How We Tested
Our team tested 22 e-readers over several months, reading dozens of books on each device. We evaluated screen quality in various lighting conditions, battery life during typical reading sessions, ease of navigation, and overall reading comfort. Each device was tested for at least 100 hours of actual reading time.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition represents the sweet spot in Amazon's e-reader lineup. The 6.8" glare-free display with 300 ppi delivers crisp text that looks like printed paper. The auto-adjusting front light automatically adapts brightness based on ambient lighting, reducing eye strain during day-to-night reading sessions. Wireless charging eliminates cable hassle, and 32GB storage holds thousands of books.
- Auto-adjusting front light is excellent
- Wireless charging convenience
- 32GB storage for large libraries
- 10-week battery life
- No physical page turn buttons
- Locked to Amazon ecosystem
Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
The standard Kindle Paperwhite offers nearly everything the Signature Edition does at $50 less. You sacrifice wireless charging and auto-adjusting light, but get the same excellent 6.8" display, waterproof design, and 16GB storage. For most readers, these compromises are well worth the savings. The adjustable warm light still lets you customize color temperature manually.
- Best value Kindle e-reader
- Same excellent display as Signature
- IPX8 waterproof rating
- Adjustable warm light
- No wireless charging
- 16GB vs 32GB storage
Kobo Libra 2
The Kobo Libra 2 is the best e-reader for library borrowers and those who want freedom from Amazon's ecosystem. Native OverDrive integration means you can borrow library ebooks directly on the device without sideloading. Support for EPUB and PDF files gives flexibility with your book sources. Physical page turn buttons on the asymmetric grip provide satisfying tactile feedback, and the 7" display is excellent for reading.
- Built-in library borrowing via OverDrive
- Physical page turn buttons
- Supports EPUB and many formats
- Excellent ergonomic design
- Smaller content library than Amazon
- Fewer audiobook options
Kindle Scribe
The Kindle Scribe brings writing capabilities to e-readers with its 10.2" display and included stylus. Write directly on books for marginalia, take handwritten notes in notebooks, or annotate PDFs for work. The larger screen makes it excellent for technical books, textbooks, and PDFs. While pricier, readers who annotate heavily will appreciate the natural pen-on-paper writing feel.
- Write directly in books and notes
- Large 10.2" display
- Included stylus with excellent feel
- Great for PDFs and textbooks
- Expensive
- Large size reduces portability
- Not waterproof
Frequently Asked Questions
For extended reading, e-readers are significantly better than tablets. E-ink displays don't emit blue light, cause less eye strain, and are readable in direct sunlight. Battery life measured in weeks rather than hours means you never worry about charging during a reading session.
Choose Kindle if you're invested in Amazon's ecosystem, want the largest ebook selection, or use Audible for audiobooks. Choose Kobo if you borrow from libraries frequently (native OverDrive support), want more file format flexibility, or prefer to avoid Amazon.
8GB holds approximately 6,000 ebooks—more than most people read in a lifetime. 16GB or 32GB is only necessary if you store audiobooks locally, have a large comic/manga library, or keep many PDFs with images on your device.