Find the perfect Amazon e-reader
Remember when Amazon exclusively sold books and operated out of a small, suburban garage? Nearly three decades later, its Kindle e-reader family is one of the best tablets for getting your fix of the written word. Even the latest, highly affordable base model Kindle offers a remarkably comfortable, user-friendly experience. And if you opt for one of the more premium versions, you’re looking at easily some of the best e-readers around.
Depending on how much you’re willing to spend and what kind of high-end features you’ll use, one of these Kindles will make reading more comfortable and inviting.
Which version of Amazon Kindle is right for you?
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
Best overall
A nearly top-of-the-line choice
A few choice upgrades over the standard Paperwhite make the Signature Edition the perfect choice for folks who just can’t put their books down. Wireless charging, premium backlighting, and plenty of storage deliver a premium experience on top of the already excellent battery life and streamlined operation we’ve come to expect from Amazon’s e-readers.
- Consistent backlighting
- Auto-adjusting brightness
- Wireless charging
- A bit pricey for some people
Voracious readers need look no further than 2021’s Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. While its display is only 0.8″ bigger than the base models, that goes a lot farther than it might seem in terms of fitting words on the page at a comfortable, readable size. Speaking of comfort, its 17 LEDs promise consistent lighting at your choice of white warmth and can even automatically adjust themselves to account for ambient lighting. You’re also looking at improved hardware, including more storage and faster processing, the latter of which makes for less waiting around and fewer choppy animations.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition review: Polished to perfection
Finally, a USB-C Kindle
No, it’s not perfect — it’s still too small for manga lovers to comfortably enjoy their favorite books, and there’s an unsurprising lack of physical audio solutions — but its few faults are unfortunately all too common among today’s e-readers. What you do get, though, is a device that’s solidly in line with other high-end tablets, including improved ergonomics, a grippy back panel, and two new (if somewhat muted) colors that help to keep things interesting.
Amazon Kindle Oasis
Premium pick
A high-end eReader with mobile data
Once a top-of-the-line device, the Kindle Oasis is still a highly capable e-reader chock-full of premium features that’s comfortable sand satisfying to use. While it’s been superseded in some ways by its successors, it’s currently the only Kindle that still offers cellular connectivity, and it’s free for life.
- Plenty of screen space
- Crisp text
- Cellular data for life
- Aging device likely to be discontinued
- Not super comfortable to hold
Want to try out Amazon’s top-of-the-line Kindle? You’d better get your hands on the Oasis while you can, then, because even though this model is considered by most to be the company’s premium reader, it’s a five-year-old tablet lacking successors. The Oasis hasn’t aged entirely out of the game, but with the 32 GB version currently not being stocked at all on Amazon, it’s likely in its twilight phase.
To be clear, we’ve highlighted the version of the Kindle Oasis with cellular data, which is a full $100 more expensive than the Wi-Fi-only model. In fact, lifetime cellular data is the only real reason to opt for the Kindle Oasis over Paperwhite. You’ll definitely be happy with it as far as a reading tablet goes, but its real genius lies in the fact that you’ll never have to be tethered to external internet access to download new books. If you don’t need 4G connectivity, though, get the Paperwhite Signature Edition instead.
Amazon Kindle (2022)
Best value
High resolution at a reasonable price
A long-awaited update to the base model, the 2022 Kindle sports some much-needed upgrades compared to its three-year-old predecessor. Its high resolution, extended battery life, and USB-C port bring it in line with today’s most popular devices, and its low price makes it a great choice even for anybody whose e-reader is starting to show its age.
- No more blurry text
- Plenty of storage space
- USB-C charging
- Uneven front lighting
- Backlighting can’t self-adjust
Three years after the last one, the 2022 Amazon Kindle has been very much worth the wait. The jump to the now-common 300ppi display makes the most obvious difference, but the improvements don’t stop there. A minimum 16 GB of storage means you can keep a massive collection of literature, and a greatly increased battery life gives you plenty of time to read it all. We’re also relieved to see the inclusion of a USB-C port, now that the industry’s adopting the standard across the board.
Amazon Kindle (2022) review: Edging out the Paperwhite as a must-buy
The new Kindle for 2022 brings some big upgrades, including USB-C
Of course, as the most affordable option, you can’t expect it to boast a ton of high-end features. It’s still limited to four backlight LEDs, which makes the lighting less than perfectly even from edge to edge. It also lacks a headphone jack, but that’s something we’re begrudgingly beginning to accept about a lot of devices these days. With that said, most people won’t miss all the bells and whistles it lacks, but will appreciate its compact size and low cost.
Amazon Kindle Scribe
Excellent choice for students
Exclusive features, but a very high price tag
A decade after the discontinuation of the Kindle DX, the Scribe delivers the large-screen experience that’s since been lacking from the Kindle lineup. Not only is its 10.2-inch screen great for visual novels like manga, it incorporates a Wacom layer that lets you take notes and even draw, so you can create visual novels of your own (in theory).
- The first Wacom drawing display on a Kindle
- Comes with a stylus
- Has a whopping 35 backlights
- Slightly unwieldy ergonomics
- Drawing experience is still being refined
- Awfully costly for an e-reader
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen one as big as the Kindle Scribe, and this somewhat unexpected device offers a number of novel features that you’ll appreciate if you spend long hours reading text or visual content like comics. It sports an increasingly familiar pixel density of 300 ppi, which can put quite a bit of ultra-clear text on its 10.2-inch display.
But the most interesting feature is the Wacom drawing layer nestled in the display. Wacom is well-known as a go-to for drawing tablets for hobbyists and professional artists alike, and the Kindle tries to capture that lightning in a bottle that’s normally meant for reading.
Amazon Kindle Scribe review: Great for reading manga, not drawing it
We finally get a Kindle DX successor, but taking notes and drawing feels tacked on
If we’re being honest, the initial drawing experience was underwhelming at release, as Amazon didn’t appear to have done due diligence in streamlining its Kindle software to accommodate the new tech. Nonetheless, one major update has come through, with minor fixes here and there, and the Scribe does now offer a good drawing and note-taking experience, and hopefully, it’ll continue to improve.
Amazon Kindle Kids (2022)
Best for children
Includes an Amazon Kids+ subscription
Young bookworms need a tablet to keep up with both their hungry minds and their often less-than-gentle handling. The 2022 Kindle Kids (and its included kid-approved case) is a rugged reader built to withstand small hands. It cuts through the distractions (no ads, videos, or games) to ensure that kids are only engaged in age-appropriate reading material. The Kindle Kids also features a rich 300PPI screen, 6-week battery life, and a handy Parent Dashboard to monitor reading progress or set age-appropriate filters.
- As good as the standard Kindle
- Doesn’t add much in terms of features
If most people are happy with a vanilla Kindle, most kids will be, too. That’s the prevailing theory behind the 2022 Amazon Kindle Kids. In contrast to the top general-purpose kids’ tablet, it doesn’t have an ultra-rugged case or any advertisements to block.
Instead, it comes with a year of Amazon Kids+, a hand-curated selection of kid-friendly reading materials. There’s also your choice of three fun, brightly colored designs to choose from. And in case any adults ever want to use it, you can simply log the kids’ account out and log in as an adult for the normal Kindle experience.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021)
Great for manga and comic books
Better lighting an a bigger screen than standard
A major step up from the entry-level version, the Kindle Paperwhite is bigger, brighter, and packed with more powerful components that make for a more streamlined experience. In particular, we love the adjustable white warmth of its 17 backlight LEDs and slim form factor that’s easy to hold onto.
- Bigger screen than the base model
- Plenty of backlight LEDs for even lighting
- IPX8 water resistance
- The more affordable version contains ads
- Backlight doesn’t automatically adjust
A recent entry in the long-running midrange Kindle category, the standard Paperwhite sports a 6.8-inch screen with 17 separate LEDs, which makes for a notably more comfortable reading experience than the smaller model. This large screen is great for manga and comic readers. It’s also built to withstand submersion in water, so it’s great for a relaxing day on the beach (but don’t try to use it underwater).
Most people will find it well worth a $40 premium compared to the latest Amazon Kindle. It doesn’t have the wireless charging, optional high storage capacity, or self-adjusting lighting of the Signature edition, but those features might not be worth another $50 to you. If you love to read but want something moderately sized, the Paperwhite is worth a look.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids
Great for adolescents
Bigger and faster than the standard Kids model
This one’s identical other than the included case, which protects from the damage that some kids are prone to doing, and the bundled Amazon Kids+ subscription. Kids+ gives your young reader one year of access to a vast range of content that’s guaranteed to be age-appropriate.
- Includes a folding cover
- Two fun colors to choose from
- Bundled with Amazon Kids+
- Up to only 16 GB of storage
- Not the best value
If you want to encourage a teenager to read books, get them a tablet, but one that can’t play games and is comfortable to read on. That perfectly describes the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, which is bigger than the base model Kindle and has a much better backlighting situation. In addition to the fun protective case, it comes with a year of curated Amazon Kids+ content and otherwise works exactly like a normal Kindle Paperwhite.
Which Amazon Kindle is right for you?
If you want a good reading experience, plenty of storage, and excellent portability, but you don’t want to spend much, it’s hard to argue against the 2022 update to the base model Kindle. It doesn’t sport the most advanced features like white warmth adjustment, but it’s a major upgrade over its predecessor and will serve you well for several years to come.
On the other hand, if you read a lot and want to do so with the utmost comfort, the Paperwhite Signature Edition is absolutely worth a look. The water resistance makes it great for reading poolside or in the tub, and the 17 backlights and adjustable warmth keep your eyes comfortable while you turn page after page.
Finally, if you want to do more with your e-reader than just read, the Kindle Scribe delivers exactly that next-level experience. It’s the first with a touchscreen meant for precise note-taking and drawing, and Amazon’s done a decent job of making sure it’s good at both.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
Best overall
A powerful processor, self-adjusting backlighting, variable white warmth, and plenty of storage come together to make this the most balanced Kindle yet. It even offers helpful features like wireless charging and a fully ad-free experience, making it an easy choice for our Best Overall pick.