Reading is a great way to relax as well as to learn about new things or existing interests. And with the assistance of an app like Kindle, Nook, Apple Books or Kobo, you can devour a new book or an old favorite with any tablet, phone or similar device. That said, a dedicated e-reader can not only prove to be a far less distracting reading experience, it can offer a much more relaxed and immersive one. Whether you want to brush up on history, study the latest research, you’re looking for the relaxing, simple pleasure of one of the great classics that literature has to offer or you’re hungry to sink your teeth into the latest guilty-pleasure thriller, you can gain access to any exciting ebook category of your reading desires with a quick click of the download link.
The thing about dedicated e-readers is that they don’t have email, the internet, social media or other distracting entertainment options to lure you away from your book. The best e-reader feature for me is not the freedom from distraction, though. The best e-reader trait for my money is that they have great battery life. Unlike popular phones and tablets, which can get washed out in direct sunlight or boast a mighty and painful glare, many of the ebook readers available use something called E-Ink technology, which produces something of a monochromatic text display. I love E-ink displays because the suspended layer and non-glossy screen make your e-reader resemble printed paper. That makes it much kinder to the eyes, helping you to avoid the eye strain typical from spending hours on a phone or tablet, or in front of a computer screen. The glare free touchscreens make reading on a device a pleasure again. And even better, the best e-reader models are now water-resistant, so they’re perfect for reading at the beach or by the pool. And exclusive use of an ebook reader doesn’t always have to exclude you from the pleasures of free reading. Readers can rejoice that building a good reading habit doesn’t have to make you go broke. You might find that your local library offers free ebook downloads for its members, as it’s becoming a more popular option the world over, and free ebooks are also widely available and easy to find online.
So, are you an avid book reader ready to find a better way to read through all those exciting ebooks in your digital library? Then it’s time to upgrade your e-reading experience with a new, dedicated e-reader. Many people are still attached to their physical book collections, and I can’t blame them. A full bookshelf is a handsome addition to any home, and there’s always something to be said for the smell of old books. We shouldn’t be so hasty to discount the benefits of a good ebook collection, though. E-reader devices offer a wealth of advantages over the bound and tangible variety. With an e-reader, not only do you have the freedom to take as many books with you as you like, absent the traditional weight and size constraints, you can also search for and highlight passages of text with a touchscreen, changing the font size as easy as 1-2-3. And many come with an accompanying stylus now, making note-taking easier than ever before. Besides, you’ll never be out of luck if you don’t have a reading light. All of the best e-readers on the market have self-illuminated screens.
The list below (which I periodically update) is mostly populated by Amazon Kindle e-reader devices, including the classic Amazon Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis, because I believe that it’s still the best digital “ecosystem” for your best e-reader experience. Amazon offers plenty of low budget and subscription options, as well. And while Barnes & Noble still makes its famous Nook e-reader, I would not be in the greatest hurry to recommend it. Honestly, if you want to steer clear of Amazon products on this one, then I’d suggest opting for a Kobo model instead.
So, are you ready to start reading again? Whether you’re big on biographies, freak out over fantasy, get stirred up over sci-fi or go for the grit of a grabbing graphic novel, you’ll find the best e-reader for your digital book needs on this list.
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David Carnoy/CNET
One of the problems with having a sophisticated, already excellent e-reader like the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is that it’s hard to make it much better. The same might be said for Apple’s iPhones and plenty of other devices. But with an e-reader, you’re dealing with a limited feature set and a core technology, E Ink, that seems pretty much stuck in neutral.
Not surprisingly, then, the new 11th-generation Kindle Paperwhite (2021) ($130) isn’t a huge upgrade over the Kindle Paperwhite 2018. Though we can give Amazon credit for enhancing it with new features — namely, a larger 6.8-inch display with an upgraded lighting scheme and USB-C charging — that offer just enough improvements to tempt you into buying one, whether you’re an existing Paperwhite owner or not. It’s our CNET Editors’ Choice Award winner in the e-reader category.
Note that the new version costs $10 more than the previous Paperwhite. And a step-up model, the Paperwhite Signature Edition, adds wireless charging and additional storage — 32GB instead of 8GB — as well an auto-adjusting light sensor for $190. A Kids Edition is also available. As with previous Kindle models, expect the new Paperwhite to go on sale sporadically throughout the year. It should cost around $100 during sales.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Amazon’s top-of-the-line E Ink e-reader was slightly updated in 2019 — but this Kindle e-reader device is basically identical to the previous Kindle Oasis except for one key difference: It has a new color-adjustable integrated light that allows you to customize the color tone from cool to warm, depending on whether you’re reading during the day or at night. You can also schedule the screen warmth to update automatically with sunrise and sunset — not unlike Night Shift mode on Apple devices.
At $250 for the basic configuration, the Oasis is expensive for an e-reader. Most people will be happy with the more affordable Paperwhite for their Kindle ebook reading, but if you want the best of the best with an anti-glare screen for your reading experience — and don’t mind paying a premium for it — the Oasis is arguably the one. The Kobo Forma, which also sells for $250, does have an 8-inch screen, bigger than the Oasis’ 7-incher.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
The 2019 version Amazon’s entry-level ebook reader, which Amazon simply calls the Kindle, now has a self-illuminated screen and an upgraded design. At $90 this ebook reader is already reasonably priced, but this Kindle device regularly goes on sale for as little as $60. I prefer the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, which has a high-resolution display (text and images appear a bit sharper), is waterproof and has a better lighting scheme. But if you don’t want to spend much for an e-reader, the standard Kindle is a good option, especially when it’s discounted.
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Kobo
Rakuten makes a line of Kobo e-readers that are not only powered by the Kobo store but also support 14 file and ebook formats natively (EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR). In other words, if you get your ebooks — or any other digital documents — from any place besides Amazon, this device is a Kindle alternative that will probably read them. The Kobo device has its own ebook store with thousands of books, and it has built-in support for checking out ebooks from local libraries via the OverDrive service. (You can get library books onto Kindles via OverDrive’s Libby app, but it’s not as smooth a process.)
The Kobo Libra H20, which retails for $170, sits in the middle of the line and, as its name implies, it’s fully waterproof. It has a 7-inch HD (1,680×1,264-pixel resolution) E Ink display, a built-in light and no ads (you have to pay $20 to remove them from Kindle devices).
Available in black or white, you can use the Kobo Libra in portrait or landscape mode. Other Kobo e-reader devices include the entry-level Kobo Nia ($100), Kobo Clara HD ($118) and the flagship Kobo e-reader, the Kobo Forma ($250), which has a larger 8-inch high-resolution screen.
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David Carnoy/CNET
There was a select group of readers who loved the 9.7-inch Kindle DX, which was discontinued several years ago. Sony and others have made iPad-size E Ink “tablets,” but they tend to be quite expensive. Kobo is now trying to fill that jumbo e-reader niche with its 10.3-inch Elipsa, which is sold as the “Elipsa Pack” and includes a SleepCover and stylus. The screen is pretty sharp and easy to read with an E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen that has 1,404×1,872 resolution (227 PPI) and a dark mode.
Despite having a quad-core 1.8 GHz processor with 32GB of storage, an E Ink device like this still feels relatively sluggish compared to an iPad (using an Apple Pencil). But the performance is decent enough and battery life remains a big strong point for E Ink devices — like other e-readers, the Elipsa’s battery life is rated in weeks rather than hours.
The Elipsa supports 15 file formats natively (EPUB, EPUB3, FlePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR) and weighs in at 13.5 ounces (383g), plus the cover adds additional weight, making this a pretty heavy e-reader. However, you can use the case to prop up the e-reader so you don’t have to hold it while reading, taking notes or reviewing and marking up documents.
Big e-readers aren’t for everybody, but if you like to see a lot of words on a page or bump up the font size, this Kobo e-reader is an appealing option. They’re also good for looking at PDF files.
The LifeBook P10 is an alternative for slightly less, but CNET has yet to review that model.
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David Carnoy/CNET
If you don’t want to pay a premium for Kobo’s larger e-readers, the Clara HD is a good alternative at $120. It’s a straightforward e-reader that has Kobo’s ComfortLight Pro integrated illumination and a 300ppi (1,072×1,448 resolution) “HD” display, 8GB of storage and a 1GHz processor.
More e-reader and tablet recommendations
Watch this: Kindle Paperwhite gets waterproof redesign, adds Bluetooth…
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