The best e-readers of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed


Books take up a lot of space, but e-readers allow you to carry hundreds of books (and audiobooks) in a small, convenient form factor. And, unlike smartphones and tablets, e-readers are fitted with e-ink displays to look and even feel like paper. They’re glare-free and suited to both indoor and outdoor reading. 

Also: The best Kindles you can buy

E-ink displays even feature a subtle backlight, which means you can read in bed without needing a light on. Combine this with a battery life measured in weeks, and you have the perfect device to replace your big, heavy books.

What is the best e-reader right now?

Based on our extensive testing, the best e-reader available is the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, thanks to its long battery life, crisp reading experience, and ease of use. You may automatically think about Kindle when you think of e-readers, and while there certainly is a reason it’s our top pick, there are other great options from other brands that allow you to take your library on the go. 

The best e-readers of 2024

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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (11th generation)

Best e-reader overall

The Kindle Paperwhite is a top-notch e-reader. It has all the familiar features that a Kindle has (300 ppi e-ink screen, long battery life, and auto-adjusting light). The Signature Edition model is also ad-free and has wireless charging.

The reading experience on this e-reader is crisp and clear, and if you’re reading in direct sunlight or at night, the screen will automatically adjust based on your surroundings. It’s also waterproof (how many tablets can say that?), so you can read by the pool or in the bath without worrying about stray splashes. 

Read the review: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021)

ZDNET contributing writer Jason Cipriani reviewed the Kindle Paperwhite and said the boost in performance is noticeable in the latest generation. “According to Amazon, the new Paperwhite has 20% faster performance when it comes to turning the page in a book,” Cipriani wrote. “There’s almost no delay after tapping on the screen before the text refreshes with the next page, ready for action.”

The main differences between the regular Paperwhite e-reader and the Signature Edition are 8 GB versus 32 GB of storage, auto-adjusting light, and wireless charging. If you don’t find these features very worthy, you can forgo the Signature Edition for $50 less. 

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition tech specs: Display: 6.8-inch 300 ppi e-ink screen | Storage: 32 GB | Colors: Black | Weight: 7.3 ounces | Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x .32 inches | Connections: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Battery life: Up to 10 weeks 

Kindle Paperwhite against wood backdrop

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Amazon Kindle (11th generation)

Best budget e-reader

Amazon last updated its basic Kindle model in the fall of 2022. The upgraded 11th generation Kindle offers 16GB of storage instead of 8GB, 300 ppi instead of 167 ppi, six weeks of battery life compared to four weeks, and charging via USB-C instead of a micro-USB. It’s also under $100. 

The new Kindle is the smallest and most lightweight Kindle. The previous generation clocked in at 6.1 ounces, but this new one weighs only 5.56 ounces, and it’s drastically easier to carry and hold than an actual book (especially those thick hardcovers). 

Review: Amazon Kindle (11th generation)

I went hands-on with the base-model Kindle and it made me excited to read again. I was impressed by how you can customize the page layout, the text size, what you see on each page, and how your Kindle looks when turned off. I also like that the Kindle learns your reading speed and can show you how long you have left in the chapter, which is helpful when deciding, “Should I stop here or finish the chapter?”

Its 300 ppi is the same display as the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Oasis. The anti-glare display makes it easy to read in any light, and dark mode is a warm welcome when you’re trying to read at night without letting blue light interrupt your sleep cycle. 

Amazon Kindle tech specs: Display: 6-inch, 300ppi glare-free | Storage: 16GB | Colors: Black or denim | Weight: 5.56 ounces | Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches | Connections: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Battery: Up to 6 weeks

Person reading a Kindle with a red blanket on top of them

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Kobo Libra Colour

Best color e-reader

What sets the Kobo Libra Colour apart from other e-readers is its color display: a 7-inch Kaliedo 3 display with 300 ppi for black and white content and 150 ppi for color content. Now make no mistake–the color images on this e-reader will not blow you away like an iPad. I would most commonly compare it to what colored images look like in a newspaper. This color display makes it great for reading any book with colorful pictures in it, such as cookbooks, children’s books, or graphic novels.

I also went hands-on with the Kobo Libra Colour, and one thing I particularly appreciated about the Kobo Libra was its note-taking capabilities. This meant that I could download a journaling prompt book that allowed me to write down my thoughts–plus, the Kobo Stylus 2 allows you to take notes and highlight a book using color, something that the Kindle Scribe can’t do. 

Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the Kobo Libra is rated IPX8 for waterproof, meaning it can last up to one hour in up to 6.5 feet of water. It also has page-turning buttons, which might not seem like a big deal, but when reading a book for hours on the couch, this simple feature really makes a difference in comfort and ease of use. 

Just keep in mind the ghosting effect (a lag and remaining of the picture that is common in e-readers). You also won’t get as many book options as the Kindle store, but Kobo’s library offers more independent authors as well as more graphic novel options.

Kobo Libra Colour: Display: 7-inch, E Ink Kaleido screen | Storage: 32GB | Colors: Black or white | Weight: 7.04 ounces | Dimensions: 6.7 x 6.3 x 0.32 inches | Connections: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Battery: 2050 mAh

A white Kobo Libra Colour e-reader on an iron table

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Boox Tab Mini C

Best e-reader for note-taking

Boox is an e-reader and drawing tablet with a vivid color display, so your e-book’s illustrations will pop as you read, and so will your color-coordinated notes. Speaking of which, the note-taking templates on the Tab Mini C are handy. Whether you’re a student taking notes, a desk job employee making an hourly plan for your day, a musician crafting a piece of sheet music, or a historian drafting a timeline, the Tab Mini C offers a template for that. 

With adjustable warm and cool lights, you can customize your desired blue light level to tone the display before bedtime for an easier-on-the-eyes reading experience. While Boox itself does not have an e-book library, you can download apps to your Boox device, meaning it can access the Kindle store or Libby (to borrow and read library books). 

ZDNET editor Nina Raemont, has been using the tablet to manage her work-life calendar, build lists for grocery shopping, meeting agendas, and more. It’s become Raemont’s deskside companion and staple note-taking device. Because of its lightweight and effortless portability, it has replaced the trusty Moleskin notebook she avidly used to plan her day. 

The robust battery life lasts many days to a week or two, and the e-reader comes with a magnetically attached stylus with pressure detection for drawing. The tablet’s sleek design has a minimalist feel and careful use of popping colors. However, Reddit users note that you may have to tinker with the tablet’s settings to maximize your experience. 

Boox Tab Mini C specs: Display: 7.9-inch screen, electronic ink | Storage: 64GB | Colors: Black | Weight: 11 ounces | Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.33 inches | Connections: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Battery: 5,000mAh Li-ion Polymer

Boox Tablet held against a wooden backdrop

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Nook GlowLight 4 Plus

Best e-reader for buttons

For those tried and true Barnes and Noble fans, the Nook is another e-reader option. The Nook first debuted in 2009 to compete with Kindle, but it’s since been upgraded to feature more modern features. The GlowLight 4 Plus has a waterproof design (IPX7), a 300 ppi screen with GlowLight technology that’s easy on the eyes, and audiobook access via Bluetooth or a headphone jack. 

The Nook also has physical buttons to turn pages and go back to the home screen, which is great for those who are less tech-savvy with touchscreen devices. 

It’s also the only e-reader on this list with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means you’ll be able to listen to audiobooks via wired headphones without having to connect to Bluetooth–another plus point for those who are less tech-inclined. 

Reddit users note that this is by far the best design Nook has had so far, saying, “This Nook model has probably the best build quality I’ve ever seen on a Nook. It has that premium feel and a very nice step up from the more plastic-y [Glowlight 4]. I also appreciate the symmetric design.”

Nook GlowLight 4 Plus tech specs: Display: 7.8-inch  high-resolution 300-ppi | Storage: 32GB | Colors: Black | Weight: 10.05 ounces | Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x .31 inches | Connections: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Battery: Up to 3 weeks

Nook e-reader with an amber colored screen

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Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader due to its display and lighting options, as well as its battery life and user-friendliness. Here’s how the five best e-readers compare based on price, screen size, and battery life.

Best e-reader

Price

Screen size

Battery life

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

$150

6.8 inches

10 weeks

Amazon Kindle

$100

6 inches

6 weeks

Kobo Libra Colour

$220

7 inches

Up to 40 days (with 30 min of reading per day and no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth)

Boox Tab Mini C

$450

7.9 inches

About a week

Nook GlowLight 4 Plus

$200

7.8 inches

3 weeks

Choose this e-reader…

If you need…

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

The best overall option. It’s waterproof, has an adjustable warm light, and the Kindle Store has the best book options.

Amazon Kindle

An e-reader for $100. It’s small and portable to fit in your bag. 

Kobo Libra Colour

A color-screen e-reader that brings books to life with color.

Boox Tab Mini C

A quality e-reader with note-taking capabilities.

Nook GlowLight 4 Plus

An e-reader with physical page-turning buttons and a headphone jack for audiobooks.

  • Display: An e-reader’s display will ultimately determine your overall reading experience. Look for an e-reader with at least 300 ppi e-ink display, which is the industry standard. 
  • Storage capacity: The point of an e-reader is to store as many books as possible in one compact device. We looked at e-readers with wide storage capacities that can hold thousands of titles. 
  • Extra features: Some e-readers come with a stylus, offer customizable displays, and more. Lots of models offer water resistance and have anti-glare features so you can read in whatever environment you’re in — whether that’s on the sandy beach or in a bathtub. 
  • Battery life: The e-readers on this list should last you a few days, and ideally a few weeks, before recharging. 

We know there are a lot of e-readers to choose from, so we used our own experiences with these products. When we test e-readers, we subject them to both daylight (direct sunlight) and nighttime conditions, paying attention to our overall experience while using the device. 

We combed through popular sites, reading reviews (both good and bad), and noted the top-rated e-readers for different categories and needs. We considered price, display, battery life, and special features when making our final picks.

While you can read on a smartphone or tablet, e-readers have three huge advantages:

  • The e-ink display is much nicer to look at, especially for extended periods of time.
  • The battery life of e-readers is much better than that of any smartphone or tablet, lasting for weeks between recharges.
  • There are far fewer distractions on an e-reader — no emails, social media, phone calls, and so on.

Some people may find the ad-supported Kindle models to be annoying, but there is the option to pay extra for an ad-free device.

It depends. 8GB is cavernous for books but can fill up quickly if you start to add audiobooks. Also, if you want to keep every book and audiobook, you can find your storage getting full after a couple years.

There are lots of options out there if you’re looking for a way to read digital copies of your favorite books. Here’s a short list of other great e-readers. 

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