While you can read a book with any phone or tablet if you have an app like Apple Books, Kobo, Kindle or Nook installed, a much more enjoyable and less distracting reading experience awaits with a dedicated e-reader. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, your local bookstore and library are no longer places to stay while reading. But with e-books, any category of books can be downloaded quickly, whether you are looking for classic literature or the latest thriller for guilty pleasure.
Dedicated e-readers do not have social media, email, internet or other entertainment options to entice you from your book, and they have a great battery life to start. Unlike tablets and smartphones, which can flush out in direct sunlight, many e-book readers use E Ink technology and are water resistant, so they are ideal for reading by the pool or on the beach without catching the eye. Your local library may offer free e-book download for its members, and free e-books abound online.
Are you looking for a better way to read all the digital books in your e-library? Time to upgrade your e-reader. Although many people are still attached to their dead tree books, e-readers offer a myriad of benefits. You can change the font size, you can search and highlight sections with a touch screen, and you will never be lucky if you do not have a reading light, because all the best e-readers on the market have self-illuminating screens.
This list, which we update from time to time, is dominated by Amazon Kindle models, including the Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Oasis and the classic Amazon Kindle, because we think it’s still the best digital ‘ecosystem’ to read. It also offers many budget and subscriber options. And while Barnes & Noble still makes its Nook reader, we suggest that anyone who wants to stay away from Amazon choose a Kobo model instead.
So, ready to start reading? Whether you have biographies or graphic novels, you will find the perfect e-reader for your digital book needs on this list.
Sarah Tew / CNET
If you’re looking for someone looking for the latest Kindle reader, this is the Goldilocks in Amazon’s range and our current CNET Editors’ Choice Award winner in the category. Here are some things we love about the Kindle Paperwhite:
- It is 10% thinner and lighter than the previous version.
- It has a “front” design with a back made of a softer, grippy material instead of hard plastic.
- It is a fully waterproof Kindle, like the high-end Kindle Oasis, and has a plastic screen that according to Amazon is broken and scratch resistant.
- It has built-in Bluetooth, so you can download Amazon Audible audiobooks and listen to them with wireless headphones.
While the waterproof Kindle Paperwhite lists for $ 130, it is often discounted to $ 90 (and sometimes even $ 85), which is when you should buy it. It’s likely that Amazon will update the Kindle Paperwhite in 2020, but it’s unclear when or how much of an upgrade it will be. For example, USB-C charging could be added and maybe the lighting scheme could be updated, but we do not expect any dramatic upgrades. Read our Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018) review.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Amazon’s top-of-the-line E Ink reader has been slightly updated in 2019 – but this Kindle e-reader device is basically identical to the previous Kindle Oasis, except for one major difference: it has a new color-adjustable integrated light that allows you to adjust the color tone from cool to warm, depending on whether you are reading during the day or at night. You can also set the screen heat to update automatically at sunrise and sunset – not unlike the night shift mode on Apple devices.
At $ 250, the Oasis is expensive for an e-reader. Most people will be happy with the more affordable Paperwhite for their Kindle ebook reading and basic Kindle needs, but if you want the best of the best with an anti-glare screen for your reading experience – and do not mind a premium to pay for it – the Oasis is probably the one. The Kobo Forma, which also sells for $ 250, does have an 8-inch screen, larger than the 7-inch Oasis. Read our Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) review.
Sarah Tew / CNET
The latest version of Amazon’s entry-level e-book reader, which Amazon simply calls the Kindle, now has a self-illuminated screen and an upgraded design. At $ 90, this e-book reader may cost $ 10 more than the previous model, the Kindle 2016, but this Kindle device is regularly offered for as little as $ 60. We prefer the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, which has the high resolution screen (text and images look slightly sharper), is waterproof and has a slightly better lighting scheme. But if you do not want to spend much for an e-reader, the standard Kindle is a good option, especially if it is not available. Read our Amazon Kindle (2019) review.
Kobo
Rakuten makes a series of Kobo e-readers that are not only powered by the Kobo store, but also support 14 file and e-book formats (EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF , TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR). In other words, if you get your e-books – or any other digital documents – from anywhere besides Amazon, this device will probably read it. The Kobo has its own e-bookstore with thousands of books and has built-in support for checking e-books from local libraries via the OverDrive service. (You can get library books on Kindles via the LibDie app from OverDrive, but it’s not that flexible.)
The Kobo Libra H20, which sells for $ 170, sits in the middle of the line and is, as its name suggests, completely waterproof. It has a 7-inch HD ink (1,680×1,264 pixel resolution) E Ink screen, a built-in light and no ads (you have to pay $ 20 to remove it from Kindle devices).
Available in black or white, you can use the Kobo Libra in portrait or landscape mode. Other Kobo devices include the Kobo Clara HD ($ 120) and the flagship Kobo e-reader, the Kobo Forma ($ 250), which has a larger 8-inch high-resolution screen.
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Kindle Paperwhite is redesigned waterproof, adds Bluetooth …
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