The perfect ereaders for 2024

Display measurement: 6” | Show kind: Black/white and coloration E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 16GB| Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six toes for 60 minutes) | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen adverts: No

Learn our full Kobo Clara Color evaluate

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 design that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara could be up to date, I nervous we’d see Kobo machine with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated value. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Color not solely provides coloration and a sooner processor, it’s simply $10 greater than the earlier technology.

Because the identify suggests, this ereader provides coloration to the web page, lending somewhat vibrance to e-book covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The expertise comes from E Ink, within the type of the Kaleido 3 module that comes with a coloration filter layer on high of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That leads to two completely different resolutions on one display screen: 150 dpi for coloration and 300 dpi for textual content.

Full-color pages remind me of comedian e-book artwork from the ‘60s, muted however saturated. Shade makes e-book covers extra attractive and provides somewhat selection to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s actually not a needed 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. For those who look carefully, you possibly can see a little bit of noise on the white elements of the web page. That is as a result of 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 purpose, you might 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 pace of the web page turns and navigating from the menu to the web page and again once more is almost 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 gentle remains to be right here (it’s really somewhat hotter on the Color) and makes studying at evening simple on the eyes. The working system is similar, with intuitive entry to the Kobo retailer, your private books and titles out of your native library by way of Overdrive. You possibly can customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font measurement, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a approach to save a gaggle 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 e-book the way you need it to look.

The Color is almost 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 screen 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 gentle, responsive controls and lack of adverts (which price $20 to eliminate on Amazon’s machine) make it price it. And, in nice information for the proper to restore crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired as soon as it falls exterior of guarantee via a partnership with iFixit. 

Rakuten nonetheless makes the Kobo Clara BW, which is almost equivalent to our earlier “finest total” choose. It does not endure from the slight readability loss that the colour overlay presents, nevertheless it additionally nonetheless has the older processor.   

In fact, when you already personal a mountain of Kindle books, you might need to keep on with Amazon’s system. In that case, your finest guess is Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite Signature. Our reviewer Nathan Ingraham known as it “one of the best ereader. Interval.“

Display measurement: 6” | Show kind: Black/white E Ink | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB| Battery life: Weeks |Waterproof score: None | Heat gentle: No | Lock display screen adverts: Sure

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

With it, you possibly can entry one of the best of what Amazon has to supply, together with many unique titles. Kindle Unique is a catalog made up of one million 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 possibly can solely hear via a Kindle machine or Amazon-owned app.

For those who like to change between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the way in which to go. While you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync characteristic traces up the place you’re within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you pay attention for an hour after which need to learn – the synchronization allows you to choose up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we should always level out you could’t pay attention and browse concurrently on the identical machine.) In checks, 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 significantly luxurious, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel low cost both. The shell has a velvety end that doesn’t acquire 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 couple 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 gentle, which didn’t trouble me through the day, however at evening 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 possibly can even save a set of settings as a “theme,” one thing not provided by different gadgets. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing known as “drained eyes.”

Some folks received’t be bothered by the lock display screen adverts that come commonplace on each Kindle machine (until you pay to take away them). They’re pretty innocuous, principally selling Kindle e-book offers or particular titles (it’s not such as you’ll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). 

Personally, I like having the ability to set the sleep display screen to the e-book cowl of what I’m presently studying, nevertheless it’s simple to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy approach to devour books on the lowest value. It is also price noting that the Kindle Youngsters is similar machine however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and goes on sale extra steadily than the usual model. 

Display measurement: 7” | Show kind: Black/white and coloration E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 32GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: IPX8 (submergible to six toes for 60 minutes) | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen adverts: No

When Kobo got here out with the brand new Clara Color, it additionally debuted the new Libra Color, which is likely to be the extra thrilling of the 2 gadgets. Along with coloration expertise from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus assist. It’s the one ereader on this listing with that characteristic, making it loads like a small E Ink pill — however all of its new options really make it a greater ereader.

After I wrote concerning 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 screen adapt the machine 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 almost 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 gentle and textual content allow you to get the web page wanting 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, e-book covers all look extra attractive — although, in case your TBR listing is already three toes 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. Strive as they could, some new applied sciences don’t but beat their real-world counterparts. That’s principally 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 spotlight textual content and scribble notes within the margins of a e-book that I’m beginning to come round. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the facet so it doesn’t get misplaced.

Urgent and holding the button on the facet of the stylus highlights textual content whereas flipping it round erases. I unintentionally pressed the button a couple of instances once I was attempting to jot down, however I bought used to the position after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You possibly can choose from 4 completely different highlighter colours and think about your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I may see being fairly helpful for e-book 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 e-book I attempted. Although I ought to level out that when you change the font measurement in a e-book, your handwritten notes can 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 loads for $220. If it had been simply an ereader, the beautiful colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and simple highlights would make it definitely worth the value. However you additionally get options that make it extra than simply an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta internet browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks.

In fact, the stylus prices additional and also you received’t get options like notebooks and writing within the margins with out it. Collectively, the set prices $290, which remains to be $50 cheaper than the most well-liked stylus-enabled ereader, Amazon’s Kindle Scribe. That one does have an even bigger, 10-inch display screen, which, for me, is somewhat 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” | Show kind: Black/white and coloration E Ink | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 64GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof score: splash-resistant | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen adverts: No

Shade E Ink screens are the “new” factor in ereaders — despite the fact that the tech has been commercially accessible since round 2010. E Ink introduced its Kaleido 3 show in 2022, and with the fitting mixture of coloration saturation and readability, it’s now interesting sufficient for basic consumption. The newest ereaders from each Boox and Kobo are coloration fashions, and there’s little doubt Amazon will stick coloration in a Kindle within the close to future (presumably as a substitute to the now-unavailable Kindle Oasis).

The Boox Go Shade 7 (Amazon, Boox) is a pure option to supplant our earlier winner on this class. The Boox Web page remains to be accessible, and represents an amazing multipurpose pill that simply handles ereader and pill duties. The brand new Go Shade not solely layers coloration on high of that, it additionally has double the storage capability, an additional gig of RAM and ships with Android 12. The again can be textured as a substitute of slick, an improve my accident-prone fingers are grateful for. And all of this comes on the identical $250 listing value because the Web page.

Boox caught a sooner quad-core processor within the Web page. That made for a noticeable uptick in pace when in comparison with the reader’s predecessor, the Leaf 2. This seems to be to be the identical CPU within the Go Shade and I haven’t seen an enormous pace distinction with the brand new reader — although it’s lots quick. The battery has the identical 2,300mAh capability, however ereader batteries final the order of some weeks, so an improve in that division wasn’t actually needed.

The Go Shade 7 runs on a fork of Android 12, which permits it to behave extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Like all Boox gadgets, this strategy is finest fitted to the tech-savvy. Not like a Kindle or Kobo, which come preconfigured with a retailer and simple library-book entry, Boox ereaders supply little hand-holding in setup and utilization. Whereas there’s a retailer, it’s made up of public area titles — most individuals will learn books by importing ePubs manually or via ereader apps like Kobo, Kindle, Libby and others from the built-in Google Play retailer.

Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is properly featured with a very good quantity of management over the look of the textual content. Nevertheless it solely handles DRM-free ePubs from websites like Undertaking 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 unique app. Satirically, I’ve been utilizing PocketBook’s ereader app to learn DRM ePubs I purchased from third events.

The pill is impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox customers have created APK recordsdata to tweak and enhance the expertise additional. The machine even has a microphone and audio system, and may run apps like Spotify. In brief, the Go Shade 7 can do excess of a typical ereader can, when you’re prepared to experiment.

The studying expertise is enhanced with a smooth, adjustable entrance gentle with temperature management that makes for nice low-light studying and the flush, glare-free, display screen is lush and detailed. Like all coloration ereaders, you do surrender a modicum of readability to accommodate the colour array, and the heat is noticeably extra yellow. I solely seen the distinction once I set comparable ereaders side-by-side and, actually, it’s the distinction between a brilliant duper crisp display screen and solely a brilliant crisp display screen.

The smooth and muted colours have a saturated appear to be watercolors or previous comedian e-book illustrations. Evaluating the identical e-book cowl on the Kobo Clara Color and this, the Boox hues do look a contact grainier and fewer wealthy. However that’s a small sacrifice when you want an ereader that may do excess of simply carry your books round.

Display measurement: 6.13” Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Waterproof: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat gentle: Sure | Lock display screen adverts: 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 attempting it, I don’t advocate 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 numerous methods, acts like one. The house display screen is a muted black and white model of what you would possibly discover on an ordinary Android — you possibly can even add a couple of widgets. Just like the Web page, it will probably obtain and run apps from the Google Play Retailer and has audio system to play music and movies. The E Ink display screen (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photographs, significantly shifting ones, look far grainier and rougher than they might on an actual telephone’s LED display screen. That mentioned, the video high quality is one of the best I’ve seen on an E Ink display screen, due to a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Expertise.

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 possibly can convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display screen is gorgeous to learn. At $280, it’s costlier than an ordinary ereader — and a few E Ink tablets — nevertheless it’s a extremely transportable approach to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. For those who’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is an enthralling various.