The most effective ereaders for 2024

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

Learn our full Kobo Clara Colour review

Our earlier decide 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 system that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara could be up to date, I frightened we’d see a tool with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated value. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Colour not solely provides coloration and a quicker 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 prime of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That ends in two totally different resolutions on one display: 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 engaging and provides somewhat selection to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s actually not a needed characteristic, but it surely provides vibrance and it’s enjoyable. There’s a slight distinction in readability between the colour and non-color model of the Clara. If you happen to look carefully, you possibly can see a little bit of noise on the white components of the web page. That is as a result of added coloration filter layer. It is not distracting and solely one thing I observed when evaluating the 2 generations side-by-side. but when absolute readability is your main purpose, 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 pace 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 gentle continues 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 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 e book 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 gentle, responsive controls and lack of advertisements (which value $20 to do away with on Amazon’s system) 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 exterior of guarantee by way of a partnership with iFixit.

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

Amazon has dominated within the ereader area for thus lengthy that I used to be stunned when a Kindle system didn’t win me over. A Kobo might have taken the highest spot right here, however nothing can beat the standard Kindle on the subject of 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 the perfect of what Amazon has to supply, together with many unique titles. Kindle Exclusive is a catalog made up of one million titles, together with books by established authors in addition to newer, self-published writers; Kindle Limitless provides the widest choice 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 by way of a Kindle system or Amazon-owned app.

If you happen to like to change between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the best way to go. While 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 enables you to decide up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we must always level out you can’t pay attention and browse concurrently on the identical system.) 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 significantly luxurious, but it surely 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 just a few 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 after I thought I’d tapped to return. There’s no heat gentle, which didn’t hassle me throughout the day, however at evening it felt like I used to be nonetheless observing 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 supplied by different units. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing referred to as “drained eyes.”

Some individuals gained’t be bothered by the lock display advertisements that come commonplace on each Kindle system (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 to the e book cowl of what I’m at the moment studying, but it surely’s simple to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy approach to eat books on the lowest value. It is also price noting that the Kindle Kids is similar system however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and goes on sale extra often than the usual model. 

Display screen measurement: 7” Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 32GB | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 (submergible to six toes for 60 minutes) | Heat gentle: 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 units. 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 so much 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 system 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 gentle 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, e book covers all look extra engaging — although, in case your TBR listing is already three toes lengthy, this gained’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 principally how I really feel about styluses — I’m only a large 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 by chance pressed the button just a few instances after I was attempting to put in writing, however I acquired used to the position after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You possibly can decide from 4 totally different highlighter colours and consider 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 straight on the textual content labored on each e book I attempted. Although I ought to level out that in case 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 unique scribbles.

The Kobo Libra Color is $30 costlier than the Libra 2, however you get so much for $220. If it have been simply an ereader, the beautiful colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and straightforward 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 further and also you gained’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 preferred stylus-enabled ereader, . That one does have a much bigger, 10-inch display, which, for me, is somewhat large for an ereader. The Libra Color alternatively has simply the appropriate options on the proper measurement, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness.

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

Boox launched the Page in the course of final 12 months 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 handbook page-turn buttons and a skinny, light-weight design.

Inside, the Web page has an additional gig of RAM, an upgraded Qualcomm CPU and a much 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 major distinction there, however the further processing energy and reminiscence has noticeably upped the wake pace, effectivity in opening apps and page-turning pace.

It nonetheless runs on a fork of Android 11, which suggests the Web page acts extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Just like the Leaf 2, it’s finest 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 system even has audio system and might run apps like Spotify. In brief, the Web page can do way over a typical ereader can, in case you’re keen to experiment.

However the ereader expertise can be fairly good. The smooth, adjustable entrance gentle 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 possibly can 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. But it surely solely handles DRM-free ePubs from websites like Challenge 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 distinct app. In fact, you may take away the rights administration from the recordsdata, however that’s technically unlawful, even after you “own” the e book.

Display screen measurement: 6.13” Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Water-proof: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat gentle: 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 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 have been excruciatingly sluggish.

The Boox , nonetheless, is kind of enjoyable. It’s the identical measurement and form as a smartphone and, in plenty of methods, acts like one. The house display is a muted black and white model of what you may discover on a typical Android — you possibly can even add just a few 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 (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photos, significantly transferring ones, look far grainier and rougher than they’d on an actual cellphone’s LED display. That stated, the video high quality is the perfect I’ve seen on an E Ink display, because of a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Know-how.

However make no mistake, it’s not going to switch your cellphone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the one connectivity and the 16MP digital camera 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 is gorgeous to learn. At $280, it’s costlier than a typical ereader — and a few E Ink tablets — but it surely’s a extremely moveable approach to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. If you happen to’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a captivating various.