The very best ereaders for 2024

Display measurement: 6” | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 16GB | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display advertisements: No

Learn our full Kobo Clara Colour review

Our earlier choose for this class, the Kobo Clara 2E was a superb ereader with a crisp show, a heat glow and responsive, intuitive contact controls all housed in a water-proof gadget that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara could be up to date, I fearful we’d see a tool with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated worth. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Colour not solely provides coloration and a sooner processor, it’s simply $10 greater than the earlier technology.

Because the title suggests, this ereader provides coloration to the web page, lending a bit vibrance to guide covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The know-how comes from E Ink, within the type of the Kaleido 3 module that includes a coloration filter layer on high of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That leads to two totally different resolutions on one display: 150 dpi for coloration and 300 dpi for textual content.

Full-color pages remind me of comedian guide artwork from the ‘60s, muted however saturated. Shade makes guide covers extra attractive and provides a bit selection to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s definitely not a vital characteristic, nevertheless it provides vibrance and it’s enjoyable. There’s a slight distinction in readability between the colour and non-color model of the Clara. When you look carefully, you may see a little bit of noise on the white elements of the web page. That is because of the added coloration filter layer. It is not distracting and solely one thing I seen when evaluating the 2 generations side-by-side. but when absolute readability is your main objective, you could be higher off with a non-color ereader.

In all probability the extra helpful improve right here is the twin 2GHz processor, a bump from the Clara 2E’s 1GHz CPU. There’s a noticeable enchancment within the velocity of the web page turns and navigating from the menu to the web page and again once more is sort of instantaneous. As with the 2E, the Color not often errors a swipe for a faucet or a web page flip gesture for a menu request.

The adjustable heat entrance mild continues to be right here (it’s really a bit hotter on the Color) and makes studying at night time simple on the eyes. The working system is identical, with intuitive entry to the Kobo retailer, your private books and titles out of your native library by way of Overdrive. You may customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font measurement, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a strategy to save a bunch of show settings just like the Kindle does, so I’d like to see that added with future OS upgrades. However for now, the customizations are simply sufficient to get your guide the way you need it to look.

The Color is sort of equivalent in form and measurement, and has the identical premium really feel because the 2E, although the plastic has a grainier end. The bezels are noticeably much less flush with the display now, although that didn’t alter my studying enjoyment.

Now that it prices $150, the Kobo Clara Color is $50 greater than the bottom mannequin Kindle. However the waterproof construct, heat entrance mild, responsive controls and lack of advertisements (which value $20 to do away with on Amazon’s gadget) make it price it. And, in nice information for the right to repair crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired as soon as it falls outdoors of guarantee by means of a partnership with iFixit.

Display measurement: 6” | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB | Waterproof score: None | Heat mild: No | Lock display advertisements: Sure

Amazon has dominated within the ereader area for thus lengthy that I used to be shocked when a Kindle gadget didn’t win me over. A Kobo could have taken the highest spot right here, however nothing can beat the standard Kindle in the case of worth. It’s listed at $100 however has gone on sale each few months since its debut in October 2022, typically for as little as $75.

With it, you may entry the very best of what Amazon has to supply, together with many unique titles. Kindle Exclusive is a catalog made up of 1,000,000 titles, together with books by established authors in addition to newer, self-published writers; Kindle Limitless gives the widest collection of any subscription-based studying service on the market; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you may solely hear by means of a Kindle gadget or Amazon-owned app.

When you like to modify between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the way in which to go. Once you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync characteristic strains up the place you might be within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you pay attention for an hour after which wish to learn – the synchronization allows you to choose up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we should always level out which you could’t pay attention and browse concurrently on the identical gadget.) In exams, the characteristic was pretty correct, getting me shut sufficient on the web page or within the audio to determine my spot.

The usual Kindle doesn’t really feel notably luxurious, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel low-cost both. The shell has a velvety end that doesn’t gather fingerprints, however I discovered myself wishing it had extra texture for a greater grip. Navigating from a web page to the menu isn’t as speedy as Paperwhite or the Kobos we tried. And it takes a number of moments to wake from sleep after hitting the button and swiping.

Web page turns are fast, however the touchscreen gestures didn’t at all times do what I wished them to. I’d typically discover the web page skipping ahead once I thought I’d tapped to return. There’s no heat mild, which didn’t trouble me in the course of the day, however at night time it felt like I used to be nonetheless gazing my laptop.

Kindle’s studying customization is nice, letting you dial within the font, measurement and margins. You may even save a set of settings as a “theme,” one thing not supplied by different gadgets. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing referred to as “drained eyes.”

Some individuals received’t be bothered by the lock display advertisements that come normal on each Kindle gadget (until you pay to take away them). They’re pretty innocuous, largely selling Kindle guide offers or particular titles (it’s not such as you’ll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). 

Personally, I like with the ability to set the sleep display to the guide cowl of what I’m at the moment studying, nevertheless it’s simple to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy strategy to devour books on the lowest worth. It is also price noting that the Kindle Kids is identical gadget however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and goes on sale extra regularly than the usual model. 

Display measurement: 7” Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 32GB | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display advertisements: No

When Kobo got here out with the brand new Clara Color, it additionally debuted the , which could be the extra thrilling of the 2 gadgets. Along with coloration know-how from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus help. It’s the one ereader on this record with that characteristic, making it quite a bit like a small — however all of its new options really make it a greater ereader.

After I wrote in regards to the earlier technology ereader, the Libra 2, I used to be impressed by how snug it was for studying. None of that has modified; the buttons and auto-rotating display adapt the gadget to only about any studying place you selected and the skinny design, textured again and soft-touch plastic give it a premium really feel.

Kobo’s interface is sort of the identical right here as with different fashions, properly organized to allow you to simply discover your present reads or browse and search new titles from Kobo’s retailer or your native library within the Overdrive tab. The customizations for mild and textual content allow you to get the web page trying simply the way you prefer it, however there aren’t so many choices that it feels such as you’re writing code.

The brand new options add to the expertise. In coloration, guide covers all look extra attractive — although, in case your TBR record is already three ft lengthy, this received’t not assist issues. The brand new processor makes waking from sleep, turning pages, navigating the menu and altering orientation zippy quick.

Then there’s the standing compatibility. Attempt as they may, some new applied sciences their real-world counterparts. That’s largely how I really feel about styluses — I’m only a huge fan of pen on paper. However Kobo’s stylus makes it so enjoyable to focus on textual content and scribble notes within the margins of a guide that I’m beginning to come round. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the aspect so it doesn’t get misplaced.

Urgent and holding the button on the aspect of the stylus highlights textual content whereas flipping it round erases. I by chance pressed the button a number of instances once I was making an attempt to write down, however I acquired used to the position after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You may choose from 4 totally different highlighter colours and look at your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I may see being fairly helpful for guide membership reads, college assignments or simply refreshing your self on a previous learn earlier than you dive into the sequel.

Writing within the margins or immediately on the textual content labored on each guide I attempted. Although I ought to level out that in case you change the font measurement in a guide, your handwritten notes will probably be transformed to a sticky note-type field. Going again to the unique font restores your authentic scribbles.

The Kobo Libra Color is $30 costlier than the Libra 2, however you get quite a bit for $220. If it had been simply an ereader, the beautiful colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and straightforward highlights would make it well worth the worth. However you additionally get options that make it extra than simply an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta net browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks.

In fact, the stylus prices further and also you received’t get options like notebooks and writing within the margins with out it. Collectively, the set prices $290, which continues to be $50 cheaper than the most well-liked stylus-enabled ereader, . That one does have an even bigger, 10-inch display, which, for me, is a bit huge for an ereader. The Libra Color alternatively has simply the fitting options on the proper measurement, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness.

Display measurement: 7” | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 32GB | Waterproof score: None | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display advertisements: No

Boox launched the Page in the course of final yr as a substitute for the now-discontinued Leaf 2. Stacked side-by-side, the 2 look equivalent: each have 7-inch E Ink screens, two guide page-turn buttons and a skinny, light-weight design.

Inside, the Web page has an additional gig of RAM, an upgraded Qualcomm CPU and an even bigger 2,300mAh battery, up from 2,000mAh on the Leaf 2. The batteries final so lengthy already — on the order of some weeks — so I didn’t discover a big distinction there, however the further processing energy and reminiscence has noticeably upped the wake velocity, effectivity in opening apps and page-turning velocity.

It nonetheless runs on a fork of Android 11, which implies the Web page acts extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Just like the Leaf 2, it’s greatest fitted to the tech-savvy — you’ll get little hand-holding in setup and utilization. The pill is impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox users have created APK recordsdata to tweak and enhance your expertise additional. The gadget even has audio system and might run apps like Spotify. Briefly, the Web page can do excess of a typical ereader can, in case you’re keen to experiment.

However the ereader expertise can also be fairly good. The delicate, adjustable entrance mild with temperature management makes for nice low-light studying and the flush, glare-free, 300dpi display is crisp and detailed. Boox has its personal app library or you should utilize Google Play to seek for and obtain apps very similar to on a smartphone or pill. You may even get ereader apps from different producers, together with Kobo and Kindle, and set up Libby to learn borrowed books from the library.

Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is properly featured with a superb quantity of management over the look of the textual content. Nevertheless it solely handles DRM-free ePubs from websites like Venture Gutenberg or publishers like Tor. If you wish to learn ePubs with digital rights administration, which make up the overwhelming majority of present ebooks, you’ll want to make use of a special app. In fact, you would take away the rights administration from the recordsdata, however that’s technically unlawful, even after you “own” the guide.

Display measurement: 6.13” Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Water-resistant: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display advertisements: No

Boox makes two sizes of its ereader. The is smaller than the , doesn’t have buttons and goes for about $80 much less. However after making an attempt it, I don’t suggest it. It’s laggy and getting the Google Play Retailer to work was a ache. As soon as I did, web page turns in apps like Kindle had been excruciatingly gradual.

The Boox , nonetheless, is sort of enjoyable. It’s the identical measurement and form as a smartphone and, in a variety of methods, acts like one. The house display is a muted black and white model of what you would possibly discover on an ordinary Android — you may even add a number of widgets. Just like the Web page, it could obtain and run apps from the Google Play Retailer and has audio system to play music and movies. The E Ink display (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photos, notably shifting ones, look far grainier and rougher than they’d on an actual telephone’s LED display. That mentioned, the video high quality is the very best I’ve seen on an E Ink display, due to a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Know-how.

However make no mistake, it’s not going to exchange your telephone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the one connectivity and the 16MP digicam is only for making doc scans you may convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display is beautiful to learn. At $280, it’s costlier than an ordinary ereader — and a few E Ink tablets — nevertheless it’s a extremely moveable strategy to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. When you’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a captivating different.