Our top e-reader recommendations for 2025
Let’s face it—there’s a timeless charm to flipping through the pages of a physical book. But in today’s fast-paced world, e-readers have become a must-have for anyone who loves to read without the hassle of carrying a stack of books around. Whether you’re a busy professional who needs to pack light for work trips or a book lover who wants an entire library at your fingertips, e-readers are game-changing gadgets that combine convenience, portability, and immersive reading experiences.
With so many incredible options to choose from in 2025, there’s truly an e-reader for everyone. Whether you’re looking for top-of-the-line features, a budget-friendly pick, or something tailored for specific needs like note-taking or color displays, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our friendly and professional guide to the best e-readers this year, categorized to help you find your perfect match.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Whether you’re looking for premium features, the best bang for your buck, or a specialized device for note-taking or colorful visuals, we’ve rounded up the top e-readers of 2025.
Here are our top picks
- Best Overall – Kindle Oasis: A premium e-reader with unmatched features and comfort.
- Best Value – Kindle Paperwhite (16GB): Perfectly balances price and functionality.
- Best Budget – Kindle (16GB) and Kobo Clara BW – Affordable options without compromising on quality.
- Best for Note-Taking – Kobo Elipsa 2E: Ideal for readers who love annotating and staying productive.
- Best for Color – Kobo Clara Color: Brings your comics and magazines to life with vibrant visuals.
Best Overall – Kindle Oasis
The Kindle Oasis remains the gold standard for e-readers, delivering a luxurious experience for avid readers. With its 7-inch, 300 PPI E Ink display, text appears razor-sharp, and the adjustable warm light ensures comfortable reading day or night. Its ergonomic design, complete with dedicated page-turn buttons, makes long reading sessions a breeze. Plus, the Oasis is waterproof, so you can enjoy your favorite books by the pool or in the bath without worry.
Why It’s the Best Overall: The Kindle Oasis perfectly combines cutting-edge technology, sleek design, and ease of use, making it the ultimate choice for anyone seeking the best e-reader on the market.
Who It’s For: Readers who value premium features, comfort, and a vast library of content from Amazon’s Kindle Store.
Drawbacks: While it offers a fantastic experience, the Kindle Oasis comes at a premium price and locks you into Amazon’s ecosystem.
Best Value – Kindle Paperwhite (16GB)
The Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) hits the sweet spot between affordability and premium features, making it the best value choice for most readers. With its 6.8-inch, 300 PPI E Ink display, text is crisp and easy on the eyes, while the adjustable warm light ensures comfort during both daytime and nighttime reading. It’s also waterproof, making it perfect for reading by the beach or in the bathtub, and the 16GB storage ensures you’ll have plenty of room for your entire library.
Why It’s the Best Value: It offers nearly all the features of more expensive models—like waterproofing and adjustable lighting—at a significantly lower price.
Who It’s For: Readers who want a high-quality e-reader with all the essentials but don’t want to splurge on premium devices.
Drawbacks: While it’s feature-packed, it lacks some of the ergonomic and premium touches of the Kindle Oasis.
Best Budget Kindle – Kindle (16GB)
The Kindle (16GB) proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a great reading experience. Its 6-inch, 300 PPI display ensures text looks sharp and clear, while the front-lit screen allows you to read comfortably in any lighting condition. Despite its budget-friendly price, this Kindle still delivers excellent battery life, lightweight portability, and access to Amazon’s vast Kindle library.
Why It’s the Best Budget Option: It focuses on the essentials, offering a reliable and enjoyable reading experience at an unbeatable price.
Who It’s For: Casual readers or those new to e-readers who want a simple, affordable device.
Drawbacks: It lacks waterproofing and adjustable warm light, features found in higher-tier models.
Best Budget Non-Kindle – Kobo Clara BW
The Kobo Clara BW is an excellent choice for readers seeking affordability and flexibility outside the Amazon ecosystem. Its 6-inch, 300 PPI E Ink display ensures a clear and comfortable reading experience, while the ComfortLight PRO feature reduces blue light exposure, making it perfect for nighttime reading. With support for EPUB and other formats, the Clara BW is a great pick for those who prefer flexibility in their e-book sources.
Why It’s the Best Non-Kindle Budget Option: It combines affordability with advanced features like blue light reduction and broader format compatibility.
Who It’s For: Readers on a budget who want more freedom to purchase or borrow e-books from different sources.
Drawbacks: It lacks waterproofing and some of the ecosystem perks of Kindle devices.
Best for Note-Taking: Kobo Elipsa 2E
The Kobo Elipsa 2 takes e-readers to the next level by combining reading with powerful note-taking capabilities. Its 10.3-inch E Ink display provides ample space for reading and annotating, while the included stylus allows you to highlight text, jot down notes, and even sketch ideas. The AI handwriting recognition makes organizing and searching your notes seamless, and its compatibility with EPUB and PDF files ensures you can handle a variety of content.
Why It’s the Best for Note-Taking: It’s more than just an e-reader—it’s a productivity tool for students, professionals, and creatives.
Who It’s For: Readers who love annotating books, taking notes, or working with documents directly on their device.
Drawbacks: Its larger size and higher price make it less portable and accessible for casual readers.
Best for Color: Kobo Clara Color
The Kobo Clara Color offers a vibrant reading experience with its 6-inch Kaleido 3 color E Ink display, making it perfect for readers who enjoy graphic novels, comics, or magazines. While maintaining the eye-friendly qualities of e-ink technology, the Clara Color enhances visuals with vivid colors and sharp details. It also features ComfortLight PRO, reducing blue light for a more comfortable nighttime reading experience.
Why It’s the Best for Color: It combines the clarity and comfort of e-ink with the ability to display colorful visuals, making it ideal for multimedia content.
Who It’s For: Readers who enjoy illustrated or graphic-heavy content but still want the benefits of an e-reader.
Drawbacks: Battery life is shorter compared to monochrome models, and it may not appeal to those who primarily read text-based books.
So, which one is right for you? Are you diving into the pool with your waterproof Kindle, scribbling notes on your Kobo Elipsa, or flipping through colorful comics on the Clara Colour? Whichever you choose, rest assured you’ll have a trusty reading companion that fits your lifestyle.
And hey, if you still miss the smell of paper books, there’s always the option of spritzing your e-reader with “Essence of Old Library.” Just don’t tell anyone we suggested it. 😉 Happy reading!