The perfect e-readers within the US, for each sort of e-book lover

[ad_1] Bookworms should still cherish the texture of leafing via pages, the whiff of new-book odor, and stacking their cabinets with beloved tomes, however nothing beats an e-reader for comfort.

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You'll be able to carry your total library on trip with out an additional suitcase. For those who’re working via a 1,349-page novel resembling Vikram Seth’s A Appropriate Boy, your wrists will thanks. And in contrast to a cellphone, your e-reader gained’t continually interrupt you with information alerts and texts, so you'll be able to lose your self in a brand new world or concentrate on studying one thing new.

Whereas e-readers evolve extra slowly than say, telephones, the newest batch are lighter, brighter, and extra succesful than ever. I evaluated six of the preferred fashions to see which belongs in your nightstand in 2025.

Why you must belief me {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian As an avid reader all my life, I embraced the comfort of ebooks years in the past, beginning with an early Kindle mannequin. My native library has an enormous catalog, and my digital queue is all the time full. Most weeks, I’ll get via a e-book or two or three. Even after I’m not studying, I’m listening to podcasts to seek out out which e-book to choose up subsequent.

I’m additionally a veteran tech journalist with greater than eight years of expertise testing and reviewing merchandise. At varied instances, my home has been cluttered with dozens of sensible mild bulbs, robotic vacuums, and synthetic Christmas timber (although normally not unexpectedly).

How I examined For greater than a month, I examined six e-readers, utilizing every for a similar period of time and placing them via the identical assessments. That included carrying them round in a backpack, knocking them off a nightstand, and even submerging the waterproof gadgets in water. I additionally evaluated different components, resembling battery life, charging time and additional options, resembling Dropbox integration.

{Photograph}: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian To check content material availability exhaustively, I created an inventory of 26 in style and extra obscure books in quite a lot of genres, together with thriller, romance, sci-fi, and younger grownup. I famous which books have been lacking, and calculated the whole price to buy all of them. I additionally timed how lengthy it took to get an book from my native library onto the gadget itself, loaded them up with PDFs and epub information, and related Bluetooth headphones to hearken to audiobooks.

Most of all, I learn. I paged via fiction and nonfiction, youngsters’s books, a graphic novel, and scientific PDFs on every gadget. I scored every gadget primarily based on how simple it was to navigate, the choices of fixing fonts and layouts, and the brightness and crispness of the show.

After my read-a-thon, I returned the e-readers to their producers or donated them to the Seattle public library.

All costs present on the time of publication.

The perfect e-readers at a look {Photograph}: Courtesy of Rakuten Kobo $229.99 at Rakuten {Photograph}: Courtesy of Amazon $109.99 at Amazon {Photograph}: Courtesy of Amazon $269.99 at Amazon {Photograph}: Courtesy of Rakuten Kobo $139.99 at Rakuten Greatest total: Kobo Libra Color A Kobo Libra Color e-reader on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath For those who’d quite patronize your public library than Amazon, the Kobo Libra Color is the e-reader for you. The Libra integrates instantly with OverDrive, makers of the Libby app, which makes it the best method to obtain ebooks and audiobooks out of your public library.

Why we love itThe Kobo Libra Color is enjoyable to mess around with and make your individual. It has extra fonts and font sizes to select from than the Kindles I examined, and it’s doable to make subtler changes to the brightness and warmness, too.

Just a few different options set it aside from Kindles as properly. It has bodily buttons for turning pages, or you'll be able to faucet and swipe on the display. Dropbox and Google Drive integration make it painless to load your individual information onto the e-reader. A stylus, offered individually, allows you to spotlight and take notes, which was nice for PDFs I couldn’t in any other case edit on the gadget.

Along with its OverDrive entry, Kobo has a well-stocked bookstore of its personal. There have been solely two titles on my record that I couldn’t discover, and most of its book costs matched Amazon’s.

It’s a disgrace that … it prices a lot. Its battery drained extra shortly than a few of the competitors, too. For those who’re on a finances, the cheaper Kobo Clara Shade omits a number of options, resembling bodily buttons and the power to work with a stylus, for about $70 much less.

$229.99 at Rakuten $229.99 at Amazon Storage: 32GBBattery life: As much as 40 daysDisplay: 7in, 300 ppi (black-and-white content material), 150 ppi (colour content material)Waterproof: IPX8 (as much as 60 minutes in 6.5ft of contemporary water)

Greatest finances: Amazon Kindle (eleventh technology) Amazon Kindle (eleventh Ggeneration) e-reader on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath For a bit of over $100, the essential Kindle affords nearly the whole lot you need in an e-reader. For those who simply need a transportable method to learn ebooks and entry to Amazon’s seemingly countless provide of titles, this no-frills possibility suits the invoice.

Why we love itCompact and light-weight, the Kindle nonetheless delivers loads of storage for all of your ebooks. And you've got numerous studying choices via Amazon. I discovered all 26 titles I used to be in search of, and my Amazon purchasing cart was the most affordable, though Barnes & Noble and Kobo had an identical costs on most books.

Its 6in display was one of many smallest I examined, however the textual content was crisp and simple to learn. It had no bother surviving the drop assessments after I knocked it off my nightstand.

It’s a disgrace that … this Kindle lacks the power to alter the colour temperature from bluish white to a hotter yellow as bedtime approaches. A darkish mode, which makes the background black and phrases white, would possibly suffice for some. Its battery life isn’t as strong as a few of the different choices on the record, nevertheless it ought to nonetheless final weeks on a single cost.

Storage: 16GBBattery life: As much as six weeksDisplay: 6in, 300 ppiWaterproof: No

Greatest for teenagers: Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Children Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Children e-reader on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath Amazon makes a number of kid-geared Kindles. They’re much like their grown-up counterparts however normally include a protecting case, an extended guarantee, and 6 or 12 months entry to an Amazon Children+ subscription, which incorporates entry to a variety of age-appropriate ebooks.

Why we love itA colour display is smart for teenagers who devour image books and graphic novels. Whereas hues on books like You Are a Burst of Shade are a bit of muted in comparison with a bodily copy, the 7in display nonetheless captures loads of vibrant element.

The Colorsoft has respectable storage and battery life, and the display is responsive, making it simple to faucet or swipe via pages, even of an unwieldy PDF. It may auto-adjust the sunshine’s heat at sundown or primarily based in your most well-liked schedule.

It’s fast and simple to toggle between child mode and a typical Kindle, solely requiring a four-digit code. Which means your baby may use the identical gadget once they begin studying grown-up books.

It’s a disgrace that … getting library books on a child’s Kindle isn’t intuitive. It’s additionally the priciest child’s mannequin, with the non-color Paperwhite Children costing about $90 much less.

$269.99 at Amazon $269.99 at Greatest Purchase Storage: 16GBBattery life: As much as eight weeksDisplay: 7in, 300 ppi (black-and-white content material), 150 ppi (colour content material)Waterproof: IPX8 (as much as 60 minutes in 6.5ft of contemporary water)

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Greatest for journey: Kobo Clara BW A Kobo Clara BW e-reader on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath Like to learn by the pool for hours at a time? The Kobo Clara BW can keep powered for weeks and survive an unintended dip.

Why we love itWhen I submerged the Kobo in a bathtub of faucet water for 10 minutes, it remained fully practical after I fished it out. Even in the event you’re not scheduled to lounge on the seashore, the e-reader has greater than sufficient house to carry a ton of ebooks and audiobooks. I loaded it up with over 180 PDFs, and it barely made a dent in its cupboard space.

The battery life was spectacular, lasting a number of hours with solely 10% energy left. It additionally charged shortly, getting as much as 90% after 90 minutes. It outshines the finances Kindle as a result of it could change colour temperature, both manually or primarily based on a schedule.

Whereas it doesn’t have all of the options of the Kobo Libra Color, it was equally as simple to get books from OverDrive or the Kobo bookstore.

It’s a disgrace that … the display is a bit of dimmer in comparison with a few of the bigger gadgets, and it lacks the buttons of the Kobo Libra Color. Aspect-by-side with the finances Kindle, it feels a bit of cumbersome.

$139.99 at Rakuten $139.99 at Amazon Key specs:Storage: 16GBBattery life: As much as 53 daysDisplay: 6in, 300 ppiWaterproof: IPX8 (as much as 60 minutes in 6.5ft of contemporary water)

The perfect of the remaining If you would like a extremely huge display: Nook GlowLight 4 Plus Nook GlowLight 4 Plus on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath Why we love itBarnes & Noble’s digital bookstore is nearly good, missing solely a single book on my record (and it does have the audiobook model). The costs are largely the identical as Amazon’s, with one costly exception. It has the most important display of any e-reader I examined, with the tradeoff being that it weighs a few ounces extra.

It didn’t make the ultimate reduce as a result of … the general expertise of studying on the Nook can’t evaluate with Kindle or Kobo gadgets. The display is laggier, particularly with giant PDFs. It additionally takes probably the most time and additional steps to get an book from the library onto the gadget.

$199.99 at Barnes & Noble Storage: 32GBBattery life: As much as three weeksDisplay: 7.8in, 300 ppiWaterproof: IPX7 (as much as half-hour in 3ft of contemporary water)

If you would like a fancier Kindle: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Kindle Paperwhite Signature on a desk and being held by a reader {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath Why we love itThe Signature model of the Kindle appears and feels premium. Flipping via pages appears to be the quickest on this gadget, and the touchscreen is clean. If you would like an e-reader that may zoom in shut and nonetheless retain high quality element, this can be a nice possibility. Its battery life is one of the best I examined, too.

It didn’t make the ultimate reduce as a result of … it’s fairly expensive. Wi-fi charging is among the primary options, apart from its further storage, that units it aside from the cheaper Kindle Paperwhite, which is about $40 much less.

$199.99 at Amazon $199.99 at Greatest Purchase Storage: 32GBBattery life: As much as 12 weeksDisplay: 7in, 300 ppiWaterproof: IPX8 (as much as 60 minutes in 6.5ft of contemporary water)

What else to find out about e-readers {Photograph}: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian Can I simply learn on my cellphone?

Sure: Libby, Kindle, Nook and different apps make it simple to get ebooks in your cellphone. These completely work in the event you don’t need to purchase one other gadget. Nevertheless, e-readers use e-ink screens that mimic the look of paper and pressure the eyes lower than cellphone screens. Plus, having a devoted gadget with out notifications could make for a extra distraction-free expertise.

What’s an ePub e-book?

Whereas ebooks are available in a number of file sorts, ePubs are among the many commonest. Kindles use Amazon’s proprietary format, AZW information. Many e-readers additionally help PDF, DOC, and TXT paperwork.

What’s one of the best e-reader for library books?

Primarily based on my testing, Kobo gadgets make it the best to browse and obtain public library books without cost because of integration with OverDrive, which owns the Libby app. You'll be able to peruse titles instantly on a Kobo, whereas Kindle readers require you to browse in your cellphone utilizing the Libby app.

Do I want Adobe Digital Editions or Calibri to make use of an e-reader?

It relies on the mannequin. I didn’t want to make use of Adobe Digital Editions or Calibri to get library books on the Kindles and Kobos I examined. Nevertheless, I wanted each for the Nook. Libby exported its ePubs as ACSM information, which require Adobe Digital Editions. I needed to open them in that program to transform them to ePub information I may load into the Nook.

Nevertheless, my Macbook didn’t register after I had my Nook related. I used a program known as Calibri, which converts book file codecs. This system acknowledged the Nook, and I may switch ePub information from my laptop with no downside.

{Photograph}: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian Do e-readers work with audiobooks?

Sure, many of the e-readers I examined can play audiobooks. The catch is that it's important to pair Bluetooth headphones or audio system – they don’t have built-in audio system.

What’s one of the best e-reader for highlighting?

For those who love sharing your favourite quotes on BookTok or need to preserve observe of scintillating passages on your e-book membership, all of the e-readers I examined compiled my highlights and listed them by chapter. I may additionally make notes tied to particular textual content. The Kobo Libra Color works with a stylus, offered individually, that allows you to write notes proper on the web page.

How a lot do ebooks price?

I looked for 26 ebooks throughout the Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo platforms. They ranged from 99 cents to $29.99. Some have been free to learn with Kindle Limitless or Kobo Plus. The typical worth was about $12. All the favored books I selected have been obtainable via my public library, however not one of the obscure books I selected have been.

Are you able to learn Kindle books on Kobo or vice versa?

Books bought from the Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Kobo shops come protected with Digital Rights Administration (DRM), which prevents you from sharing them. After I tried to load an Amazon book on my Kobo, for instance, it confirmed up as gibberish. There are legally suspect methods round this, however I’m not suggesting you strive them.

Jenny McGrath is a contract tech and science journalist with eight years of expertise testing tech and residential merchandise. She’s dusted her flooring with cereal, dumped purple wine on carpet samples, and splattered dishes with egg yolk to guage vacuums, stain removers and dishwashers. She all the time has podcast suggestions