If you know someone who enjoys reading, books are an obvious gift. But if you’re looking to spoil the bookworm in your life, it might be time to focus on how they read and not what they’re reading. Giving someone an e-reader lets them carry around an entire library in one device. Many e-readers, like Amazon’s Kindle lineup, are connected to a company’s storefront where you can easily buy and download almost any book you could possibly want. Many devices also play well with local libraries, allowing you to download a library’s ebooks directly to your e-reader. You can also upload your own files to an e-reader, so long as they aren’t protected by Digital Rights Management software — which unfortunately appears on just about every book you buy.
It helps to find out if your reader is already enmeshed in an ebook ecosystem before making an e-reader purchase. Chances are, they’ll want to be able to read the books they already own on their next e-reader — so it’s a good idea to get them a compatible device. Ebook sellers tend to have their own proprietary systems, so you won’t be able to buy a book, say, on the Apple Store and then load it onto an Amazon Kindle.
The best-known digital book reader is Amazon’s Kindle line, which uses E Ink displays to give a paperlike reading experience. There are a few different models in the Kindle lineup, though they all offer a front-light touchscreen, which eliminates the need for a book light while sparing your eyes the harsh backlight that comes from most LED tablet screens. Beyond Kindle’s hardware, the Kindle app works on smartphones, iPads and other devices.
But Amazon isn’t the only game in town. For instance, Rakuten’s Kobo ebook readers work with most third-party vendors using the ePub book standard and are deeply integrated with the local libraries through the Overdrive platform. On your Kobo device, you can search your library and directly download books, something you need a third-party app to do with a Kindle.
Then there are devices — both E-Ink devices as well as traditional tablets — that are compatible with apps from every e-reading platform. For example, both Apple and Android devices have access to free apps on their storefronts from Kindle, Kobo, Overdrive and more. You’ll be able to read all your content on these apps, but might be missing out on any hardware dependent perks, like tapping on physical buttons to turn the page.
We’ve rounded up even more ebook readers here if you’re looking for more inspiration, plus we’ve tested several big-screen multifunction E Ink devices that are more tablet-like and add stylus support.
My biggest overall shopping tip is that most Kindle devices are frequently on sale and sometimes offer stacking trade-in deals on top of that, so you can often expect to pay less than the official retail price.
Amazon has released a baseline Kindle E Ink e-reader for $100 that no longer seems so entry-level. While its 6-inch screen makes it a smaller and lighter e-reader than the step-up Kindle Paperwhite ($140), its display has the same 300-ppi resolution as the Paperwhite. However, the Paperwhite model adds waterproofing and incorporates a more sophisticated front lighting scheme, with 17 LEDs compared with the basic Kindle 2022’s four LEDs.
In the past, we’ve recommended stepping up to the Paperwhite if you could afford it, mainly because it had a higher resolution display than the entry-level Kindle, which allowed text to appear more crisp. But with both models now featuring similar displays (at least as far as resolution goes), we may have to revise that recommendation.
Read our Kindle (2022) review.
The Paperwhite is Amazon’s middle-of-the-road Kindle, between the base model and the Oasis. It now sports a 6.8-inch screen and better battery life than its predecessor, which makes it my go-to choice, as it’s almost as good as the fancier Oasis now.
While the Paperwhite is waterproof and can adjust its display color temperature, it lacks the Oasis’ physical page-turn buttons.
There’s also an upgraded model, the Signature Edition ($190), with 32GB of storage (versus 8GB) and an auto-adjusting front light. More importantly, it also works with the same wireless charging Qi pads as your phone. Again, hold out for a sale or a good trade-in deal on these.
Read our Kindle Paperwhite (2021) review.
Yes, Amazon’s top-end Kindle is too expensive for what it is, but when I upgraded from a Kindle Paperwhite to the Oasis a few years ago, I was knocked out by how much better the Oasis is in terms of book readability and responsiveness.
It’s got a bigger screen, and I find the physical page-turn buttons are so much better than swiping. The latest version can adjust the color temperature of the (monochromatic) screen, for better nighttime reading.
Amazon runs frequent deals on this, and you should also watch out for trade-in bonuses on older Kindles to get it for a reasonable price.
Read our Kindle Oasis review.
The iPad Mini is a great little tablet for those who don’t want the usual 10- and 11-inch tablet behemoths. With an 8.3-inch screen, it’s also the perfect size for ebooks, and the color screen makes it a great choice for reading digital comics (ahem, graphic novels). At $500, it’s more expensive than the fanciest Kindle reader, but you get a full-fledged iPadOS device that can serve as a streaming video player or game machine as well.
Read our iPad Mini review.
Amazon has long (until last year) ignored the need for bigger e-ink screens, leaving the doors open for brands like Kobo. This 10.3-inch display has stylus support for note-taking and includes 32GB of storage, a resolution of 227 dpi and a front light for nighttime reading.
No, it doesn’t officially support Amazon’s Kindle book format, but it does read key formats like PDF, ePub, MOBI and CBR, and it works with OverDrive, which is the ebook lending service most libraries use.
We’ve also rounded up a few more big-screen E Ink readers here.
Amazon’s bigger-screen Kindle Scribe isn’t just an e-reader. It also lets you write, draw and take notes by hand right on the 10.2-inch display. As CNET’s Taylor Leamey says, “Think of the Scribe as a supercharged Kindle that you can take notes on. It’s big enough to write comfortably and the side-by-side page view is about as close as you can get to feeling like you’re reading an actual book. “
It’s a hefty $340 to start, or up to $420 with an upgraded premium stylus and larger storage options. That’s a lot for an e-reader, but with the ability to take notes, sketch, and notate documents, you’re getting much, much more.
Read our Kindle Scribe review.