Tablets and smartphones may be overlooked by e-readers, but dedicated readers who don’t like carrying around heavy books have a very prominent place in the market. Today’s e-readers offer a wide variety, whether they’re looking for the most affordable, the most ergonomic, or simply the best e-reader on the market.
If you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift and want your dad to finally go digital, here’s a guide to the ten best e-readers of 2023 and what makes each one stand out.
The Best eBook Reader by Price
The price of e-readers has dropped dramatically since their introduction. You can choose an e-reader in three price ranges. The most affordable e-readers, such as the basic Kindle and the Amazon Fire 7 tablet, cost less than $100. They don’t have many extra features, but they offer an excellent quality reading experience.
Mid-range e-readers include the popular Kindle Paperwhite, the NOOK Glowlight Plus, and the Kobo Clara HD, all of which range in price from $100 to $200. These readers offer additional features like waterproofing and backlighting.
Finally, if you’re looking for a full-featured e-reader with the best ergonomic design and balance, you can pay $250 for high-end e-readers like the new Kindle Oasis and the Kobo Forma.
The Best eReaders for Battery Life
Battery life is important for an e-reader because no one likes to put a book down in the middle of an event. Eventually, it will drain the battery. However, this may not be a significant factor in your decision, as all e-readers consume very little power.
However, if you travel a lot or forget to charge your devices, some e-readers will last longer than others. For example, the Kindle Oasis can last up to 8 weeks on a single charge. The Kobo Aura One can last about a month without plugging in, while the Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus has a battery life of about six weeks.
The Best eBooks for Reading Experience
The biggest test when choosing an e-book reader is the quality of the reading experience. While you might think that screen size is the most important factor, that’s not always the case.
Most e-book readers have a 6-inch screen. Kobo readers are larger, at 7.8 inches for the Aura One and 8 inches for the Forma. This means that larger fonts are easier to read, but it also makes them less comfortable to hold in one hand.
Screen resolution is more important than screen size for readability. The best e-readers have a 300 ppi (dots per inch) density, including the Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Aura One, and Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus. The basic Kindle e-reader has just 167 ppi, which makes a big difference.
Newer e-readers are much easier on the eyes, thanks to Carta E Ink technology instead of LED or LCD screens. They are less likely to cause eye strain and fatigue from staring at a screen for long periods of time. Kobo models use Carta E Ink to produce beautiful, clear text that is easy to read and easy on the eyes.
One of the best e-readers for good reading is the Kindle Paperwhite. It uses a specially designed font called Bookerly, along with E Ink, which allows the eye to recognize words faster for faster reading. The contrast is sharp, and the screen is carefully designed so that no reflections interfere with reading in certain lighting conditions.
eBook Readers and Backlighting
While early e-readers didn’t have built-in lighting, it’s become one of the best features of e-readers that you can expect on most devices.
While the most basic devices have LED lighting, today’s best e-readers include advanced lighting capabilities. All Kobo e-readers, including the Kobo Aura One, feature ComfortLight Pro technology, which has a color-changing filter to reduce blue light and help you fall asleep. You can also let the e-reader choose the lighting you need. Some readers, like the Barnes & Noble NOOK GlowLight Plus and the Kindle All-New Oasis, detect ambient light and automatically adjust the backlight for an optimal reading experience.
Touchscreen eReaders
Whether or not a touchscreen will change your choice of eBook reader is a matter of personal preference. A touchscreen can make it easy to scroll through a long library list of books, like the one offered on the Amazon Fire 7 tablet, which doubles as an e-reader. That said, physical buttons like the basic Kindle could be more ergonomically friendly and more convenient when you’re reading on the beach or with gloves and can’t easily activate the touchscreen. Some of the best e-book readers give you two options: the Kindle All-New Oasis.
Supported Formats
After the reading experience, the next most important factor when choosing an e-book reader is probably the supported formats. Not all e-book readers support all formats, which means you’ll need to do some smart reconfiguration to make your e-book reader compatible with other formats, or start by deciding which formats you prefer and then choosing the right reader.
All Kindle readers and the Amazon Fire 7 tablet are compatible with Amazon Kindle books, which are available in .mobi or AZW formats, as well as .pdf and .txt files. Amazon’s library is undoubtedly the most affordable and extensive.
Kobo e-readers support the widest range of e-book formats, including EPUB, .mobi, .pdf, .html and .txt. With the Kobo Aura One, you can read Kindle books in the open .mobi format and Google EPUB books. However, Kobo’s library does not include periodicals, and neither Amazon’s lending library nor Apple Books books can be read on a Kobo reader.
Barnes & Noble’s NOOK GlowLight Plus and NOOK GlowLight 3 e-readers are available at Barnes & Noble, perhaps even more than Amazon. NOOK also supports documents and books in EPUB, .pdf, and .png formats, but you can’t read a Kindle or Apple iBooks e-book on a NOOK reader without first converting it.
You can tailor your choice of e-book reader to the format you read most. If you already have Amazon Prime, Kindle may be the best option, but most U.S. public libraries also offer e-books through the Overdrive program. Kindles don’t natively support Overdrive formats, but Kobo’s Libra H20, Aura One, and Clara HD do.
The Best eBook Readers for Android and iOS
Today, you don’t need physical books to read, but you don’t need to carry an e-book reader with you either. Some of the best e-book readers have easy-to-use apps for Android and iOS that let you access your entire e-book library from your smartphone or tablet. Kindle offers free, easy-to-use apps for Android and iOS that bring together all the books in your Amazon account and let you read them easily and instantly on your device. Barnes & Noble’s NOOK devices and Kobo e-book readers also include apps for Android and iPhone that let you read on your phone, tablet, or other device.
Weight and Size
The weight and size of your e-book reader also vary. While a tablet may not seem heavy at first, if you hold it in one hand for hours, you’ll start to notice. There’s a significant difference between the Amazon Fire 7 tablet, which weighs 375 grams, and the regular Kindle, also from Amazon, which is one of the lightest e-book readers at just 165 grams.
Most e-book readers weigh between 170 and 190 grams. For example, the Kobo Libra HD and the Kindle All-New Oasis weigh 190 grams. However, some e-book readers, such as the Amazon Fire 7 tablet and the Kobo Forma, are designed to be larger, heavier, and take up more space in your bag.
The Best Waterproof eBook Readers
If you want to read on the beach, by the pool, or just in the bathtub without worrying about splashes, we recommend one of the new generation of waterproof e-books. The Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus is IP67 certified, meaning it can withstand up to 1 meter of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. The Kindle Oasis and Kobo Aura One are both IPX8 certified, meaning it can withstand up to 60 minutes of fresh water at a depth of 2 meters. While this doesn’t mean we recommend reading underwater, it’s reassuring to know that your e-reader can withstand a dip in the bathtub or pool.
Choose the Best eBook Reader For You!
Whether you want to take a stack of books on vacation (without having to carry them with you) or grab an e-reader from your bag when you’re online, there’s an e-reader to suit your needs, budget, reading habits, and comfort level.