As a book lover, there’s no doubt you’d be familiar with the immeasurable joy books bring to your life. However, physical books tend to eat space and can be cumbersome to lug around. Enter the eBook reader. These nifty devices let you carry an entire library of books with you on the go.
While you won’t be able to experience the full book-reading experience—smelling the fragrance of a freshly printed book, turning the pages, holding the book in your hands, and all that—eBook readers are still an excellent alternative to physical books.
There’re many eBook readers available on the market, and you’d be hard-pressed to figure out which one is the best for you. We’ve helped you narrow down a list of the best eBook readers to purchase in this article below:
Key eBook Brands
Kindle
Amazon is a frontrunner of the eBook reader, first releasing its Kindle line of readers in 2007. Through the years, Amazon continues to innovate its flagship Kindle readers, from the basic Kindle to the latest Kindle models. The latest Kindle devices are integrated with a blue light filter and water resistance to enhance user experience.
Kobo
Kobo is the Japanese contender for eBook readers developed by Rakuten. Unlike the Kindle family, Kobo features a minimalistic design. Furthermore, it allows you to add eBooks outside of its native collection into your library.
Nook
US-based Barnes & Noble has its own brand of eBook readers in Nook. Like Amazon’s Kindle, Nook was originally launched as an eBook reader integrated with an electronic paper screen. Over the years, the company has introduced a series of Nook tablets that run on the Android ecosystem.
Best eBook Readers
Amazon leads the eBook reader market with its popular Kindle Paperwhite series. It’s an inexpensive yet excellent eBook reader that includes everything you need in one comprehensive device. The Kindle Paperwhite’s 2018 release features a lighter and thinner design, along with a high-resolution 6”, glare-free touchscreen at 330 pixels per inch that sports a white paper-reading aesthetic.
Only six inches in length, the Kindle Paperwhite is extremely portable and easy to cradle in the palms of your hands to make for easy reading. This eBook reader doesn’t have any page-turning buttons, replacing these instead with a screen-tapping feature for navigation.
The Kindle Paperwhite also has an IPX8 rating, meaning that it is waterproof—perfect for reading while you’re on the beach, in the tub, or in the pool. You can also sync your headphones with the Kindle Paperwhite via Bluetooth to listen to audiobooks downloaded from Audible.
The Kindle Paperwhite comes in 8GB and 32GB, letting you save tons of eBooks on your device. As for the eBook reader’s battery life, it is good for up to six weeks, assuming you perform 30 minutes of daily reading at a 13-point light setting with Wi-Fi disabled.
The Kobo Libra H2O is another great choice on our list. It sports a portable 7” high-resolution E-Ink display with a 300 pixel per inch screen, providing you with natural and crisp reading. It also comes with a ComfortLight PRO feature that reduces blue light exposure to enhance the comfort of your reading experience. If you’re reading at night, Kobo’s Libra H2O displays a warm yellow hue to minimize blue light exposure.
As its name suggests, the Kobo Libra H2O is 100% waterproof with its IPX8 rating, making it great for reading in the bathtub or at the pool. Depending on the frequency of your reading habits, the Kobo Libra H2O will require recharging every few weeks. At maximum charge, Libra H2O can even last up to a month between charges.
Furthermore, the Kobo Libra H2O is compatible with several eBook formats from different sources. You can download and add eBooks to your library from your local library, Dropbox, Google Play, or even other storage devices. The OverDrive library loan is also integrated into Kobo’s eBook store, granting you additional flexibility and convenience to acquire library books. Featuring an 8GB storage capacity, the Kobo Libra H2O also allows you to add plenty of eBooks for your reading pleasure.
If you’re willing to splurge, the Kindle Oasis could very well be the eBook reader for you. Amazon’s most expensive eBook reader model, the Kindle Oasis features a stunning 7” display with 300 pixels per inch resolution. With well-designed page navigation buttons, the Oasis combines aesthetics and functionality together in one device.
Depending on the settings and frequency of use, Amazon’s Kindle Oasis can last a maximum of six weeks on a single charge. It also features an integrated ambient light sensor, adapting the brightness to your surroundings so you don’t need to manually adjust the settings.
The Kindle Oasis is available in two storage sizes: 8GB and 32GB. While both storage sizes allow you to save thousands of eBooks, the 32GB model takes a step further and allows you to stream audiobooks from Audible using Bluetooth-enabled headphones. This eBook reader also allows you to download books directly from OverDrive. There’s no need to plug in a cable to transfer eBooks.
One of the Kindle Oasis’ unique features is X-Ray, allowing you to highlight passages from eBooks and share them on your social media accounts, search for the meaning of words, and identify the context of fictional and non-fictional characters, settings, and plots.
The only downside to the Kindle Oasis is the limitation of compatible eBook formats. Although you can read EPUB files on this eBook reader, you need to manually transfer them to your Kindle.
The Kobo Clara HD is one of the most versatile eBook readers available on the market and is a great option if you’re on a budget. Costing around $100, this eBook reader comes with 8GB of storage and a high-resolution screen of 300 pixels per inch. The Kobo Clara HD also features impressive battery performance, letting you read for up to a month with a single full charge.
Like more expensive Kobo models, the Clara HD also comes with the ComfortLight PRO. With this feature, the Clara HD steers clear of sleep-disrupting blue light, emitting orange and red LED light to illuminate its screen instead.
Similar to the Kobo Libra H2O, the Clara HD supports numerous eBook formats compared to Amazon’s eBook readers. You have the flexibility and convenience of purchasing eBooks from different publishers and third-party book retailers.
Manufactured by Barnes & Noble, the Nook GlowLight Plus is one of its most popular eBook readers. If you’re looking for an eBook reader with a larger screen and font size, the Nook GlowLight Plus is ideal for you with its 7.8” e-ink screen.
Like Kobo’s Clara HD, you can enable automatic adjustment of the brightness level during the day or manually adjust the screen’s color temperature. Nook’s GlowLight Plus also has a night mode to help you read comfortably at night.
Assuming that you adjust its brightness level to 10%, disable its Wi-Fi, and read for just half an hour daily, the Kobo Clara HD’s battery can last up to a month. If you use the device frequently, the GlowLight Plus needs to be charged at least once a week.
The Nook GlowLight Plus supports a variety of eBook formats, including Adobe DRM PDF and ePub, BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, as well as standard PDF and ePub. The GlowLight Plus can also stream audiobooks through Bluetooth headphones or built-in speakers.
This eBook reader is also waterproof, letting you read some of your favorite eBooks on the beach, in the pool, or in the bathroom without worries.
The only downside to the Nook GlowLight Plus is that it’s available in 8GB models only, meaning you’ll need to be a little more conservative with the eBooks you add to your library.
The Boox Note2 is one of Onyx’s best eBook readers, enjoying an excellent reputation as a superb e-ink tablet that offers a large screen for those who find Kobo and Kindle hard to read on.
This eBook reader is a 9” light and slim tablet that features a flat-front e-ink screen and black plastic exterior, along with a sizable bezel. The Note2 also has a rear button integrated with a fingerprint scanner. Its top section has a power button while a USB-C port is located on the bottom part. It comes with a built-in speaker for audiobooks, although these books are best listened to through Bluetooth headphones. Unlike the more advanced Kobos and Kindles, Onyx Boox’s Note2 isn’t water-resistant.
The Onyx Boox Note2 has an adjustable, color-changing front light ranging from blue to yellow. You can also connect the eBook reader to the Internet via 5GHz or 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. The eBook reader also has a sleep mode, which automatically shuts down all background processes and Wi-Fi to conserve battery.
The Onyx Boox Note2 is integrated with a 4,300mAh battery that can last you a long while for optimal reading. It is also supported by the Android ecosystem and is compatible with Google Play. This eBook reader lets you take notes, perform e-ink browsing, and read larger documents.
The Ideal eBook Reader
With so many eBook readers saturating the market, it may be hard to find one that fits your needs. But with this handy list, you should be able to decide on one that works well for you. Say goodbye to bulky physical books and add an eBook reader to your life today!
