Evaluating Our Favourite Kindles
Equipment for Simpler Studying
{Photograph}: Nena Farrell
Should you’ve ever had a protracted studying session that provides you hand cramps, these equipment may assist. You possibly can take a look at extra choices in our Finest Kindle Equipment information.
Strapsicle E-Reader Hand Straps for $20: Connect one or each of those to the again of your Kindle—one is angled to your proper hand and the opposite to your left—and slide your hand in. Your arms will not cramp, you will not unintentionally hit the display screen and flip pages, and the reader will not slip out of your arms. There are three sizes meant to carry various kinds of e-readers. It’s best to see precisely which fashions they work with on the Amazon pages, in addition to on this web page on the Strapsicle web site.
Lamicall Gooseneck Pill Holder for $22: I really like this machine. Whereas I would not name it utterly hands-free, it’s a brilliant handy and comfy expertise, notably when you have power ache in your wrists. The clamp is simple to connect to mattress frames and aspect tables (there’s additionally a ground stand model for $60). It’s light-weight to deploy wherever and has sufficient resistance to the neck that it doesn’t fall ahead or out of the place you place it in. It did wobble a bit after I touched it to show the web page (or it obtained bumped by a curious cat), so I normally maintain a relaxation hand on it to carry it regular. If you wish to go totally hands-free, add a page-turner distant so you’ll be able to learn with out lifting a finger.
PopSockets PopGrips beginning at $10: PopSockets grips aren’t simply to your cellphone; in addition they work nice on e-readers. Whether or not you’ve a Paperwhite or a fundamental Kindle, it is one other nice answer for decreasing hand cramps. The extra reasonably priced PopSockets work with adhesive, whereas the costlier ones use MagSafe adapters, letting you are taking them on and off with out leaving sticky residue behind.
Hiya Clio the Unique Kindle Belt Bag for $58: Should you’re at all times touring together with your Kindle however do not need to carry a bigger bag, this can be a nice accent. It has a smooth inside to maintain your display screen protected, together with further pockets to your cellphone, keys, and pockets. It could possibly match the essential Kindle, Paperwhite, Oasis, and Colorsoft.
The Bookish Items Bookish Crossbody for $50: Want a bag to your Kindle Scribe? The Bookish Crossbody from Bookish Items suits the Scribe in its essential massive crossbody pocket, and suits a smaller Kindle or Paperwhite within the entrance pocket. It is an important measurement to carry just a few issues with you together with a Scribe—catch me with this bag and my e-reader of selection within the park this summer season with my kiddo.
Nomad 65W Slim Energy Adapter for $49: Kindles have lengthy battery life, however former WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar preferred to hold a charger together with her on the go simply in case. This one from Nomad is her favourite. It is tremendous skinny and comes with two USB-C ports, so she makes use of it to cost her e-reader and cellphone concurrently (the left aspect delivers 45 watts and the precise delivers 20 watts when charging two gadgets on the similar time). The prongs additionally fold up, so it suits properly within the aspect pocket of a bag.
Finest Kindle Instances & Covers
{Photograph}: Nena Farrell
Amazon Kindles are, fortunately, not as fragile as our expensive smartphones, however you should still need to add a canopy to guard the display screen in the event you’re often toting it round in a bag. These aren’t padded for critical drops, however are the very best kindle circumstances we have discovered for day by day safety from scratches and scuffs. The Children’ editions include circumstances.
PopSockets PopCase Kindle for $40: These Kindle circumstances are designed with a MagSafe adapter within the again, so you’ll be able to simply add a Magsafe PopSockets grip to the again. You used to have to stick the grip or purchase a MagSafe adapter to make use of PopSockets in your Kindle, however now you’ll be able to customise freely with these circumstances. These circumstances are additionally a pleasant high quality, however they do not embody a canopy, and the grip can solely be hooked up to the predetermined decrease heart spot. If in case you have smaller arms like I do, get one of many larger PopGrips, just like the Coronary heart of Silver ($40), to extra simply attain it.
Cloth Covers for Kindle for $32 and Paperwhite for $37: These open like a e book and are available in some variation of black, blue, pink, or inexperienced. They’re comprised of postconsumer recycled cloth.
Cloth Cowl for Scribe for $60: This one flips up and over like a notepad, and you’ll place it right into a stand too. There’s additionally a slot for the pen if you don’t need it to connect magnetically on a regular basis. It is also made with recycled supplies.
The Bookish Kindle Instances beginning at $36: I actually like that this cowl additionally has a built-in strap, so you’ll be able to benefit from the safety of a hand strap whereas studying and have the safety of a canopy if you’re not. There are a bunch of enjoyable colours too.
The Quirky Cup Collective E-Reader Sleeve beginning at $28: Our workforce loves these beautiful sleeves, notably the Solar and Moon model. They’re lovely and can defend your machine if you aren’t utilizing it, so you’ll be able to throw it in your bag with out fear. The skin is velvet and the within is satin, with some padding in between and a zipper closure. On the again is a small zip pocket. On every product web page, you may see which gadgets match, however seek the advice of the measurements. There are additionally separate, bigger e book and iPad sleeves (beginning at $35).
CoBak Clear Case for $8: The very best half about having a transparent case is that it protects the again of your Kindle and means that you can enhance it with stickers beneath. We suggest this enjoyable sticker pack ($6).
Nice Studying Lights
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Should you learn earlier than mattress however do not need to disturb sleeping companion, youngsters, or roommates, spend money on a studying mild. All of the Kindles now have a entrance mild, so you do not want one, however these can nonetheless be useful, particularly in the event you swap between your e-reader and bodily books. Beneath are just a few of our favorites. You could find extra in our Finest Studying Lights information.
Vekkia 14 LED Guide Gentle for $16: That is our prime decide. It is a clip-on mild with an adjustable gooseneck and two swiveling mild bars that pack seven LEDs every. You possibly can cycle via 5 ranges of brightness and three heat colours. It is comparatively massive, although, so it isn’t nice for small paperbacks. The clamp opens as large as 2.1 inches and serves as a secure base to put on a nightstand.
Glocusent LED Neck Studying Gentle for $22: This studying mild wraps round your neck, so it seems to be foolish. But it surely’s a wonderful different to a clip-on studying mild whereas remaining hands-free. It is light-weight, adjustable, and comes with three colour temperature modes in addition to six brightness settings. It is rechargeable and affords as much as 80 hours of battery life at dimmer settings.
Black Diamond Wiz Headlamp for $28: That is our favourite headlamp for teenagers. It is comfy, and the adjustable straps are available in varied colours. It has three brightness settings and an IPX4 water-resistance ranking, so you do not have to fret about splashes. It turns itself off robotically after two hours, in case they go to sleep with it on. It takes two AAA batteries.
About These Older Kindles
Amazon would not launch new Kindles typically—the corporate normally takes just a few years between fashions. Every time a brand new one arrives, its predecessor’s inventory begins to dwindle. It isn’t that we do not suggest these per se, however we solely counsel these if yow will discover them on sale for the precise worth. In any other case, we suggest shopping for the newest model.
Earlier than making your buy, cross-check the value with the newest mannequin to be sure you’re spending a good quantity much less on the older machine.
- Kindle (2022, eleventh Technology): That is the smallest of the lot at 6.2 inches tall and 4.3 inches large, with a 6-inch display screen. Should you discover tablets too cumbersome to carry with one hand, take into account this one. With this mannequin, Amazon doubled the storage to 16 gigabytes and upgraded the show to 300 pixels per inch (PPI) decision (up from 167 PPI). It is robust to seek out, however in the event you handle to snag one, you should not spend greater than $50.
- Kindle Paperwhite (2021, eleventh Technology): That is the following step up from the essential mannequin. It has a shiny 6.8-inch display screen with adjustable heat lighting, a quick page-turn price, a USB-C port, and 16 gigs of storage. It is waterproof too. We just like the Signature Version, which additionally contains auto-adjust brightness and 32 gigabytes of storage. Do not suggest spending greater than $100 if yow will discover them.
- Kindle Scribe (1st Technology): The unique Scribe is a good choice for note-takers. It has an enormous 10.2-inch display screen for taking notes, marking up PDFs, or drawing, and quite a few paper codecs you’ll be able to select, like college-ruled or dotted. It additionally comes with the Fundamental Pen, which feels pure to put in writing with and attaches to the aspect of the Scribe magnetically. It is solely value it for $230 or much less.
- Kindle Children (2022): This an older kid-friendly mannequin. It comes with a canopy, a 12 months’s subscription to Amazon Children+, parental controls, and a two-year guarantee. Do not spend greater than $70 on this one.
- Kindle Paperwhite Children (2021): This older Paperwhite model is a step up from the earlier fundamental Children fashions. It has a high-resolution 300-ppi show with an adjustable heat display screen and can be waterproof. You should not spend greater than $110 on this one.
FAQs
What’s the Finest Solution to Purchase or Promote an Older Kindle?
Have an previous Kindle mendacity round? Are you taking a look at a used one on the market? Should you’re making an attempt to determine what mannequin it’s, this Amazon web page contains images, specs, and launch years for your entire lineup. As soon as you already know which one you’ve, you might be able to commerce it in for credit score towards a more moderen mannequin.
Most aged Kindles in all probability nonetheless work, simply with fewer bells and whistles. It is best to keep away from Kindles with keyboards or every other bodily buttons apart from page-turn buttons. Some older fashions misplaced the flexibility to browse, buy, or borrow new books immediately from the machine. Nonetheless, you may nonetheless be capable to do that through Amazon.com in your laptop or cellphone and have it despatched to your Kindle, which is a greater expertise anyway. These fashions embody the Kindle 2nd Technology (Worldwide), Kindle DX Worldwide, Kindle DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4th Technology, and Kindle fifth Technology.
How Do You Get Free Ebooks on a Kindle?
Should you purchase each single e book you need to learn on a Kindle, it could add up! However there are methods to avoid wasting cash whereas studying as a lot as your coronary heart needs. It’s possible you’ll need to subscribe to Kindle Limitless for $12 a month. You possibly can solely select from the Limitless catalog, however there are thousands and thousands of titles there, together with audiobooks and magazines. Begin out with the 30-day free trial.
Should you already pay for a Prime account, you are eligible for some free ebooks via Prime Studying. There aren’t as many choices as with Kindle Limitless, and in a whole lot of circumstances, you may see each Limitless and Prime choices lumped collectively; you may need to look intently to seek out the free ebooks. It is nonetheless one thing, and there are even just a few magazines.
If you don’t need one other month-to-month subscription and do not need to proceed giving your cash to Amazon, benefit from the ebooks accessible together with your library card. Searching a digital catalog is just not as magical as spending a day trying over each shelf in a library, however such is the e book life (nobody says you’ll be able to’t learn each!). We now have an in depth how-to on this you need to take a look at, however listed below are a few of the takeaways:
- Get a library card to your native department.
- Test your department’s web site for its e book choices. Many libraries use a service known as OverDrive.
- Obtain on to your Kindle library. They’re going to robotically be eliminated after they’re due again.
If you already know another person with a Kindle, you’ll be able to lend books between your libraries, simply as you’ll with a bodily copy. Observe these directions from Amazon if you wish to share an e book, however understand that not all books may be loaned.
What Else Can a Kindle Do?
Kindles have useful options it’s possible you’ll need to benefit from. Lengthy-press a phrase or phrase to see its definition, spotlight it, or take notes. You too can search your entire e book for that specific phrase or phrase or translate it to or from different languages.
Phrase Clever reveals brief definitions in small textual content throughout the strains. Sadly, it isn’t accessible for all books, however when it’s, you’ll be able to flip it on or off and select extra and fewer hints. Clicking the brief definition opens an extended one from Phrase Clever and the New Oxford American Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary of English (you’ll be able to swap between the 2), plus translations, and a Wikipedia web page, if relevant.
Whereas studying, faucet the highest of the display screen and click on “Aa” to alter font measurement or kind—there’s even a font known as OpenDyslexic that helps make studying simpler for folks with dyslexia. You possibly can management margin sizes and line spacing from that menu too.
When a Kindle is related to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, VoiceView Display screen Reader (accessed via Settings > Accessibility) means that you can use gestures to navigate your machine and reads aloud what you’ve got pressed. It would additionally learn a e book aloud, although it would not sound almost as good as an audiobook.
Amazon owns Goodreads, so it syncs seamlessly to Kindles (press the three-dot menu > Goodreads). If in case you have a Goodreads account, you’ll be able to assessment the Kindle books you’ve got learn or browse your bookshelf and proposals. Lengthy-pressing a phrase or phrase, along with what’s talked about above, opens up an choice to share quotes on to Goodreads.
There is a net browser too in the event you’re related to the web (three-dot menu > Internet Browser). It isn’t the very best, so I might reserve it for emergency searches.
How Do You Replace a Kindle?
When Amazon releases a brand new software program replace, it’s going to obtain and set up to your Kindle robotically when it is related to Wi-Fi. You possibly can examine in the event you’re on the newest software program by going to Settings > Machine Choices > Superior Choices > Replace Your Kindle. If it isn’t on the newest software program model, you may see an replace accessible and the Kindle will then immediate you to obtain and set up it.
Is This a Good Time to Purchase a Kindle?
Sure. Amazon refreshed all of its Kindles throughout the board in October 2024, with a brand new Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Scribe, and Kindle Children editions. The corporate additionally launched the Kindle Colorsoft, its first-ever colour Kindle, and in July 2025 Amazon added two extra colour Kindles to its assortment. Nonetheless, the very best time to purchase a Kindle is throughout a significant sale occasion like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, as a result of Amazon typically has steep reductions.
Energy up with limitless entry to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and unique subscriber content material that is too essential to disregard. Subscribe Right this moment.
