Whether your home is full of too many books or you just want to digitize your library to take on vacation, now is a great time to invest in an e-reader for reading pleasure at home and on the go.
The screens are optimized for reading, and without the distractions of messaging, gaming, and video, you'll get a more immersive reading experience compared to a tablet.
During the last month we have tested nine
e-reader
models
, and these two stood out above the rest:
Best
e-reader
overall:
Kindle Oasis
MX $ 5,649 up to 12 MSI of MX $ 470
Buy it here
Simply put, the Kindle Oasis is a dream to keep reading.
We came back to it again and again in our tests due to its comfortable hand feel, well-placed page turn buttons, and multiple brightness and color temperature settings that allow us to easily read at different settings.
Thanks to the bezel, your hand has a place to rest and won't accidentally rub against the touchscreen, a problem we had with other e-readers we tested.
Its square design is also comfortable enough to hold in one hand for hours at a time.
While you don't technically need an Amazon account to use Kindle Oasis, you will likely want to sign up for access to the millions of Kindle books available. After setting up the e-reader, you will be prompted to log in with your Amazon account if you have one and connect to Wi-Fi, all of which can be done in just a minute. From there, you can search for books directly from the device itself. Amazon Prime subscribers will have access to Prime Reading, which includes around 1,000 free titles that rotate on a regular basis. We were able to easily find all the books we were looking for, even new releases on their publication date.
You can also read PDF files on your Kindle by emailing them to the device itself.
One of our favorite features of the Oasis is its warm glow setting, a feature not found on the other Kindles we tested.
In addition to being able to adjust the brightness of the screen, we were also able to adjust the color temperature of the light, filtering out blue light that could adversely affect your eyes at night.
It may seem like a small addition, but it went a long way in helping our eyes adjust to the light.
If you are reading in bed while your partner is trying to sleep, this is also a great way to minimize disturbance.
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The screen is 7 inches and is waterproof.
We took out the e-reader in the sun and by the pool and had no problem reading the text on the screen.
We even dipped it in the water and took it out in the rain with no problem.
There are also a host of ways to customize your reading experience, including 14 font size settings, five bold settings, nine fonts (including one to help those with dyslexia), two orientations, three margin settings, two settings. alignment and three spacing settings, not to mention the ability to highlight your favorite phrases.
Because the Oasis has Bluetooth connectivity, you can also pair wireless headphones with the device and listen to audiobooks through it.
Finally, the battery in the Kindle Oasis charges from 0% to 100% in just one hour, and it will last for about 50 hours with the brightness set to 12 and Airplane Mode on.
That's the best battery life of all the e-readers we tested and it should last the regular reader for weeks, even if they read for an hour every night.
Best
e-reader
for its price:
Kindle Paperwhite
MX $ 3,499 up to 12 MSI of MX $ 291
Buy it here
The Kindle Paperwhite is a great
e-reader
that suits anyone on a tight budget.
It boasts the same accessibility, waterproofing, and touchscreen capabilities as our top pick, but lacks the Oasis's page-turning buttons and has a slightly smaller 6-inch E Ink Carta display.
It is an extremely portable device that rose above the competition due to its extensive library, comfort in hand, and ideal screen size.
It also felt better made and more comfortable than the more plastic Kobos.
It charged to 100% battery from 0% in two hours and lasted for weeks in our tests.
How we test
We spent hours reading a multitude of books on each e-reader over the course of a month, noting special features like waterproofing, in addition to accessibility features, user interface ease of navigation, overall design, size of the display, library stand, and battery.
Below are the criteria we use to judge each e-reader:
Platform / Library Support:
We look at the size of the library of each e-reader, as well as the file formats that are possible to read from them and how easy those file formats are to transfer.
Screen:
We looked at the overall quality and responsiveness of each e-reader screen, using touch controls to shop for books, navigate the user interface, and flip pages.
Is it shiny and smooth or matte and rough?
We also tested glare by taking each e-reader outside in the sun.
Software / user interface / performance:
We looked at how intuitive the user interface is and what accessibility features are built in.
Design:
How comfortable is the design of each
e-reader
?
Does it rest easily and comfortably in your hand for extended periods of time?
Does it feel sturdy or is it plastic and cheap?
Battery:
We use a USB power adapter and the cable included with each e-reader to charge each device, monitoring how long each e-reader took to charge from 0% to 100%.
We then read for an hour a night on each device with the brightness set to 12 and airplane mode on, observing the battery percentage drop over time.
Warranty:
We analyze how long the included warranty lasts for each device and what it covers.
Every e-reader we tested included a one-year warranty, resulting in a nine-way tie in this category.
Other e-readers we tested
Kindle
MX $ 1,899
Buy it here
The original Kindle e-reader is a decent device, but we did notice slower buffering times, shorter battery life, and blurry cover images while testing it.
Kobo Libra H2O
MX
$ 5,199 MX $ 4,830 (7% discount)
Buy it here
The Kobo Libra H2O is our pick for Kobo's favorite reader, so if you want a device specifically for searching and borrowing books from the library via Overdrive, this may be the e-reader for you.
In addition, as its name suggests, it is completely waterproof;
however, the Kobo Libra H2O lost points due to its plastic feel and hard-to-press page-turn buttons that aren't as comfortable as the ones on the Oasis.
Kobo Clara HD
MX
$ 3,135 MX $ 2,894 (8% discount)
Buy it here
We really liked the sharp HD display on the Kobo Clara HD, which looks great both indoors and outdoors.
We also appreciate the multiple brightness settings that allow you to filter out blue light and bring in what you call "natural light."
Overall, though, we prefer the Kindle Paperwhite for its convenience, ease of use, and battery life.
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Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of publication of the article.
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