An Amazon Kindle provides readers with the ability to carry thousands of books, magazines, and comics with them, wherever they go.
The best Kindle models are easy to hold, can be read in any lighting condition, and have outstanding battery life. The ability to quickly purchase and download books on the go is the icing on the cake.
The bookworms at Reviewed have been testing Kindles for years. Right now, the best Kindle is the Kindle Paperwhite
(available at Best Buy for $139.99)
. Redesigned in 2021, the 11th-generation version of the device is waterproof and offers a bright, crisp display, and loads of storage. Also, it can be used to read books downloaded from the Amazon Kindle Store or to listen to one via Amazon’s Audible audiobooks service with Bluetooth headphones or a wireless speaker.
That said, not everyone needs the best of the best. For most people, we recommend the latest version of the Amazon Kindle (available at Amazon. It still offers a great reading experience but at a lower cost than the Paperwhite.
If you want to take your library on the go but aren’t sure whether an Amazon device is right for you, we suggest the Ratuken Kobo Libra 2 (available at Amazon) as an alternative. Beyond this, be sure to take a peek at our guide to[the best e-readers to help you make an informed buying decision.
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Reviewed / Séamus Bellamy
Our favorite Kindle, the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite, features a larger display, lighting temperature controls and, fast USB-C charging
Credit:
Reviewed / Séamus Bellamy
The 11th-generation Kindle comes with so many desirable features, you’ll forget that it’s a base model device.
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Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Boasting an incredible range of features, the Kobo Libra H2O is the best e-reader, for most people.
Other Amazon Kindles We Tested
How We Test Amazon Kindles
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Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The only way to test a Kindle is to use one—a lot.
The Tester
I’m Séamus Bellamy, a senior editor for Reviewed’s electronic’s team. As a full-time nomad, I rely on e-ink devices for all of my reading needs–there’s just no room in my life for paper books. I love e-readers and use them, often.
Over the past few years, I’ve tested and reviewed dozens of e-readers from a wide range of companies. I want to channel my passion for these devices into helping you find the perfect Kindle for you or the bookworm in your life.
The Tests
To test the best Kindles at Amazon, we read a lot of e-books, taking note of a number of factors, including battery life. We use the Kindles for hours at a time in various reading conditions—in direct sunlight, with the lights out in bed, and during the day in well-lit rooms—to ensure that e-books are legible. We also pay close attention to how easy they are to use, what content is available to read on them, and, whether or not they’re well designed for use for long reading sessions.
What You Should Know About Amazon Kindles
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Reviewed / Seamus bellamy
The 2019 Kindle Oasis’ warm, adjustable display lighting is a very desirable upgrade.
Display
Because Kindles are designed for e-reading, you’ll be able to consume media without difficulty in all lighting conditions—from a sunny day at the beach to the darkness of your bedroom before going to sleep.
The Paperwhite, Oasis, and Scribe all feature adjustable warm lighting. This allows you to change the color temperature of a device’s lighting, which can help reduce eye strain and help to diminish the amount of blue light you’re exposed to.
Battery Life
Depending on your reading habits, a Kindle may be able to go for weeks at a time between charges, which was the case with the Kindles we tested. We prefer USB-C charging ports over MicroUSB. They recharge your Kindle faster, and you’ll also be able to use the same power cable likely used with your laptop, smartphone, and headphones.
Size and Weight
Most Amazon Kindles are small and light, so they’re easy to hold during hours-long reading sessions. The Kindle Scribe? Not so much: it’s currently the largest Kindle that Amazon makes. Holding it feels as if you’re wrangling a full-sized hardcover book. The Scribe is best used, flat, on a tabletop, especially since it is not only designed to be used for reading, but, also, for writing.
Kindle vs. Tablet: Which is Better for Reading?
Tablets are great for productivity tasks and they’re versatile, allowing you to stream shows, watch videos, browse the web, and play games. By installing Amazon’s free Kindle and Audible apps, you can also download e-books and audiobooks to your tablet, just like you would on a Kindle. A Kindle, on the other hand, is designed to focus on one task—letting you read or listen to a good book.
Because Kindles don’t come packing dozens of apps, you’ll find that using one allows you to become immersed in the reading experience in a way that tablets can’t. A tablet’s beautiful high-resolution display might be gorgeous—provided you’re indoors. If you want to take the show outside, you’ll discover that your display is hard to enjoy in direct sunlight. Not so on a Kindle with its E-Ink display.
While investing in a one-trick pony like a Kindle might feel like a waste of money, we’d argue that it’s a sound investment for bookworms.
Subscription Options: Kindle Unlimited vs. Prime Reading
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service offered by Amazon that is sort of like the Apple Music of reading material. For a subscription fee, users receive instantaneous access to a huge, ever-expanding library of books, audiobooks, and magazines.
Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited both function in the same basic way: as subscription-based services that offer users access to books. That said, it’s worth understanding their differences.
Prime Reading is available to anyone with an active Amazon Prime subscription. It’s not limited to Amazon Kindles and can be accessed on any device that supports Amazon’s Kindle app. This includes iPhones, Android phones, iPads, and Android tablets. Reading materials can be “checked out” of the Prime Reading Library.
Kindle Unlimited is a little different. It requires a monthly subscription. So, if you have an Amazon Prime account and want to access Kindle Unlimited, you’ll have to fork over an additional monthly fee for the privilege. For voracious readers, it could be a smart investment.
Which Amazon Kindles are Waterproof?
Right now, the only Kindles that are waterproof are the Kindle Oasis and the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite. Both have an IPX8 water resistance rating, which means they can be submerged in up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) of freshwater for an hour at a time. We tested the waterproof claims by submerging them in hot tubs, pools, and, for the sake of consistency, a sink full of water for 45 minutes.
Being waterproof doesn’t make your Kindle corrosion-proof, though. If you plan on using your Oasis or Paperwhite in a saltwater pool or at the beach, try to avoid getting it wet as the salt can eat away at the charging port and, in the case of the Oasis, its aluminum body. If your device is exposed to saltwater, don’t panic: rinse it off as soon as you can with fresh water and you’re good to go.
