Bookworms may still cherish the feel of leafing through pages, the whiff of new-book smell, and stacking their shelves with beloved tomes, but nothing beats an e-reader for convenience.
The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
You can bring your entire library on vacation without an extra suitcase. If you’re working through a 1,349-page novel such as Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, your wrists will thank you. And unlike a phone, your e-reader won’t constantly interrupt you with news alerts and texts, so you can lose yourself in a new world or focus on learning something new.
While e-readers evolve more slowly than say, phones, the latest batch are lighter, brighter, and more capable than ever. I evaluated six of the most popular models to see which belongs on your nightstand in 2025.
Why you should trust me
Photograph: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian
As an avid reader all my life, I embraced the convenience of ebooks years ago, starting with an early Kindle model. My local library has a vast catalog, and my virtual queue is always full. Most weeks, I’ll get through a book or two or three. Even when I’m not reading, I’m listening to podcasts to find out which book to pick up next.
I’m also a veteran tech journalist with more than eight years of experience testing and reviewing products. At various times, my house has been cluttered with dozens of smart light bulbs, robot vacuums, and artificial Christmas trees (though usually not all at once).
How I tested
For more than a month, I tested six e-readers, using each for the same amount of time and putting them through the same tests. That included carrying them around in a backpack, knocking them off a nightstand, and even submerging the waterproof devices in water. I also evaluated other factors, such as battery life, charging time and extra features, such as Dropbox integration.
Photograph: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian
To test content availability exhaustively, I created a list of 26 popular and more obscure books in a variety of genres, including mystery, romance, sci-fi, and young adult. I noted which books were missing, and calculated the total cost to purchase them all. I also timed how long it took to get an ebook from my local library onto the device itself, loaded them up with PDFs and epub files, and connected Bluetooth headphones to listen to audiobooks.
Most of all, I read. I paged through fiction and nonfiction, children’s books, a graphic novel, and scientific PDFs on each device. I scored each device based on how easy it was to navigate, the options of changing fonts and layouts, and the brightness and crispness of the display.
After my read-a-thon, I returned the e-readers to their manufacturers or donated them to the Seattle public library.
All prices current at the time of publication.
The best e-readers at a glance
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
Best overall:
Kobo Libra Colour
A Kobo Libra Colour e-reader on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
If you’d rather patronize your public library than Amazon, the Kobo Libra Colour is the e-reader for you. The Libra integrates directly with OverDrive, makers of the Libby app, which makes it the easiest way to download ebooks and audiobooks from your public library.
Why we love it
The Kobo Libra Colour is fun to play around with and make your own. It has more fonts and font sizes to choose from than the Kindles I tested, and it’s possible to make subtler adjustments to the brightness and warmness, too.
A few other features set it apart from Kindles as well. It has physical buttons for turning pages, or you can tap and swipe on the screen. Dropbox and Google Drive integration make it painless to load your own files onto the e-reader. A stylus, sold separately, lets you highlight and take notes, which was great for PDFs I couldn’t otherwise edit on the device.
In addition to its OverDrive access, Kobo has a well-stocked bookstore of its own. There were only two titles on my list that I couldn’t find, and most of its ebook prices matched Amazon’s.
It’s a shame that … it costs so much. Its battery drained more quickly than some of the competition, too. If you’re on a budget, the less expensive Kobo Clara Color omits a few features, such as physical buttons and the ability to work with a stylus, for about $70 less.
$229.99 at Rakuten$229.99 at Amazon
Storage: 32GB
Battery life: Up to 40 days
Display: 7in, 300 ppi (black-and-white content), 150 ppi (color content)
Waterproof: IPX8 (up to 60 minutes in 6.5ft of fresh water)
Best budget:
Amazon Kindle (11th generation)
Amazon Kindle (11th Ggeneration) e-reader on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
For a little over $100, the basic Kindle offers almost everything you want in an e-reader. If you just want a portable way to read ebooks and access to Amazon’s seemingly endless supply of titles, this no-frills option fits the bill.
Why we love it
Compact and lightweight, the Kindle nevertheless delivers plenty of storage for all your ebooks. And you have a lot of reading options through Amazon. I found all 26 titles I was looking for, and my Amazon shopping cart was the cheapest, although Barnes & Noble and Kobo had identical prices on most books.
Its 6in screen was one of the smallest I tested, but the text was crisp and easy to read. It had no trouble surviving the drop tests when I knocked it off my nightstand.
It’s a shame that … this Kindle lacks the ability to change the color temperature from bluish white to a warmer yellow as bedtime approaches. A dark mode, which makes the background black and words white, might suffice for some. Its battery life isn’t as robust as some of the other options on the list, but it should still last weeks on a single charge.
Storage: 16GB
Battery life: Up to six weeks
Display: 6in, 300 ppi
Waterproof: No
Best for kids:
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids e-reader on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
Amazon makes several kid-geared Kindles. They’re similar to their grown-up counterparts but usually come with a protective case, a longer warranty, and six or 12 months access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription, which includes access to a range of age-appropriate ebooks.
Why we love it
A color screen makes sense for kids who devour picture books and graphic novels. While hues on books like You Are a Burst of Color are a little muted compared to a physical copy, the 7in screen still captures plenty of vibrant detail.
The Colorsoft has respectable storage and battery life, and the screen is responsive, making it easy to tap or swipe through pages, even of an unwieldy PDF. It can auto-adjust the light’s warmth at sunset or based on your preferred schedule.
It’s quick and easy to toggle between kid mode and a typical Kindle, only requiring a four-digit code. That means your child could use the same device when they start reading grown-up books.
It’s a shame that … getting library books on a kid’s Kindle isn’t intuitive. It’s also the priciest kid’s model, with the non-color Paperwhite Kids costing about $90 less.
$269.99 at Amazon$269.99 at Best Buy
Storage: 16GB
Battery life: Up to eight weeks
Display: 7in, 300 ppi (black-and-white content), 150 ppi (color content)
Waterproof: IPX8 (up to 60 minutes in 6.5ft of fresh water)
skip past newsletter promotion
A guide to buying fewer, better products.
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
Best for travel:
Kobo Clara BW
A Kobo Clara BW e-reader on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
Love to read by the pool for hours at a time? The Kobo Clara BW can stay powered for weeks and survive an accidental dip.
Why we love it
When I submerged the Kobo in a tub of tap water for 10 minutes, it remained completely functional after I fished it out. Even if you’re not scheduled to lounge on the beach, the e-reader has more than enough space to hold a ton of ebooks and audiobooks. I loaded it up with over 180 PDFs, and it barely made a dent in its storage space.
The battery life was impressive, lasting several hours with only 10% power left. It also charged quickly, getting up to 90% after 90 minutes. It outshines the budget Kindle because it can change color temperature, either manually or based on a schedule.
While it doesn’t have all the features of the Kobo Libra Colour, it was equally as easy to get books from OverDrive or the Kobo bookstore.
It’s a shame that … the screen is a little dimmer compared to some of the larger devices, and it lacks the buttons of the Kobo Libra Colour. Side-by-side with the budget Kindle, it feels a little bulky.
$139.99 at Rakuten$139.99 at Amazon
Key specs:
Storage: 16GB
Battery life: Up to 53 days
Display: 6in, 300 ppi
Waterproof: IPX8 (up to 60 minutes in 6.5ft of fresh water)
The best of the rest
If you want a really big screen:
Nook GlowLight 4 Plus
Nook GlowLight 4 Plus on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
Why we love it
Barnes & Noble’s digital bookstore is almost perfect, lacking only a single ebook on my list (and it does have the audiobook version). The prices are mostly the same as Amazon’s, with one expensive exception. It has the largest screen of any e-reader I tested, with the tradeoff being that it weighs a couple of ounces more.
It didn’t make the final cut because … the overall experience of reading on the Nook can’t compare with Kindle or Kobo devices. The screen is laggier, especially with large PDFs. It also takes the most time and extra steps to get an ebook from the library onto the device.
$199.99 at Barnes & Noble
Storage: 32GB
Battery life: Up to three weeks
Display: 7.8in, 300 ppi
Waterproof: IPX7 (up to 30 minutes in 3ft of fresh water)
If you want a fancier Kindle:
Kindle Paperwhite Signature
Kindle Paperwhite Signature on a table and being held by a readerPhotograph: Jenny McGrath
Why we love it
The Signature version of the Kindle looks and feels premium. Flipping through pages seems to be the fastest on this device, and the touchscreen is smooth. If you want an e-reader that can zoom in close and still retain fine detail, this is a great option. Its battery life is the best I tested, too.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s pretty pricey. Wireless charging is one of the main features, besides its extra storage, that sets it apart from the cheaper Kindle Paperwhite, which is about $40 less.
$199.99 at Amazon$199.99 at Best Buy
Storage: 32GB
Battery life: Up to 12 weeks
Display: 7in, 300 ppi
Waterproof: IPX8 (up to 60 minutes in 6.5ft of fresh water)
What else to know about e-readers
Photograph: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian
Can I just read on my phone?
Yes: Libby, Kindle, Nook and other apps make it easy to get ebooks on your phone. These absolutely work if you don’t want to buy another gadget. However, e-readers use e-ink screens that mimic the look of paper and strain the eyes less than phone screens. Plus, having a dedicated device without notifications can make for a more distraction-free experience.
What’s an ePub book?
While ebooks come in a few file types, ePubs are among the most common. Kindles use Amazon’s proprietary format, AZW files. Many e-readers also support PDF, DOC, and TXT documents.
What’s the best e-reader for library books?
Based on my testing, Kobo devices make it the easiest to browse and download public library books for free thanks to integration with OverDrive, which owns the Libby app. You can peruse titles directly on a Kobo, while Kindle readers require you to browse on your phone using the Libby app.
Do I need Adobe Digital Editions or Calibri to use an e-reader?
It depends on the model. I didn’t need to use Adobe Digital Editions or Calibri to get library books on the Kindles and Kobos I tested. However, I needed both for the Nook. Libby exported its ePubs as ACSM files, which require Adobe Digital Editions. I had to open them in that program to convert them to ePub files I could load into the Nook.
However, my Macbook didn’t register when I had my Nook connected. I used a program called Calibri, which converts ebook file formats. The program recognized the Nook, and I could transfer ePub files from my computer with no problem.
Photograph: Jenny McGrath/The Guardian
Do e-readers work with audiobooks?
Yes, most of the e-readers I tested can play audiobooks. The catch is that you have to pair Bluetooth headphones or speakers – they don’t have built-in speakers.
What’s the best e-reader for highlighting?
If you love sharing your favorite quotes on BookTok or want to keep track of scintillating passages for your book club, all the e-readers I tested compiled my highlights and listed them by chapter. I could also make notes tied to specific text. The Kobo Libra Colour works with a stylus, sold separately, that lets you write notes right on the page.
How much do ebooks cost?
I searched for 26 ebooks across the Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo platforms. They ranged from 99 cents to $29.99. Some were free to read with Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus. The average price was about $12. All the popular books I chose were available through my public library, but none of the obscure books I chose were.
Can you read Kindle books on Kobo or vice versa?
Books purchased from the Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Kobo stores come protected with Digital Rights Management (DRM), which prevents you from sharing them. When I tried to load an Amazon ebook on my Kobo, for example, it showed up as gibberish. There are legally suspect ways around this, but I’m not suggesting you try them.
Jenny McGrath is a freelance tech and science journalist with eight years of experience testing tech and home products. She’s dusted her floors with cereal, dumped red wine on carpet samples, and splattered dishes with egg yolk to evaluate vacuums, stain removers and dishwashers. She always has podcast recommendations
