TOP 5 BEST E INK TABLETS OF 2025
The best ereaders are perfect for reading and productivity too
For a few years now, friends, family, and coworkers have asked me for recommendations on the finest ereaders, and I always find it fascinating that the majority of people I talk to refer to them as “Kindles.” The majority of people still do not use the phrase “ereader” in their language, which bothers me because there are so many brands competing for your attention. The best Kindles are undoubtedly wonderful, but Kobo is now a fierce rival to Amazon’s e-readers.
To just a few, Onyx Boox, PocketBook, and Barnes & Noble are other major players in the ereader industry; we’ve reviewed a number of them. Over the past 16 years, TechRadar has actually tested, reviewed, and tried more than 100 ereaders, so we have a wealth of information to help us choose only the finest. You may be sure that my top choices are founded on experience and a careful analysis of each model because I have personally tried almost 30 ereaders out of those 100+ reviews.
Then, how can one pick the greatest e-reader? To make the best decision, you need, in my opinion, first determine your budget and use case. Do you require waterproofing? Would you rather use it with one hand? Is taking notes necessary? Do you think a color screen is important?
After determining your specific needs, you can use my list of the top ereaders below to select the one that best suits your needs and price range. I wouldn’t suggest anything that hasn’t been evaluated on TechRadar because every single one listed below has undergone extensive testing.
Choose an ereader with the E Ink Carta 1300 display, which is the newest and greatest grayscale screen on the market, regardless of your needs. Compared to earlier displays, it offers superior contrast and is more sensitive. The E Ink Kaleido 3 is a popular screen on the current generation of color ereaders if color is essential to you. However, this technology has limitations, so you shouldn’t expect it to display colors as brilliantly as an LCD panel.
Table of Contents
BEST OVERALL
1. Kobo Libra Colour
BEST BUDGET
2. Kobo Clara BW
BEST MID-RANGES
3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
BEST KINDLE
4. Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
BEST FOR STUDENT
5. Kobo Elipsa 2E
1. Kobo Libra Colour
Because of the page-turn buttons and reasonable price, I’ve always loved Kobo’s Libra line, but I’m really pleased with the Libra Color.
Although I was first put off by the outdated look, Kobo has done a fantastic job of making the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen as good as it can be for both color and black-and-white reading. Additionally, I think it’s wonderful value for money that Kobo has introduced stylus functionality to a gadget that doesn’t cost all that much more than its predecessor. Although writing on the Libra Color requires purchasing the Kobo Stylus 2 separately, it’s still a wonderful value, which is why I think it’s the greatest ereader overall.
Like the two Libra ereaders that came before it, I thought the Libra Colour’s 7-inch display was the perfect size for the typical reader—neither too big nor too small—and it still had the asymmetrical design that made it easy to operate with one hand. In actuality, weighing 199.5g as opposed to 215g for the Libra 2, it is slightly lighter than its predecessor. Moreover, it has an IPX8 waterproof rating.
Here, however, the headline is the color screen. I felt that seeing a book cover presented in color as it should be improved the reading experience, even if you don’t read a lot of color content like comics or graphic novels.
I really like how environmentally friendly it is made; the ink is biodegradable, the box is 100% recyclable, and the body is made of 85% recycled plastic.
The fact that Kobo’s 2024 ereaders are repairable, which can ultimately save you money, is what most pleased me. A collaboration with iFixit guarantees that you will receive replacement components and detailed instructions for replacing the motherboard, screen, and battery packs, which should prolong the life of your eReader.
Here are all the other features I adore about the more expensive Kobo devices: 32GB of storage, cloud file transfer using Dropbox and Google Drive, and direct access to OverDrive, Pocket, and Kobo Plus from the tablet. Support for files and fonts is still generally good.
2. Kobo Clara BW
Although I may come out as prejudiced, I believe Kobo has surpassed itself with the Clara BW. It was a wise choice to adopt the most recent generation of E-ink displays because the Clara BW’s screen is not only fast, but it’s also the sharpest e-paper display I’ve tried so far (though I haven’t had a chance to compare it side by side with Amazon’s 2024 line yet).
Although it is the sole significant improvement over the Clara 2E, Kobo has made its most recent line of devices more repairable. The availability of spare parts, repair kits, and step-by-step instructions due to a collaboration with iFixit is, in my opinion, a move in the right direction toward sustainability. You’re covered whether your eReader eventually needs a new screen or a new battery. By doing this, the device’s lifespan is increased and it stays out of landfills.
Like its predecessor, the majority of its body is made of recycled plastic, and the packaging is completely recyclable and recyclable as well. Even the printing ink on the boxes is biodegradable because it is made from soy.
The changes end there; the 1,500mAh battery and 16GB of inbuilt storage are still included. However, when a colleague tested the older model, I discovered that the battery life was much more constant today than it was with the Kobo Clara 2E. Additionally, waterproofing has been passed down.
Although it has all the other features of Kobo, such as compatibility for OverDrive and Pocket, it lacks the cloud file transfer feature found on the more costly Kobo ereaders. During our testing, I had to sideload books using a cable connection to a laptop or PC because neither Google Drive nor Dropbox supported it, even though dragging and dropping is actually quite simple.
Although audiobooks can still be played, they can only be played if they were downloaded as part of a Kobo Plus subscription or bought from the Kobo Store.
Overall, it’s a great entry-level ereader that is really better value than the entry-level Amazon Kindle (2024), which is why I think it’s the best budget choice.
3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
Because they consistently strike a solid mix between cost, functionality, and performance, Kindle Paperwhites have been a favorite among readers for many years. Although the 2024 Paperwhite deviates little from this trend by being pricey, it’s still a very fine ereader, particularly with its improvements.
In order to make reading on a white (or warmer) background simpler, the E Ink Carta 1300 display includes darker blacks. Page turns are almost instantaneous because to the screen’s increased responsiveness and minor size (7 inches versus 6.8 inches).
Even now it has a tiny performance boost that I believe is solely software-driven, the 2024 Paperwhite still has one of my minor complaints: only 11.5GB of the 16GB of useful storage is available. Although it’s still a lot, you ought to be able to acquire more if you’re spending a lot of money. Unfortunately, neither you nor I can do anything about the operating system since it is simply that large.
The Paperwhite’s complete absence of ghosting, which is a common problem with e-paper screens, is what I found most admirable. Although I may have been influenced by the fact that I had the ereader configured to refresh with each page flip, I’m still quite satisfied.
However, I don’t like the design since the rear panel is a bit too slick and slippery, and the thin side bezels don’t offer enough surface area for a comfortable grip. Additionally, that plastic display is far more prone to dust and smudges than any other ereader I’ve tested, and my Black model looked shabby just minutes after I took it out of the package. I’m always tempted to wash it, so it’s fortunate that it still has an IPX8 waterproof classification.
Apart than that, it’s a “perfectly adequate” ereader that does its job really well. Wait for a bargain because, when bought at full price, there isn’t much value here.
4. Amazon kindle colorsoft
I’m happy that Amazon finally jumped on the color ereader bandwagon, even though it may have taken a while. Since I reside in Australia, I won’t be able to use the Kindle Colorsoft until sometime in 2025, but my US-based colleague has already given it a full test and found it to be impressive.
Even though he experienced a teething issue (screen yellowing), he said the Kindle Colorsoft was among the greatest ereaders he had ever tried, especially in terms of performance. During his testing, he discovered that scrolling was enjoyable and that there was hardly any ghosting at all. That in and of itself excites me to test the Colorsoft out for myself.
Although he acknowledged that he wasn’t impressed by the Kindle Colorsoft’s design, describing it as “cheap,” it is waterproof because of its IPX8 certification, which allows it to survive immersion in no more than two meters of fresh water for up to an hour. ‘Fresh’ is key here since salt water will corrode the USB-C port first and start eating away at the motherboard if any get inside.
The major disadvantage of the Colorsoft is certainly that it is somewhat pricey for a color ereader with a simple appearance and no extra capabilities. I would concede, though, that if money is no object and you truly want a new Kindle (not another brand) and don’t need to jot notes or annotations, this one is easy to recommend.
5. Kobo Elipsa 2E
The Amazon Kindle Scribe may be an alluring choice if you’re having trouble deciding between an ereader and a tablet, but the Kobo Elipsa 2E is the better choice for a few straightforward reasons.
With many file and font options, Dropbox and Google Drive connectivity (for wireless note and ebook transfers), OverDrive support (for library ebook borrowing), and the built-in Pocket app for offline reading of lengthy web articles, it provides a slightly more open ecosystem than a Kindle.
Additionally, I believe that this device offers far better value for money than the Kindle Scribe or the Onyx Boox Note Air series tablets, especially for students, instructors, or researchers, if you utilize all of its many writing tools. I really enjoy Kobo’s writing tools; the Advanced Notebooks let you add formulas, flowcharts, pictures, and much more to your notes. In fact, certain basic math problems can even be answered for you.
An upgraded processor makes it much faster and more responsive than its predecessor, and its 10.3-inch screen is great for reading, especially if you enjoy comics and graphic novels (albeit in black and white). However, because it is newer, the 2024 Kindle Scribe might perform better than the Elipsa 2E, but I haven’t tested it yet.
The only issue I have with the new Elipsa 2E is that it doesn’t come with a sleepcover like the previous model did. This means you’ll need to pay a little more to make sure the updated Kobo Stylus 2, which is also superior to the previous pen Kobo produced, is always stored safely. Actually, I use the Elipsa 2E as both an e-reader and a digital journal every day.
We evaluate many factors while examining ereaders, such as features, cost, and worldwide availability. Although style isn’t as important to us as screen, interface, and battery life, it is taken into account for more expensive devices.
Some marketplaces may have an abundance of ereaders, but not all of them are widely accessible. Finding out if an ereader can be bought by more people than just one market, even if it’s an import, is the first step in evaluating it.
We then test ereaders based on the display and specifications, which include things like storage and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as the touchscreen’s responsiveness and clarity, whether an E-ink tablet satisfies those requirements. Its value-for-money rating—which is crucial in our, uh, books—will be determined by this and its price tag.
We then assess the interface’s usability and if e-books and audiobooks are easily accessible through third-party apps or the native store. We also account for device-specific file support, which is essential if you have an existing digital book library.
After evaluating ereaders of different sizes for a number of years, we are certain that our star-rated reviews provide the finest assessment of the ereaders’ quality and utility. Since no sales or marketing teams are involved in our decisions, we will just not recommend something if we don’t like it