The modern e-reader with an E-ink display has existed for more than a decade. Currently, Amazon’s Kindle is the most popular brand, but it faces competition from others such as Rakuten with its Kobo e-readers, Onyx’s Boox e-readers, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook line of e-readers.
Regardless of the brand, an e-ink display is a common feature present in all e-book readers. This specialized screen allows e-readers to maintain exceptional battery life since they consume minimal power compared to LCD and AMOLED panels. To distinguish their e-readers from rivals, manufacturers opt for different screen sizes and add various enticing features, such as waterproofing, page-turn buttons, and in more recent cases, stylus support. Software is also another distinguishing factor, as the number of books (and audiobooks) available to users via the manufacturer’s library is also important.
The best e-reader depends on the user’s needs, whether it’s leisure, studying, or work. No matter the size or features required, this list includes suitable models for just about anyone.
Amazon hasn’t offered a large-screen Kindle since the DX was discontinued, with the Kindle Scribe now reigning as the latest and greatest Kindle with a large screen. At 10.2 inches, the Kindle Scribe’s screen is plenty big enough to display manga with aplomb, and since there’s a Wacom layer, the device supports pen inputs for note-taking and drawing. This is handy for taking notes in books, but it’s also great if you tend to read PDFs for work, as you can annotate them on the Scribe. While the software still feels a little bare bones, if you need an e-reader with a large screen and don’t want to leave the Kindle ecosystem, the Scribe is your only choice. Luckily, it’s a solid one.
Of course, greatness doesn’t come cheap, so you’ll have to shell out a minimum of $340 for the 16GB mode and basic pen. If you’re looking to max things out with the premium pen and 64GB of storage, you’ll have to spend $420. While these prices are high, they are comparable to competitors, plus you can rest assured the best e-book market in the world is available on the device anytime you need to pick up something new to read.
The Onyx Boox Note Air3 C is a true productivity companion, giving users all the benefits of an e-reader with added functionality from the Wacom writing layer. Pen inputs are silky smooth, and the native Onyx apps allow users to replace a traditional paper planner. Multitasking is a breeze; you can view your calendar while marking a PDF or reading an email. Its 10.3-inch Kaleido E ink display is sharp and responsive, with Onyx including settings to tweak refresh rates for individual apps.
It also works well for traditional e-reading, with a speaker and Bluetooth capabilities for audiobook enjoyment. If you’re a fan of comic apps, the color display will bring images to life. And thanks to the E ink display, battery life is as good as expected.
If you’re looking to get in on the ground floor of Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader line, then the base Amazon Kindle is the model you’re looking for. Recently refreshed with front-light support for all your nighttime e-reading needs, this device packs 8GB of storage. If you don’t mind lockscreen advertisements, you can snag one for $90, which is about as cheap as e-readers get, even Amazon’s.
While plenty of other e-readers offer all kinds of exciting features, like the ability to take notes with a stylus, the base Amazon Kindle is a no-frills device. It’s best for those who are only interested in reading on a portable 6-inch unit that can easily fit inside a purse or back pocket. At the very least, you do get Bluetooth support. If you’d like to listen to your Audible audiobooks over a Bluetooth headset, the base Amazon Kindle now supports Bluetooth connections for this very purpose. It’s a nice touch for such an affordable device.
The Kobo Elipsa 2E is a stylus-toting e-reader which means, along with reading, you can also use it as a digital notebook. The Elipsa 2E, sporting a large 10.3-inch display, is perfect for reading documents and textbooks, and with the included Kobo Stylus 2, e-books and PDFs can be highlighted or annotated. You can choose from notebook templates for dedicated notes and group written notes into folders. It even has a search function within handwritten notes and can easily convert your handwriting to text.
Despite its size, the Kobo Elipsa 2E doesn’t have integrated speakers, although with Bluetooth present, you can connect a pair of wireless headphones or a speaker to listen to your audiobooks. Just be aware that the Elipsa 2E only supports audiobooks from Kobo. This means you can’t copy your audiobook library onto the device.
The included stylus is a welcome addition. Sadly, it isn’t battery-free like the Kindle Scribe’s stylus, so it must be charged. It runs for several hours on a charge, but frustratingly appears to lose power over time when not in use.
Kindles are the most well-known e-readers on the market and for a good reason. Amazon spearheaded E Ink devices, polishing them to the point that mass adoption is now a reality. This is not only because of quality hardware designs that don’t break the bank, but also Amazon’s incredible e-book store. These e-books lean heavily on a proprietary format, but that’s how Amazon delivers the best e-book formatting in the business. With the 7.8-inch screen on the Kindle Paperwhite, you have plenty of room to display this well-formatted text.
Of course, this version of the Paperwhite is the Signature Edition, which means you get a few extra features over the base Kindle Paperwhite, including a choice of extra storage (32GB), warm lighting, and wireless charging. All these features add just a bit more polish to an already exceptional E Ink e-reader. Plus, with the E Ink Carta 1200 screen, there’s hardly any ghosting, especially if you utilize the new page turn animation in the latest Kindle firmware.
The Nook GlowLight 4 Plus is the premium older brother to the GlowLight 4e, and at just $100 more, it might have enough extra features to make it your choice. It has a waterproof design, so you can use it at the beach or in the tub without fear. The screen is almost two inches larger (7.8 inches vs. 6 inches) and boasts a 300ppi resolution, giving you crisp text at any size. It also has four times the storage of the GlowLight 4e (32GB vs. 8GB), meaning you should never run out of room in your library.
If you like audiobooks and get them from Barnes & Noble, the GlowLight 4 Plus might be the best device for you, given that it has not just Bluetooth but a 3.5 mm audio jack! If you get your audiobooks from anywhere else, however, you should look elsewhere since the GlowLight 4 Plus does not support sideloading audiobooks from other vendors.
Amazon hasn’t renewed the Kindle Oasis in almost 5 years, and while you’ll be hard-pressed to find a new one to buy, there are alternatives, one of which is the Kobo Libra 2. While not sporting spanking new hardware considering it was released in late 2021, the Libra 2 is still a capable e-reader even today. At $190, it undercuts the more expensive Kindle Oasis while packing way more storage.
The Kobo Libra 2 has a sharp 7-inch display, which is a little too small for reading comics and manga. However, if all you do is read books, then you’ll find the size to be just right. Those physical page-turning buttons are a delight as they come in handy if your hands are wet. And with an IPX8 waterproof rating, moisture isn’t a problem, so the Libra 2 is the e-reader you want in your hands when relaxing in the pool during summer or when out in the rain. The Kobo Libra 2 also has a gyroscope, so you can read in both portrait and landscape modes. You’ll also get 32GB of storage, which can hold thousands of books and dozens of audiobooks.
The front light is another one of the Kobo Libra 2’s interesting features; both the brightness and color can be adjusted. When we reviewed it, we found out that the front light “offers an even glow across the screen, with no ambient occlusion at the corners or edges.” Users even have the choice to set the color to automatically change throughout the day, going from white during the day to orange at night.
The Nook GlowLight 4e is Barnes & Noble’s competitor against Amazon’s affordable base Kindle model. Of course, Barnes & Noble has offered EPUB support since the beginning, which means the Nook is a great device for those who own or plan to purchase a library of EPUB e-books. It’s a much more open market than the proprietary formats used by Amazon and Rakuten, so you aren’t beholden to the prices on the default store built into the e-reader.
But even though the Nook is excellent for those who have invested in a library of EPUB books, since you also get access to the Barnes & Noble e-book store, you can easily treat the Nook just as you would a Kindle. It’s a no-muss, no-fuss device, perfect for anyone at any age, especially now that Barnes & Noble has fully embraced physical page-turn buttons. That feature is a fantastic addition since the buttons are way more accessible than tapping on a screen. So, not only is the Nook GlowLight 4e competitively affordable, but it also offers tons of accessibility.
Although Boox isn’t the first manufacturer to release a palm-sized e-reader, the Palma is a device that competitors will surely copy. As far as Boox products go, the Palma is smaller than anything it’s released to date, and it’s priced to move, coming in at just $280, putting it on par with the Kindle Oasis or the Kobo Sage.
Although the Palma looks like a smartphone, it doesn’t have any cellular capability, but it does have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. You won’t be making phone calls or sending SMS messages with the Palma, but it might be your everyday device for when you’re in the house; it does have a custom Android 11 OS, after all. And even though it’s small for an e-reader, it has the Snapdragon 662 that Boox likes to use and 6GB of RAM (compared to the 512MB in the Kindle Oasis).
The reMarkable 2 was made to be one thing: the best writing experience on an E Ink tablet. More than any other e-reader, the reMarkable 2 replicates how it feels to put pen to paper when taking notes. If your number one concern when buying an e-reader device is writing and taking notes with a stylus, you want the reMarkable 2. If you want your E Ink tablet to be good at more than one thing, however, you might be better off with something like the Kindle Scribe.
What might be a deal-breaker for you is the lack of support for document formats besides EPUB and PDF, so if you want to read a book from Amazon, you’ll have to convert it somehow. The lack of backlighting or page-turn buttons (virtual or physical) diminishes the e-reading experience, meaning you can only read or write in the light, and you have to swipe to turn pages. On the other hand, the writing features are very robust and intuitive. You can find a better e-reader, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better writer.
There are a lot of good e-readers available for today’s readers; hopefully, our guide has pointed you in the right direction. For our money, the Kindle Scribe offers the most bang for the buck with its 10.3-inch screen; it’s the perfect device for reading manga at full resolution, and the included stylus lets you take notes as you read or doodle if you’re bored. For more control over your content and more features on your device (and more money), consider the Onyx Boox Note Air 3C. It does everything the Scribe does and a little more, with a fantastic Wacom layer and useful multitasking capabilities. Unfortunately, you’ll lack the Amazon ecosystem, but Note Air 3C provides excellent tablet software.
Of course, not everyone is willing to spend over $300 on an e-reader. Amazon’s base-model Kindle isn’t even close to that price tag and finally has a USB-C port and 300ppi resolution. And if you enjoy poolside reading or taking your e-reader to the beach, then the Kobo Libra 2, which has an IPX8 waterproof rating, is the one to choose.
Whether you like to keep things simple with your e-reader or you like to tinker with all the settings, there’s at least one device in this guide that will scratch that itch.
Maybe if we start telling people the brain is an app they will start using it!
