We Compared 10 Different E-Readers to Find the Ones That Are Worth Shopping For

The Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle. It comes in black or white, and it has the same 300 ppi resolution as the more expensive Oasis model. The screen is sharp and text is crisp. Plus, it's backlit by five LEDs, so it's perfect for when you want to stay up and read and a partner wants to sleep! 

The Verge said nothing comes close to the Paperwhite in terms of getting the most bang for your buck. It weighs less than an iPhone 8 Plus, and it measures 6.6 inches tall, making it comfortable to hold, compact, and light enough to fit in a small bag or even your back pocket. You turn the pages by swiping or tapping on its plastic capacitive touch screen, or you can listen to audiobooks with it since it's equipped with Bluetooth.

Amazon has one of the most expansive digital libraries for its Kindle, and it even offers an unlimited reading membership for serious bookworms! 

Key Specs• 6-inch E Ink Carta touchscreen with an excellent pixel density of 300 ppi
• 8 GB of built-in memory that's good for thousands of books
• Up to 6 weeks of battery life on a single charge
• Supports popular content formats such as DOCX, unprotected MOBI, PDF, and image files, among others
• Optional cellular network connectivity
• Waterproof
• Backlit (five LEDs)
• Optional cellular network connectivity

Read More: Our Full Breakdown on Amazon's Kindle Lineup This Way!

If you don’t want to splurge on an e-book reader, this entry-level Kindle is your best bet. 

The device comes in black or white, and it features the lowest resolution screen of the four Kindles. The screen is responsive, backlit, easy on the eyes, and refreshes fast. This Kindle has a shorter battery life than other Kindles — you get 4 weeks, compared to the other model's 8 weeks. It also isn't available with cellular connectivity, meaning you can only download books over Wi-Fi. Regardless, it's the best e-reader you can get on the cheap.

You should know that Amazon also sells a Kindle for Kids Bundle, which comes with a colorful cover to protect it from scratches and a 2-year worry-free guarantee, which means Amazon will replace the Kindle if it breaks from accidents like drops or spills. The kids model doesn't have a backlight, meaning bedtime starts once the lights are out!

Key Specs

• 6-inch E Ink Carta touchscreen with a fairly modest pixel density of 167 ppi
• 4 GB of built-in memory that's good for thousands of e-books
• 4 weeks of battery life on a single charge
• A wide array of supported content formats
• Available in black or white
• Backlit (four LEDs)

If you want the latest and greatest e-book reader and can afford its higher-end price, the Kindle Oasis is the best one you can buy. It's more compact, travel-friendly, durable, and sharper than any other Kindle. Compared to the similarly shaped Kobo Forma, it feels more upscale since it uses aluminum and glass compared to the Forma's plastic body.

It weighs just 6.6 ounces and it's just 3.3 millimeters thick at its thinnest point, which makes for good one-handed reading. The Oasis has an aluminum backside and comes in champagne gold or graphite colors. It offers up to 6 weeks of battery life.

It's also the only Kindle with an adjustable warm light, meaning you can change the "page" color from white to amber to better resemble the color of actual paper.

Key Specs
•Amazon's best e-book reader
• IPX8 waterproof aluminum body
• Tapered design with ergonomic hand grip and page-flipping buttons
• 7-inch E Ink touchscreen with 12 LEDs for page consistency, a pixel density of 300 ppi, and adjustable lighting
• 8 GB or 32 GB of storage for thousands of books
• Optional cellular network connectivity

The Kobo Clara HD is a Kindle Paperwhite competitor that features a gorgeous and crisp 300 PPI screen, 8 GB of storage, and a large battery that should last a month on a single charge. It's also backlit, and supports more file formats than Amazon's Kindle lineup (but you can't read books you downloaded from a previous Kindle on it).

What sets it apart from the Kindle is its ComfortLight PRO feature that reduces the amount of blue light the screen puts off as the day progresses, making it especially easy on your eyes at nighttime.

Unfortunately, this option isn't waterproof. Kobo does make three waterproof e-readers, the Aura H2O, Aura ONE, and the Forma, but they are more expensive than Amazon's two waterproof Kindle offerings.  

Key Specs
• 6-inch E Ink Carta touchscreen with a generous pixel density of 300 ppi
• 8 GB of built-in memory that's good for thousands of e-books
• Weeks of battery life on a single charge
• A wide array of supported content formats
• Available in black