There's no doubt that ebook readers (also called e-readers) have actually made life easier. Books can likewise be costly and take up a lot of physical area, but that's not a problem with ebooks.

Naturally, when you hear e-reader, you might think Kindle. Amazon makes the very best ebook reader, which is why we have a separate Best Kindles guide that breaks down the entire lineup. However there are a few Kindle alternatives out there in case you don't wish to support Amazon or you simply want a various set of functions. WIRED's Gear team has spent months, if not years, reading on these tablets-- these are our favorites.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Finest Overall
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021, 11th Generation).
Amazon's Kindles are the very best e-readers around. It's dead simple to get brand-new ebooks from Amazon directly, and the Overdrive combination makes it easy to check out books from a public library immediately. E Ink screens in the majority of ebook readers are a little sluggish when you connect with them, but Kindles are some of the most responsive devices on the market. It's worth keeping in mind that Kindles usually see steep discount rates a couple of times a year, particularly on Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, so try to wait on a sale.
Any of the models in Amazon's present lineup is better than the competition, but the latest Kindle Paperwhite is my preferred. Both are waterproof, so you can read in the pool or tub without concern, and the 6.8-inch screens likewise have adjustable warm lighting so you can check out in bed. There's a Paperwhite Kids Edition too, which comes with a totally free cover, a two-year carefree warranty, and a year of Amazon Kids+ using access to kid-friendly content.


Best Kindle Alternative.
Kobo Libra 2.
Do not want to give your hard-earned money to Amazon? A Kobo is your next-best option. The business (owned by Japanese merchant Rakuten) has a massive 6 e-readers for you to choose from, all of which sit somewhere in between $100 and $400.
Most people ought to opt for the Kobo Libra 2. It's waterproof, has physical page-turn buttons (a feature I truly like), and there's Bluetooth support so you can listen and link earphones to audiobooks. Kobo slates have Overdrive combination, that makes reading library books easy, like on the Kindle. You get 32 gigabytes of storage and a rapid 7-inch E Ink screen, which has an adjustable front light and even a dark mode that provides a white text on a black background to make reading in the dark simpler on the eyes. You can even read it in landscape mode if you prefer. WIRED editor Adrienne So says the Kobo is still slower than the Kindle's screen-- it took her rather a long time to type up her account credentials and log in.

Nooks Are Fine Too.
Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight 4e.
Barnes and Noble put its website Nook e-readers on the back burner for a while, but 2 releases in 2022 prove it's giving it the old college try again. The Glowlight 4e is a enjoyment to read on, and I like the physical page-turn buttons. The book shop likewise offers a lot of low-cost ebooks-- after binging the True check here Blood television series, I discovered the books that motivated it for simply $3.
The process of trying to get a book from the library on a Nook is so frustrating that I had to put it down and come back at a later time with a cooler head. I suggest reading the full description in the brochure that comes in package, but generally, you'll need to set up Adobe Digital Editions on your computer and make certain you're signed in to your Adobe ID on your Nook prior to connecting it physically and transferring files. It feels very old school.

• Honorable Mentions.
Other Good Ebook Readers.
If the above options aren't doing it for you, the below choices are ones we also truly like. They're most likely fine for reading, though the older they get the slower they may be, with less effective batteries and laggy screens.
Amazon Kindle for $90: The standard Kindle (8/10, WIRED Recommends) costs $110 without ads and is a couple of years old now. It's not waterproof, but it has a front light that makes it legible in a dark room, and it includes Bluetooth for listening to audiobooks with headphones.
Kobo Elipsa for $400: This e-reader is just plain fun thanks to the included stylus, which lets you mark up pdfs and books , or create notebooks. Perfect for English class. Its large 10.3-inch screen is especially great, but it comes at a heart-stopping cost.
Barnes & Noble Glowlight 4 for $150: This ebook reader has 32 gigs of storage, which is a bargain more than the Glowlight 4E (8 GB), and it has a night mode for more comfy reading.
•.

You Can Use Your Phone or Tablet.
You Don't Need Another Screen.
You do not have to purchase a separate device to read ebooks. You can use Amazon's Kindle app to check out ebooks (iOS, Android), and even download OverDrive's Libby app (iOS, Android) for library book access anywhere.
If you 'd still rather have one smart device you can read on and use for other purposes, take a look at our Best Tablets and Best iPads guides for suggestions.