Best E-reader to Download Books From Anywhere
Best ereader 2022: the top choices of Kindle and Kobo
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Whether y'all're heading off to college or uni, planning that adjacent big trip when travel becomes more conducive, demand a portable device for your daily commute or just staying home to keep the ongoing pandemic at bay, there's a strong case to be made for getting an ebook reader (or ereader) instead of (or in improver to) your physical book collection. Information technology could be equally simple as the lack of space or the need to travel calorie-free.
Sure, mod big-screen smartphones or tablets loaded with a Kindle or Kobo app serve the same purpose, but the way nosotros read on a bright, electronic device is very different to how nosotros read a concrete page. And ereader screens are more like the latter in of import means.
According to a 2014 report from the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning, we've trained our eyes to skim and sprint on screens (thanks, internet), constantly hunting for specific $.25 of information we're after – a non-linear behavior the Stanford paper calls 'surface reading'.
When reading from a paper book, by contrast, our brains switch to a more than full-bodied form of information processing – dubbed 'deep reading' – that actually helps us amend absorb and encompass what's on the page, even if it'southward a digital page that mimics the existent affair.
To us, that sounds like a nifty argument for giving ereaders their own space, abroad from the distractions of apps and abiding notifications on our modern exercise-all devices. With a dedicated ereader, you can fifty-fifty browse for new books without leaving the house.
Absolutely, ereaders are simpler devices made for the singular purpose of reading, but they accept advantages that you won't detect on more versatile tablets, such as batteries that last weeks rather than hours and much clearer legibility in direct sunlight thanks to their glare-free screens.
There are several brands of ereaders on the market today, but availability is spotty. For example, Barnes & Nobles' Nook devices are simply available in the US, while Onyx Boox tablets are available in the UK and Europe. Neither are available in Commonwealth of australia. Two companies, though, have risen to own the ereader market place globally – Amazon (with its range of Kindle ereaders) and Kobo. We've divided this page into two sections to highlight the best both companies take to offer, so go along to compare the ii to aid yous make your buying determination.
- Just looking for Kindles? Here's our guide to the best Kindle
Amazon Kindles
If money is no object and you want the most luxurious reading feel a digital ebook reader tin can give y'all, then it doesn't get any improve than the 2019 version of Amazon'due south Kindle Oasis.
While the older 2018 model tin be institute on Amazon, the new model is lighter than its predecessor, and its IPX8 waterproofing means it can easily handle an accidental dunk in the bathroom or the pool.
The backlight can exist adjusted from white to warmer yellow hues to reduce center strain, and it can even be scheduled to get warmer at bedtime (say, 9:30pm for example).
There'southward also the usual Kindle Oasis features we saw in the previous generation – a high-quality and large 7-inch display with E Ink technology that makes words on the page crisp and clear, and a 'ridge' on one side of the sleek-looking aluminum chassis that has been designed for easy and comfortable single-hand apply.
The buttons to turn pages are inside easy achieve of the thumb even if you have pocket-size mitts, and the device tin can be turned upside down for use with either hand, with the pages swapping automatically to suit.
WhisperSync support means you tin end reading on your Oasis and choice upward reading where you left on the Kindle app, or another Kindle device, although this will require your devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
In that location's also plenty of storage space onboard, with 8GB beingness the starting signal, but you tin get a 32GB version of the Haven if you've got (or planning on having) a large digital library. The base model comes with Wi-Fi enabled, but at that place is an LTE option as well, which allows you to download ebooks from the Kindle Store no matter where you lot are.
It's the ereader that comes with all the bells and whistles, if you tin breadbasket the premium cost.
Read the full review: Amazon Kindle Oasis
At that place was a time when Amazon had a Kindle called Voyage, simply that has been discontinued. Instead, some of the features from the Voyage take been added to the Kindle Paperwhite, making information technology i of the all-time, affordable Kindles till date.
The latest edition of the Paperwhite is thinner and lighter than the previous generation, and offers 8GB of storage on its base model – twice that on the predecessor. Similar the Oasis, though, you can opt for a 32GB flavor too, in case you'd like to store a staggering number of ebooks on the device. And, like the Oasis, at that place are Wi-Fi and cellular models available too.
The 6-inch screen is a gorgeous Hard disk drive display with 300ppi pixel density that makes the words on the page announced abrupt and clear, even in bright sunlight. The born light tin can be adjusted from white to warmer hues to reduce eye strain, although you lot can't schedule the light to change for dark reading as you can with the Oasis.
Compared to the Haven' sleek, premium design, the Paperwhite's chassis is rather dull and feels plasticky in the hand, only it's remarkably functional, equally long as y'all don't need to employ it with a single hand.
Thanks to its IPX8 waterproofing, you can safely relax in the bath or lounge by the puddle with your favorite titles and not worry about it falling into the h2o.
Battery life doesn't seem to be every bit good every bit information technology was in the older version, merely you'll still get days of apply out of a single charge with the current model of the Paperwhite.
Read the full review: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
These are unprecedented times and everyone is budget conscious at the moment. So if you'd like an ereader that won't burn a hole in your pocket, and then Amazon's latest basic Kindle is for you.
It retails for $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$139 a pop, merely yous go what you pay for. It's an entry-level, no-frills device that comes with a backlight that has no blue light filter. The 6-inch display is glare-gratuitous but it's non the sharpest screen (an entry-level Kobo chosen Nia has beaten Amazon on that regard – run across below for more details).
That said, the screen is acceptable for reading indoors, the battery volition see you through a couple of weeks of reading and you'll get upward to 8GB of storage. The Kindle isn't waterproof, so you'll need to be careful if you're a poolside, beach or in-the-bath reader.
Despite being a basic ereader, the latest iteration of the Kindle comes with Bluetooth back up, then y'all tin can connect a gear up of wireless headphones and link your Audible account if you're keen on listening to audiobooks when you're unable to read.
The user interface is basic but intuitive and makes reading digital books and magazines a breeze. It's also slim and light, making information technology a highly portable library for all the titles you own.
Read the full review: Amazon Kindle
Kobo ereaders
While traditional tablet-like ereaders (similar the Kindle Paperwhite mentioned above and the Kobo Nia and Clara Hd beneath) are the most affordable ebook readers you can go, they're uncomfortable to use single-handed. And and then the asymmetric design that the Kindle Haven pioneered is becoming more popular, with Kobo introducing the Libra Water in late 2019 every bit a more than affordable selection to both the Amazon counterpart as well as the bigger Kobo Forma.
But it's not but the Libra's relatively affordable price tag that makes it a compelling ereader alternative – it's also more durable than the expensive bigger brother listed below, and it boasts an improved user interface that offers a amend reading experience than what you'd become on a Kindle.
With a seven-inch screen (compared to the Forma'southward 8 inches), it's smaller than its bigger brother, but that makes information technology more than portable and information technology'southward a much faster device as well. With the latest Due east Ink engineering, the Libra H2o matches the Haven in speed and responsiveness – whether you lot're just turning a page, selecting words for dictionary look-up or entering a Wi-FI password to ready the ereader.
The Libra H2O debuted improvements to the user interface, like a new ebook navigator accessed by either swiping upwardly from the lesser or tapping in the centre of the screen. You can fifty-fifty use the Libra to read in mural mode if yous adopt. We were already partial to Kobo's user interface and these changes accept made it more streamlined than the cluttered UX of the Kindles.
Thanks to its hard plastic body, the Libra has a more premium and rugged wait than the Forma. The page-turn buttons feel a lot more than sturdy with expert feedback, while the ability button on the rear is easy to locate every bit information technology sits in a recess that's quite deep. That said, the buttons on the Oasis are, by far, the best of the three.
And while the Haven' metal body gives it a very premium look and feel – and carries a cost tag to friction match its status – the Libra'south affordability and usability make it like shooting fish in a barrel to recommend – especially in countries where OverDrive support means you lot tin can borrow ebooks from you lot local public library.
Read the full review: Kobo Libra H2O
Kobo's Clara Hard disk drive ereader is more than capable of giving its directly competition – Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite – a run for its money. Priced cheaper than its Kindle counterpart, the Clara HD manages to outperform Amazon'southward near pop ereader in almost every area that matters.
Key amongst those is the screen. The Clara HD'southward 6-inch front-lit display matches the Kindle for sharpness (both are 300ppi) just integrates a blue-light filter which uses your timezone to automatically change screen brightness at night to reduce your exposure to slumber-disrupting blue low-cal. It fits that display into a compact body that's lighter than the Paperwhite, making it easier to skid into just nearly any pocketbook.
Comprehend art and text are rendered at a higher DPI (dots per inch) on the Clara HD than other older Kobo ereaders, making them announced significantly sharper in comparing. The Clara Hd also introduced a 'rapid page turn' engine that allows y'all to speedily movement forward in an ebook past property down the bottom left corner of the screen. The slight caveat is that this feature but works with KEPUB ebooks, i.e. the ones bought directly from Kobo.
The responsiveness of the E Ink screen is also much faster and more precise than we're used to seeing on either Kindle or Kobo ereaders, which makes things like text pick for lexicon look-upwards (or highlighting and annotation-taking) much less hit-and-miss than before. It also has wireless OverDrive functionality, so you lot tin can browse and borrow from your local library'due south ebook collection directly on the device.
With bombardment life that lasts a few weeks, the Clara Hard disk is a characteristic-packed device with a display that's the best-in-grade for an ereader at this price point.
Read the total review: Kobo Clara HD
Appear in July 2020, the Nia is the latest ereader to join the Kobo ranks, and as well the company'south cheapest device. It'due south a no-frills ereader that offers directly competition to the basic Amazon Kindle. While it's priced a touch higher than the Kindle, y'all practise get a slightly improve and more responsive 6-inch screen, with a resolution of 1024x758, or 212ppi (a step-up from the 167ppi Kindle display).
You too get a more streamlined user interface which, over the final couple of years, has seen steady improvements. The new features that debuted concluding year on the Libra Water have made their mode to the Nia, making information technology a lot more user-friendly than whatsoever Kindle model.
The other advantages the Nia offers over the Kindle are wider file format support (like all the Kobos) and third-party application integration with OverDrive for borrowing library ebooks, Pocket for reading on the web, and Dropbox for cloud storage. Like the other Kobos, you lot'll be able to sideload fonts to the Nia, fifty-fifty Amazon'south own Bookerly.
Physically, the Kindle and the Nia are like but the Kobo device has a textured rear console that makes the ereader experience more secure in the hand. The 1 complaint we do have is, for a device that launched in 2020, it however doesn't accept USB-C charging.
Different the Kindle, there'south no Bluetooth support on the Nia – a commonality shared by all the Kobo ereaders, even the premium ones. That means the Nia lacks audiobook support, which even the base model of the current Kindle range has.
So, if yous're not slap-up on getting locked into the Amazon ecosystem, then the Nia is an excellent ereader for anyone on a tight budget. Notwithstanding, the Nia lacks a blueish light filter, and so if you lot read a lot at night, we think the Kobo Clara Hard disk is a better option – with a sharper 300ppi screen – if you can spare the actress greenbacks for it.
Read the full review: Kobo Nia
The Forma is Kobo's answer to the Kindle Oasis, albeit with a much steeper price tag. Like it'southward Amazon competition, the Forma has an asymmetrical pattern that's meant to make prolonged ane-hand holding comfortable. Where the Forma one-ups the Kindle – and perhaps attempts to justify its price premium over the Oasis – is by adding an extra inch to the display, for an expansive 8 inches in total.
Despite the size disparity, both premium ereaders take similar weights, although the Forma's plastic body tends to lose its shiny wait over time and use. But while the Oasis' metallic exterior certainly feels more durable, information technology's also much more slippery. The Forma's rubbery and textured back, on the other paw, means that despite its bigger size your grip never wavers and its bigger footprint helps keep that weight feel more evenly distributed.
Y'all can concord the Forma in either your left or right paw (or even in landscape) and the brandish orientation automatically rotates inside a couple of seconds of switching. This happens a touch on slower than the Libra H2O (which is a newer device) but, compared to older Kobo flagships like the Aura One, it requires fewer full screen refreshes.
As is common with all Kobo devices from the terminal few years, the Forma's backlight offers color-temperature adjustment, then y'all can opt for an orangey-yellow light tone rather than the standard (and potentially sleep-disrupting) bluish low-cal, which can fifty-fifty be scheduled.
Unlike the Oasis, though, in that location'southward only a unmarried 8GB version of the Forma bachelor and information technology's absolutely the near expensive ereader from a popular brand. Despite that, it makes a instance for itself past offer a superior user interface, OverDrive support, Dropbox integration (for books stored in the cloud), and Pocket support for long-grade web articles.
Read the full review: Kobo Forma
Kindle vs Kobo
Which ereader should you buy?
Whether you should opt for a Kindle or a Kobo ereader depends on what you're looking for from your ereader and, more oftentimes than not, that determination will be ruled by price and feature set.
Both Amazon and Kobo accept premium offerings in the Kindle Oasis and the Forma respectively, but there are budget ones every bit well. The Paperwhite and the Clara HD are excellent in their ain way, with the Kobo Libra H2O offer a stunning middle path.
That said, Amazon has the biggest marketshare past far, but Kobo devices take several advantages over their direct competition. So, which one is all-time for an avid reader?
Borrowing books
All Kobo ereaders have OverDrive broiled-in, meaning anyone with a public library membership in countries where there is support can borrow ebooks from their local library. Almost public libraries in the U.k. and Australia now allow members to borrow ebooks, saving you plenty of money in the long term on purchasing books.
That said, the ability to borrow library books is too available on Kindles, but back up is extremely limited and is merely available to users in the US for at present. Withal, Kindle users tin take advantage of Amazon'due south Prime Reading service – available for complimentary to all Amazon Prime number members. There's over a m titles to choose from, but you lot won't own the books y'all read via the Prime number Reading service.
If you're keen on owning all the books you read, then the Kindle Shop commonly has way more titles on offer than the Kobo Store – primarily due to Amazon's self-publishing platform – but Kobo's Super Points system allows y'all to save points you lot earn on purchases for afterward utilize (annotation that these points do have an expiration date).
File support
Some other thing to keep in mind when choosing an ereader is the back up for dissimilar file types. All Kindle ebooks y'all purchase from Amazon will be in .azw format, although the ereaders volition as well support .mobi files also. There is no .epub support here and you lot will need to use a tool like Calibre to catechumen .epubs to a supported format (either .azw or .mobi).
Kobos, on the other hand, will support nigh file types – with the exception of Amazon's own .azw of course. Yous'll fifty-fifty exist able to read PDFs, text files, comics and graphic novels on your Kobo device, only to name a few.
Fonts
You'll find that the Kindles take some custom fonts designed by Amazon, with Bookerly and Ember existence the most popular ones. We found that the list of fonts on Kindles is extensive enough that we didn't find the need to sideload more, but you tin if you lot demand to.
Kobo devices also have their own ready of default fonts, but in that location'due south no rule against sideloading more than, including Amazon'due south own custom ones like Bookerly. And sideloading is as easy as plugging your Kobo ereader into a computer and moving your desired font to the device'due south fonts folder.
Audiobooks
While the Kobo Store has a large number of audiobooks, you lot can't listen to them on whatsoever of the company's ereaders – not even the expensive Forma. For that, you'll need to download the Kobo app on your smartphone or tablet.
Nonetheless, all the latest iterations of the Kindle devices (Kindle eighth Gen, Kindle Oasis 8th and ninth Gen, Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen) take Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones and audiobook back up for annihilation you go from Aural.
External app support
Goodreads is a peachy social platform for gorging readers and, always since Amazon acquired the company, there'south seamless integration with Kindle devices available on the ereaders. It's a great and easy way to proceed tabs on your library. Nonetheless, integration with other platforms on Kindle devices stops there.
Other than OverDrive support to borrow library books, Kobo also has a partnership with Dropbox. If you happen to take your library saved in a Dropbox folder, you tin hands connect the 2 and transfer files to the device without needing to plug the ereader into your computer.
And then at that place'southward Pocket support on the Kobo devices as well. This app allows you to read long-grade articles on the web that y'all save for subsequently, and syncing with your Pocket account will requite you access to them all on your Kobo ereader.
So, which one should you buy?
There are some differences between the two platforms when information technology comes to the user interface too – the primary being the ability to organize your library on the device. While you can create folders and collections on both Kindle and Kobo devices, you can only organize ebooks yous've purchased from the Kindle Store on an Amazon device. If you've added books you've purchased from elsewhere, they will sit in the main library merely you will non be able to move them to a folder.
On the other hand, everything you take stored on your Kobo device can be organized every bit you see fit.
Pretty much everything else most the ii platforms is competitive, including pricing, so the option of device ultimately rests on whether you'd like to borrow library books or if you're a Prime fellow member, what file format the vast bulk of your existing library is, and whether you lot'd like to listen to audiobooks when yous're non reading.
At the terminate, you won't go wrong with either a Kindle or a Kobo, with both offering their ain set up of pros and cons.
Ereader vs tablet
If you already own a tablet – either an iPad or an Android device – do yous really need some other device to read digital books on? Perhaps not, but there are a few advantages an ereader offers that y'all won't get with a tablet.
1. Battery life
Ebooks readers employ far less power than a tablet, assuasive manufacturers to claim days, if not weeks, of battery life. And every single model listed above offers at least a few days of bombardment if you lot're an avid reader, which gets pushed to a couple of weeks at least if you're a coincidental reader. With tablets, you'll be doing a lot of other things also reading, and they would likely need topping up every day.
2. E Ink technology
Every bit mentioned to a higher place, every ereader on the market uses an Eastward Ink screen with a matte stop, unlike the shiny cogitating displays on tablets. This makes it easier to apply ereaders in bright sunshine, which tin can be a problem with some backlit tablet screens.
iii. Blue low-cal filter
While night mode has become quite common in recent times and many mod electronic screens automatically adjust their displays depending on ambient lighting, there'southward no filter to reduce sleep-disrupting blue calorie-free. Ereaders, however, use front lights with a white to yellow hue that's a lot better for the eyes (and your sleep pattern) as compared to phones and tablets.
four. Affordable and convenient
There are a few other reasons to consider an ereader over a tablet: they're typically smaller and lighter, with thicker bezels so you can hold them comfortably while reading. And they're besides typically cheaper – the near expensive ereaders (like the 3G version of the Kindle Haven or the Kobo Forma) price as much as a budget tablet. While you lot'll likely get more bang for your buck with a multipurpose device, you'll need to argue with limited battery life and a bright screen that's not quite the best choice for reading digital books.
Note-taking ereaders
There's a different class of E Ink tablets that are designed specifically for note taking. These devices typically have bigger screens – 10.3 inches is quite common – and tin be used with a stylus. The most pop digital annotation-taker like this is perhaps the ReMarkable two, simply others like the Onyx Boox Max 3 and the Kobo Elipsa are a little more than versatile.
The latter two actually allow you lot to read ebooks and comment every bit you go, while you demand to spring through a few hoops to get ebooks loaded onto the ReMarkable as it's primarily a note taker and non an ereader.
It'due south piece of cake to argue that tablets from Samsung and Apple are perhaps far more useful than E Ink digital note takers, but if yous don't need a multimedia device, so the better battery life and piece of cake-on-eyes screen of a dedicated research device like the Onyx Boox Note Air and Kobo Elipsa might make a lot more sense for some users.
Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of Republic of india (yep, she studied to exist a primatologist only has since left monkey business organisation behind). While she'due south happiest with a camera in her paw, she'southward also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she'due south non testing cameras and lenses, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart domicile gizmos. She also contributes to Digital Photographic camera World and T3, and helps produce 2 of Future's photography impress magazines in Australia.
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