The best Kindles of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

The best Kindle e-reader is the Amazon Kindle (12th generation). You can choose between 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of internal storage to download thousands of comics, novels, and audiobooks. Additionally, you can opt for cloud storage syncing for near-infinite storage space for your digital library. The screen features an anti-glare coating for better visibility in sunlight and flush bezels for better handling. Plus, the integrated battery can last up to six weeks on a full charge, allowing you to read as much as you want worry-free. Here’s how other Kindle models compare.

*Lowest price at the time of writing. Please note that prices may vary based on retailer and available promotions, sales, or discounts.

When shopping for a new Kindle reader, aside from price, you should also consider how much storage space you’ll want or need for your digital bookshelf. The Kindle Paperwhite has 8GB of storage, which is enough for hundreds of books, audiobooks, PDF files, and graphic novels. On the other hand, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition has 32GB of storage, which allows your digital bookshelf to store almost 14,000 titles. Furthermore, no matter which model of Kindle reader you use, many support either microSD cards up to 1TB or cloud syncing for near-infinite storage.

Below is a table that outlines which Kindle corresponds to specific needs:

• Price: The Kindles and Kindle alternatives on this list range from $120 to $340. With more features, like drawing capabilities, strong battery life, and large storage, you will pay a higher price. 
• Storage capacity: The point of a device like a Kindle is to store as many books in one compact device as possible. We looked at Kindles with wide storage capacities that can hold thousands of titles. 
• Extra features: Some Kindles are kid-friendly or 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. 

Also: How to buy books on Kindle

ZDNET only recommends products we have used and can speak to. We do this by spending a few weeks constantly using the products we write about and evaluating them for performance, battery life, usability, special features, and more. Then we write a product spotlight or review of the product and add it to one of these best lists. Each month we evaluate which products still deserve a spot on this list, and switch out older models with newer models. 

If you have only ever read books through physical copies, not digital e-readers, you might think buying a Kindle is a waste of money. There’s the argument that you don’t even need the Kindle e-reader when you can download the app on your phone and read digital books and magazines from there. Sure, that’s a good point. But many readers see having the Kindle app on a phone more distracting, while a Kindle whose sole purpose is to function as an e-reader is distraction-free. 

Then there’s the fact that carrying paperbacks while you travel, commute to work, or lug around in that small bag of yours can get heavy, and sometimes we don’t have the space for every book we’d like to read. A Kindle is slim, lightweight, and easy to plop into a purse or even put in your coat pocket. 

Holding a physical book is not the same as holding an e-reader, but for certain use cases, like portability and space optimization, a Kindle e-reader reigns supreme. 

Yes, you certainly can. Many readers enjoy taking a Kindle to the beach instead of a paperback book, thanks to select Kindle models’ waterproof build and glare-free display. If your beach bag is too heavy for a thick book, a thin Kindle could be a splendid alternative. Plus, you don’t have to choose between two or three books to read — you can bring them all on your Kindle. 

It all depends on what kinds of books you want to download, as different media files have different sizes. For example, a single comic book issue file can be as small as 650MB, while a graphic novel can be up to 1.5GB. On the other hand, plain-text files like novels, nonfiction titles, and even school textbooks have fairly small sizes, allowing you to have up to 13,500 books in your digital library with 32GB of storage space.

However, longer titles like War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy will have a larger file size than something like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. If you like longer reads, you’ll probably store fewer books, though you should still be able to download and store thousands of titles.

You can even download audiobooks from the Kindle app, though the audio files are quite large. This means that a 32GB Kindle will only hold about 150 audiobooks, depending on the length of the recording.

The Kindle Paperwhite boasts a bigger display, warm light adjustment feature, longer battery life, waterproof build, and higher price tag.

All Kindles offer text-to-voice narration through Alexa. But if you want to buy an audiobook specifically, you’ll have to use Amazon’s Audible. Audible is integrated into all newer Kindle models. 

For certain things, like downloading new books and accessing the internet, yes. But if you have already downloaded the book you’d like to read on your Kindle you can read it without a Wi-Fi connection. I take my Kindle on the subway, where there’s no Wi-Fi connection, and have no problem reading my favorite titles. 

There is no objective answer to this. You may prefer a Kindle if you hate lugging around heavy books. A Kindle simply offers an alternative to a bulky hobby. 

You can get Kindle books for free. Whether you’re looking to fill out your library or to finally get around to reading those classics that were assigned back in your high school English class, it’s pretty easy to find free Kindle books. Lots of classic literature is in the public domain, which just means that they are no longer protected by copyright laws and can be provided for free. If you’re looking for new titles, you don’t have to spend a fortune. And many free Kindle books can be found on none other than Amazon itself. All you have to do is go to Amazon and search “free Kindle books.” 

Also: How to get (great) free books on Kindle

You also can find thousands of titles for very low prices, sometimes as low as 99 cents. However, these are often self-published works. And while self-publishing is a great way for writers to get their work in the hands of readers without going through literary agents and publishing houses, it also means that sometimes the work isn’t entirely up to snuff. So if you’re tempted to buy that ultra-low-priced title, make sure you read reviews first so you don’t end up buying something you won’t like.

If you don’t like the idea of a single-purpose tablet taking up space in your home but still want the ease and portability of a digital library, you’re able to download the Kindle app to just about any tablet on the market. Here is a short list of Kindle alternatives that I thought were great:

ZDNET sourced external industry experts for this article. Here is more information about them:

Ayman Chaudhary: Digital creator (@aymansbooks) on TikTok with over 900,000 followers. She creates content and memes about novels and recommends the books she reads on the platform.