The best e-readers for 2023 (2023)

Move away from the monitor and give your eyes a rest. E-book readers, also known as e-readers, are based on e-ink screens that allow you to read for a long time without the brain-burn of a bright LCD or OLED screen. They have a long battery life and look great in sunlight. Amazon's Kindles dominate the e-book reader market in the US, but if you're shopping around, it's a good idea to check out models from Kobo, Nook, and Onyx, too.

Here are the best ebook readers we've tested, followed by everything you need to know before choosing the right ebook reader.

Deeper insight: our best-tested tips

Buying guide: The best e-readers for 2023

What is the best screen type and size for eReaders?

Basic e-book readers use monochrome e-ink screens to display text. E Ink, or digital ink (often made by the E Ink company), looks a lot like paper, but is easier on the eyes when reading for extended periods than text on a traditional digital screen. However, cheaper models don't have a backlight, so you may need a lamp to see the text, just like you would with a printed book. But most e-book readers now have edge lighting that allows for reading in the dark. You can often change the brightness from barely bright to bright flashlight. On the lowest level, you can read in the dark while your partner sleeps undisturbed next to you.

In all cases, e-ink is much easier to read in bright sunlight, while glossy color touchscreens on tablets tend to wash out and show annoying reflections.

Most e-ink readers have traditionally had 6-inch screens, but panel sizes are slowly increasing: the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and the2 pound coinshave 7-inch screens, the Kindle Scribe and Kobo Elipsa 2E have 10.2-inch screens, and Onyx sells larger models up to 13.3-inches. We found balance issues when reading with one hand on screens larger than 7 inches.

Screen resolutions and quality also vary. Some older Kindles use 167ppi displays, which look rough and jagged compared to the 300ppi displays of more modern models. The latest readers from Amazon and Kobo go one step further with Carta 1200 technology, which offers faster page turns and even better contrast.

Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight 4 (Quelle: Sascha Segan)

If you haven't updated your e-book reader in years, you might be surprised at how much more responsive the latest e-ink readers are. Frequent, annoying screen flashes are a thing of the past.

The best color eReaders

If you want to do more than just read books, tablets with color screens offer many more benefits. Magazines and comics look great on larger tablets. Even cheaper tablets like this oneAmazonevuur 7It lets you browse the web, stream videos from Netflix, Hulu, and more, play music, and run apps. However, because of its high-quality screen and overall performance, we recommend the base model iPad for most people who want to read rich, full-page color content.

In 2020, we saw a breakthrough in E Ink color displays, with several readers implementing E Ink Kaleido or E Ink Kaleido Plus technologies. We've tested two, that's for sureOnyx Boox Nova3 Farbe(which is no longer for sale) and thatColor PocketBook Ink Pad, showing some of the exciting possibilities of colored e-ink. Unfortunately we cannot recommend them yet; The screen tech is relatively weak, with low full-color resolution and occasional ghosting. LCD tablets are much better than these and there haven't been many developments in color e-ink displays since then.

The best e-readers for the beach

If you like to read in the bathroom, by the pool or on the beach, consider a waterproof e-book reader. Options include the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, the Kobo Libra 2, and the Kobo Clara 2E, all of which can withstand some degree of submersion in water. Other readers are not so resilient.

The best e-readers for taking notes

All e-book readers allow you to highlight or mark specific phrases for future reference. Some have digital pens that allow you to take notes directly on the screen. The Remarkable line of tablets, the Kindle Scribe, the Kobo Elipsa 2E, many Onyx Boox tablets, and the iPad line all support pen input. In general, you can use it to annotate PDFs and other types of documents and to annotate freehand on a blank page. The Kobo Elipsa 2E is our favorite e-ink tablet for use with pens because of its strong support for document formats. Writing on the Scribe feels just as good, but Amazon's Kindle ecosystem requires more effort to get the most out of some document formats.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (Quelle: Will Greenwald)

The Remarkable 2 has a passionate following and is the best tablet for taking notes. However, it is not a good e-book reader as it only supports books in PDF and EPUB format. That means books from public libraries and many online bookstores aren't an option.

The best e-readers for audiobooks

Sometimes it is better to listen than to read. Sometimes you want to read and listen at the same time. Kindles can now connectBluetooth headphonesto play Audible audiobooks, and many Amazon books can be synced with Audible audiobooks on Kindle e-book readers. By comparison, Kobo uses a proprietary audiobook format.

Oddly enough, Amazon keeps its slickest audiobook feature, Immersion Reading, for its Android app. This feature synchronizes words that appear on the page with the words you hear aloud.

Where can you get ebooks?

The e-book reader you choose determines which ecosystem you can use.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo use copy protection on most of their books, which prevents you from reading titles on other brands' e-book readers. Removing copy protection is possible, but you can also remove features such as formatting and character summaries. In addition, in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to remove protections specifically for Amazon books.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Bron: Sascha Segan)

Amazon's Kindle Unlimited offers over three million ebooks for $9.99 per month. Amazon Prime subscribers have access to a smaller library as part ofExcellent readingwithout paying extra. For kids, the Amazon Kids+ subscription service offers a variety of children's books starting at $2.99 ​​per month. Get one year free with the purchase of the Kindle Kids Edition.

For borrowing from public libraries, Kobo readers let you use the popular library app Overdrive as their own store, which is handy. Amazon directs you through the library's website to select books to transfer to your device.

The selection, size and prices of books vary from store to store. Books from major publishers generally appear in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo stores. But Amazon also has exclusive authors and imprints. Many of these are self-published and not very good, but Amazon definitely has a volume advantage.

For more information, see our article onHow to download free ebooks to your Amazon Kindle. A detailed comparison of the supported formats of different e-book readers can be found hereWikipedia article comparing e-book formats.

How much should you spend on an eReader?

If you read mainstream books or non-fiction, the sweet spot right now is $100-$150 for a good 6- or 7-inch device from Amazon or Kobo. You can buy a cheaper model that costs less, or a larger model that costs more, but ebook readers in this price range tend to offer the best balance between screen quality and size.

Onyx tablet readers cost significantly more than other ebook readers. Yet they're also much more powerful, allowing you to use multiple reading apps, annotate PDFs, and read large documents on large screens. We see this especially with academics, lawyers and doctors. The Kindle Scribe is much more accessible and less expensive (though still quite a bit more expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite), but has fewer features.

If you're buying a Kindle, check out oursAmazon Kindle Tips Every Reader Should Know. And if you prefer to read on a larger screen or a screen with color, check out oursTop-Tablet-Tips.