The best ebook reader overall
Amazon's Kindle has dominated the e-reader world ever since the first Kindle arrived in 2007. I've always been a fan of paper books, and although I had dabbled in reading ebooks on my phone, I had never owned an e-reader. That is, until I saw the first Kindle Oasis and fell head-over-heels in love with it. Now, there's a second Oasis and it's even better than the first.
Up until the Kindle Oasis arrived, all e-readers looked the same: small, rubbery, chunky little tablets with E Ink screens and stores full of ebooks. The Oasis changed all that. Amazon's daring design removes the cheap, rubbery bezels around the screen and leaves you with a slick panel of glass and a sharp, crisp E Ink screen. The new model is even thinner than the first Oasis, plus, it's waterproof.
The asymmetrical design puts two page-turning buttons on the slightly thicker side of the e-reader along with the battery. On the opposite side, the bezel is super thin, as is the e-reader's body.
The Oasis is incredibly light to hold, and the battery life is impressive. You can go weeks on a single charge. The screen measures 7-inches diagonally, and you can adapt the brightness.
Beyond the design, the Oasis is a great e-reader in every other way. Amazon's Kindle ebook library is very robust, its $9.99/month Kindle Unlimited subscription lets you read as many ebooks as you want, and Prime Members can enjoy a selection of free-to-read ebook hits each month. Library books are also very easy to download once you've linked your library card to the Kindle.
You can get either 8 or 32GB of storage, depending on how big your library is. You can also pair the ereader with Bluetooth headphones to listen to audio books with Audible.
Although the Kindle Oasis is ridiculously expensive at $249.99 and up, it will last you many years before you need to replace it.
Reviews across the web are very positive, and everyone who has tried it at Business Insider is a fan. Insider Picks writer Brandt Ranj actually bought the Oasis as his first Kindle ever, and he loved it. BI Tech reporter Avery Hartman called it the best e-reader you can buy in her review, and we obviously agree.
Note that all Kindles come in two versions: with special offers and without. If you choose the ones with special offers, you will see ads on the lock screen and potentially elsewhere, but you will save money.
Pros: Bright and clear screen, excellent page-turning buttons, super thin and modern design, robust Kindle ebook store, and easy library book access, waterproof, works with Audible
Cons: No EPUB file support, and it's really expensive
Buy the Kindle Oasis on Amazon for $249.99 and up Buy a Kindle Unlimited ebook subscription on Amazon for $119.88/12 monthsThe best big-screen ebook reader
Over the years, Kobo has proven itself to be the Kindle's main competitor. Its e-readers are more open to different kinds of files, including graphic novels. You'll want to get your hands on the Kobo Forma if you're not an Amazon user, you typically own EPUB ebooks, you enjoy reading graphic novels, or you want to have access to more file types on your e-reader.
You're not limited to ebooks from Kobo's store, either. As long as the file type is supported by Kobo, you can drag and drop the content from your computer onto the Kobo when they're connected with a USB-to-Micro-USB cable. The Forma even has the popular library app OneDrive pre-installed, so you can easily hook up your library account on your e-reader.
When I've tested Kobo's ereaders, I've been impressed with just how easy it is to get library books on the e-reader. You simply tap on the OneDrive icon, log into your account, and borrow ebooks right on your Kobo.
Perhaps the best thing about the Kobo Forma is that it is water resistant enough to take in the bath or to the beach. Anyone who enjoys reading in or near water will love knowing that even if your e-reader takes a spill into water, it will survive. It can survive in 2 meters of water for up to 60 minutes without being damaged.
The giant 8-inch screen is crisp, sharp, and even offers a blue-light filter to help minimize the amount of blue light the screen emits. Studies say that blue light disturbs sleep cycles and keeps people up at night, so Kobo has followed in the footsteps of phone makers like Apple by adding a night-time mode that yellows the screen. It's a great feature for people who tire of bright screens quickly.
The Forma also has page-turning buttons like the Kindle Oasis, which make it easier to read one-handed. It's also the thinnest ebook reader Kobo makes, so it's very portable.
Pros: Water-resistant design, big screen, blue-light filter, supports EPUB formats, easy to get library books with OneDrive integration, supports graphic novels, and long battery life, page-turning buttons
Cons: It's pricey and there's no ebook subscription service
Buy the Kobo Forma at Walmart for $279.99 Browse ebooks on the Kobo ebook storeThe best water-resistant ebook reader
If the Kobo Forma is too pricey for you, you'll love the Kobo Aura H2O. Its 6.8-inch Carta E-Ink touchscreen is manageable to hold and the screen is super sharp with a 265 ppi that mimics print.
It also has Kobo's ComfortLight PRO technology, which reduces blue-light exposure so reading doesn't keep you up all night.
The body of the H2O e-reader is made of a nice grippy plastic. It's also IPX8 rated, so you can dunk it under two meters of water for up to 60 minutes without damaging it. If ever there was an e-reader to bring to the beach, this is it.
There is 8GB of storage built in, which holds up to 6,000 ebooks. Kobo's e-readers support 14 file formats, including EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, and CBR.
Some ebooks won't work, of course, so if you own titles from Amazon's Kindle store or Apple's iBooks store, don't buy this e-reader. Otherwise, you're in business, and Kobo has its own bookstore with more than five million titles to supplement your collection.
Expert reviewers give the e-reader good reviews, including Digital Trends, TechRadar, and Stuff TV. Our past experience with other Kobo e-readers has been positive, and we expect this one to be as impressive.
Pros: Good size, waterproof, affordable, blue light filter, supports many ebook formats
Cons: Doesn't support Kindle files
Buy the Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2 at Walmart for $179.99 Browse ebooks on the Kobo ebook storeThe best mid-range ebook reader
If you want a Kindle but you don't think the Oasis' nearly $300 price tag is justified, you'll want to check out the new waterproof Kindle Paperwhite. It's less than half the price, and if you manage to grab it when it's on sale, you'll pay even less.
The Paperwhite has a super sharp 6-inch E Ink screen that's very nice for reading. There aren't any page-turning buttons, so if you hate swiping to turn the page, you ought to get the Oasis instead. It's lovely to read on, and the grippy rubber finish makes it easy to hold for hours on end.
When I tested the new Paperwhite, I was very impressed with the crisp screen and how bright it was. It was easy to read outdoors in full sunlight, and even when the brightness is cranked up, the battery lasted for months.
Amazon's Kindle ebook library is very robust. If you read more than one ebook a month, it's worth your money to invest in the $9.99/month Kindle Unlimited subscription service, which lets you read as many ebooks as you want.
Those of you who are already Prime Members can enjoy a selection of free-to-read ebooks each month, so you may not actually need the subscription (as long as you're flexible about what you're willing to read). Library books are also very easy to download once you've linked your library card to the Kindle.
It's also Bluetooth enabled, so you can listen to audible ebooks from the Paperwhite when you pair it with wireless headphones. This will drain the battery, though.
The Kindle Paperwhite may not be Amazon's most cutting-edge e-reader, but it remains one of the best you can buy — especially if you're hoping to spend less than $150 on your e-reader.
Note that all Kindles come in two versions: with special offers and without. If you choose the ones with special offers, you will see ads on the lock screen and potentially elsewhere, but you will save money.
Pros: Sharp screen, tons of ebooks in Kindle Store, lightweight design, grippy rubber finish, long battery life, and a good price, Bluetooth for Audible audiobooks
Cons: No EPUB file support
Buy the Kindle Paperwhite on Amazon for $129.99 Buy a Kindle Unlimited ebook subscription on Amazon for $119.88/12 months Read our full review of the Kindle PaperwhiteThe best budget Kindle
The best thing about e-readers is that they're relatively inexpensive. Amazon's basic Kindle is a great bargain at $89.99. It may not have the most high-resolution screen or water resistance, but it's still a solid e-reader.
The Kindle comes in both black and white color options, and you can buy lots of different cases for it. Although the white color is nice, we've found that the black one holds up better over time. You'll probably want to buy the black one to ensure that it doesn't stain over time. It still isn't waterproof, either, so that's a downside.
It's the lightest Kindle in Amazon's lineup, so it's very comfortable to hold while reading. The 6-inch screen isn't as crisp or bright as the Paperwhite's, so if you have $40 more to spend, we recommend you upgrade to the Paperwhite. However, the basic Kindle's screen is just fine most of the time. It even has a built-in front light so you can finally read on it at night without having to turn on the lights.
As we've said before, Amazon's Kindle ebook library is very big. The company even offers a $9.99/month Kindle Unlimited subscription service, which lets you read as many ebooks as you want. Prime Members also get a selection of free-to-read ebook titles each month, so you may not actually need the subscription (as long as you're flexible about what you're willing to read). Library books are also very easy to download once you've linked your library card to the Kindle.
It's also Bluetooth enabled, so you can listen to audible ebooks from the Kindle when you pair it with wireless headphones. This will drain the battery, though.
The basic Kindle may not be the ultimate e-reader, but it is a really great deal for budget hunters and parents.
Note that all Kindles come in two versions: with special offers and without. If you choose the ones with special offers, you will see ads on the lock screen and potentially elsewhere, but you will save money.
Pros: It's incredibly cheap, big Kindle ebook store, long battery life, and a good option for kids, front light lets you read in the dark
Cons: A lower resolution screen, not waterproof
Buy the 6-inch Kindle on Amazon for $89.99 Buy Amazon's new Kindle case on Amazon for $29.99 Buy a Kindle Unlimited ebook subscription on Amazon for $119.88/12 months Read more about the new Kindle on Insider PicksThe best budget ebook reader
If you want an affordable ebook reader that supports a wider variety of ebook formats, Kobo's Clara HD is the ebook reader for you.
Its 6-inch screen has a 300-ppi resolution so text is sharp and crisp, plus, the Clara features Kobo's special ComfortLight PRO tech, which reduces blue light so reading before bed doesn't disturb your sleep. The Clara HD gets weeks of battery life and it weighs only 166 grams, so its nice to hold for long periods of time.
There is 8GB of storage built into the Clara, which holds up to 6,000 ebooks. Kobo's e-readers support 14 file formats, including EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, and CBR. You can also read ebooks in several languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Brazilian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Turkish.
Some ebooks won't work, of course, so if you own titles from Amazon's Kindle store or Apple's iBooks store, don't buy this e-reader. Otherwise, you're in business, and Kobo has its own bookstore with more than five million titles to supplement your collection.
PCMag, Digital Trends, and TechRadar all recommend the Kobo Clara HD to anyone who wants an affordable ebook reader that's not from Amazon.
Pros: Supports wide range of book formats, affordable, good size,
Cons: Slightly pricier than budget Kindle, doesn't support Kindle files
Buy the Kobo Clara HD at Walmart for $126.38What else we considered
I've tested ebook readers for six years during my time as a tech journalist. Over the years, I've tested dozens of e-readers by Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Here are the other e-readers we considered for this guide, and why they didn't make the cut:
- Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight 3 ($119.99): I've tested several Nooks over the years, and none of them has ever been better than a Kindle or a Kobo e-reader. The downfall of the Nook is that it is tied to Barnes & Noble's ebook store, which is not as robust or budget-friendly as the Kindle ebook store or the Kobo ebook store. The Nook is also more expensive than the entry-level Kindle and Kobo e-readers we recommend, but doesn't have any cool features to justify the extra money. Tom's Guide called it "a step backward" and PC Mag said it "can't get past Amazon's superior ebook selection."
- Kobo Aura Edition 2 ($99.99): The Kobo Aura isn't waterproof and it has half the amount of storage, so we recommend the Aura H20 Edition 2 instead. That said, there's nothing exactly wrong with this e-reader if you want to spend a bit less. TechHive didn't think it was worth the price, either.
- Sony Digital Paper ($599.99): We haven't tested Sony's Digital Paper yet, mainly because it's so expensive. However, for those who want a 10-inch e-reader that doubles as something of a smart notebook, it could be interesting. We will check it out and let you know what we think, but for now, the price makes us hesitate to recommend it. PC Mag called it a "specialized" niche product and Digital Trends thought it was just too expensive.
- Boox Nova Pro ($319.99): Like Sony Digital Paper, Boox straddles the line between e-reader and smart notebook. This one is 7.8-inches in size, so it's smaller and cheaper than the Sony model. We haven't tested it yet, but we look forward to trying it out. It is expensive, though, so we're holding off on recommending it until we test it. No well-known sites have reviewed it, but e-reader specialist site Good Ereader gave it a good score. TechRadar liked another Boox product that is bigger and more expensive, though price was a concern.
- Older Kindles: Amazon has discontinued older Kindles like the Voyage, the 8th-gen Kindle without a backlight, and the original Oasis. Since they're no longer available, we don't recommend them.
