• Amazon's 'Ask this book' feature is now rolling out to Kindles
• It's part of software version 5.20.2
• So far, users have only reported this landing on 2026 models, and it might currently be US-exclusive

Amazon launched ‘Ask this book’ almost a year ago now, with this AI-powered tool allowing you to ask questions about what you’re reading. However, it was initially only available for the iOS Kindle app, and only in the US.

Now, though, that availability is widening — at least a little. As spotted by some Reddit users and The eBook Reader, ‘Ask this book’ has started rolling out to certain Kindle models, including the Kindle Colorsoft 2026 and the Kindle Paperwhite 2026. It’s likely that the other 2026 Kindles will also receive this update, though that hasn’t been confirmed.

Indeed, Amazon itself has so far said very little about this rollout. The feature is part of software version 5.20.2, but this doesn’t yet have any release notes, or any confirmation beyond user reports of which models ‘Ask this book’ will actually work with.

Unclear availability

So, for now, there’s a question mark over whether the feature is coming to previous Kindle generations — I can say that my Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition 2024 does not yet have the update. But then it’s a UK model, and previously, the feature had only been available in the US — so it also remains to be seen whether other regions will get it.

For now, if you’re curious, you’ll seemingly have to wait and see whether your Kindle gets the update pushed to it — there is no way to force the update currently. The rollout might happen in stages, though, so even if you don’t have it yet, you may still get it. Just make sure Wi-Fi is on so your Kindle can update.

As for the ‘Ask this book’ feature itself, it’s potentially very useful, letting you, for example, ask about the plot or characters of a supported book and receive information based on where you’re up to in it — or for the whole book if you don’t mind spoilers.

As with most AI features, though, it’s also controversial, with Reddit comments about its original launch including “I hate it,” and “this feature is so invasive.” So it’s certainly not for everyone.

On my recent unboxing of the brand-new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (the one with the brushed aluminum back), I noticed someone asking about the quality of colors in dark mode, and I realized I didn't have a good answer.

Dark Mode, which became popular on modern screens over the past 15 years or so — a throwback to the original CRT displays — has never been my thing. As a result, I don't use it on phones, browsers, or Kindle e-readers. Still, the more I thought about this question (below). The more I wondered about it.

"This might be a dumb question," started one TikTok commenter, "but do the colors still show when in Dark Mode? I've only seen photos in light mode."

I instantly tried to imagine what a comic or graphic novel might look like in Dark Mode and realized I'd never seen it that way either.

Let's try the Colorsoft Dark mode

The Kindle Colorsoft shares a menu system with the rest of the monochrome Kindles, with the Dark Mode option sitting right up top. You access the quick menu with a swipe down from the top of the display. You can also dig into settings to turn on the control from there.

I turned on Dark Mode on the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition and noticed that my library immediately reversed, turning all the white borders black, but the book, magazine, and graphic novel covers remained untouched. If I opened a book, I saw white text on black pages.

The other thing I noticed is that the screen looked a lot dimmer. Basically, Dark Mode automatically lowers the screen brightness by half.

I opened a graphic novel. As with the rest of the Colosoft interface, the borders around each graphic novel page were black. However, each page was still white, with the untouched color panels inside. Honestly, this makes sense, since I can't imagine any artist would want dark mode reversing their work. It would probably look terrible.

I could see all the colors, but the pages looked too dim. Fortunately, I could still push the front-lit LEDs brighter (I turned them up to max) to return some of that vibrancy, though I'm not sure if that defeats the purpose of Dark Mode.

The other option is to take advantage of the Kindle Colorsoft's reflective display (unlike an LCD, there are no traditional backlights). If you have a good external light or even sunlight, the page looks great with or without dark mode, which can reduce eye-straining screen glare and save some battery life (not much of an issue with Kindles).

Here's what I learned: Yes, you can still see colors in Dark Mode, but as Amazon confirmed to me, "When setting Colorsoft devices to dark mode, the screen may appear dimmer overall due to the color E-Ink layer."

If the screen looks too dim, adjust the brightness or find a good light source and enjoy your colorful graphic novels.

Amazon Kindle (2026): Two-minute review

When Amazon announced its 2026 range of Kindles on October 1, I balked at the prices, particularly for the entry-level model. Then again, I should have expected it, given the current cost of components. The days of Kindles being the affordable ereader are long gone now.

Yet the 2026 entry-level Kindle does go some way in justifying its higher price compared to its predecessor thanks to all new hardware that includes new colors — now also in an aluminum chassis that gets you double the storage (32GB) — as well as a thinner and even lighter design. The power button being moved to the right edge is also a welcome change that made my colleague Lance Ulanoff especially happy.

The design changes also include the screen now lying flush with the bezels and the display offering better contrast that improves text sharpness. However, I noticed a tiny bit of light bleeding on the top edge of the screen when reading in dark mode, which Amazon has acknowledge is a flaw, and the slim bezels don't offer enough space for the thumb to rest, thus triggering accidental page turns.

The page-turn speed here hasn't visibly improved over the 2024 model, but general navigation has. Amazon says the 2026 base Kindle is 30% faster than the previous model and, while that's hard to measure, I can attest that many other functions on the latter, like opening books, accessing the Kindle Store and going through settings, and are definitely faster.

That's all that's new here, though, which is why I said the 2026 Kindle only goes 'some' way in justifying its cost. At launch, when I began my testing of this Kindle, there were no new software features to distinguish it from previous generations. However, Amazon released a new firmware just a couple of days before the publication of this review that has made a small change to how some books appear in the library tab — all titles within a series are now grouped together. This software update has also been rolled out to the previous Kindle generation, so you really aren't missing much if you don't upgrade... except for the slight increase in speed and the new screen.

There is still no warm light or auto-adjusting brightness for evening reading, and neither is there any waterproofing, not even on the aluminum version which has a screwed on back panel rather than the plastic one's pop-off option.

Yes, the rear panels can be removed now to allow users to change the battery when needed, in compliance with EU regulations, but I haven't seen any official battery packs being sold as yet. Battery life, however, is lackluster compared to the Kindle Paperwhite (both 2024 and the newer release) — it's practically half, which makes the aluminum Kindle especially harder to recommend over the 2026 Paperwhite as the prices aren't all that different.

So while I can appreciate that a new Kindle would cost more, I'm struggling to find value in it, more so because the Kobo Clara BW comes with waterproofing and warm light temperatures at a similar price to the plastic 16GB Kindle, albeit in a now two-year-old device.

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: price & availability

• First announced October 2026
• Available in major markets, including the US, UK and Australia
• List price from $149.99 / £134.99 / AU$279

With a starting price of $149.99 / £134.99 in the US and the UK for the ad-supported 16GB plastic Kindle, it's still a cheaper option compared to the 2024 release of the Kobo Clara BW that retails for $159.99 / £149.99. However, you get a few more features with the latter that the new 2026 release of the entry-level Kindle still doesn't get you — namely, warm light and waterproofing.

If you don't want the ads, then you need to tack on another $20 / £15 to that cost, which shifts the price dynamic between the Kindle and its Kobo counterpart.

In Australia, only the ad-free version of the Kindles has always been available and the starting price is now AU$279, which is AU$10 more than the Kobo Clara BW.

The 32GB Kindle Aluminum (yes, that's what Amazon is calling it in the US and is the model sent to TechRadar for this review) is ad-free by default and will set you back $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$299. Given the 2026 Kindle Paperwhite costs just another $10 / £15 / AU$50 (with ads in the US and UK), I'm struggling to see the value in the shiny new aluminum Kindle.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: specs

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Design & display

• Shiny, new hardware, including fresh colors and a new aluminum model
• Thinner, lighter and more compact than before
• Gorgeous new display with better contrast and sharper text

I might have been disappointed with the 2024 edition of the base Kindle, saying it wasn't really an 'upgrade' just because it came in a lovely new color, but that's not the case with the 2026 release. This time, the entry-level Kindle truly is a worthwhile upgrade — at least in terms of hardware. Nearly everything about it is brand-spanking new and I love it.

The most obvious difference between the previous Kindle generations and the 2026 model(s) is the new chassis. Now available in two finishes — plastic and aluminum — and lovely new colors (Ube and the usual Graphite for the former, Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green for the latter), there's more choice where the base Kindle is concerned.

The other point of difference, and not just between generations but also between the two finishes, is that the aluminum version comes with 32GB of storage (like the Signature Editions of the Paperwhite and Colorsoft) and is ad-free by default in the US and the UK.

While I personally didn't mind the power/sleep button on the bottom edge of the Kindle, now having it just below the top right corner is a good move, putting the cheapest Kindle in the new range on a similar design footing as the current Kindle Scribes.

The flush screen on both the plastic and metal Kindles makes it look modern and more premium, although the thin side bezels triggered numerous accidental page turns during my testing. I also noticed a small amount of light bleed on the top edge of the review unit sent to me, visible in dark mode. This has been discussed on Reddit and Amazon has acknowledged there is a flaw and is ready to exchange any units with such issues.

Impressively, though, the screen and the aluminum body aren't fingerprint magnets, which is my biggest relief compared to, say, the 2024 edition of the Kindle Paperwhite that showed off every oily smudge on the front and back.

Another hardware difference — and a first for Amazon — is the replaceable battery. On the plastic model, the rear panel just pops open, but you will need tiny hex screwdriver to remove the aluminum panel if you ever need to change the battery. This is accordance to EU regulations, but I am yet to see official replacement batteries being listed on Amazon. It's early days yet, and a Kindle battery typically lasts about 10 years, so I'd expect to see official listings down the line.

In comparison, though, Kobo's 2024 ereaders — namely, the Libra Colour, Clara BW and Clara Colour — have even better repairability, with screens and motherboards also replaceable. So if longevity is important to you, Amazon still has a way to go to impress its Kindle users.

As much as I love the new colors, the star of the show here is the upgraded display. The entry-level Kindle finally gets the E Ink Carta 1300 screen tech that the 2024 model missed out on.

Admittedly it still lacks warm LEDs, which is disappointing, but despite that it's the sharpest display on the entry-level Kindle that I've seen to date. It also boasts better contrast where blacks are blacker, even the background in dark mode, and that gives text better clarity overall.

Alongside the lack of warm hues for the frontlight, the entry-level Kindle still doesn't have waterproofing, which is probably for the best at least for the plastic model where the rear pops right off to access the battery. However, it would have been nice if Amazon had deigned to provide at least one of these missing features on the aluminum version to justify the higher price tag, especially since there are hardly any new software features to speak of here.

Design & display score: 4.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Software

• Books in a series are now grouped together in the Library tab
• Additional wallpapers are nice
• Not much else is new with the latest software release

If you've been using an older Kindle, you'll be intimately familiar with navigating around the 2026 release as well. At the start of my two-week testing of the new Kindle, seemingly nothing had changed with the release of the software version 5.20.1.0.1. However, just a day before this review was published, Amazon released firmware 5.20.1.02 and the only new feature here that I've come across is books in a series being grouped together in the Library tab.

There is, however, a caveat here — only items purchased or borrowed from the Kindle Store (or from Kindle+, previous Kindle Unlimited) are arranged this way. If you've sideloaded books in a series via, say, the Send To Kindle platform, they will still appear as individual titles.

This latest firmware at the time of writing has also been rolled out to the 2024 11th-generation Kindle, so this new feature will also be available on the older model.

I do appreciate that Amazon has added more wallpapers now, some which debuted on the 2025 releases of the Kindle Scribe. You can still choose to show the book covers if you don't want to cycle through the wallpapers when the device is sleeping.

The lack of significant new features on the Kindle is not a bad thing, although it would have been nice to have something different — perhaps reading stats like Kobo offers. However, the Kindle UX remains very simple to navigate around even if you're a first-time user — there is just the home screen and the library tabs, with the rest of the features and settings accessible by swiping down from the top edge of the screen.

I still find the home screen to be too wound up in Amazon's ecosystem and looks quite cluttered compared to Kobo's homepage setup, but it at least makes it easy to find your next read if you source your content from the Kindle Store. In the same vein, if you are a Prime member or have a Kindle+ subscription, you'll be able to find something new right from the homepage based on your previous reading habits.

Audible support is no longer restricted to select countries at launch, like it was for the 2024 Kindles. Meaning if you're in, say, Australia, you can absolutely listen to Audible audiobooks by pairing the Kindle to a set of wireless headphones or earbuds (or even a Bluetooth speaker).

WhisperSync will continue narration on any Alexa-supported speaker too if you prefer to move on from using the Kindle, like when you're perhaps fixing dinner and, in a similar vein, if you ever change your Kindle to a newer device, your entire library is already available the moment you sign into your Amazon account (something I wish Kobo would offer).

• Software score: 4 / 5

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Performance

• Excellent reading experience
• General navigation is faster compared to previous generation
• Same battery life as previous model, which is disappointing compared to the Paperwhite

New hardware aside, the overall performance from the 2026 Kindle is also better, making it a true upgrade that I was expecting to see in 2024. Amazon, however, hasn't revealed whether there's an upgraded processor under the hood but I suspect there would be, even if it's a small update.

While page-turn speed is more or less the same on the 2024 and 2026 Kindles, all other navigation and functionality happens just that much quicker on the latter, including ebook load times. Even automatic screen refreshes are so quick that I barely registered most of them — similar to what I experienced in my 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe (2025) review.

This speedy performance adds to the excellent reading experience, where the darker background in both regular and dark mode adds better contrast and makes text look sharper.

That said, I personally find 6-inch ereaders too small, and prefer the 7-inch or 8-inch ones — the sweet spot in terms of screen real estate, not too small and not too large. If you prefer larger fonts, you'll end up turning pages more often and that will then eat into the battery life of the Kindle.

And that has not changed from the 2024 model. Battery life is still up to 6 weeks according to Amazon, based on just 30 minutes of reading per day. That is doable, if you leave Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off, switch off the frontlight completely and don't keep browsing the Kindle Store or doing anything else except read.

In my testing, where I read for 4-5 hours a day for two weeks, had Wi-Fi always on and screen brightness set to level 7 in regular mode (relatively low), I had to charge the Kindle every 2 to 3 days, which got a little annoying considering the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite I have gives me double the battery life.

Charging the battery is quick, though, with the device going from 11% to full in just about an hour when plugged into a 25W USB-C outlet and using a good-quality C-to-C cable. Three attempts at topping from 10% or 11% battery gave me the same results.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle (2026)?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Amazon Kindle (2026) review: Alternatives

The 2026 edition of the base Amazon Kindle is good — a very worthy upgrade. However, its price might make you stop and think. So if you're keen on alternatives, I would consider the 2026 Kindle Paperwhite better value than the Kindle Aluminum, for example. I haven't tested the new Paperwhite yet, but from the existing crop of tried and tested models, the below two options are my top picks and are still some of the best ereaders you can buy.

How I tested the Amazon Kindle (2026)

No matter the circumstances, I generally read for at least a few hours a day, so it wasn't much different when it came to testing the 2026 Kindle. I used it for two and a half weeks, reading every single day for 4 to 5 hours.

While I already have an Amazon library accessible on any Kindle as soon as I sign in, I also used the Send To Kindle app to add a few more titles for good measure. Most of the titles I read on the 2026 Kindle were borrowed from Kindle+ though. This also allowed me to try out audiobooks on the device. I paired the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones to the Kindle and also a JBL Charge 5 speaker for this purpose.

During testing, I changed screen brightness regularly to see how much affect it had on battery life, while also noting how browsing the Kindle Store affected the same. I also made a note of how much battery was lost when the device was sleeping.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the right screwdriver to access the battery under the Kindle Aluminum sent for this review, so I can't speak to how easy it would be to swap out an old pack for a new one.

Read more about how we test

[First published October 2026]

• Amazon has rebranded Kindle Unlimited as Kindle+
• The rebrand also comes with additional audiobooks, though many of these are narrated by AI
• The price hasn't changed but some users worry it might go up soon

Kindle Unlimited is no more — instead, you’re now a Kindle+ subscriber, as Amazon has just rebranded its ebook subscription service.

The good news is that the price hasn’t changed, and all the features remain the same too. In fact, you’re actually getting more for your money, because — as reported by ZDNet — there are now significantly more audiobooks included.

The bad news is that many of these new audiobooks are narrated by AI, with Amazon’s Virtual Voice allowing authors to create AI-narrated audio versions of their books at no additional cost.

A worrying change

Aside from that, this is seemingly the same as Kindle Unlimited, but the name change has made some users wary that a price increase could follow.

Over on Reddit, one user said “I don’t love it. It’s a signal that things will change and it’ll most likely start with the price,” while in another thread about the change, comments included the likes of “wouldn’t be surprised if there is a price rise in the near future,” and “I’m just glad they didn’t Kindle plus on the price. I was scanning that email and just waiting for them to say there was a price increase. Or is this a soft launch on that later?”

Certainly, there’s reason to worry, especially with Amazon now being able to argue that you’re getting more with the subscription (even if much of that extra is AI-generated).

This could also potentially pave the way for tiered pricing — after all, ‘Kindle+’ sounds like a less complete service than ‘Kindle Unlimited’ before it, so maybe a pricier additional tier will be rolled out at some point.

But on the other hand, Amazon might simply have wanted to get away from the arguably confusing ‘Unlimited’ name, since there were in fact limits to what books were available and how many you could access at once. So it remains to be seen whether this is a simple rebrand or something more insidious.

• E Ink has announced the next generation of its color ereader screens
• Dubbed Kaleido 4, this technology promises improved clarity, less graininess, and double the colors
• So far, it's only been announced for a single ereader, but it's sure to come to others

Hot take: I don’t think color ereaders are very good in general. The colors themselves are muted, and typically — such as with E Ink’s Kaleido 3 tech — they make the screen darker and grainier even when just viewing text. They generally cost a premium, too. As such, I’d always pick a black-and-white ereader for standard books, and a tablet (or actual paper) for anything heavy on color.

But E Ink might soon win me over to color ereaders, as it just announced a new Kaleido 4 display that it claims is brighter than Kaleido 3 and delivers “greater clarity, while reducing the perception of screen graininess.”

If that's true, normal text might actually look up to the standards it does on black-and-white e-readers.

Double the colors

Of course, the color element has also been improved here, with E Ink claiming its Kaleido 4 display can produce over 40,000 colors, which is double what the previous generation can manage.

It also has a higher refresh rate, increases white reflectance by 15%, and improves contrast by 50%, while videos can be played at 18fps — though I’d question why anyone would regularly be watching videos on an E Ink screen.

Still, this sounds like a comprehensive upgrade, and one that might make the next generation of Kindle Colorsoft and other color ereaders substantially better. Though since a new Kindle Colorsoft model has only just launched, it might be a while before we see this tech used by Amazon’s ereaders.

For now, Kaleido 4 is only available on Hanvon Technology's M10 C II — a China-only E Ink tablet. But hopefully, some global brands such as Kobo, Boox, and ViWoods will embrace this tech soon.

The Xteink S4 might be the tiny ereader you’ve been waiting for, as unlike other Xteink devices — and rival products like the Boox Picco — this runs Android.

That comes with various upsides, not least the ability to directly access the Kindle and Kobo apps, the absence of which is something I’ve been lamenting about my Xteink X4 Pro, but it also has some downsides.

So should you wait for this currently China-only ereader to get a global release? Or are you better off sticking with the Xteink X4 Classic, the X4 Pro or the even tinier X3? I’ve compared these devices below, to help answer that question.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: specs comparison

Below you’ll find a closer look at the key features of every available Xteink model, but first here’s how their core specs compare:

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: price and availability

The Xteink X4 Classic, X4 Pro, and X3 are all available directly from Xteink and from some third-party stores like Amazon. They ship to much of the world, and the cheapest is the Xteink X3, which costs $69 / £69 / AU$102.

Then there’s the Xteink X4 Classic for $79 / £79 / AU$116, while the Xteink X4 Pro will cost you $99 / £99 / AU$146.

The Xteink S4 is so far only available in China, but I’d expect it will cost at least as much as the X4 Pro, if not more.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: design

All of these devices look similar to each other, as they’re all small rectangles and look a bit like a tiny phone — albeit with larger bezels than most modern smartphones.

They all have buttons and charging ports on the sides, but the Xteink X3 and Xteink X4 Classic each also have two long, narrow buttons on the bezel below the display, while the Xteink X4 Pro and Xteink S4 instead have a single circular button, like a much smaller version of the home button on very old iPhones.

The Xteink X4 Classic and X3 are both available in a choice of Space Black or Mist Gray (the latter of which is sometimes referred to as ‘Frost White’ instead), while the X4 Pro is currently only sold in Space Black, but pictures of it exist in a gray shade too, so that will probably launch sooner or later. In China, the Xteink S4 is available in black and white shades, and it’s likely the color options will be the same when it goes global.

So there’s not much difference there either — the main design difference is in their weight and dimensions. The Xteink X3 is the smallest and lightest of the bunch at 97.6 x 63.7 x 5.1mm and 58g. Then there’s the Xteink X4 Classic at 114 x 69 x 4.9mm and 68g — making it slightly slimmer but otherwise larger.

The Xteink X4 Pro is 111 x 69 x 5.95mm and 72g, so it’s not quite as tall as the X4 Classic but is thicker and heavier than both that and the X3. And then there’s the Xteink S4, which we don’t have full dimensions for yet, but which we know is 6.98mm thick and 95g, making it the thickest and heaviest of them all.

All of these devices have built in magnets though, allowing you to attach them to the back of a phone — though they’re quite vulnerable like that, so you might prefer to put them in a case anyway.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: display

The Xteink S4, X4 Classic, and X4 Pro all have a 4.3-inch screen with 219 pixels per inch, while the Xteink X3 has a smaller 3.7-inch screen with 259 pixels per inch.

So you’re getting a slightly crisper display on the X3, which could make all the difference as personally my X4 Pro isn’t quite as sharp as I’d like — especially when you compare it side-by-side with other devices like the ViWoods AiPaper Reader with its 300ppi display.

On the other hand, you’re also getting a truly tiny screen if you choose the X3, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your preference — it makes this all the more compact, but also means you’ll constantly be turning the page.

Beyond those differences, the Xteink S4 and Xteink X4 Pro have touchscreens — though you can also turn pages with buttons if you prefer — whereas the X3 and X4 Classic are purely reliant on buttons for interactions.

The Xteink S4 and X4 Pro also both have a front light, which the other models lack, meaning these are the only two you can read on without external light sources.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: performance and software

The Xteink X4 Classic, X4 Pro, and X3 all run a proprietary Linux-based operating system. It’s an operating system that personally I didn’t think much of, and I’m not alone judging by forum comments. But Xteink’s devices can handily be bought with unlocked firmware, making it easy to flash alternative operating systems onto them.

I’m running an open source one called CrossInk, which I’m quite pleased with. But there’s a major limitation with any of the options in that they can’t run the Kindle or Kobo apps (or any other apps), making it harder to get books onto them than with most ereaders — you need to download DRM-free versions or remove the DRM, and then transfer them to the device.

That’s a real pain, and it’s a problem the Xteink S4 solves, as this runs Android 11. And while I can’t yet confirm exactly which apps work with it (since there are sometimes compatibility issues on ereaders), Xteink claims it supports “mainstream reader apps.”

Still, there are two potential problems with this approach as well — one is battery life, which I’ll get into in the next section, and the other is security and support. Android 11 is six years old now, and it could be increasingly vulnerable to bugs and malware, since Google is focused on patching newer releases. Besides which, Android ereaders tend not to receive Android updates anyway, so it may not receive security patches or new Android versions.

Eventually, apps will also stop supporting Android 11, so while Android is likely to give you a slicker experience, having such an old version comes with major drawbacks.

As for storage, the Xteink X4 Pro, X4 Classic, and X3 are all purely reliant on a microSD card — they each come with a 16GB one included, but it’s a low quality one, so you might want to replace it. There’s support for cards of up to 256GB.

The Xteink S4 takes a different approach, with 32GB of built in storage, but Android probably takes up a sizable chunk of that, and there’s seemingly no microSD card slot.

You’re also limited to very few book formats on the Xteink X3, X4 Classic, and X4 Pro, with just EPUB and TXT being supported, alongside JPG and BMP for images (or seemingly just BMP in the case of the Classic). We don’t have a full list of supported formats for the Xteink S4, but the company claims it supports “10+ native formats," so it should have the edge there.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: battery

The Xteink S4 has a 1,400mAh battery, and while we don’t know exactly how long it lasts, Xteink claims its “generous battery keeps sessions long.”

That’s higher capacity than the other models, with the Xteink 4 Pro having an 1,100mAh battery, the X4 Classic having a 920mAh one, and the X3 having just a 650mAh one.

Xteink only appears to have released battery stats for the X3, which it claims can last up to 10-14 days, based on 1-3 hours of reading per day. It’s likely then that even with their larger screens, the Xteink X4 Classic and X4 Pro will last even longer, given their far higher capacity batteries, and that certainly seems to be the case in my experience of the X4 Pro.

Granted, I’m not running stock firmware, which could affect things, but I seem to be getting months off a single charge, albeit with perhaps more like just 30 minutes of reading a day.

You might assume then that the Xteink S4 will last even longer — and perhaps it will — but I’d be surprised, as Android tends to be far more battery hungry than the lightweight operating systems used by the other models. I suspect, based on my experience with the Android-powered ViWoods AiPaper Reader, that the S4 might actually have the worst life of the bunch, but that remains to be seen.

So that’s the other downside of it running Android, but it does have one advantage on the battery front too, as it has a USB-C port, which makes charging convenient. The other models all use an annoying proprietary charger.

Xteink S4 vs X4 Pro vs X4 Classic vs X3: verdict

There’s no clear winner between these devices. If you simply want the smallest and lightest ereader possible, then you should go for the Xteink X3 — especially as that’s also the cheapest.

If you want something a bit bigger — or you think you’d benefit from a touchscreen or a front light — then consider the Xteink X4 Pro. For all of that plus Android, the only option is the as-yet-unreleased Xteink S4 — though that also comes with downsides when it comes to security and potentially battery life.

The only one that’s harder to make a case for is the Xteink X4 Classic. This slots between the X3 and the X4 Pro with a bigger screen than the X3 but no touchscreen or light. Those features I feel are important enough that if you want a bigger screen you should choose the Pro over the Classic unless money is really tight.

Personally, I’m happy with my Xteink X4 Pro, and wouldn’t choose any of the other models over it. Other than the S4 it’s the most full-featured, but the compromises that come with the Xteink S4’s Android version make it unappealing to me. What I really want is a model running Android 17, but even then, if that meant significantly worse battery life I might think twice.

The only things I’m certain I want that the X4 Pro lacks are a sharper screen and USB-C, so hopefully a device that ticks all those boxes is in the works.

• This clever hack turns a Kindle into a handy desk assistant
• It features to do lists, app shortcuts, timers, and more
• The developer says the source code will be made available

A few days ago, we were treated to some brand new Kindle models for 2026, but one clever Kindle owner has come up with a way of repurposing their 2013 6th-gen Paperwhite model — and the hack has added an impressive number of new features.

As you can see over on Reddit (via XDA Developers), the hack was achieved by jailbreaking the 13-year-old device and adding some custom software on top. It now works as a to do list manager, a Stream Deck-like app launcher, and a Pomodoro timer.

"It stands sideways on my desk next to my laptop, and it's honestly become one of my favourite things on there," writes Redditor Witespace, under a demo video (below). "Just need a proper stand for it now instead of leaning it against something."

One of the more impressive aspects of this bit of DIY engineering is that the Kindle syncs with both a MacBook and a PC, via a Cloudflare web account, and it can switch between the two systems automatically or via a manual button push.

Source code coming soon

Completed to do tasks slide off screen automatically, and thanks to a calendar sync, the Kindle can provide alerts five minutes ahead of any scheduled meeting. It even provides a button for joining the call with a single tap.

Also of note are a weather app, a dark mode, and a screensaver clock — though it seems the custom Paperwhite software can also disable the screensaver if needed and stay on indefinitely (with the occasional battery recharge where needed).

There are improvements on the way as well: the Redditor has plans to create new shortcuts that link to specific Spotify playlists and Slack channels, while the ability to control lights is also in the pipeline.

The reactions on Reddit are all positive — "great", "cool", and "awesome" are the main superlatives used — and the developer has said they're planning to release the source code on GitHub so anyone can install it on their own ancient Kindle.

• PocketBook has announced the Verta and Verta Color
• These six-inch ereaders have changeable back plates
• They're shipping in November at competitive prices

Just a few days ago Amazon launched a new wave of Kindles, and now PocketBook is launching some new competing ereaders of its own — and these have some colorful customization options that Amazon’s don’t.

The ereaders in question are the PocketBook Verta and the PocketBook Verta Color, and while they’re each only sold in one color — Obsidian Black for the Verta and Dark Brown for the Verta Color — you can also buy a selection of five interchangeable back panels in different shades. So you can change the color of your ereader whenever you want.

That aside, these both have 6-inch 1072 x 1448 touchscreens, a front light, a 1,500mAh battery (offering up to two months of life on a single charge), 16GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, and an IPX4 rating for splash resistance. They also both support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, text-to-speech, and numerous book file formats.

And while they run a proprietary operating system, you can use Libby to borrow ebooks, or purchase books through “the world’s most comprehensive English-language UK digital eBook library, with its user-friendly LCP DRM-protected content of 4.5 million eBooks and 90,000 audiobooks.”

They differ in one major way though — the PocketBook Verta Color has a color E Ink Kaleido 3 screen, while the PocketBook Verta has a grayscale E Ink Carta 1300 display.

Color or grayscale at a great price

If you like the sound of these, you’ll be able to grab them from November, with the PocketBook Verta costing $185 / £159 (roughly AU$300), while the Verta Color is $195 / £169 (around AU$320).

That puts the Verta at a similar price to the standard Amazon Kindle 2026, and the Verta Color at a far lower price than the latest Kindle Colorsoft. So the Verta Color could be a bit of a bargain.

That said, color ereader screens tend to be darker than black and white ones, and while viewing color content they’re also lower resolution (with the Verta Color dropping to just 536 × 724 when displaying color).

So if you don’t overly care about a color screen, the standard Verta might still be the better choice.

• Amazon has overhauled its entire Kindle ereader line
• They have new materials and a repositioned power button
• There are also new accessories, some of which will turn heads

Yes, Amazon has an all-new line of 13th-generation Kindle ereaders. Sure, they're marginally lighter and thinner than ever, with scant display upgrades, newly smooth, flush faces, and some with stamped aluminum unibodies that come in brilliant and quite trendy colors. But can we talk about buttons? Or, rather, one very specific one, the power/sleep button?

Every once in a while, a tech company makes me feel seen, or at least heard. I've been complaining for years about the placement of the Amazon Kindle e-reader's power/sleep button. It sits on the bottom edge, where it's too easy to trip when, say, I prop the Kindle Paperwhite up on a hard surface, or even on my lap or chest while reading.

When I asked Amazon's Kindle hardware lead Kevin Keith about the issue in 2024, he told me there was a need to put the button as close to the ereader's light guide as possible. I accepted that explanation, and grumpily moved on.

Turns out, though, that's not the full story. As I held the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2026 edition in my hands, and marveled at the newly repositioned power button (it's on the right side!) Amazon VP of Design Chris Green told me the reason for the original placement was to keep costs down.

"The reason why it was at the bottom originally was because it's the lowest-cost location. The main logic board was down at the bottom with the USB....We were trying our hardest to have the lowest carbon footprint, the lowest cost price, to push it all to the benefit of the customer," said Green, who told me he joined Amazon 19 years ago on the day the original Kindle launched. Since then, Green has designed every Amazon hardware product, including these new Kindles.

After I wrote the piece linked above, airing my frustration about the original button placement, readers dragged me for making a mountain out of a molehill. I ended up thinking I was alone in my take. Turns out, Green has been fielding similar complaints for quite some time.

"The amount of people that complained about it with [using it] on treadmills, while sitting, and putting it on the tummy, and all those kinds of things...the worst case is a treadmill, because if you don't tap it, you stab it. And so people were stabbing this display, and the button was moving," said Green.

Amazon's attempts to address the issue without moving the button, by recessing it, shifting it slightly, failed. "The long and short of it is, it's got to go on the side," said Green.

Now every new Kindle in the refreshed lineup has a power/sleep button, on the right side, relatively close to the top edge of the device.

Those new ereaders are:

• Kindle e-reader 6-inch entry-level
• Kindle e-reader 6-inch Aluminum
• Kindle Paperwhite 7-inch
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 7-inch
• Kindle Kids
• Kindle Colorsoft
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition

Across the line, Amazon introduces new colors (Graphite, Alpine Sky, Seaglass Green, Ube), thinner, lighter designs, and new materials. With the exception of the base model Kindle (140g, which is 13% lighter and 6.8mm thick), the lighter and thinner frames can usually be measured by a millimeter here and a gram or two there.

The Paperwhite Signature Edition and Colorsoft, notably, get accelerometers which will recognize if you've turned the reader upside down and will automatically rotate the text. The reader will also support reading in landscape mode, which might be kind of cool for graphic novels.

On the face of its most affordable Kindle, the 6-inch model, Amazon took away the raised bezel for a perfectly flat and smooth all-glass face, which matches the look of all the other Kindles in the new lineup. But Amazon has gone a step further by introducing matching colors to the bezels of the entire Kindle line. So a Ube (purple) Kindle's color will wrap from the back all the way to the front and quite close to the E Ink display.

There was, it turns out, a reason these bezels surrounding the E Ink screen have traditionally been black. That light-absorbing color ensures that the front lights don't bounce off a colored cover and obstruct or weirdly bedazzle your e-reader display.

The solution for this, Keith explained, was first used on Kindle Scribe devices.

"We invented a new edge color technology that does a black mask on the back and, in this case, Ube on the front, and so you're able to get the absorption of the light, but you're also able to get this beautiful color."

Some of the new e-readers (both entry-level and Paperwhite) feature a chassis material not seen on a Kindle since the discontinued Kindle Oasis: aluminum.

It's a rigid but strong and lightweight stamped aluminum unibody with a 6mm back and 1mm sides; however, it's how Amazon is making it that's interesting.

Where most tech companies are choosing to mill out their aluminum chassis with CNC machines, Green told me Amazon went with stamping. The benefit is that while CNC milling can take 30 minutes, the stamping process takes seconds.

"It's a three-stage process: when we start with a flat sheet, and you stamp it, and then you take this piece, and then you put it into a forge, and you press it... Then you do a light CNC to clean it up. Now what this means is you're literally wasting 60% less material, and you're also wasting 60% less energy," explained Green.

Amazon hasn't really upgraded the software or E Ink displays in any noticeable way, but when I asked Green about the E Ink partnership and how their close association impacts any design and development decisions, he said, "They are obviously a very important partner to us. We have looked at other types of technology. For these types of displays, they're just the best, and we have to work with them."

Green paused for a second and smiled almost wistfully, "Do I wish there were other people out there? Well, let's just say they're the only ones out there."

Amazon, by the way, has gone a little wild with physical buttons in this round of Kindles, or rather with this round of Kindle accessories.

For the new aluminum-backed (and magnetically ready) Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and Colorsoft models, both of which feature a series of connector pins on the back, there's now a cover that adds physical page-turn buttons: the Page-Turn Cover ($79.99).

That's right, Amazon is going full-on retro with a perhaps unintentional nod to the original Kindles, which featured a lot of physical buttons.

The Page-Turn Cover snaps onto the back of the Kindle, nestling a bar featuring forward and back page-turn buttons tightly against the right edge of the reader. The case also features a copy of the right-side power button on the outer edge of the case bar.

I gave the case a little test drive, rapidly pressing the forward and back buttons as I watched the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition quickly refresh and turn pages (it's reportedly 30% faster).

Amazon, though, isn't done with buttons. There is yet another accessory, and it takes page turning off the Kindle and puts it in the palm of your hand. It's called the Kindle Click ($34.99) and is, as the name implies, like a remote control for your Kindle.

Looking like a pale, undersized TV remote, it features two large, thumb-pressable buttons on the face for forward and back page turns. There are also two thinner and smaller buttons on the side for brightness control.

While I struggled to understand why anyone would need a remote for a device that's often just 10 inches from their face, Keith explained the thinking behind this unusual accessory.

With BookTok inspiring more and more young readers who are creating elaborate setups for reading (sometimes under the covers with special stands for the e-readers), Keith sees a need for gesture-free page turning and brightness control.

"My use case is I work out on an Elliptical, and I used to have to swipe, and now you can just turn the pages," he said, adding that it could be a game changer if you're flying on an airplane and just want to prop up the Kindle and sit back and casually turn pages by pressing the remote. If I start using it while reading on my Kindle, I'm sure to fall asleep reading that much faster; after all, raising my hand to swipe pages is usually all that's keeping me awake.

The 6-inch Kindles, in Ube and Graphite, arrive today (October 1) and are still $149 / £149.99 / AU$279 for the 16GB model. "We really were trying to bring innovation to the lineup and be able to absorb as much of the memory costs as we could to be able to keep our prices affordable," said Keith. The new aluminum chassis Kindle, in Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green, starts with 32GB of storage for $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$299.

The updated 7-inch Kindle Paperwhite (starting at $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$369), Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition ($249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399), and the 32GB Kindle Colorsoft, which starts at $289.99 / £259.99 / AU$449 ($319.99 / £289.99 / AU$499for the 32GB aluminum Signature Edition), arrive October 28.

• The next basic Amazon Kindle has seemingly leaked
• It looks to have some small design changes from the previous model
• But it's a shame there's no sign of a new smaller size

It looks like Amazon is gearing up to launch a new Kindle, as images of a new model — which you can see above and below — have been leaked by WinFuture. This is the Amazon Kindle 12th Gen, so it’s the basic model — not a Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Colorsoft.

From the shared images, it seems this new device will have more rounded corners than the Amazon Kindle (2024), and the power button will be moved from the bottom to the top. The site has also shared that we can expect this Kindle to come in black, green, light blue, and purple shades, and that, interestingly, there might be two versions — one with a recessed screen and one where the display is flush.

Alongside this, Amazon is apparently planning a new Kindle for Kids, though no major changes are expected here, with it apparently being essentially the same as the current device, just shipping with a different cover included.

A smaller device could be a big hit

It remains to be seen whether the new 12th-generation Kindle will bring many spec upgrades, but regardless, it’s not the device I want. Lately I’ve fallen in love with compact ereaders like the ViWoods AiPaper Reader and the even smaller Xteink X4 Pro, and I'm spending more time reading on them than my Kindle Colorsoft — but Amazon doesn’t offer anything in these sizes.

So, that’s what I really want to see — especially something truly tiny like the Xteink devices, since one of their main issues is the difficulty in getting books onto them, which presumably isn’t a problem you’d have with a tiny Kindle.

And I’m not alone in this desire — a Reddit thread about this new Kindle leak included comments like “I was kind of hoping for a mini Kindle announcement,” and “I thought I would want a bigger size… until I got a smaller one and practically never touched my Paperwhite again.”

And while these tiny ereaders seem like they should be niche devices, they’re presumably selling well, given that an increasing number of brands like Onyx Boox and Honor have started getting in on them too.

So, hopefully we’ll see a tiny Kindle eventually, but for now, it seems you’ll have to make do with the standard sizes.

Thinking of buying a Kindle in the upcoming Prime Day? It's a good plan — Amazon reliably offers hefty discounts on its own devices during these sales events. The official Prime Day will take place on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, but if you're in the UK you don't need to wait until then.

This particular event coincides with Amazon updating almost its entire Kindle lineup. We now have new basic Kindle (in regular and aluminum versions), a new Paperwhite (in regular and Signature editions), a new Colorsoft (regular and Signature) and a new Kindle Kids. Only the Scribe options remain the same. All this throws a slight spanner in my deal-predicting works.

In the UK, Amazon discounted almost its entire range (as it existed then), around a week before Prime Day — those deals/models are still live and available to shop, and you'll find them included below. However, when the new versions were added, they all appeared at full price.

In the US, we were still waiting for the Prime Day Kindle deals to appear when Amazon dropped all its 2026 models. Now the new range is live, and there are still no discounts to speak of.

I'm not sure that Amazon will discount its new 2026 models, or by how much, but I'll be keeping a close eye on proceedings and will update this page with any deals I do spot. Want more info? Further down the page I'll run through some buying tips to help you choose the right model for you, plus a guide to what counts as a good discount for a Kindle.

UK: Kindle models

Note: some models are currently on pre-order, for delivery 11 November. At time of writing, there are no aluminum Kindle and no 2026 Signature versions available in the UK.

US: Kindle models

Are the deals any good?

In the UK, the discounts on the previous range are strong deals — around the level I'd expect for Prime Day. I'm not expecting the discounts to increase over Prime Day itself, although it's not impossible. Of course, it might be that you'd prefer a latest-gen model, in which case I'd hang on for Prime Day proper to see if any deals do appear on the 2026 lineup.

Note, too, that there has been a bit of sneakiness on Amazon's part regarding the 2024 Kindle. A number of these models have had their list price inflated, thus making the discount look more significant. Some of the older US models have had a price rise, too.

For reference, here was the pricing (and discounts) on the full 2024 Kindle range during the most recent Amazon Prime Day, in June 2026.

In the UK:

• Kindle: £79.99 (was £94.99) — 16% off
• Kindle Paperwhite (no ads): £134.99 (was £169.99) — 21% off
• Kindle Paperwhite (with ads): £119.99 (was £159.99) — 25% off
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition: £114.99 (was £189.99) — 24% off
• Kindle Colorsoft: £154.99 (was £239.99) — 35% off
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition: £174.99 (was £269.99) — 35% off
• Kindle Scribe: £379.99 — no discount
• Kindle Scribe Colorsoft: £504.99 (was £629.99) — 20% off

In the US:

• Kindle: $84.99 (was $109.99) — 23% off
• Kindle Paperwhite: $124.99 (was $159.99) — 22% off
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition: $144.99 (was $199.99) — 28% off
• Kindle Colorsoft (no ads): $159.99 (was $249.99) — 36% off
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition: $219.99 (was $279.99) — 21% off
• Kindle Scribe: $379.99 (was $499.99) — 24% off
• Kindle Scribe Colorsoft: $519.99 (was $679.99) — 24% off

How to choose the right Kindle for you

Amazon Kindles are some of the best e-readers around, and there aren't really any bad options here. When choosing a model, I'd start by deciding between black-and-white (Paperwhite) and color (Colorsoft). If you're a fan of graphic novels, Color is a no-brainer, and it's also useful if you're studying and want to be able to color-code your highlights. However, if you're predominantly just reading text-heavy novels, a black-and-white Kindle might be perfectly fine.

After you've decided that, you'll want to figure out if you also want to be able to use your Kindle for note-taking. All the 'Scribe' options work with a stylus, so you can write as well as read. They have bigger screens than the reading-only options. You'll find more advice in my article exploring how to choose the right Kindle.

Below you can see how the specs compare for each model. All of these key specs remain the same for the 2024 and 2026 Kindle models — the 2026 versions are generally a little lighter and thinner, with smooth, flush displays and a repositioned power button.

• The Honor Life S3 is a new tiny ereader
• It has a 3.68-inch screen and a magnet to attach it to the back of a phone
• So far, there's no confirmed global availability

Not so long ago, tiny ereaders like the Xteink X4 Pro seemed like a novel concept, but now, we seem to be hearing more about them than standard-size ereaders; along with the Xteink line, there’s the recently announced Boox Picco, and now Honor is getting in on the act too with the Honor Life S3.

This device was announced alongside the Honor Magic 9 series of phones, and just like Xteink’s products, it can magnetically attach to the back of your phone, essentially giving you a second screen on your handset — though you can also use the Honor Life S3 separately if you simply want a tiny ereader on its own.

It has a 3.68-inch e-paper screen with 259 pixels per inch, and it weighs just 61g and measures 5.6mm thick. So whether you’re attaching it to your phone or just putting it in your pocket, it’s not going to add much bulk or weight.

Unlike most rival devices, the Honor Life S3 is entirely touchscreen, with no physical page buttons. Most alternatives either don’t have a touchscreen or have both.

According to GizmoChina it also has a “soft-light eye-protection feature” designed to make it easy on your eyes during lengthy reading sessions, and a battery that’s said to deliver 30 hours of run time in continuous use, and up to a week of life with typical use.

It uses a microSD card for storage, supports most common ebook and document formats, and runs a custom operating system, with the ability to transfer books wirelessly through the Honor Smart Space app.

So, as with most of these tiny ereaders you’re not getting Android, meaning there’s no access to the Kindle or Kobo stores.

Carving out a tiny niche

Overall, the Honor Life S3 sounds like some combination of the Xteink X4 Pro and the Xteink X3, with a touchscreen like the X4 Pro but a screen size that’s closer to the X3, and the magnets that both offer — but which some rivals like the Boox Picco don’t.

The Honor Life S3 is, however, marginally thicker and heavier than the Xteink X3, with that coming in at 5.1mm thick and 58g. There’s not much in it, but that could still make a difference if you want the slimmest and lightest device possible. The Xteink X4 Pro is a bit bigger and heavier, but you’re also getting a larger 4.3-inch screen there.

What the Honor Life S3 might have going for it is that it comes from a more recognizable brand, albeit one that doesn’t currently have a massive presence outside China. Indeed, so far it’s only been announced for China, so it remains to be seen whether you’ll even be able to buy it elsewhere.

Personally, there’s nothing here that would tempt me away from the Xteink X4 Pro that I already have, but if I didn’t already own that device and this was available, I’d certainly consider it.

• The Boox Palma 3 has been announced
• This is a phone-sized ereader with a 6.13-inch screen
• Key upgrades include Android 16, stylus support, and a more premium build

If you’re in the market for a phone-sized ereader, you now have another option to consider, as the Boox Palma 3 has just been unveiled — and this successor to the Onyx Boox Palma 2 has some of the key features found on the rival ViWoods AiPaper Reader.

For one thing, just like the ViWoods device, the Boox Palma 3 now has a premium build, with an anodized aluminum frame and a textured fiberglass backplate in place of its plasticky predecessor.

And it’s also had an Android upgrade, launching with a ViWoods AiPaper Reader-matching Android 16, which is up from Android 13 on the Boox Palma 2 and Android 15 on the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro.

For me, that’s particularly important, as Android versions don’t tend to get updated on these sorts of devices, so you’re typically stuck with whatever software they launch with; old versions of software can mean security issues, and app incompatibility problems can crop up sooner.

Beyond that, the Boox Palma 3 also benefits from active stylus support, so you can use it with the Boox InkSense Plus stylus. The AiPaper Reader doesn’t have stylus support, nor does it come with a camera, whereas here you get a 16MP one, so those are two potential advantages of the Boox Palma 3.

Personally, I’m not sure I’d want to use a stylus on a device this small, nor do I have much use for a camera on an ereader — but it could be handy for scanning documents, if you’re so inclined.

Similar specs and a heavier build

That camera and the rest of the specs, though, are largely in line with those of the Boox Palma 2, including a 6.13-inch 824 x 1648 e-paper touchscreen with 300 pixels per inch, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a front light (supporting both warm and cold color tones), a 3,950mAh battery, a USB-C port, a fingerprint sensor, a speaker, and microphones.

But despite being marginally smaller than the Boox Palma 2 at 159 x 78 x 7.8mm, the Palma 3 is actually 25g heavier at 195g.

That also makes it heavier than the 138g ViWoods AiPaper Reader and the 170g Boox Palma 2 Pro — the latter of which additionally gives you a color screen and an extra 2GB of RAM.

So, this may not be a complete home run — or a total upgrade for anyone who owns the Palma 2 Pro.

Indeed, the Palma 3 is actually priced lower than the Palma 2 Pro, coming in at $339.99 (around £250 / AU$475), though a launch discount softens that price to an even lower $319.99 (roughly £235 / AU$450).

There’s no confirmed pricing for other regions yet, but for reference, while the Palma 2 has been discontinued, the Palma 2 Pro sells for $399.99 / $379.99 / AU$679, and its rival, the ViWoods AiPaper Reader, retails for $279 / £254.99 / AU$399.12.

You also can’t actually buy the Boox Palma 3 yet, but the company lists it as coming soon.

Bigme B6 Color: Two-minute review

If you’re looking for a cheaper Kindle Colorsoft alternative, then there’s a strong chance you’ll come across the Bigme B6 Color.

This ereader is cheaper but still boasts a six-inch color e-ink screen, 64GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM paired with a MediaTek Helio P35 processor.

That’s an entry-level smartphone SoC from 2018 and would be a poor choice for a standard tablet, but it is actually pretty powerful for an ereader, being significantly faster than the chip found in the Colorsoft or other similarly priced competitors like the Kobo Clara Color.

The Bigme B6 Color needs that added juice because, unlike mainstream options, it runs on a modified version of Android 14 like a standard tablet rather than a locked-down custom OS.

This means you can expect oodles of added functionality like downloading apps from the Google Play Store or reading online articles in the surprisingly capable web browser. If, like me, you’re coming over from a Kindle, you’ll still be able to access your entire library via the Kindle App in addition to exploring new options like Kobo Books or Google Play Books.

The freedom of Android means getting your own ebook files on the Bigme B6 Color is a breeze via the included Type-C cable or by making use of its microSD card slot.

The Bigme B6 Color also boasts a little mono speaker. It’s a bit tinny, but it means you can use the device to listen to audiobooks and podcasts in a pinch. It’s impressively versatile, and all of this functionality is packed into a sleek and premium form factor that is easily pocketable and can be used one-handed.

But what's the reading experience actually like? Text is sharp, and there is minimal ghosting when flicking between pages, so novels are a breeze — even at night, thanks to a backlight with a good level of brightness and adjustable warmth levels.

I’ve had a perfectly pleasant experience with comic books and manga as well. Monochrome illustrations look pin sharp, while the color screen elevates color splashes. I do wish the colors were a little richer, though, as they’re slightly more washed out than on the Colorsoft.

It’s sometimes spoiled by the many bugs in the operating system, but the biggest issue with the Bigme B6 Color is undoubtedly its battery life. Android is much more power-hungry than most ereader operating systems, and it really shows here. With the brightness cranked up, the battery meter steadily ticks down with every page turn.

I managed to squeeze only about five hours out of a single charge flicking through manga on the Kindle app. That was closer to ten hours for a basic PDF novel stored in the system files, which would at least see you through a full week of reading, but it's still a fraction of the multi-week usage a Kindle Colorsoft or Kobo Clara Color would give you.

To make matters worse, the battery life drops quickly when the ereader isn’t even in use. Tossed in my bag with its screen off, it lost about 10% charge each day, so you’re forced to shut it down fully every time you put it away or risk sitting down for a long train ride and finding it out of juice (something that happened to me more than once in even my relatively short testing period).

Bigme B6 Color review: Price & availability

• Costs around $179 / £149 / AU$280
• Available via the Bigme website and other retailers
• Comes with a case

At the time of writing, I can find the Bigme B6 Color on sale for around $179 / £149 / AU$280. You can find it on the Bigme website in all regions. Shoppers in the US can also find it at Amazon and Newegg, while in the UK it’s also available via JoyBuy. In Australia, you can find it on AliExpress too.

There are three colors available: black, white, and light green. It also comes bundled with a magnetic protective case. It’s a nice case too; my review unit came in black with a navy one, and it attaches neatly to the back via strong magnets and puts the ereader to sleep when closed.

The Bigme B6 Color comes with 64GB of storage, and the value is extremely strong when you consider that the Kindle Colorsoft costs $279.99 / £269.99 / AU$449 for just 32GB of storage and doesn't come with a case.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Bigme B6 Color review: Specs

Bigme B6 Color review: Design & display

• Compact and lightweight
• Color display
• Physical buttons… sort of

The Bigme B6 Color is sleek and compact at 108 x 149.3 × 6.98 mm (or 4.25 × 5.88 × 0.27 inches). It’s easy to slip into a pocket or bag.

The back and sides are a matte plastic material that feels pleasant in the hands, while the bezel around the screen is shinier and smoother. The black model that I’ve been testing is quite plain-looking aside from a silver Bigme logo on the rear and a red power button.

If you look closely at the top, you’ll see a small grille for the speaker and a microphone hole. Flipping it over to the bottom reveals the USB Type-C charging port, a small LED charging indicator, and a slot for the microSD card.

Given that Bigme is a smaller brand, I’m really impressed with the build quality overall.

It’s lightweight at under 200g / 7.1oz but reassuringly solid in the hands. The materials used feel equivalent to those by Amazon or Kobo-maker Rakuten — something really worth commending given just how much cheaper the Bigme B6 Color is than those brands’ equivalent models.

The ereader's six-inch color e-ink display sits above a little row of grey buttons. These aren’t proper buttons in the traditional sense, and they don’t click like those of a Kindle Oasis. Rather, they’re little shortcuts printed on the screen that are tied to certain system apps.

The first opens your library, which shows any ebooks or PDFs you have saved on the device’s storage. The next is an AI button tied to BigmeGPT, an AI assistant of questionable value, but I’ll get on to that in more detail later.

The middle one opens the file manager, and the next takes you to the home screen. The fifth and final button is a settings shortcut.

I’m in two minds about these. On the one hand, some of them are useful to have, like the home screen button or library shortcut, but others, like the AI button, haven’t been pressed more than once or twice in my entire time testing the device.

I couldn’t find a way to rebind the buttons in the system settings, sadly, though even if you could, you would still be stuck with the printed icons.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Bigme B6 Color review: Android software & apps

• Freedom of Android
• Google Play Store access
• Stock apps are poor

Unlike a conventional ereader, the Bigme B6 Color runs on Android 14 and comes with the Google Play Store installed. This allows you to download a wide range of Android apps, all the way from chat services like Discord to social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook, or even some games.

Of course, the screen is a major limitation, and although you can technically watch the latest TechRadar YouTube video on your device, the low refresh rate makes for a pretty unpleasant experience.

That said, Android has some big advantages, namely allowing you to download a wide range of ereader apps. The Kindle app, for example, works fantastically and delivers a comparable experience to using an ereader made by Amazon. Favorites like Libby, which lets you access books from local libraries, are accessible too, and you can even use the ereader’s web browser to download files directly from sites like Internet Archive. Audiobook and podcast apps are also excellent.

The freedom is fantastic and will be a breath of fresh air if you’re used to locked-down ecosystems.

This isn’t a stock version of Android, though. Everything is wrapped in a custom skin created by Bigme, and it’s far from a smooth experience.

There are lots of stock apps, and some are quite buggy. The built-in BigmeGPT AI, for example, crashes instantly if you lose your internet connection. It’s not particularly useful when it does work either, offering only basic text and image generation features.

There’s also the screen saver app that lets you change the image on your lock screen. I used BigmeGPT to generate a few wacky pictures to use as screensavers, only to discover that it doesn’t seem to work very well when you select an image from system files, often defaulting to the default option (a childish cartoon of some bears sleeping in a forest) instead.

Other stock apps include a basic calendar, music player, dictionary, voice recorder, and translator. They all seem to work alright, but are so basic I can’t imagine them being very useful.

The overall interface also has some issues. System notifications will randomly pop up in Chinese from time to time, and it can all freeze up while you’re in menus. I even had the settings app crash entirely on a few occasions.

• Software score: 3/5

Bigme B6 Color review: User experience

• Reading is great
• But the battery life dampens the experience
• Not a tablet replacement

Despite the rough edges in the software, if your number one concern is the reading experience, the Bigme B6 Color does deliver. 300ppi resolution is more than sufficient for the small 6-inch screen and means that text looks very crisp. The backlight is effective too, offering sufficient brightness for reading in dimmer spaces or even a pitch-black room.

As I mentioned earlier, the colors could be better as they look more washed out than those of the Colorsoft, but they’re still decently accurate and help liven up illustrations. Browsing the web is also surprisingly smooth, though the refresh rate does hamper the experience. Even so, you can still browse news websites easily if you want to catch up with current events on the go.

The biggest issue encountered while trying to use the Bigme B6 Color as my main ereader was its battery life. It really does run out quickly, and I struggled to adjust to plugging it in for a top-up every night, having become used to only charging my Kindle every few weeks.

Although it does run Android, I wouldn’t view the Bigme B6 Color as a replacement for a conventional tablet. You technically can use productivity apps (WPS Office even comes installed out of the box to tempt you), but the experience is poor, again, thanks to that slow refresh rate. To Bigme’s credit, the brand advertises the B6 Color as an ereader rather than anything else — so I’m not deducting any points for this.

• User experience score: 3.5/5

Bigme B6 Color review: Performance

• Snappy performance
• Usable web browser
• You can even watch YouTube videos

The Bigme B6 Color performs fantastically with its 4GB of RAM and MediaTek Helio P35 chipset.

Don’t get me wrong, these would be awful specs for a phone — but on a relatively cheap ereader? Everything is butter smooth as far as an e-ink screen allows. Loading is fast, pages turn with no lag, and it doesn’t immediately lose your place if you send an ereader app to the background. It boots from sleep almost instantly as well.

I have had no issue accessing my favorite news websites (including TechRadar, of course) using the built-in browser. I even managed to get YouTube videos playing on it, which is pretty impressive for this kind of device. After using the Bigme B6 Color, my usual Kindle feels unbearably sluggish.

Storage is generous out of the box to boot, and, having downloaded a load of books and a handful of apps, I still have more than 40GB of free space left.

Not shabby at all for this price!

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Bigme B6 Color?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Bigme B6 Color review: Alternatives

How I tested the Bigme B6 Color

• Used as main e-reader for a month
• Popular e-reader apps tested
• Compared to similar models by brands like Amazon

To review the Bigme B6 Color I used it as my primary e-reader for just over a month. This meant using it for about forty minutes each way on my commutes to and from our office in London, during which I enjoyed a variety of novels, comic books, and manga.

Throughout my time with the e-reader I compared my experience to my hands-on usage of similar devices, including the Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle Colorsoft, and Kobo Clara Color.

Read more about how we test.

First published September 2026

• The Boox Picco has been shown off at IFA 2026
• It doesn't run Android or have magnets
• However, it does at least have a USB-C port

Boox is perhaps the most well-known alternative to Kindle and Kobo, and notably, its Android-powered ereaders don’t lock you into a specific ecosystem. Now, Boox looks set to rival Xteink too, with a new ereader that’s truly tiny.

We’re talking about the Boox Picco, an ereader first teased around six weeks ago that has now been shown off at IFA 2026, complete with far more details than had previously been revealed.

The Boox Picco has a 3.97-inch e-paper touchscreen, physical page-turn buttons (which can be customized to do something else if you prefer), a front light, a microSD card slot, and a USB-C port.

What it doesn’t have, though, is Android, as unlike Boox’s larger ereaders, this device runs a Linux-based operating system, meaning you presumably won’t have access to major apps like the Kindle and Kobo apps.

That means — as with rival devices like the Xteink X4 Pro — you’ll likely have to sideload books and may struggle to get some books running on the device if they have DRM.

Still, Android Police went hands-on with the device and claims the software is promising, complete with a reading stats page, a Pomodoro timer, and a handful of other built-in apps. It also provides several ways to get books onto the Picco, including via a microSD card, USB-C, the cloud, or a local LAN network.

And there are upsides to the Boox Picco skipping Android — its software will be simpler in some ways, and the device could have better battery life than Android-powered alternatives. Still, I’ve really been hoping for a tiny ereader with Android included, so while the lack of Android still leaves this device in line with its main competition, it’s a disappointment to me.

'No' to magnets but 'yes' to USB-C

The Boox Picco also lacks something that the Xteink line has — magnets. This won’t matter to everyone, but if you’re hoping for an ereader you can magnetically attach to the back of your phone, this isn’t it.

But the inclusion of a USB-C port is appreciated, considering the Xteink X4 Pro uses a proprietary charging port.

So this could give the Xteink line a run for its money — at least among people who don’t care about magnets. But a lot will come down to price, which remains unclear. Good Ereader reports that the Picco will cost around $100 (roughly £75 / AU$140), but various sites that went hands-on with the device say the price hasn’t been revealed yet, and instead, some speculate that it will hopefully be priced at around that, so Good Ereader may just have misread their reporting.

The Xteink X4 Pro itself is priced at around that level though, so it would certainly make sense for Boox to aim for something similar. We should find out by November at the latest, as that’s when the Boox Picco is set to begin shipping.

Ever since the Xteink X4 landed in early 2026 I’ve been intrigued by this tiny line of ereaders — I loved the idea of sticking one to the back of my phone and carrying it everywhere, but at that point they just had a few too many missing features for my liking.

Then the Xteink X4 Pro launched, and with the addition of a touchscreen and front light, I decided it was finally time to take the plunge and try one for myself. As a tech lover and early adopter it’s a decision I don’t regret, but this still isn’t quite the device I want it to be.

First impressions — before I turned it on — were positive. This thing is extremely slim and light. It’s 111 x 69 x 5.95mm and 72g, numbers which may or may not mean much to you, but essentially this weighs almost nothing, and it’s thin enough that it doesn’t stick out much beyond the camera bump on my iPhone 16 Pro Max when I use its built-in magnets to stick it to the back.

Fragile and exposed

The Xteink X4 Pro doesn’t exactly look or feel expensive, but then few ereaders do, and at $109 / £84 / AU$159 (currently reduced to $99 / £76 / AU$145) it doesn’t need to. The back of your phone is also isn't really the place for a more expensive device — if that's where you plan to stick the X4 Pro, then it’s quite exposed.

It ships with a basic flip cover, but I found the magnets weren’t strong enough to securely attach it to my phone while in a case. So if I drop my phone, the Xteink X4 Pro is liable to break.

In fact, even with the magnets, it can shift around a bit and come loose in my pocket, or if I press a button too hard. Maybe it would stay in place better if my phone wasn’t in a case, but that’s not an option for me. So I sort of expect this thing won’t last long, especially as epaper displays tend to be very fragile.

That’s my first issue with it, as even at its fairly low price, it’s not something I want to constantly be replacing. Of course, attaching it to your phone is optional — some people will want to keep it separate, and it’s perhaps better suited to that. But I already have (and love) a phone-sized ViWoods AiPaper Reader, so I don’t really need another standard small ereader, even if this one is even tinier.

No, the magnets were the main draw for me, and coupled with a fairly crisp 4.3-inch touchscreen with a capable front light, this is a pleasure to read books on.

The battery seems long-lasting too, which is good, because — presumably in an effort to keep this as small as possible — this uses a slightly fiddly proprietary charger rather than USB-C.

Restrictive software

That extensive life is probably partly because of the software — unlike the ViWoods AiPaper Reader or some other compact ereaders, this doesn’t run resource-hungry Android. Instead, it uses Xteink’s own operating system, which is… not good. The interface is ugly and clunky, and it just makes the thing feel a bit unpleasant to use.

But it almost seems like Xteink realizes this, because the version sold on their site is a developer edition, which allows you to very easily flash alternative firmware onto the device.

I did this after all of about half an hour — I already knew I probably would, having seen most owners in the Xteink subreddit seem to ditch the stock software at the first opportunity. But while switching up the interface is easy, choosing which firmware to flash isn’t, as there are a surprising number of options.

So far, I’ve settled on CrossInk, and I’ll probably stick with that as I’m happy enough with it. It gives you a decent amount of customization options and offers more ways of getting books onto the X4 Pro. But that last point is probably my biggest issue with this device, as the lack of Android also means it can’t run the Kindle or Kobo apps.

That means you'll typically have to buy books on another device and then transfer them to the Xteink X4 Pro. And in many cases you’ll also have to remove their DRM first — something which recently became a lot trickier with Kindle books.

So, in other words, getting books onto this is a bit of a chore, and if you already have a library of Kindle books, you might find you can't read them on the Xteink X4 Pro.

That, coupled with the need to flash new firmware to get the most out of it, means I can’t really recommend this to the average ebook reader. It’s very much for people who are comfortable with tech — and ideally people who enjoy fiddling and configuring, rather than having a device that just does exactly what they want out of the box.

Plenty of potential

But I do fit into those categories, so I’m having fun with the Xteink X4 Pro — and right now it’s my main ereader.

I take it with me everywhere because it’s attached to my phone, and just like the ViWoods AiPaper Reader before it, that means I’m reading in moments when I wouldn’t otherwise, because it’s always present and easy to whip out even when I only have a few minutes to spare.

Still, phone attachment aside, it also fills a very similar role for me to the ViWoods, so I’m not sure I’ll continue using both much. Right now, given all the friction points above, I think I’ll probably find myself returning to the AiPaper Reader.

But the Xteink X4 Pro does almost make that device look big, so on days when I want to travel as light as possible, I might still turn to this. And if the Xteink X5 Pro runs Android, then I might rethink things.

The new reMarkable Paper Pure is an impressive handwriting tablet, but it's facing stiff competition in the e-ink slate market. If you're thinking of buying one, it's worth taking a look at the alternatives to make sure there's not an option that'd be a better fit for you. We've tested several excellent e-ink tablets; I've rounded up our favorites below.

The reMarkable Paper Pure has a 10.3-inch screen, which is the most common size for this kind of tablet. However, if you'd prefer more writing real estate, the reMarkable Paper Pro has a more generous 11.8-inch screen. Conversely, if you want something compact, the smartphone-sized Kobo Libra Colour and reMarkable Paper Pro Move are small enough to slip into a back pocket.

Although many of today's best ereaders are waterproof, once you add writing into the mix, waterproofing becomes a rare feature. A notable exception is the aforementioned Kobo Libra Colour, which comes with an IPX8 rating. So if you're prone to spillages or want to note-take in the tub, that's the model for you.

One of our only real complaints about the reMarkable Paper Pure is that it lacks a frontlight. This is frustrating if you need to work in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, and especially so if you're hoping to use it for reading as well as writing. Almost all the tablets listed below come with a frontlight — most are dimmable, and on some you can even change the color temperature.

Scroll down for a roundup of the best e-ink tablets we've tested, including the reMarkable Paper Pure. Hit the View details button for a rundown of the main pros and cons of each one, plus a link to read our full, in-depth review. I've also added a specs comparison table at the bottom to help you see the key differences between the options.

Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments. Happy scribbling!

Top writing tablets

E-ink handwriting tablet specs compared

Note: only the products available in your territory will display as cards. That means you might see models in this table that aren't visible above.

I’ve been reviewing ereaders and epaper writing tablets for nearly a decade now and, in that time, I don’t think I’ve been more excited about an E Ink device as much as Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

When it was announced in October 2025, I was keen to see how well Amazon had implemented the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen technology on the 11-inch note taker, especially since I found the 7-inch Kindle Colorsoft ereader to be one of the better-optimized displays in this category of tablets.

I had to wait over six months after it was initially available to buy in the US — living in Australia meant I could finally lay my hands on it in June this year — but I happened to try the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight first. Following that up with the Colorsoft version was probably a bad idea because I think the 2025 Kindle Scribe is arguably the best Kindle Amazon has made to date: it’s fast, the implementation of the monochrome E Ink Carta 1300 screen is fantastic and the battery life remains just as impressive as on any other Kindle.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, in comparison, lacks luster. For the most part, it’s not really Amazon’s fault that its monochrome sibling outshines it — it’s the limitations of color E Ink display tech after all — but the one thing that really stands out to me is very much under Amazon's control.

Why so blue, Amazon?

I love the new wallpaper artwork on the 2025 release of the Scribes. They're beautiful, different and, after seeing them first on the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe in black and white, I was keen to appreciate them in color.

Strangely, the dominant color you see on the lockscreen artwork on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is blue. From the start screen, showing the silhouette of the boy reading under the tree, to the red-and-white balloon hovering over a lake and forest, every default artwork just looks… blue.

Now, I know some of this is due to the screen itself — the color filter array (CFA) layered over the screen tends to shift hues towards a grey-blue. But if Boox can ensure the other colors pop in the default wallpapers on its large-screen color devices, so can Amazon.

I thought I’d get used to it but, two months on, and I’m left feeling… well, blue every time I wake up the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. I don’t typically like displaying book covers on the lockscreen, but that’s what I’ve reverted to recently just to avoid the dominance of that one color.

It’s there in black and white

OK, I’ll admit that I sound like I’m nitpicking with the wallpapers, but it highlights one big issue with color E Ink displays — they’re darker than the monochrome E Ink Carta screens and, unless you bump up frontlight brightness, the colors don’t really pop. You can see that with not just the wallpapers, but with book covers and comics too on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

This is because of the RGB layer integrated into the display and it affects every single color ereader and digital notebook, not just the Colorsofts. That means the ‘white’ background isn’t as white as it would be on a similar device using the E Ink Carta 1300 screen (like the 2nd and 3rd generation Kindle Scribes) which, in turn, makes colors look dull.

But increasing frontlight brightness to enjoy those colors means you’re draining battery life quicker. In the two months I’ve been using the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, I’ve had to charge it every 2 to 3 days with an average use of 5 hours a day — mostly reading, but some writing too, and browsing the Kindle Store — with auto-brightness settings and Wi-Fi on. In comparison, the 2025 Kindle Scribe lasted me about 5 days on a single charge with the same settings and similar use case.

Annoyingly, the Colorsoft edition takes much longer than the standard Scribe to recharge as well.

Color isn’t always necessary

If color reading really is important to you, you’re better off with an iPad or a Samsung tablet to be honest — color E Ink just isn’t there yet. Moreover, most of us who use an ereader don’t necessarily even need color; we tend to mostly read text-heavy books and note-taking also, similarly, is mostly black ink.

On the Kindle Colorsoft Scribe, the color ink isn’t even as dark as I’ve seen on the Boox Note Air 5C, so it really doesn’t offer as much value for your hard-earned cash compared to some of its competition.

In comparison, its monochrome sibling is the overall better performer — as I’ve said in my Kindle Scribe (2025) review, it’s arguably the best digital notebook Amazon has made to date and, if it wasn’t so expensive, it would have scored full marks.

If you want a note-taking Kindle, I would still recommend the 2024 release of the Kindle Scribe — you might as well pick it up as long as it's still available. I suspect Amazon will discontinue it soon, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper even at full price, is often discounted even outside of major sales and, according to Good Ereader, it will get the new software features that released with the current Scribe models, including Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive connectivity, AI search and the refreshed homescreen layout.

If you’re willing to explore other E Ink writing tablets, I’d suggest looking into the reMarkable Paper Pure or even the Boox Go 10.3 series if you prefer an Android device that will also double as an ereader. A word of caution on the Boox devices, though: you'll need to deal with some ghosting.

• The PocketBook Q is a new ereader with a 5.84-inch screen
• It's slimmer and lighter than most phone-sized rivals
• However, it doesn't run Android, limiting your access to apps

It seems like there’s a growing hunger for small ereaders, as following in the footsteps of the Boox Palma series, the Viwoods AiPaper Reader, and the even smaller Xteink devices, there’s now the phone-sized PocketBook Q.

This new ereader has a 5.84-inch E Ink Carta 1300 touchscreen with a 788 x 1576 resolution, a front light that lets you adjust both brightness and color temperature, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 1,550mAh battery which supposedly allows for more than a month of reading on a single charge.

It measures 154 x 75.8 x 6.5mm and 130g, making it even smaller and lighter than the Boox Palma 2 Pro and Viwoods AiPaper Reader, though its screen is smaller too, with both of those having 6.13-inch displays.

So this essentially sits somewhere between those devices and the likes of the Xteink X4 Pro with its 4.3-inch screen.

Apps included but this doesn't run Android

In any case, the PocketBook Q also has physical side buttons that you can use to turn pages, and it works with Libby for borrowing digital library books. It also has broad format support for both ebook and audio files.

Plus, it comes with an IPX4 rating, for resistance to splashes and moisture, and there’s a text-to-speech tool.

There are a handful of pre-installed apps such as a book store, a browser, and a dictionary, among a few others, but this doesn’t run Android. Rather, it runs PocketBook OS — an operating system based on Linux, so you’re not getting access to the wealth of apps you’ll find on Android.

That helps keep the device focused on books so you avoid distractions, but also means you don’t have access to the likes of the Kindle or Kobo apps on there. That limitation is another way this differs from devices from Boox and Viwoods — though it’s in line with Xteink.

If the PocketBook Q sounds appealing, you’ll be able to grab one for $235 / £175 (around AU$330) when it launches in “late fall” — likely meaning sometime in November.

Hear me out: what if our outrage over an apparent Amazon Kindle Software update and DRM for ebooks is wildly overblown?

I'm not talking about the recent Kindle update that reportedly strips away the ability to remove DRM (Digital Rights Management) from downloaded books. While you might argue that there's good reason to maintain this ability, I say writers gotta get paid, and the edge cases of needing to remove electronic rights controls don't add up to a good enough one to undermine authors' ability to make money off their works.

Instead, I want to talk about the reported change that initially really ground my gears: decommissioning the "WiFi workaround." This refers to the commonly used Airplane Mode trick for reading a digitally borrowed book long after the loan ends.

As an avid reader and Kindle owner, I have relied on this workaround for years. Here's how it works: I visit the Libby app and peruse my local library's books. Overdrive's app is, by the way, still one of the best things to ever happen to Kindle reading.

Instead of buying every book I want to read, I check them out from my library. I borrow the book through Libby; it connects me to Amazon's vast book library, where I sign in to get a digital edition delivered to my Kindle.

On the Kindle, I make sure it's connected to the internet, update my bookshelf, and start reading. Loans usually last two weeks.

When I'm on vacation, I can finish three or four books in a week. When I'm working, I mostly read at night in bed and only get through a few pages before falling asleep (don't judge me). This happens every night, which means that, instead of reading a book in days, it can take me weeks or even months.

To make sure I can still read the book after the loan ends, I turn off my Kindle's WiFi and set it to Airplane Mode.

Everyone knows this hack

This is such a well-known workaround that when I called my local library to ask about it, the guy at the resources desk knew immediately what I was talking about.

"It's a well-known hack," he told me without enthusiasm.

I asked if I should be concerned that, since I wasn't "returning" my digitally loaned book on time, I was holding up anyone else's loan.

"I wouldn't worry about it," he told me, adding, "It's not gonna bother anyone else."

Basically, it doesn't matter if I took any action to return the book. The library has already reclaimed the DRM for that book and is ready to loan it out to someone else.

I would know this if I turned on my Kindle's WiFi and tried to continue reading my overdue book: it would suddenly become unavailable, as Libby and the library would've done their job and reclaimed the title. Interestingly, Amazon is not involved with managing loan expirations.

The controversy arose when people noticed that they could no longer access downloaded titles in Airplane mode. Some assumed this meant that their expired loans were being triggered even when their Kindles were offline. Others blamed a Kindle software update.

I noticed in the Reddit comments that people said they had downloaded the borrowed titles but had not opened them, which is when I remembered having gone through something similar during a recent vacation.

Before embarking on my vacation in Aruba, I downloaded a few books. Later, while lying on the beach (and at a place where my Kindle remained in Airplane Mode as it did not have access to the hotel WiFi), I tried to open one of the titles. It wouldn't open unless I connected to the Internet.

That was new. Previously, I could open any book I downloaded whether or not I was on WiFi.

Another workaround?

Amazon has not spoken publicly about any of this, but apparently has not made any recent changes to how Kindle handles borrowing library books.

If that's the case, it's possible the change is coming through Libby's system or that there's some change in how the Amazon bookstore is handling DRM for borrowed ebooks.

Regardless of the source, none of this means that Amazon or Libby will reach into your Kindle to retrieve overdue books. What may be happening is that the system now wants a DRM handshake when you first open the digital book. That's the moment when WiFi is necessary. Right after that, you can go back to Airplane Mode and keep reading the book.

More interesting is that I don't even know if the source of all this Kindle angst remains an ongoing issue. Today, as a test, I borrowed another Libby book, downloaded it to my Kindle, and then turned on Airplane Mode. The book still opened. I cannot say what will happen after the loan expires or whether there is some internal ticking clock that would not have let me start reading the book while in Airplane Mode.

Ultimately, this may be more of an annoyance than an all-out travesty. I understand that some people think the enforced scarcity of digital loans is ridiculous. You can make endless copies of digital books, after all. But then how do authors get paid for all the purchases and loans? While some books are donated, libraries are paying for digital book copies. Those revenues do go back to the publishers and ultimately the authors. If libraries buy only one digital ebook and then make unlimited copies, authors could lose most of their revenue.

I like reading good books, and I'd like to see authors financially empowered to write more of them. This change, if it even exists, seems like a reasonable middle ground between giving writers what they need and not causing Kindle readers like me undue frustration.

If you're still worried about this, here is my two-part tip: First, make sure the book is fully downloaded on your device (look for the black checkmark on the book cover). This should ensure you can read offline, but as an extra precaution, as soon as you download the books you want to read later, open them on the Kindle to the first page. After that, no matter what happens on the book-loan side, you should still be able to turn off WiFi and read at your leisure.

Update 8-21-2026: After we published, Amazon shared this statement:
"Kindle customers have always been able to open a fully downloaded library borrow or purchase when their Kindle device is in airplane mode, and there have been no changes to Kindle or Kindle DRM that change that."

• The reMarkable Paper Pro doesn't come with Android installed, but a YouTuber fixed that
• The port isn't perfect, but solves several flaws with the ereader
• The YouTuber wants to release a more accessible Android 13 port

We adored the reMarkable Paper Pro when we first reviewed it back in 2024. The “elegant writing tablet” combines a large color e-ink display with speedy writing response, and a distraction-free operating system to create a package that seriously delivers. Though we found it often lacks more features than it boasts.

This is a downside of its proprietary Linux-based OS. It keeps distractions low so you can focus on writing, but means there’s a lot of essential apps without ports for this tablet. The solution, as YouTuber Chalid Raqami found, is to simply install Android yourself.

Running Android 13 on the reMarkable Paper Pro comes with a slew of major benefits. It can support third-party Bluetooth keyboards instead of the pricey official keyboard folio, run apps like Kindle and Microsoft OneNote (with support for the stylus) and, perhaps best of all, the ability to swap between Android 13 and the original OS at the press of a button.

Though getting Android to work on the tablet wasn’t quite as simple at first.

The biggest trouble is the tablet’s measly 2GB of RAM and meager four-core processor. Raqami says he spent a lot of time optimizing his build to make it less frustratingly slow, getting it to a point where the tablet could comfortably run one Android app at a time.

Imperfect, but beautiful

Though as you can see from the video and Raqami himself admits, the user experience is far from optimized. Things are still somewhat laggy and a little glitchy at points (color popping in and out as you scroll through the Kindle library) — certainly not as stable as you’d expect from an official Android release — but that’s the cost of trying to retrofit a system that was never meant to run this OS.

The flipside is you get a much more capable tablet in terms of the apps it can attempt to run, and that might make you wish you could install Android 13 on the Paper Pro yourself.

Well, if you’re willing to recreate Raqami’s work, you can get started right away. For everyone else, he says he’s trying to release a version of the port himself as a simpler install package, though for various reasons he says it’ll be a little while until the package is polished enough for general release.

In the meantime, he says some early testers may be able to help him fine-tune the Android port by trying it before launch, though again you’ll need to stay tuned for if/when that becomes a possibility.

Alternatively, you could pick up the Onyx Boox Go 7. It isn’t full-color, but it is an impressive Android ebook reader that we really loved when we reviewed it earlier this year.

Best of all, it comes with full Android support already installed. No jerry-rigging required.

• Amazon has rolled out tougher DRM to the Kindle Oasis
• The same update has previously landed on most other Kindle models
• The company has also closed an airplane mode loophole for Libby loans

If you like reading Kindle books on other devices or borrowing digital library books using Libby, Amazon has just made some changes that you’re unlikely to be happy about.

First up, as reported by The eBook Reader, a software update has rolled out for the Kindle Oasis that adds a new hardened DRM (Digital Rights Management) to books on it, meaning that most DRM-removal tools will no longer work.

While we don’t condone piracy, there are legitimate reasons to want to remove DRM, such as reading the book on a non-Amazon ereader that doesn’t have access to the Kindle app.

And this isn’t the first or only Kindle to get this undesirable update — now, the only supported model that doesn’t have this new DRM is the Kindle Voyage, and it’s probably only a matter of time before that gets it too.

No more lengthy loans

The other change that Kindle users are unhappy with is that you can seemingly no longer keep a Libby book beyond its due date by turning airplane mode on. This was a handy workaround that gave you more time with a borrowed book, but now Reddit users report being prompted to turn Wi-Fi on to access their loans.

As these are digital loans, this workaround wasn’t really hurting anyone — the books would still be made available to other users after the loan period expired anyway; you’d just also still have a copy on your Kindle.

Unsurprisingly, the online reactions to these changes aren’t positive, with Reddit comments about the new DRM including the likes of “glad I switched to Kobo,” while of the Libby change, one commenter claimed it was “my biggest nightmare.”

If you’re affected by either of these issues, then there aren’t any easy solutions — other than potentially switching to another brand. In the case of the DRM, Kobo books currently use a version that’s easier to remove, but even on Kobo, the airplane mode loophole won’t work.

• The InkLeaf is a notebook-like dual-screen ereader
• It opens like a book and lets you read on one screen while making notes on the other, using a stylus
• It's shipping to early buyers this month at a hefty discount

In recent years we’ve seen all sorts of e-paper innovations, from e-paper phones like the Hisense A10 to absolutely tiny ereaders like the Xteink X4 Pro, and now another unusual device is on the way, dubbed the InkLeaf.

This is a dual-screen ereader that folds open like a notebook. So the design is a bit like that of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and other foldable phones, except it’s using E Ink for its displays, and it’s not using foldable screens.

Instead, you get a pair of 10.3-inch E Ink Carta displays, and an aluminum frame between them. That also means the screens are much bigger than on Samsung's foldable, putting each display more in line with a tablet.

The idea here is that you can hold and fold it like a notebook, and that, thanks to having two screens, you can read from one and take notes on the other. For example, you might have a textbook open on one display and note paper on the other — though you can also directly annotate whatever text you’re viewing too.

The InkLeaf, then, is designed primarily for work, study, and research, though given that it opens and folds like a book, it could also be appealing to read novels on for anyone who otherwise prefers hardbacks.

The InkLeaf is also just 4.2mm thick when open and 8.4mm thick when closed, so it’s no thicker than a notebook, and it weighs just 480g. Plus it has a speaker, microphones, 64GB of storage, and a battery that promises weeks of life per charge.

Unclear software and a high price

The InkLeaf runs Android under the hood, though it’s not clear what version of Android this is, or whether it includes access to the Google Play Store. It also supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, and HTML files.

The InkLeaf comes with a stylus for all your note-taking needs, supporting 4096 levels of pressure, and this supposedly provides the friction of real paper, so it won’t feel like you’re writing on a screen.

And, of course, this being 2026, the InkLeaf also includes AI, allowing you to search for handwritten phrases across all of your notes, and with summaries and an outline assist planned post-launch.

At full price, this ereader isn’t cheap, with an MSRP of $999 (around £740 / AU$1,425), but you can reserve one now for delivery worldwide on InkLeaf's site for just $489 (roughly £365 / AU$700) — that’s the ‘founder price’, and requires paying a refundable $9.99 (approximately £7.50 / AU$14) deposit ahead of when it ships sometime this month.

As well as getting you a big discount, this is also an early access launch — following that, it will land on Kickstarter, with most units not shipping until 2027.

So if you want the InkLeaf early and affordably, you should reserve one soon. Of course, doing so comes with all the perils of being an early adopter, and means you won’t get a chance to read reviews before making a purchase decision.

I love reading — or at least that’s what I tell myself. In reality, I’ve always had a very on-and-off relationship with it, going from devouring books in days to barely opening one for weeks or months on end.

But one constant I’ve realized is that I don’t tend to prioritize reading — if there’s a show I’m binging, a new game I can’t stop thinking about, or simply lots of social engagements to attend, books will generally get put aside until I have more time on my hands.

But then something occurred to me — while I don’t always have long stretches of time that I’m happy to devote to reading, my days are full of short periods that aren’t being filled, like while I’m waiting in line or at a train station, or simply waiting for the kettle to boil. And then there are times when I’m on a train or in a cafe and might want to read, but don’t have a book with me as I travel light.

With all that in mind, back in late January, I bought the ViWoods AiPaper Reader — a pocket-sized Android ereader that’s small enough to carry with me everywhere alongside my phone — in the hopes that it would get me reading during periods that might otherwise be dedicated to podcasts or simply spent sitting or standing in slightly bored silence.

At the same time, I also had some hope that, since this ereader has full access to the Google Play Store, it might help cure my smartphone addiction — as doomscrolling was likely to be less desirable on an E Ink screen.

A tiny device that was a big reading success

Before buying the ViWoods AiPaper Reader, I hadn’t read much in a while — I had dozens of unread books on my Kindle Colorsoft and big stacks of physical books silently judging me. I might start one, but it wouldn’t stick — life would get in the way, or it wouldn’t immediately grab me enough to reach for it again.

But the ViWoods AiPaper Reader changed that. I loaded up the Kindle app on it and got in the habit of keeping it in my pocket, alongside my phone. Then, almost any time I would previously have switched on a podcast — such as when on a train or in small empty moments of my day — I’d reach for this instead.

It didn’t matter whether I had two minutes or two hours; I’d aim to read something, and because the AiPaper Reader was always in my pocket, there was no excuse not to. I didn’t even have to go to my shelves to grab a book.

It allowed me to build a consistent reading habit and make progress with books even on days when I didn’t have much time, or wasn’t massively in the mood to read. After all, reading a couple of pages while boiling the kettle is still better than nothing, and it all adds up. And best of all, because this device got me back into reading, I’m now more inclined to read my paperbacks than I have been for some time.

Was it all smooth sailing? No, there have been some days and even a few weeks where I would stop carrying the ViWoods AiPaper Reader with me. But so far, I’ve always found it easier to go back to than a larger ereader or a physical book.

An imperfect light and unnecessary AI

This isn’t the perfect pocket-sized ereader. It has a front light but not a warm light, which can make reading at night a bit less comfortable than on some of the best ereaders — especially as the brightness is adjustable, the minimum level is still quite bright.

There’s also the AI-shaped elephant in the room, which even if you know nothing about this device, you’ve probably been wondering about from its name.

Like so much recent tech, the ViWoods AiPaper Reader is trying to cash in on the AI craze; there's a dedicated AI button that you can press to speak to an AI chatbot, with models from OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, and Qwen all built in.

These platforms can be used either as general-purpose AI chatbots or in combination with ViWoods' own apps to, for example, look up definitions of words in the books you’re reading. But personally, I’m tending to just use the Kindle app for reading, which can’t directly communicate with the AI.

Plus, using the ViWoods' AI functionality requires a Wi-Fi connection, which drains the battery faster than I want from an ereader, and it’s slower to interact with than just pulling up Gemini on my phone.

Beyond AI, some of the other software available on the ViWoods isn’t perfect, either, as while it runs a fairly recent version of Android in Android 16, there’s no promise of any version updates, and ViWoods’ own interface leaves a little to be desired. For example, there's little explanation of how some features work, and many important settings are hidden away in an ‘advanced settings’ submenu. There’s also an 11-step process to actually authorize and activate the Google Play Store on this device, despite it running Android.

Those gripes aside, I’ve generally been impressed by the ViWoods AiPaper Reader. Its 6.13-inch Carta 1300 screen is big and crisp enough to comfortably read on, its battery lasts me anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on how much I’m using it, and it looks like a genuinely premium device, with a slim, sleek design that’s almost up to the standards you’d expect from a premium brand like Apple.

This didn’t cure my addiction

While the ViWoods AiPaper Reader got me reading again, it was less successful at breaking my doomscrolling habit — though not a complete failure.

I figured that, since it runs Android apps, I could keep my phone in another room when I’m at home, and use the ereader for most things, with its monochrome E Ink screen sure to leave me reaching for it less.

And it somewhat worked for that — when I was disciplined about actually keeping my phone out of reach. But after a while, I got out of the habit, and even when I did keep my phone elsewhere, I’d sometimes encounter things I genuinely wanted it for, like penning a long message. So this wasn’t the perfect solution for me.

I’d perhaps have more luck if I fully replaced my phone with a device like this — and the ViWoods AiPaper Reader does have a SIM card slot, so it can fulfil most smartphone functions. But it lacks speakers and cameras, so you’d be making some unfortunate sacrifices.

Were I serious about that idea, I might invest in something like the Mudita Kompakt instead, as that’s designed specifically as a minimalist E Ink phone. So, if you’re looking primarily for something to break your smartphone habit, I’d suggest a device like that instead (or, perhaps, the similarly distraction-free Balance Phone).

Still, as a secondary function on a device I’m mostly using for books, the ViWoods AiPaper Reader has not been a total failure.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some reading to do.

• Boox has teased a tiny 'Picco' ereader
• It has just a 3.97-inch screen, likely making it a rival to Xteink devices
• It has a front light and a microSD card slot, and may well run Android, but lots of questions remain

There’s a lot more to ereaders than Kindle and Kobo these days, both in terms of brand names and form factors, and one such brand is set to offer a new, truly tiny form factor for reading on.

Boox (via GoodEreader) has just teased the Boox Picco, which is set to be the first device in a new ‘Tile’ product line. It has just a 3.97-inch screen, making it far smaller than even the phone-sized Boox Palma 2 Pro. In fact, it’s even marginally smaller than the recently launched Xteink X4 Pro.

Xteink has so far had the micro ereader market almost to itself, with this latest model having a 4.3-inch display. It’s debatable whether an even smaller screen is better or worse, but the Boox Picco may have some advantages over the X4 Pro.

Most notably, there’s a good chance it will run Android, since Boox devices typically do. This would mean you could install apps like the Kindle and Kobo ones, rather than having to sideload books as you do on Xteink ereaders.

Beyond that, we know that the Picco has a monochrome epaper display, a front light, and a microSD card slot, all of which are in line with the Xteink X4 Pro.

Great potential but lots of unknowns

I love the idea of the Xteink devices but my main hesitation in buying one is the lack of Android, so now I’m going to wait and see if this is a better alternative. But it might not be, as there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Boox Picco.

For one thing, arguably the USP of Xteink devices is their ability to magnetically attach to the back of phones, and there’s no word on whether the Boox Picco will be capable of the same. Still, this seems an obvious inclusion, so whether through built-in magnets or an optional magnetic case, I’d think it’s likely.

Also, it remains to be seen how attractively priced the Picco will be — the Xteink X4 Pro is $109 / £84 / AU$159, so Boox probably can’t afford to charge much more than that if it wants this to be a hit.

Plus, while Android is likely, it’s not guaranteed. With this being such a small device, Boox might opt for a simpler operating system.

Even if it does run Android, there’s a high chance that this will run a very old version, as is often the case with Boox devices. That would make it potentially less secure, and therefore something I’d be reluctant to sign into my accounts on. It would also mean that apps might cease being compatible with it in the next few years.

Still, I’m cautiously hopeful that this could be the tiny ereader of my dreams — there’s no word on a release date yet, but I expect we’ll learn more soon.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025): Two-minute review

I've used the 2024 release of the Kindle Scribe (2nd generation) for two years and I've loved every minute of it. I didn't think there was a better E Ink display to write on (and read on for that matter) and I definitely didn't think it could be improved. Yet that's exactly what Amazon has done with the 2025 (3rd generation) Kindle Scribe with frontlight.

The epaper display is still one of the best to read and write on, but it looks even brighter and, indeed, it is bigger, with 11 inches of screen real estate to use. That's fantastic for note-taking and drawing, but unnecessary for a device that also doubles up as an ereader.

Despite the additional height, the 3rd generation Kindle Scribe is both marginally thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but it is hard to hold in the hand for long periods of use — I constantly felt the need to place it on my lap or a table even when reading, but more so when jotting notes. Moreover, the lack of a broad bezel means it's very easy to trigger a page turn as the thumb rests so close to the edge of the display.

The thinner chassis is solidly built, although there's still no waterproofing (as is the case on most digital notebooks), so be careful if you decide to use it by the pool, the bath or the kitchen sink. And definitely keep it away from the sea's salty water to avoid corrosion.

The new stylus is also redesigned and, while it might feel too smooth for some users, I adore it! It never slipped once, even with sweaty palms, and, personally, gave me one of the best writing experiences I've had on a digital notebook (with the exception of the ViWoods C1 ceramic stylus possibly). Additionally, the magnetic hold to the side of the device is the strongest I've seen to date on any such device.

The homescreen interface has been refreshed and is quite practical in my opinion, and renaming the previous Notebooks tab to Workspace kinda makes sense to me. There are a few new features here: a handful of fresh templates in Workspace, a Smart Shapes feature that some users might find useful and, importantly, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive connectivity for seamless cloud transfer of files. There's even AI-enable search that can trawl through handwritten notes to give you a concise summary to answer your query.

What I'm struggling with is justifying its high price tag. While everything is now a lot more expensive, the extra screen real estate and handful of new features don't go a long way in explaining the significant price increase over its predecessor but, then again, the base model now has double the storage at 32GB and it sure is a very fast performer.

As someone who's extensively used reMarkables and Boox alternatives, I think the 3rd generation Kindle Scribe definitely gives its competitors a run for their money. I'd still only consider picking it up when discounted and only if you don't already have a previous Scribe and are embedded in the Amazon ecosystem.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: price and availability

• First announced October 2025 in the US; available to buy since December 2025
• Released in the UK and other select markets in early 2026, available in Australia since mid 2026
• List price: from $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849

The 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe is expensive — at a starting price of $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849, it's $100 / £70 / AU$200 more than its predecessor's entry cost, but it does go some way in justifying the increase.

Firstly, as I've already mentioned, the entry model now has 32GB of storage compared to 16GB, plus the display is 11 inches (previously 10.2 inches). There are a few new software features that make it a better digital notepad compared to the 2nd-gen Kindle Scribe from 2024, but it's still hard to justify paying full price when color E Ink devices don't cost much more.

That said, color E Ink isn't where it should be in 2026 and I wouldn't recommend the $629 / £569 / AU$999 Kindle Scribe Colorsoft over this monochrome sibling.

On the other hand, the reMarkable Paper Pure, which also offers 32GB of storage, but a 10.3-inch screen and a minimal interface that's not conducive to reading is a lot cheaper with a starting price of $399 / £359 / AU$629. Even the 64GB Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi is cheaper at $449.99 / £429.99 / AU$729.

I would still recommend the 3rd-gen Kindle Scribe if you want both a reading and note-taking device in one, but perhaps consider picking it up when it's discounted, which it invariably will be during a major sale, more so once Amazon discontinues the 2024 edition (which it invariably will).

However, if you already own the 2024 version, I wouldn't recommend the 3rd-gen as an upgrade as you won't miss much. And as long as it's available to buy, the 2nd-gen is definitely better value even at full price.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: specs

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: design and display

• 11 inches of beautiful, bright E Ink Carta 1300 screen real estate
• Sturdy, premium build, but slim bezels can be an issue
• Thinner and lighter than previous generation, with newly designed Premium Pen

It might not seem all that different from the previous two Kindle Scribes, but the 3rd-gen model with frontlight is a different beast, at least physically. As already mentioned, it's now a little taller thanks to an 11-inch display, but it's ever-so-slightly thinner (5.4mm vs 5.7mm) and lighter than the second-generation Scribe (400g vs 433g).

How Amazon has managed that is beyond my understanding, but it's a welcome change as it helps negates a little bit of the hand and wrist fatigue the extra height adds during handheld use over longer periods of time.

That, sadly, is exacerbated by the fact that the broader bezel from the previous generations is no longer there beside the screen where your thumb could rest. Now, all four sides are surrounded by even yet narrow bezels that can trigger a page turn if your finger or palm even remotely touches the edge of the screen. It's something you can get used to but, even then, I think all the new 2025 Kindle Scribes are best used while on a table or desk, or your lap.

Other than that, the Kindle Scribe still looks like a premium device with a very sturdy build, despite being thin and light, with minimal embellishments for a clean look. Unlike the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, though, the 3rd-gen model only comes in the usual Graphite (previously called Tungsten) variant, and I do wish another chassis color was available. You're also not going to get any waterproofing here like with the other Kindles.

What I'm thrilled about, though, is the new stylus. Amazon has redesigned the Premium Pen, which is now a white, smooth-bodied styls with a slightly sharper nib that adds better control to marking on the screen. The smoothness of the pen's body might make it harder to hold for some users, but I didn't have any issues with slipping, even if my palms ended up being sweaty for whatever reason.

Better yet is the magnet that attaches the pen to the side of the tablet, which is arguably the strongest I've come across on any such device. Even without a case, the Pen has never come off inside my bag when taking it in or out of a pocket. And I do mean never — it has shifted in angle, sure, but not completely fallen off. That's just my experience, though.

You still get an eraser on the top and the customizable shortcut button, as well as five spare tips in the box. What you don't get is the aforementioned sleep case, which you will need to purchase separately, but there are options galore directly from Amazon and third parties.

As much as I would love to wax lyrical about the stylus, it's the 11-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display that's the star of the show here. It was already fantastic on the 10.2-inch 2024 Scribe, but now it just seems a touch better.

I'd like to say it's because of the 100nit peak brightness that makes it look nicer, but even with the LEDs dimmed, it's the cleanest, almost-white display I've used on an epaper tablet that still manages to seem like paper. In fact, I much prefer it over the duller-looking E Ink Kaleido 3 display on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

The flush screen is protected by a top layer of glass that also has an anti-glare coating. You also get the standard 300ppi resolution which, despite being spread over a larger area, still renders text and writing in sharp clarity, and it's arguably one of the most responsive screens on an epaper device to date.

• Design & display score: 4.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: Software

• Refreshed homescreen setup which is cluttered with Kindle Store recommendations
• Cloud service access is very welcome
• More writing tools but not necessarily of note (pun not intended), but new a AI feature could prove useful

It's not a complete makeover, but the homescreen setup on the top of the 2025 Kindle Scribes is different to what was previously on the older models. There's easy access to what Amazon is calling a Quick Note — just tap on it and it opens up an empty notebook for you to start writing on — beside which is a single column of your recently opened items (now called Jump Back In) that were previously arranged horizontally.

By default, the Quick Note takes up more than half the left side of the screen, but it can be shrunk by tapping double arrows, which then separates your recently opened items list into two columns, thus adding more, whether that be notes or ebooks.

I like this setup better as it's a quick glance at a fair few recently opened items, rather than you needing to scroll horizontally, plus you can see what you wrote in the Quick Note without needing to open it.

Below this section is a whole lot of what I think is clutter but some users who are embedded in the Amazon ecosystem would appreciate. These include the Recently Added items list, followed by new-feature intros and several Kindle Store recommendations based on your reading habits, which is what I really detest — it just feels like overkill and I much prefer Kobo's homepage which looks neater to me.

While the bottom navigation menu still has four items, the previous Notebooks tab is now called Workspace and it has a few extra templates that I personally couldn't find much use for. I would have loved a dedicated journal template but... oh well. Otherwise, everything else is carried over from before, with limited pen and brush options that artists perhaps won't be very happy with.

The biggest improvement here (across all three 2025 Scribes in fact) is the addition of Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive support. As someone who uses the former, it's made file transfer a lot easier than using the email sharing option that has previously been the clunkier norm.

There is, however, a caveat when it comes to PDFs: you can't actually mark them up after exporting them if you need to do so. The only way to reflect changes is to export the file and open in Google Docs to edit. Despite that, I still think access to cloud services is a huge improvement and I hope Amazon rolls it out to the older Scribes as well.

Also new is a feature called Smart Shapes that you can access from the stylus menu in a note — if you need to create, say, flowcharts, you can roughly draw a circle or triangle and it will automatically get converted into a proper (or neat) shape. It's not something I personally found useful, but I think it could be for students, teachers and scientists.

The AI-powered handwriting conversion and summary creation tools from the previous generation is available here, as are the ebook annotations (Active Canvas) and side-margin notes from before, but AI search in your notes is new. It allows you to enter a keyword or phrase and all your notes, including handwritten ones (uh-huh, that's different, innit?) will be scanned to give you an AI-generated summary. It's another feature that I don't see everyone needing, but if you have a copious amount of notes on the same subject (like I occasionally do), it can be handy.

I should note that all this software improvement takes up a heck of a lot of storage. For example, when I looked into the Device Options on my 3rd-gen Scribe and Colorsoft units, I only had about 22GB and 21GB of usable storage respectively out of 32GB. This is still a good amount, but 11GB is still a heck of a lot of space to give up for power users who might want to store a lot of ebooks, audiobooks and documents on the device. To put it into context in another way: there was a time when 8GB storage was the norm in an ereader, meaning the Scribe software wouldn't even fit into an older ereader!

Software score: 4 / 5

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: User experience

• Despite its size, it's one of the best screens to read on
• New stylus writes wonderfully, although writing and drawing features are still comparatively limited
• Handful of new templates added for note taking

I have a few Kindle devices at home, including three of the 2024 releases, and yet I'm not really a Kindle fan because of how much the user interface forces you into the Amazon ecosystem.

However, the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight has come very close to changing my mind — I am willing to put up with the homescreen clutter because of how good reading and writing is on that glorious E Ink display. It's hands down the best epaper tablet I've tested in 2026 (it's a delayed review as it wasn't released in Australia, where I'm based, until June this year).

Reading

As I've already said, the 300ppi resolution looks a little better on this Scribe than it did on the previous generation because Amazon has optimized the display very well to render text in sharp clarity.

I've seen some users complain that the Scribes don't look as good as the Paperwhite, but it's important to keep in mind that the 7-inch Kindle has less surface area with the same amount of pixels as the 11-inch version, so the pixel size on the larger device will be slightly bigger. And that makes a difference, but not so much that it stands out. You have to look really carefully to see that kind of difference.

I am a big fan of the ambient light sensor on the display, which means the screen automatically dims or brightens up depending on whether I'm indoors or outdoors, or how bright or dark it might be around me. In other words, it automatically gives me a pleasing brightness for nighttime reading.

The larger screen makes it an ideal choice for comic book fans but, then again, color makes them more enjoyable while you'll be reading them in grayscale. The bigger screen, however, is fantastic for those who prefer larger fonts, so you aren't turning pages after a few sentences and, thus, conserving a little battery.

The Kindle font support is still not as good as flexible as on a Kobo or a Boox device. For example, sideloaded EPUBs added to the device via the Send To Kindle platform render well, but I found a few MOBI files that didn't open as expected but work perfectly fine on my Kobo Libra Colour.

I am, however, very grateful for Amazon's cloud storage where anything in your library previously added to older devices are accessible on any new Kindle.

Writing & drawing

I didn't think Amazon could better the writing experience from the previous-generation Scribe, but lo and behold, a redesigned stylus has achieved just that. As I've previously stated, the pen is the real hero when it comes to epaper writing tablets and the white Premium Pen with a slightly sharper nib glides very well over the glass and yet has just the right friction.

Then again, a pen choice is very personal and some users might prefer more friction, which is understandable. Personally, my experience was perfect, allowing me very good control over the marks I made in a note.

What I'm not necessarily too enthused by are the limited writing tools. I think Kobo's Advanced Notebooks are still a better option compared to what Amazon offers on the Scribe, although Android devices give you even more features and tools if you think you'd need them.

While there are some new templates for notes, I think their use would be very limited to select users, and I would have much preferred if Amazon had, instead, added more pen options. I may not be able to draw to save my life, but I can see how this limitation might affect artists. For everyday doodling, my colleague Lance Ulanoff finds the Kindle Scribe better than his iPad for drawing, especially when outdoors.

Writing and drawing limitations aside, the physical experience of putting words down on the 2025 Scribe is par excellence and, for that, I can't deduct too many marks.

User experience score: 4.5 / 5

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) review: Performance

• The fastest Kindle yet, with page turns barely visible (unless animated)
• Absolutely no ghosting, even with image-heavy ebooks
• Battery life takes a small hit compared to previous generation

Amazon doesn't reveal what hardware components it uses under the hood of its devices — all we know is that there's a quad-core chip with an indeterminate amount of RAM — to keep things ticking along, but whatever there is sure makes the 3rd-generation Scribe the fastest Kindle yet.

In fact, I think I might go so far as to say it's arguably the fastest ereader and epaper writing tablet I've tested to date. I make that claim based on my recent Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi review that I was testing at the same time the Amazon device and, despite being a 2026 release, was so significantly slower than the 2025 Scribe, specifically in terms of page turns.

On the Scribe, you can barely discern a page turn, unless you have the animation turned on of course. Several times during my two-week test period with the Scribe I didn't even think a tap registered until I saw the words on the new page. The time I did notice a blip was when the device was doing a full refresh.

Like its predecessor, there's absolutely no ghosting here, whether you've got image-heavy or word-heavy books. Not even a faded mark appears overlaid on notes, and I do wish Boox would learn how to achieve that.

Battery capacity is another spec that Amazon doesn't reveal, but it does say that it can last up to 12 weeks on a single charge when used for about 30 minutes a day. It's definitely doable, but I think battery life on the previous 2024 edition was slightly better. Potentially more LEDs (another spec that Amazon doesn't reveal) to power a larger display could be the main culprit here, but it doesn't take too much of a hit in comparison.

In my use case, with up to four hours of reading and about 30 minutes of writing each day saw the battery nearly empty in five days. That's with the ambient light sensor on, so no manual brightness adjustments were made and that does put pressure on the battery. Sleep timer was set to 30 minutes and Bluetooth was off, although Wi-Fi was always on. Similar use with the 2024 Kindle Scribe saw the battery drain in approximately seven days for me with the same settings.

Recharging, however, seems to be remarkably quick on the 2025 version of the Scribe with frontlight, with my unit taking just about 20 minutes to top up from 21% down when plugged into a 60W wall charger. That's with the screen switched off, though. If I charged it while the device was in use, it took close to two hours via the same adaptor and USB-C cable.

On the other hand, my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft drains even quicker and takes a heck of a lot longer to recharge.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025) with frontlight?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

The 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight is easy to recommend and, for some users, it might even justify its high price tag. For anyone else, know that there are alternatives to consider, and they'll actually save you a little cash even at full price.

How I tested the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025)

I sadly had the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe for just two weeks for this review, but I ensured I spent as much time as I could with it. As I've previously mentioned, I spent an average of 4-5 hours with it each day during that time, sometimes more, both reading and writing.

I was able to access my existing library as soon as I signed into my Amazon account, but I also uploaded some new EPUBs using the Send To Kindle web platform. I also connected the Scribe to my Google Drive account to transfer a couple of PDFs to the device, but I also saved select notes to the cloud, which automatically upload as PDFs with handwriting (no automatic text conversion takes place, but you can manually trigger that on the Scribe if you wish).

I tried the Smart Shapes feature and used the new AI search to test if it would be able to summarize my own review notes for me, which is successfully did. Handwriting conversion was also tested, albeit using a colleague's scrawl (I hate to admit but I can't scribble chicken scratchings no matter how hard I try).

Kindle Unlimited and Audible were also accessed on the device, and I was able to pair a JBL Bluetooth speaker for listening.

Learn more about how we test devices here at TechRadar

[First published July 2026]

• Xteink has just launched the X4 Pro
• This tiny ereader can stick to the back of your phone, and its main upgrades include a light and a touchscreen
• New open source ereader software called FreeInk has also been announced

While small smartphones have largely gone out of fashion, it seems there’s an appetite for absolutely tiny ereaders. The Xteink brand is one of the biggest small-screen successes in this space, and its new model, the Xteink X4 Pro, is set to potentially be its best yet.

This ereader has just a 4.3-inch screen, with dimensions of 111 x 69 x 5.95mm, making it even smaller than the iPhone 13 mini, so it's small enough to fit in even a tiny pocket.

That makes it roughly the same size as the Xteink X4, and, like that device, this can also be magnetically attached to the back of a phone, essentially turning your handset into a dual-screen device, with the second display being a more eye-friendly way to read.

But where the Xteink X4 Pro has its predecessor beat is in replacing clunky buttons with a touchscreen, and — perhaps even more importantly — adding a front light, so you can read on it in the dark.

This also has a much higher-capacity 1,100mAh battery (up from 650mAh), and yet somehow weighs marginally less at 72g.

A low price and lacking apps

The Xteink X4 Pro is out now, and you can order it directly from Xteink’s site for $109 / £84 / AU$159, though a launch discount temporarily brings it down to $99 / £76 / AU$145.

That makes it a bit more expensive than its predecessor, and it replaces USB-C charging with a magnetic pogo charger, which won’t appeal to everyone. But arguably the main downside of this device is that it doesn’t support Android. No current Xteink devices do — though the upcoming Xteink S4 will. That means you can’t get the Kindle or Kobo apps on them, so you have to sideload books.

It also means they run Xteink’s own software, which receives mixed reviews. However, as long as you get a developer edition of the Xteink X4 Pro, you’re free to change the firmware, and there are some third-party options that may work better, including the newly-announced FreeInk.

This is open-source software that’s specifically listed as supporting the X3 and X4, among other devices. So while this won’t give you access to the Kindle app, some users might find it preferable to Xteink’s own software.

Boox Go 10.3 Gen II Lumi: One-minute review

As far as epaper writing tablets go, Boox has some of the most versatile options thanks to their Android-based operating systems, and the Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi is arguably the best of them despite its rather mouthful of a name — I’m just going to call it the ‘Lumi’ from here on in.

I was already a fan of the original model, calling the reMarkable dupe a pleasure to use in my Boox Go 10.3 review — and by just adding a light and making the battery consumption more efficient, the Chinese ereader maker has made the Gen II model better.

Despite the screen being a touch slower than I’ve experienced with other devices like the 2024 and 2025 Kindle Scribes, the light adds a lot of contrast to the screen, making it easier to read on, whether that’s an ebook or a handwritten note. Now, I have to mention that there is a Gen II without a frontlight as well but, in my opinion, having the screen lit up just makes the epaper writing tablet that much more usable in any situation. With a frontlight, it also becomes a true Kindle Scribe alternative — again, thanks to its Android-based OS that gives the user access to the Google Play Store.

However, the aforementioned slow display is a disappointment as every time I woke up the Lumi to read or write, there would be a couple of screen refreshes (clearly marked as ‘Rendering’ when directly waking up to the native library application) before it settled down. Page turns, though, are fine but, again, Amazon’s 2025 Kindle Scribes are just that little bit faster at this as well. Long story short, screen performance doesn’t seem to have improved over the Gen I Go 10.3.

While I can live with the slower screen, I can’t fathom why Boox would retire the stylus that came with the original Go 10.3 as it was a lot better than the supplied InkSense Plus pen. The new stylus isn’t as smooth to write with, and is heavier, detracting from the all-important writing experience.

So as much as I’d love to say the Lumi is an improvement over its predecessor — and it is in a couple of ways — it just seems like Boox has taken two steps forward (with the frontlight and battery life) but one step back with the stylus.

Boox Go 10.3 Gen II Lumi review: price & availability

• Announced March 2026
• List price: $449.99 / £429.99 / AU$729
• Available directly from the Boox Shop and third-party retailers

With the addition of the frontlight, the price of the Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi is a lot higher than the launch price of the original Go 10.3 — you’re looking at shelling out $449.99 / £429.99 / AU$729 for the former, which is about $70 / £50 / AU$120 more than what the latter was when it was released in 2024.

That’s quite steep, although considering how expensive every bit of tech is getting thanks to RAM shortages, I’m not really surprised. It’s still competitively priced considering the 3rd-generation Amazon Kindle Scribe (2025 release with frontlight) retails for $499 / £449.99 / AU$849 for the 32GB flavor, while you get double the storage with the Lumi. Throw in the versatility of Android and it’s arguably better value (even compared to any of the reMarkables), but given its overall performance and user experience compared to the competition, I’d be hesitant to recommend it.

If the frontlight isn’t important, you can opt for the Gen II version without it, which will set you back $419.99 / £399.99 / AU$689. Prices for both Boox Gen II devices include the InkSense Plus stylus and a magnetic sleep case.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Boox Go 10. Gen II Lumi review: specs

Boox Go 10. Gen II Lumi review: design & display

• Good-looking, lightweight epaper tablet, but clunky stylus
• 10.3-inch E Ink display with good contrast
• Textured rear panel adds good grip

With its eggshell-white body and metallic trim, I thought the first-gen Boox Go 10.3 was a pretty tablet, so I’m glad to see that the Gen II version hasn’t been changed — except for a slightly more textured rear panel that affords a little more grip, which is important for a slim device like the Go series slates. I should note here that both Gen II Go 10.3 tablets are identical physically but, without LEDs on the unlit version, it’s about 14g (0.5oz) lighter.

While the slimness doesn’t make for fantastic ergonomics, the Lumi weighing only 364g is, in fact, lighter than the Gen 1 model that tipped the scales at 375g without screen lights. It is about 0.2mm thicker than the previous Go 10.3, but that’s neither here nor there.

It’s still a beautiful device and, despite the thinness, there are dual speakers on either side of the USB-C port on the bottom edge, as does a mic. The only button is for power/sleep on the top edge. There’s no microSD tray here, though, for additional storage. One larger bezel allows plenty of room for your hand, although holding such a slim device, no matter how light, isn’t necessarily ergonomic. If you add in the sleep case, however, it just becomes heavier.

I should talk about the case here, really quick — it’s a faux suede cover that unfortunately comes with the removable flap that I utterly detest. The brown suede material starts to lose its luster within days of use, so I can’t attest to its longevity, but I can’t fathom why Boox has to make the magnetic flap removable. This has been the case with the last few Boox devices I’ve tested and I find it rather annoying — the magnet is quite strong and the flap tends to entirely come away when you unfold it to close the case or secure the stylus to the side of the tablet.

Speaking of which, the magnetic hold of the stylus is good but, as with nearly every such device, it’s not strong enough to keep the pen secure during travel, so you do need to depend on the case.

Boox has also changed the pen, now offering the InkSense Plus stylus that has a thicker tip that just isn’t as smooth as the previous stylus. It’s also slightly heavier than the older pen, which makes it feel clunky in the hand that, in my opinion, doesn’t lend itself well to controlled mark making on the screen. And as I’ve discussed elsewhere, the stylus can make or break the user experience for epaper tablets. Sadly Boox is moving away from using EMR support on its screens (just like reMarkable), so you can’t use a third-party pen on the Lumi.

Boox hasn’t revealed what E Ink screen technology it’s using here, but the 10.3-inch display isn’t bad, with a 300ppi resolution. It’s not as yellow (warm) as I’ve seen on other Boox devices and the frontlight’s incremental adjustments for both brightness and temperature are excellent, adding wonderful contrast to the text or writing on the screen that makes the Lumi a far better reading tablet than its predecessor.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Boox Go 10. Gen II Lumi review: Software

• Runs a custom Android 15-based operating system
• A relatively clean user interface, but it takes getting used to
• Plenty of good native apps, but access to the Google Play Store makes it very versatile

Where the original Go 10.3 released in 2024 was using Android 12, the Lumi (and its cheaper sibling) have been upgraded to Android 15, although the software is a very trimmed-down custom version of Google’s operating system. You still get unfettered access to the Google Play Store, so you can, in theory, use any Android app, but e-ink tablets weren’t meant for streaming content or playing games on.

That said, nearly every Boox device comes pre-loaded with native apps that are quite good in their own right and have been improved over time as well, making them more streamlined than before. That’s not to say the UX is easy — if you’ve never used a Boox device before, it will take time to wrap your head around it all as there are still little adjustments that are hidden in sub menus.

What’s different with the Go series compared to other Boox tablets is the home screen navigation — the main menu is arranged vertically on the left, with the Library being your default view. You can change the main menu items in Settings, though, either adding or removing applications.

Customizing the user experience has never been Boox’s problem, which means you can choose between several options for System Display or Gestures, and even tweak individual native apps as you see fit — even the NaviBall is optional to use and can be configured to trigger a plethora of functions.

The Control Center hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years, but I’m still not sure access to an AI assistant is necessary on an e-ink device, but perhaps some power users would appreciate it.

As always, you can sign into a fair few cloud services, including Google Drive and Dropbox, get full support for EverNote and OneNote, or download any other productivity application you might need, but keep in mind that not all third-party apps will be optimized for this device.

One of the things I really like about Boox’s premium note-taking tablets is OTG (on the go) support. This means I can plug in an external hard drive or portable SSD directly into the USB-C port to transfer files. In fact, it’s what I predominantly use even though BooxDrop is a handy app for cloud transfer. I don’t even bother signing into my Google Drive account on a Boox these days.

There really isn’t very much to complain about from a software standpoint — it’s the writing experience that takes a tumble here.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

Boox Go 10. Gen II Lumi review: User experience

• Good screen contrast with lights makes for a lovely reading experience
• The supplied pen, however, isn’t as nice as the older version for writing

A device might look lovely and come with the nicest software, but ultimately its user experience determines its value. And that’s the case with the Go 10.3 Gen II Lumi — it does a lot right, like its reading experience is lovely, but its main functionality of writing is a little bit of a letdown.

Reading

Like I said, reading on the Lumi is lovely — the frontlight makes the text stand out, adding contrast where previously, on the Gen 1, it was disappointing. Page turns are quick enough too with the screen quite responsive to taps and gestures.

And yet I feel it’s a little slow for an epaper tablet that was released in 2026. For example, every time I woke up the Lumi during my months-long testing, it took a while to ‘render’ an ebook from its native library app.

It very much seemed like it was refreshing the app twice before finally rendering the page. On the other hand, the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe released in 2025 takes a second or two to open but doesn’t flicker or ‘refresh’ the page — it’s a lot smoother on waking up. As are the Kobo Libra Colour and Kindle Paperwhite from 2024.

Boox doesn’t reveal what E Ink screen tech its using, but other than its slight slowness on waking up, I can’t complain about the reading experience. All books and images rendered on screen have been sharp and clear, particularly with the frontlight on.

Writing

The same kind of contrast with the frontlight on is available on the Notes app too where handwriting looks sharp and clear on screen. However, the physical act of writing on the Lumi isn’t as good as it has been on the Gen 1 because Boox decided to change the stylus.

The previous pen had a thinner nib that moved over the screen quite well. The new InkSense Plus stylus is heavier and the slightly thicker tip feels like it needs to be dragged to make a mark — it feels clunkier in comparison.

Boox has also stepped away from using EMR screens, which means you can’t swap that pen out for another. I tried using one of Boox’s own older pens (used to be supplied with the Note series) and it didn’t work. That’s a real shame as writing is the Lumi’s principal function and the experience of doing so is disappointing.

The native Notes application, though, is full featured — in fact, for the average user it’s probably overkill — and would be ideal for students, teachers and researchers.

• User experience score: 3.5 / 5

Boox Go 10. Gen II Lumi review: Performance

• Generally good performance except on waking up
• A lot of ghosting visible, especially in the Notes app
• Exceptional battery life for an Android device

The Lumi's overall performance is a mixed bag. While it uses a better chipset (Qualcomm Snapdragon 690) compared to the original Go 10.3 (Snapdragon 680), it hasn't really made much of a dent in the speed with which the Lumi performs the tasks at hand.

That's not a complaint — it's an observation. However, Amazon's newest Kindle Scribes are just that much faster at things, like page turns are so quick they barely register that they've moved and the lag between pen input and the mark on screen is barely discernible. On both counts the Lumi is just that smidgeon slower that you can notice if you use it side by side with the 2025 Kindle Scribe (3rd generation).

The slow waking up of the screen is also something that has bothered me, and I've already mentioned how disappointing the writing experience is, but I'm also surprised at how much ghosting there still is on Boox devices, including the Lumi, something Amazon has managed to completely eliminate on its Kindles. You'll be able to notice the ghosting on nearly every single image I have in this review (including in the gallery below).

Where the Lumi really shines (pardon the pun) is with battery life. It still uses the same 3,700mAh battery pack that was in the Gen 1 model and yet whatever software adjustments Boox has made has pushed battery life to weeks rather than days. It's the first Android digital notebook I've used to have such an impressive battery life, one that can match the Kindle Scribes, albeit dependent on use.

In my case, an hour of reading and 30 minutes of writing per day gave me 17 days of use with frontlight at medium brighness and a similar warmth setting, plus Wi-Fi on at all times (but not Bluetooth). Using cloud services and didn't make any dent on the battery usage, although excessive online browsing did drain a little extra but not by all that much.

Topping up was average, with the 3,700mAh pack going from 19% to full in just under two hours when plugged into a wall charger via a high-quality USB-C cable.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

I like the Lumi, but I don't I love it. If, like me, you'd be keen to check out other options, the two below are the ones I'd recommend, both of which are cheaper but aren't Android based.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi

I've tested a range of ereaders and epaper writing tablets for TechRadar, so I'm well suited to compare the Boox Go 10.3 (Gen II) Lumi with its competitors.

As with all such devices I've previously tested, the first thing I did with the Lumi was to sign into the Google Play Store and down the Kindle and Kobo apps. I then used OTG support to transfer ebooks to the device directly from a portable SSD via the USB-C port, but I also used BooxDrop and cloud transfer from Google Drive to test various services.

The Lumi then became my daily ereader and note taker for 4 weeks, using it an average of 2-3 hours a day to read and write. I'm not an artist, so drawing was out of the question.

Out of curiosity, I also downloaded Geekbench 6 to benchmark the CPU (the app is available on the Play Store). I sideloaded a few MP3 files to test the onboard speakers.

Read more about how we test

[First published July 2026]

Here's the thing about an epaper writing tablet like the Kindle Scribe: not everyone needs one. Digital notebooks like the reMarkable Paper Pure or the Boox Go 10.3 are aimed at productivity rather than reading, and the latter is what most people want from an E Ink tablet.

For those who will make full use of a digital notebook's writing suite, I would highly recommend the ViWoods AiPaper over anything from Amazon, Kobo or Boox. It runs on a version of Android 13 — which might seem outdated now, but it honestly doesn't really matter too much on a device such as this — and not only allows you to read, jot notes and doodle, but also gives you full access to the Google Play Store.

Personally, I don't think you even need to download third-party apps on the ViWoods AiPaper as it comes preloaded with a fair few apps that include email, news and much more.

This remarkably thin and light 10.65-inch epaper tablet used to carry an eye-watering RRP of AU$1,199.99 but that's since dropped to a much more acceptable AU$899. However, there's a lovely 33% discount on Amazon for Prime Day that drops the price further to AU$599.99, making it cheaper than any of Amazon's newest 2025 Kindle Scribe releases.

I can wax lyrical if I start discussing this epaper productivity tablet, but you can get the full lowdown on it in my in-depth ViWoods AiPaper review. I was so impressed by it that I think it's now the best ereader for writing.

Calling it an 'ereader', however, is doing it a disservice: it wasn't designed for reading, and the lack of a frontlight means you can't do so in bed without having a light on in the room. During the day, though, you can still use it as an ereader, but it was meant to help you organise your thoughts and your day.

It comes with several native applications precisely for that purpose, including one called Paper for note-taking, another called Picking for drawing and doodling, and a Daily app that's essentially your diary/calendar.

Other than Supernote, ViWoods is the only other company I'm aware of that offers a native Mailbox app that you can set up to send and receive emails. In fact, you can even handwrite your replies that the AI assistant can then convert to text before sending. Now, watch out for handwriting recognition — I found it wasn't always perfect, but it will be right most of the time. The good news is you can always make edits via the onscreen keyboard before sending the email on its way.

That's not all: you can input diary entries via voice prompts. There's a mic on board that didn't have a lot trouble understanding me, but I found it easier to write my diary entries and to-do list into the Daily app.

The only native application I had a little confusion understanding was the Learning app, but it quickly became clear that's where the library is nestled and it's the perfect platform for marking up PDFs.

There are also a bunch of third-party applications already preinstalled, including Kindle, Kobo, Libby, OneNote and The New York Times. There's even Marvel Unlimited and Wattpad all ready and waiting for you to sign in if you use either of those platforms.

Needless to say the ViWoods AiPaper offers a ton of useful features without overwhelming you with its user interface — it's not as minimalist as reMarkable but neither does it go overboard like Boox.

And it's all wrapped up neatly in a beautiful chassis that's one of the thinnest I've come across and uses the E Ink Carta 1300 display that's optimised well here. The supplied stylus is lovely to use, and the magnetic case that ships with it keeps the thin form factor intact while adding a layer of water protection to the tablet.

I really could go on, but suffice to say I love the ViWoods AiPaper and can't recommend it highly enough.

I hear people all too often tell me that they prefer physical printed books because they like the feel of the paper, the sound of the pages turning, the smell from the ink... Well, if that's what you're focusing on, you really aren't reading, are you? All those should be superfluous if you're deep into a good story.

And given the convenience of an ereader — portable tablet with thousands of titles stored locally, Bluetooth connectivity for audiobooks, the cheaper cost of ebooks, no need for bookshelves that require dusting — you can't convince me that buying one of the best Kindles isn't a good investment.

That's especially true right now since Amazon's Prime Day 2026 sale has seen prices tumble to record lows. In fact, they're even cheaper now than they were on day one of the sale, which has never happened and I've covered every single Amazon sale in Australia since the online retail giant arrived Down Under in 2017.

All the Australian prices listed below are exclusive to Prime members though, so be sure you have a subscription before buying. If you don't, you can sign up now and get a 30-day free trial as a first-time customer, which will cover the entire Prime Day sale. You can cancel any time.

All the Kindle Prime Day deals listed below ship to New Zealand at no additional cost, so do not miss this chance.

With Amazon having ended support for some of its older Kindles, now is a very good time to upgrade or get your first ereader. They even make thoughtful gifts...

• For more deals and discounts, follow my live coverage of the Amazon Prime Day 2026 sale, with offers up to 85% off

Best Prime Day Kindle deals