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Best e-readers and Kindles to buy right now
Most readers should buy a Kindle Paperwhite: waterproof, a warm light for bedtime and weeks of battery. Choose a Kobo if you borrow library ebooks or want to avoid Amazon's store, and a colour model only for comics and cookbooks.
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Best for most people
1. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Without ads · 7in glare-free · Up to 12 weeks · 16GB
The e-reader most people should buy. The listing confirms a 7-inch glare-free screen with fast page turns, a thin build and up to 12 weeks from a USB-C charge, with no social media or notifications to distract you. Books come from Amazon's Kindle store, so if you mainly borrow library ebooks the Kobo below is the better fit.
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Best budget pick
2. Amazon Kindle
Dark mode · 6in glare-free · Up to 6 weeks · 16GB
The best seller of the readers here and the one to buy for a child or a light reader: a 6-inch glare-free screen with adjustable front light, dark mode and up to six weeks of battery, per the listing. It is light and compact. This listing is the version with ads, and it has half the battery life of the Paperwhite.
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Best for comics and cookbooks
3. Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
7in colour · Up to 8 weeks · 16GB · 5 colours
Buy this only if colour matters: comics, cookbooks, covers and highlighting in five colours on a 7-inch screen. The listing says a charge lasts up to eight weeks. Amazon's own listing notes the display is tuned for colour and differs from the Paperwhite, which is tuned for black and white text, so plain novels gain nothing.
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Best Kobo
4. Kobo Clara Colour
ComfortLight PRO · 6in Kaleido 3 colour · 16GB · IPX8, 2m for 60 min
The pick for anyone who wants to step outside Amazon's store, with a 6-inch colour E Ink screen, colour highlighting and audiobook support per the listing. It is IPX8 waterproof to 2 metres for 60 minutes, and ComfortLight PRO cuts blue light for night reading. The screen is an inch smaller than the 7-inch Kindles.
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Best for handwritten notes
5. Amazon Kindle Scribe
Premium Pen, no charging · Adjustable warmth · 11in with front light · 32GB
A reader and paper notebook in one, for people who annotate books or take notes in meetings. The listing says the 11-inch textured screen feels like paper, the included Premium Pen needs no charging, and there are AI notebook tools plus cloud service support. At 11 inches it is a two-handed device, not one to read in bed with.
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Best for text-to-speech
6. PocketBook Verse Pro
Bluetooth, 6 formats · 6in E Ink Carta HD · IPX8 · 26 languages
For listeners as much as readers: the listing says text-to-speech reads any book aloud in 26 languages, and Bluetooth connects headphones or a car. The screen has SMARTlight with automatic warmth and a dark mode, and it is IPX8 waterproof. At 6 inches the screen is smaller than the Paperwhite's.
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Best for Android apps
7. BOOX Go 7
Android 13 · Warm and cold · 7in Carta 1300, 300ppi · 4GB RAM, 64GB
An E Ink tablet running Android 13, for readers who want apps on a paper-like screen rather than one store's reader. The listing gives a 7-inch 300ppi Carta 1300 screen, warm and cold front light, auto-rotation and 64GB of storage. It supports the BOOX InkSense stylus, but the listing says that is sold separately.
Nothing matches those filters. Try fewer filters, or search for a brand like "MSI" or "Crucial".
How we rank
Ordered by how well each sells in its Amazon UK category, what the listing confirms it can do, and price. We have not handled these products: the write-ups rest on what each listing states. Prices and stock are checked daily.
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