An ebook reader is a tool that has revolutionized the world of reading. Thanks to this new technology, it is possible to read anywhere without carrying excessive weights. There is only one thing to understand: which is the most suitable reading device for our needs? Let’s find out what are the different models on sale and how they differ.
An ebook is simply a digital book, that is, a file that replaces the standard paper product or supports it in the editorial sale.
The ebook requires an electronic book reader, that is, a device that encodes the text of the file and allows it to be read in the same way as a traditional paper book.
The strength and simplicity of this product consist above all in the possibility of loading a large number of texts on the reader ( eBook reader ) and being able to carry hundreds of books, magazines, and newspapers without any added weight. Here we will be listing the top 12 best ebook readers.
- The lightest and most compact Kindle, now with a 300 ppi high-resolution display for sharp text and images.
- Read comfortably with a glare-free, paper-like display. The adjustable front light and dark mode make reading effortless, day and night.
- Get lost in your story. Tune out messages, emails, and social media with a distraction-free device specifically made for reading.
- Kindle Paperwhite – Now with a 6.8” display and thinner borders, adjustable warm light, up to 10 weeks of battery life, and 20% faster page turns.
- Purpose-built for reading – With a flush-front design and 300 ppi glare-free display that reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.
- More books in more places – Store thousands of titles, then take them all with you. A single charge via USB-C last weeks, not hours.
- 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 & 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 - Kobo Libra 2's improved 7" HD E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen delivers a faster display, quicker page turns, and deeper contrast. Always glare-free—unlike your smartphone or tablet. ComfortLight PRO's adjustable brightness and blue light reduction technology limits eyestrain and lets you read well into the night, without affecting your sleep. Dark Mode offers the option of white text on a black background
- 𝗔𝗦 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗥𝗘 - Kobo Libra 2's ergonomic design feels good in your hands. Keep the story moving by swiping the touchscreen, or use the page-turn buttons when one of those hands is full. You also have the option to read in landscape mode. Whether it's post-workout, on the bus, or nursing your little one back to sleep, Kobo Libra 2 is made to fit your busy life
- 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗜𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗘 - Kobo Libra 2 supports Kobo Audiobooks with Bluetooth wireless technology. Think of it as a hands-free reading option, for those super busy days. (Audiobooks available only in select countries. Bluetooth wireless headphones or speaker required)
- Get more with Signature Edition – Everything in the Kindle Paperwhite, plus wireless charging, auto-adjusting front light, and 32 GB storage.
- Purpose-built for reading – With a flush-front design and 300 ppi glare-free display that reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.
- More reading time – A single charge via USB-C or compatible Qi wireless charger (sold separately) now lasts up to 10 weeks.
- THE ONLY KINDLE WITH A DIGITAL NOTEBOOK AND PEN – Read and write down thoughts in books or a separate notebook, distraction free. Selected one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2023.
- EXPLORE KINDLE NOTEBOOKS – A digital notebook you can write on. Journal, sketch, take notes, and more.
- CONVERT HANDWRITTEN NOTES TO TEXT – View or share your notes with contacts and browse notes on the go through the Kindle app.
- 𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗘𝗖𝗢-𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 – Our first eReader with an exterior made with over 85% recycled plastic. This includes 10% ocean-bound plastic – abandoned plastic waste that is on its way to our oceans. Over the course of a year, we plan to divert over 200,000 plastic bottles from our planet’s oceans to do our part in limiting the damage our oceans are suffering. Make the better choice with Kobo Clara 2E, a more eco-conscious eReader
- 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗘-𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗗 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 – Kobo Clara 2E has a 6” HD E INK Carta 1200 touchscreen with ComfortLight PRO to adjust brightness and colour temperature. Reducing blue light gives your eyes a break – so you can stay in your story longer, without affecting your sleep. With the latest E Ink technology for faster page turns and deeper contrast, this eReader has a screen that is glare-free allowing you to read in direct sunlight just like print on paper
- 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗢 𝟭𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦 – With 16GB of storage, take your entire book collection wherever you go.
- 𝗔 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦 & 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 - Kobo Sage's 8" flush, high definition E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen offers deep contrast, super-clear readability, and faster page turns on an expansive display. The eye-catching glare free HD display with ComfortLight PRO allows for brightness and blue light control. Dark Mode offers a new way to reduce eyestrain
- 𝗔 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 - Designed from the ground up with a quad-core CPU and faster, dual band WiFi to deliver top performance in one elegant package. Sleek and lightweight, Kobo Sage feels perfect in your hands in landscape or portrait mode. Page-turn buttons keep the story moving with one hand. Ergonomically designed and fully waterproof*, Kobo Sage is with you from the conference table to the bath tub. Welcome to the lap of luxury
- 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧 - Kobo Sage works seamlessly with Kobo Stylus** (sold separately), to allow you to make handwritten notes in eBooks and PDFs***. Kobo Sage's built-in notebook feature keeps all of your notes at hand and can convert your writing to clean text. The possibilities are limitless
- Meet Palma: Our new Mobile ePaper device combines cutting-edge performance with an E Ink display and a phone-sized design, allowing you to effortlessly slip it into your pocket and carry it on the go.
- Pocketable Design, Uncompromised Tech: Featuring an advanced octa-core CPU and an expandable storage, the Palma can let you immerse yourself in reading an ebook, listening to a podcast, or perusing your favorite news feeds, from limitless third-party apps in the Google Play Store¹.
- A Phone-Like Experience on ePaper: Witness the new form of ePaper technology. With a sleek form factor and an aspect ratio that is commonly seen on smartphones, the Palma fits snugly into your bag and can be comfortably held in the palm of your hand.
- ✔️ GLARE-FREE & EYE-FRIENDLY: Thanks to the 6-inch touch screen with E-Ink Carta technology, you can enjoy an eye-friendly and comfortable reading experience anywhere at any time. The screen is as close to an ordinary paper as possible, so it does not glare in the sun and doesn’t tire your eyes.
- ✔️ READ IN ANY LIGHTING: Immerse yourself in the world of e-books anywhere and anytime, regardless of the lighting. Just turn on the frontlight of the Basic Lux 4 and read even in total darkness.
- ✔️ MANAGE & EXPAND YOUR LIBRARY: The E-Ink reader connects to Wi-Fi and cloud services to easily manage even large libraries by synchronizing books across devices (including smartphones via the PocketBook Reader app). With a memory card slot, the e-reader allows for easy expansion of the 8GB internal storage, creating an impressive library that can be accessed at any time.
- ✔️ EYE-FRIENDLY & GLARE-FREE TOUCHSCREEN: The E-Ink Carta touchscreen provides a high-resolution reading experience, making it ideal for long reading sessions. Enjoy an eye-friendly 6-inch display that comes as close as possible to a page on paper.
- ✔️ PERFECT LIGHTING: The adjustable SMARTlight allows you to personalize the screen’s brightness and color tone. With the automatic mode, it adapts to the time of day and your environment. The Dark Mode reduces eye strain by darkening the background and brightening the text in low-light settings.
- ✔️ WATERPROOF: Dive into e-books with IPX8 waterproof protection! Enjoy uninterrupted reading as this e-reader withstands immersion in fresh water up to 2 meters deep for up to 1 hour, without any worries or harmful consequences.
Buying Guide to Select the Best Ebook Readers
In the original sense, eBook readers were studied exclusively for reading texts and equipped themselves with a technology called e-ink, that is, with screens that we’re able to return images of the book only in shades of gray.
As we have already said before, the eBook is a book that has been digitalized through computer science and, therefore, accessible through a specific program.
The devices that can be equipped with this software can be different: PCs, PDAs, tablets, ebook readers, and how many devices the technology will be able to invent to read digital texts.
The e-ink e-reader has been designed to satisfy its user in reading by emulating on the screen and dedicated technology the printing on paper, restoring the pleasantness, and the relaxing aspect that reading a book in the article can give.
The peculiarity is to be found on the screen and in what is technically called “electronic ink” and by choice of the manufacturer of this device not to backlight its product so as not to strain the eyes while reading, reproducing the sensation of the printed paper.
Screen and Visual Quality
As we have widely said, the primary function of the screen of an eBook reader is to simulate the printed paper on one side and allow prolonged use without straining the reader’s view.
The choice of the e-ink screen or also called digital ink has revolutionized the same concept of screen and lighting: the idea was to create a digital product that resembled as much as possible the printed paper thus giving up the backlight used by tablets or others portable devices in favor of quality and ease of reading.
The most recent technologies used for the latest generation of eBook readers are the E-ink Pearl and Carta.
The first can be safely considered as an evolution of the E-ink display. From a strictly technical point of view, little changes from the previous one, there is a noticeable improvement as regards the legibility of the texts.
Which in the first version was a dark background with some specks, Pearl technology instead returns a lighter and less stained experience, drawing better quality in the more distinct characters.
Further refinement and the most recent digital ink technology are obtained with E-Ink Paper . With darker blacks and whiter background, the E-readers that equip screens with Carta technology are 50% more contrast, and higher reflectivity confirms an unparalleled sense of cleanliness of the text image.
Noteworthy e-readers with an LCD screen are particularly suitable for niche use. If for those looking for reading a piece of literature or a narrative book the choice of E-Ink is mandatory.
Reading comics or manga makes the experience unrewarding for the absolute lack of color so if your passion is the story drawn the decision must be characterized by a screen capable of returning the emotions of the colors. Without any doubt, the most appropriate is the LCD one.
A look to the future comes from the Chalmers University of Technology, which seems to have created a flexible material capable of reproducing the colors of a standard LCD screen that will allow you to view images and texts in high resolution.
Text Resolution and Density
A hint on the resolution and density of the text. Up to now, we have talked about what characterizes and what are the properties that an ebook reader must-have. The sharpness and resolution of the book are essential.
The more we have a high number of PPIs (dots per inch), the more the texts we will display will be comparable with the same traditionally printed. So the greater the number of PPIs, the higher the definition of the screen and consequently also the text image.
It is also useful to consider the “page-change” system, which can be performed by touching the screen like browsing a book or using a dedicated button inserted in the body of the device.
Inches and Sizes
When talking about the screen size of a portable device, two considerations must always be considered: the adequacy of the dimensions must guarantee, on the one hand, the ease of transport, on the other a clear vision of the contents without particularly straining the view.
Considering these two essential characteristics, the manufacturers of the best E-Book Readers have opted for two standards, a smaller one of 6 inches up to a maximum of 8 inches, thus keeping the size of a portable book unchanged, while reducing its weight.
The eBook-reader will allow you to have a considerable number of texts with you without taking up more space.
Supported Formats
As we have already stated several times, the ebook is a digital book and, as such, is saved as a file. The most common reading file extensions are PDF, E-PUB, AZV, and Mobi.
In any case, ebooks can also be in the following formats, less known or proprietary: BBeB, FB2, HTML, CHM, IMP, DOC, PRC, RTF, RB, LIT, or written in plain text.
