we’d see Kobo gadget with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated worth. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Color not solely provides shade and a sooner processor, it’s simply $10 greater than the earlier era.
Because the title suggests, this ereader provides shade to the web page, lending a bit vibrance to e-book covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The know-how comes from E Ink, within the type of the Kaleido 3 module that comes with a shade filter layer on high of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That ends in two completely different resolutions on one display: 150 dpi for shade and 300 dpi for textual content.
Full-color pages remind me of comedian e-book artwork from the ‘60s, muted however saturated. Colour makes e-book covers extra attractive and provides a bit selection to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s actually not a essential 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. In case you look carefully, you’ll be able to see a little bit of noise on the white elements of the web page. That is because of the added shade filter layer. It is not distracting and solely one thing I observed when evaluating the 2 generations side-by-side. but when absolute readability is your major purpose, it’s possible 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 sort of 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 truly a 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 through Overdrive. You possibly can customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font dimension, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a approach 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 e-book the way you need it to look.
The Color is sort of equivalent 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 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 adverts (which value $20 to do away with on Amazon’s gadget) make it price it. And, in nice information for the suitable to restore crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired as soon as it falls outdoors of guarantee by way of a partnership with iFixit.
Rakuten nonetheless makes the Kobo Clara BW, which is sort of equivalent to our earlier “greatest general” choose. It would not endure from the slight readability loss that the colour overlay presents, but it surely additionally nonetheless has the older processor.
In fact, if you happen to already personal a mountain of Kindle books, it’s possible you’ll wish to stick to Amazon’s system. In that case, one of the best Kindle is Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite. 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 whereas displaying high-contrast textual content. The nice and cozy mild is nice and the flush entrance display feels premium.
Yet another consideration, now that Amazon now has its personal shade mannequin too, is the Colorsoft. The unique prices $280, which is considerably costlier than the Clara Color and even the Paperwhite Signature Version. In July, Amazon launched a barely cheaper shade 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 settings
- Much more responsive contact controls
- Colour is nice and textual content is crisp
Cons
- Kobo’s retailer not as huge as Kindle’s.
$150 at Rakuten Kobo
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 6” | Show sort: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB | Battery life: 6 weeks | Waterproof score: None | Heat mild: No | Lock display adverts: 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 way of conversion
In case you simply wish to learn books, and haven’t any want for the perks that the fancier ereaders deliver (shade, waterproof score, heat mild, and so forth), 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 checklist, 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 cost effective ereader from any of the key producers. And if we all know one factor about Amazon, it’s that the corporate loves sale, so that you’ll probably discover it on low cost if you happen to can maintain out for Prime Day or Black Friday offers.
The reader is a no-frills gateway to one of the best 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 number of any subscription-based studying service on the market; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you’ll be able to solely hear by way of a Kindle gadget or Amazon-owned app.
In case you like to modify between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the best way to go. While you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync function traces up the place you might be within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you hear 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 that you may’t hear and browse concurrently on the identical gadget.) In assessments, 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 dissatisfied that there’s nonetheless no approach to regulate the zones and responses to touchscreen gestures, like there’s 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 continually lacking it and going ahead as an alternative. Although swipes usually work effectively.
Most likely essentially the most noticeable lacking function is the 6-inch display’s lack of heat mild. In comparison with any ereader with that possibility, the display on the usual Kindle seems harsh and bluish, but it surely’s nonetheless far simpler in your eyes than a telephone or pill display. There’s loads of customization for the font, dimension and margins, too. You possibly can even save your settings as a “theme,” one thing not supplied by different gadgets. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing known as “drained eyes.”
Some folks received’t be bothered by the lock display adverts that come normal on this Kindle (until you pay $20 to take away them). They’re pretty innocuous, principally 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 to the e-book cowl of what I’m at present studying, but it surely’s simple to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy approach to devour books on the lowest worth.
Professionals
- Essentially the most inexpensive ereader
- Compact and sturdy construct is extremely transportable
- Grants entry to Kindle’s huge e book catalog plus library books
- Greatest integration between audio and textual content
Cons
- No heat mild
- Not waterproof
- Cannot learn third get together ebooks
$110 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 7” | Show sort: Black/white and shade E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi shade | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: 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 gadgets. Along with shade know-how from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus assist. It’s the one ereader on this checklist with that function, making it so much like a small E Ink pill — however all of its new options truly make it a greater ereader.
After I wrote concerning the earlier era ereader, the Libra 2, I used to be impressed by how comfy it was for studying. None of that has modified; the buttons and auto-rotating display 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 sort of 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 shade, e-book covers all look extra attractive — although, in case your TBR checklist is already three ft lengthy, this received’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 may, 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 large 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 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 by chance pressed the button just a few instances after I was attempting to put in writing, however I acquired used to the position after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You possibly can choose from 4 completely different highlighter colours and examine your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I might see being fairly helpful for e-book membership reads, faculty assignments or simply refreshing your self on a previous learn earlier than you dive into the sequel.
Notice-taking within the margins or instantly on the textual content labored on each e-book I attempted. Although I ought to level out that if you happen to change the font dimension in a e-book, your handwritten notes will probably be transformed to a sticky note-type field. Going again to the unique font restores your unique annotations.
The Kobo Libra Color is $30 costlier than the Libra 2, however you get so much 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 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.
In fact, the stylus prices further and also you received’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 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 and the Elipsa 2E has a ten.3-inch display. That is a pleasant dimension for writing however, for me, is a bit large for an ereader. The Libra Color then again has simply the suitable 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 comfy to carry
- Crisp textual content and wonderful colours
- Responsive and intuitive contact controls and buttons
- Including the stylus permits for margin notes
Cons
- Kobo’s retailer is much less huge than Kindle’s
$220 at Rakuten Kobo
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 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 adverts: 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 way of 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 offered. It’s remarkably quick, the textual content is splendidly crisp and it has a premium design that feels nice to carry. Amazon was capable of 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 sooner 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 solid a stunning glow throughout a display 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 an alternative of 10), that means you’ll hardly ever have to 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 if you happen to obtain a complete bunch of audiobooks, you aren’t prone to run out of house too shortly. And eventually, 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 essential — however for anybody who needs to learn ebooks in essentially the most luxe approach potential, the Signature mannequin is the one to go for.
If you need an expertise that’s almost as deluxe, however don’t want the wi-fi charging, auto-adjusting lights and additional capability specs, the non-Signature Paperwhite continues to be noticeably extra premium than the usual Kindle, with a bigger display, ultra-crisp textual content and an opulent construct. Plus you continue to get entry to all of the perks that solely Kindles supply, like Goodreads integration, Kindle Unique titles, Kindle Limitless subscription books and Whispersync tech that traces up your audio and e book reads so you’ll be able to swap between the 2 codecs.
There’s additionally the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Children, which is identical gadget, however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and a six-month subscription to Amazon Children+.
Professionals
- Display shows crisp textual content with a stunning heat mild
- Flush-front display and soft-touch again really feel premium
- Noticeably sooner web page turns and scrolling
- Auto-adjusting heat entrance mild is useful
Cons
- Energy button on the underside edge is straightforward to by chance set off
- Can’t regulate contact display controls
- Fewer web page and font changes than the competitors
- The options unique to the Signature aren’t important
$200 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 7” | Show sort: Black/white and shade E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi shade | Capability: 64GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: splash-resistant | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: 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 — though the tech has been commercially accessible since round 2010. E Ink introduced its Kaleido 3 show in 2022, and with the suitable mixture of shade saturation and readability, it’s now interesting sufficient for basic consumption. Now Boox, Kobo and, finally, Amazon all have fashions with shade screens.
The Boox Go Colour 7 (accessible 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 shade, it additionally comes with double the storage capability, an additional gig of RAM and ships with Android 12. The again is now textured as an alternative 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 identical $250 checklist worth 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 essential.
Because the Go Colour 7 runs on a fork of Android 12, it acts extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Like all Boox gadgets, this method is greatest suited to the tech-savvy. Not like 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 supply 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 quantity of management over the look of the textual content. Nevertheless it 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 unique app. Paradoxically, 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 way over a typical ereader can, if you happen to’re keen to experiment.
The 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 is lush and detailed. Like all shade ereaders, you do surrender a modicum of readability to accommodate the colour array, and the heat is noticeably extra yellow. I solely observed the distinction after I set comparable ereaders side-by-side and, actually, it’s the distinction between a tremendous duper crisp display and solely an excellent crisp display.
The gentle and muted colours have a saturated appear 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 if you happen to want an ereader that may do way over simply carry your books round.
Professionals
- Succesful, customizable pill
- Helps a number of ereader apps
- Strong construct with a muted shade display
Cons
- Not simple for learners
- Native ereader app would not assist DRM recordsdata
- Constructed-in retailer is barely public area titles
$250 at Onyx Boox
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Display dimension: 6.13” | Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Waterproof: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: 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 essentially the most enjoyable. It’s the identical dimension and form as a smartphone and, in quite a lot of methods, it acts like one, too. The house display is a muted black-and-white model of what you may discover on a typical Android telephone — you’ll be able to even add widgets. Like most Boox gadgets, it could actually obtain and run apps from the Google Play Retailer and has audio system to play music and movies. The E Ink display (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photos, significantly transferring ones, look grainier and rougher than they might on an actual telephone’s LCD or OLED display. That stated, the video high quality is one of the best I’ve seen on an E Ink display, due to 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’ll be able to convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display is beautiful to learn. At $280, it’s costlier than a typical ereader — and even some E Ink tablets — but it surely’s a extremely transportable approach to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. In case you’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a captivating different.
$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 completely different is the display: almost all of them use know-how from an organization known as E Ink. It manufactures digital paper shows (EPD) composed of three sheets: one containing hundreds of thousands of microcapsules stuffed with 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 shade filter array on high of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. The result’s two completely different resolutions on one display — the colour readability is 150 dpi whereas black and white photos and textual content are nonetheless 300 dpi.
As a result of these shows are so completely different from normal backlight LED panels, you’ll be able to anticipate most good ereaders to do numerous issues effectively. 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 gadgets have for much longer battery lives than even one of the best tablets: we’re speaking weeks on a single cost, not days.
The ereader market will not be as saturated as, say, the smartphone market, however there are nonetheless loads of choices on the market they usually do have small however necessary variations amongst them. They have an inclination to vary from round $100 to greater than $400, although often the upper finish choices are stylus-enabled learn/write E Ink tablets just like the Kindle Scribe. Past worth, it is best to contemplate bodily properties like buttons, lights, storage and backbone, in addition to how the software program allows you to discover and entry books.
Studying options
With any ereader, you’ll navigate the OS through faucets and swipes, and a few add bodily page-turn buttons. Most with built-in buttons have an auto-rotating display so you’ll be able to press along with your proper or left hand.
As E Ink know-how has superior, decision has enormously improved – even the price range Kindle ereader has a 300 ppi show. You possibly can nonetheless discover fashions with decrease decision, however we don’t suggest them.
Some ereaders have entrance LEDs that assist mild temperature adjustment. Meaning you’ll be able to swap to a hotter mild after the solar goes down, which is able to really feel simpler on the eyes. In case you’re involved about blue mild, it is best to go for a reader with that function. Lastly, darkish mode is obtainable on most later mannequin ereaders, permitting you to invert the black and white textual content and background, which some folks 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’s body charge can’t deal with gaming, but it surely’s adequate to indicate you the Wikipedia entry for Striver’s Row when you learn Criminal Manifesto.
In case you hearken to audiobooks, it’s your decision a Bluetooth-enabled ereader able to enjoying them. Many of the fashions we examined have that capability, with the notable exception of the Nook ereader we tried. Remember the fact that audiobook recordsdata can take up more room than print recordsdata so you will in all probability need a gadget with the next storage capability if you happen to plan on doing quite a lot of listening.
Above all, it is best to contemplate the place and the way you propose to search out books to learn. Most ereaders make it best to buy by way of 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.
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Find out how to get books to your ereader
Kindle, Nook and Kobo all have their very own shops that you just entry instantly from every model’s gadgets. 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 choose your subsequent learn. It contains audio and ebooks, however you received’t discover many large, 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 e-book from a proprietary retailer immediately delivers it to your gadget, offered you’re related to WiFi. It additionally syncs your studying throughout gadgets and apps, so you’ll be able to choose up the place you left off in your telephone if you happen to forgot your ereader at residence. It actually is essentially the most handy approach to go, however if you happen to don’t wish to be locked into one model’s retailer, or if you happen to go for an ereader with out its personal market, you do have choices.
Find out how to add ePubs onto an ereader
Shops like ebooks.com and Google Play have hundreds of thousands 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 assist DRM ePub recordsdata in any respect and Boox gadgets require third get together studying apps (of which there are numerous) to learn these recordsdata. Titles from Apple Books are solely readable in iOS gadgets.
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 assist these recordsdata. Books you get from third-party sources will look similar to ones you acquire from a proprietary retailer, due to the flowable, formatted nature of ePub recordsdata. Whereas these device-agnostic e book collections provide you with further choices for locating your subsequent learn, they require just a few 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 e-book 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 have to 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 an alternative of the ADE methodology. However since Kindle makes use of its personal proprietary DRM know-how as an alternative of Adobe’s, the one recordsdata it could actually settle for from third events are non-DRM recordsdata, comparable to 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 assist recordsdata with DRM, so that you received’t be capable of learn present titles from most publishers utilizing that app. Luckily, Boox gadgets run almost 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 income will go to native booksellers. The corporate makes use of a unique rights administration system than ADE so, proper now, you’ll be able to 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.
Find out how to learn library books on an ereader
Your native library card allows you to borrow audio and ebooks by way of a program known as Overdrive and its companion app Libby. On a Kobo, you may have have built-in entry to Overdrive in a separate tab. When you’ve linked your public library card, the search perform will embrace outcomes for titles accessible out of your native library system; just a few faucets will add your picks to your gadget for the size of the mortgage. I personally discover it best to borrow the title I need by way of the Libby app on my telephone. After that, the e-book pops up on my Kobo’s residence display as soon as the gadget syncs.
To learn library books on a Kindle, you’ll be able to 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 website to check in. After that, the e-book will probably be delivered to your gadget the subsequent 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 possibly can 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 through the Libby app, simply as you’ll on a smartphone or iPad.
You may as well use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks, however you received’t be capable of entry them by way of your ereader. (The exception is an ereader, like a Boox gadget, that permits exterior apps). I discovered it was simpler to hearken to an audiobook on my telephone anyway, no matter whether or not I borrowed it by way of Libby or purchased it from Kindle or Kobo.
Photograph 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 take a look at what’s accessible, what’s new, and what buyers {and professional} reviewers must say. Then we slender a listing to one of the best candidates for hands-on testing.
Over the course of the previous two years, I’ve examined simply over a dozen ereaders, representing 5 completely different manufacturers: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Boox and PocketBook. I purchased, borrowed and uploaded books for every gadget utilizing the strategies above. I used every one for between just a few days to a couple months. I evaluated every one within the areas of e-book entry, ease of studying, further options and general worth. Right here’s all the pieces we examined up to now:
Different ereaders we examined
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
Amazon’s first shade Kindle impressed with its fast page-turns and cargo instances, auto-adjusting entrance mild and, in fact, a decently hanging shade E Ink show. However at $280, it’s costlier than all the different shade 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 problem didn’t have an effect on our first assessment unit throughout the unique testing interval, however it will definitely appeared. An Amazon spokesperson advised 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 group for a substitute or refund, and we’re making the suitable changes to make sure that new gadgets is not going to expertise this problem 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 problem. The display on our second assessment unit seems hotter general, however not overly so. It’s extra akin to the display on the Kobo Libra Color, and that’s factor.
Boox Go 7 stylus-enabled ereader
Boox 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 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 capable of doodle within the margins of DRM-free books in Boox’s native NeoReader, but it surely 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, but it surely saves your doodles as separate photos, versus permitting you to mark up the web page itself. I additionally discovered enabling the stylus to be a bit glitchy. In case you plan to do quite a lot 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 gadgets. Technically, something you learn ebooks on can act as an ereader, so your telephone, iPad or Android pill might all serve that function, however they’re not thought of devoted ereaders. Whereas there are some gadgets marketed as ereaders which have LCD or OLED screens as an alternative of E Ink, they aren’t as widespread. One of many advantages of ereaders is the E Ink display’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 gadgets additionally make use of E Ink screens, however they’ve stylus enter and are sometimes used for word taking and different duties along with studying ebooks. We have now a complete information dedicated to serving to you select an E Ink pill.
Are there adverts on my ereader?
The bottom mannequin Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite include adverts by default, however you’ll be able to decide to pay $20 to take away them, both on the time of buy or after you begin utilizing the gadget. The adverts are restricted to the lockscreen and are usually for different books or Kindle companies. Kobo and Boox ereaders don’t include adverts.
Which ereader has the longest battery life?
Of the gadgets we examined, the Boox Go Colour 7 has the biggest listed battery capability at 2,300mAh (Amazon doesn’t checklist the capability of its Kindle gadgets). However due to the character of E Ink screens and the comparatively restricted processing energy required to show e-books, almost 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 think about 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 plain reply, however different gadgets able to working apps may learn titles from the Kindle retailer. For instance, you’ll be able to obtain the Kindle app on a Boox ereader by way of Google Play (the shop comes normal within the Boox app menu). You possibly can then signal into your Kindle account and entry all of the books in your library — the identical approach you’d learn Kindle books in your telephone or pill.
Can you purchase Kindle books with out a Kindle?
Sure. You should buy Kindle books by way of the Kindle app or by way of Amazon’s web site through a browser. You possibly can learn these titles on a Kindle or any gadget that may run the Kindle app, comparable to a smartphone, pill or laptop. Simply remember that Kindle titles can solely be learn by way of 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 assist looking, shopping for, downloading and studying ebooks from their very own shops. Each additionally assist borrowing books out of your native library through 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 effectively, however Amazon’s library of Kindle-only books is far bigger than Kobo’s. Amazon additionally presents Amazon Unique tales to learn on the Kindle, that are free brief fiction and nonfiction reads which are 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 instantly on the ereader, with a devoted Overdrive tab. Kindles, then again, make the most of a handy “learn on Kindle” perform from the Libby app or web site. You possibly can ship a borrowed e-book to your Kindle simply by signing into your account. Each strategies are fairly simple, so which is one of the best for you in all probability is determined by different components than simply the library-book function.
Current updates
August 2025: Included new incessantly requested questions protecting battery life, E Ink screens and adverts 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 advice 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 entering 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 choose with the brand new Go Colour 7 ereader from Boox. Up to date e-book titles to present examples. Added an FAQ part to clarify the distinction between Kobo and Kindle ereaders and additional element library-book assist on completely 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 shade ereader, the Kindle Colorsoft. Accordingly, we up to date our price range choose, added a premium choose and famous our expertise with the Colorsoft.
