The best Kindle 2024: which Amazon ereader should you buy?

Amazon Kindle tablets are electronic books, plain and simple, and that's what makes them great. For reading made simple, you can't beat the sharp e ink display of the best Kindle ereader. Amazon has let the Kindle family sit mostly idle for quite some time, years in some cases, but that doesn't mean these aren't still the best electronic reading tablets you'll find, especially if you buy books from Amazon's Kindle book store. 

Every Kindle has a sharp display and extra long battery life, as in weeks of reading, not just hours or days. The basic Kindle is probably good enough for most people, and if you're only reading books, not listening to audiobooks or reading details graphic novels, you can opt for the least storage and have plenty of room for a large library. 

The best of the bunch is the Kindle Paperwhite, because it's simple, affordable, yet durable enough that you can take it anywhere, even to the pool or into the bathtub. Yes, you can relax with your electronic books in the bath, because the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis are water resistant.

If you want a lot more power, the Kindle Scribe is in a class by itself. It is more than just a gigantic Kindle ebook reader, it can also let you take notes and write journal entries with an included stylus. Amazon even has a section of the Kindle book store just for books you can write upon. 

What about the Kindle Kids? Is it worth buying?

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We're not including the Kindle Kids options on this list because the Kindle itself isn't different if you buy the Kids version. If you get the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, you get the exact same Kindle Paperwhite, and you also get a little bit more. 

The Kindle Kids bundle comes with a colorful cover, though you can find cheaper (and more colorful) covers from third-party sellers on Amazon and Etsy. It also comes with a subscription to Amazon's Kindle Kids Unlimited service. This is a library of Kindle content aimed at children. It isn't the most extensive library, but if you are starting from scratch, it will give your kids something to read. 

Is Kindle Kids worth it? Not if you already have a library of books for your kids, or if you have specific books in mind you want them to read. It isn't worth the premium just for the colorful cover, so make sure you'll put the Kindle Kids Unlimited library to good use, or else it's worth buying the non-Kids version. 

The quick list

Want to cut to the chase and find out which Kindles are the absolute best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of each Kindle further down the page, and our price comparison tool will help you find the best deals.

The best Kindle 2024

Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best Kindles in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

The best Kindle overall

best kindle Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2021 leaning on a plant

(Image credit: TechRadar)
The best Kindle for most people

Specifications

Screen size: 6.8-inch
Screen type: E ink Carta 1200
Storage: 8GB/16GB
Resolution: 300ppi
Weight: 205g
Backlight: yes
Touchscreen: yes
Wi-Fi: yes
3G: yes
Battery life: up to ten weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Water resistant
+
Great reading experience

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks wireless charging
-
A bit pricey

The Amazon Paperwhite is the ideal electronic book reader, and you can take it just about anywhere you might take a regular old book. You can read in the bathtub, or by the pool, with less worry than you'd have holding a paperback, because the Paperwhite can get wet, no problem. 

You can read in bed and the Paperwhite will adjust to a warm backlight to make your eyes more comfortable. Reading on a Kindle's ultra-sharp display is already more comfy than reading on your phone or iPad, and the Paperwhite has plenty of backlight for reading any time, day or night. 

You can also read while you travel, because the Kindle Paperwhite comes with 16GB of storage. That's enough to pack a full library, but if you also enjoy listening to audiobooks from Audible, you'll have space for a bunch of titles to go alongside your texts. 

Read the full Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review

The best budget Kindle

Amazon Kindle 2022 with a book cover displayed on screen

(Image credit: TechRadar)
The best Kindle for those on a budget

Specifications

Screen size: 6-inch
Screen type: E Ink
Storage: 16GB
Resolution: 300ppi
Weight: 158g
Illuminated display: yes
Touchscreen: yes
Wi-Fi: yes
3G: no
Battery life: up to six weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Cheapest Kindle
+
Improved design with back-light

Reasons to avoid

-
Screen could be better
-
Not waterproof

The base model Kindle is no slouch, and recent upgrades have made it maybe the best bargain-priced Kindle ever. Keep an eye on that price, too, because Amazon loves to put this ereader on sale whenever it throws a Prime Day party. 

The screen on the Kindle is now just as sharp as every other Kindle display, a full 300 pixels per inch (to compare, the mighty iPad Pro is only 265 ppi). That's the best upgrade you can give a reading device, and the only feature the Kindle is lacking compared to the more expensive Kindle Paperwhite is water resistance. Don't get this Kindle wet. 

Otherwise, you still get 16GB of storage, which is plenty of space for a ton of books, magazines, and even audiobooks. The battery also lasts and lasts on Kindle devices, so you can count on a month of daily reading with this Kindle. If you want something brighter that you can also take to the beach, go for the Paperwhite. The Kindle is still great for reading during the day on dry land. 

Read the full Amazon Kindle (2022) review

The best Kindle for a big screen

Amazon Kindle Scribe e-ink writing tablet

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
The best Kindle for a big screen

Specifications

Screen size: 10.2-inch
Screen type: E Ink Carta 1200
Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB
Resolution : 300ppi
Weight: 433g
Backlight: yes
Touchscreen : yes
Wi-Fi: yes
4G: no
Battery life: up to 12 weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Good price for a stylus-toting E Ink tablet
+
Finally, a large Kindle screen for reading

Reasons to avoid

-
Few writing features for journaling and doodles
-
You can’t write in the margins of books

The Kindle Scribe is an amazing device when you realize all it can do. It's a full-fledged Kindle with the biggest reading screen, but it doesn't sacrifice that great Kindle sharpness, so text still looks super crisp. If you like reading on a screen the size of an iPad but want Kindle comfort, the Kindle Scribe is your best bet. 

You can also write on the Kindle Scribe, and Amazon has been steadily improving the writing and doodling features, adding more pen styles since launch. There's also a special section of the Kindle book store with books you can write on if you own a Kindle Scribe. The selection is mostly crossword puzzles and semi-blank daily journals, but it's growing and shows a lot of potential. 

The Scribe may seem pricey for a Kindle, but it's a great deal for a writing tablet this size, and Amazon does love to put Kindle devices on sale. If you want to take notes, especially if your textbooks are available for Kindle, this is the only Kindle to buy. 

Read the full Amazon Kindle Scribe review

The best Kindle for audiobooks

best kindle Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition by a bookshelf

(Image credit: Future)
The best Kindle for audiobook fans

Specifications

Screen size: 6.8-inch
Screen type: E Ink Carta 1200
Storage: 32GB
Resolution : 300ppi
Weight: 208g
Backlight: yes
Touchscreen : yes
Wi-Fi: yes
4G: no
Battery life: up to 10 weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Large screen area
+
Long battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Slow page turn speed

If you love audiobooks along with your reading and you can splurge a bit, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition is worth considering. For a bit more (still less than the fancy Kindle Oasis), you get twice the storage space. This Kindle Paperwhite can also charge wirelessly, if you have a bedside charger that you like, though the battery should also last weeks, just like every other Kindle. 

That extra storage space comes in handy if you like audiobooks. A long, unabridged book is usually between 100-200MB of storage space, so having tons of long books or podcast episodes can add up quickly. The Kindle Paperwhite is a great vacation and travel device, and having the extra space means you definitely won't run out, no matter how long you're away. 

Otherwise, this is the exact same Kindle Paperwhite, with the same water resistance and the same sharp display. It's not quite as bright and premium as the Kindle Oasis, but it's much brighter than the base model Kindle. 

Read the full Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition review

The best premium Kindle

best kindle Amazon Kindle Oasis on a windowsill

(Image credit: Future)
The best Kindle that feels premium

Specifications

Screen size: 7-inch
Screen type: E Ink Carta
Storage: 8GB/32GB
Resolution: 300ppi
Weight: 188g
Backlight: Yes
Touchscreen: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
4G: Yes
Battery life: up to six weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Premium reading experience
+
Useful screen features

Reasons to avoid

-
A very expensive model
-
Thicker side doesn't improve handhold

This is the luxury Kindle, the fancy model, and it isn't hard to see why Amazon needs the Kindle Oasis in the family. The other Kindle devices – aside from the even pricier Kindle Scribe – feel cheap in comparison. They are all plastic, while the Oasis has a premium metal shell that feels great to hold. 

The Kindle Oasis used to be the only water resistant model, but now the Paperwhite is also safe in the bath or by the beach. Unless it's a very fancy beach, in which case you'll want to show off with the Oasis. It has a larger, brighter display than the other Kindle ereaders other than the Scribe, so it will stand out.

It also has page turn buttons, which is a nice feature if your hands are wet. The design is different from other Kindle devices, with a pronounced grip on the back that makes it easier to hold. Overall, it's a premium device, and you can't get more on a Kindle unless you go for the much larger Kindle Scribe. 

Read the full Amazon Kindle Oasis review 

How to choose the best Kindle for you

How to choose the best Kindle for you

The basic Amazon Kindle 2022 is a fine ereader, and will likely be enough for most people. It has the same number of pixels per inch as the best Kindle ereader you can find, so every Kindle excels at reading text and print .

If you like to read in the bath, or if you take your Kindle to the beach and get close to the waves, you'll want a Kindle Paperwhite. That device can get wet, even with salt water. So can the Kindle Oasis, but that's a much more expensive, premium device than most folks will need, with a nicer build and a larger, brighter screen.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition meanwhile is what you should go for if you want the maximum possible storage in a conventional Kindle. The Scribe has even more, but offers more of a big-screen tablet experience, backed up by its stylus.

All Kindle ereaders can hold thousands of books, but if you plan on using your Kindle for audiobooks, you should upgrade to a model with 16GB or more storage.

How we test the best Kindles

We read. We read a lot, and we read every day. We use our Kindle devices to read books from Amazon, and we also use accounts from our local libraries to load free ebooks onto our Kindle. We also have a selection of documents and files that we use to test the clarity of the Kindle display, and the ease of transferring our own files. 

We are also avid audiobook fans, and keep a subscription to Audible that feeds us new books monthly. We use our Kindle for listening to books, and occasionally for reading and listening at the same time, depending on content. 

We read at all times of day, on the train, by the bed, in the bath, and wherever we find the time. We love to read, and we test our Kindle devices doing what we love. 

Philip Berne
US Mobiles Editor

Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, having reviewed his first device (the Sony D-EJ01 Discman) more than 20 years ago for eTown.com. He has been writing about phones and mobile technology, since before the iPhone, for a variety of sites including PCMag, infoSync, PhoneScoop, and Slashgear. He holds an M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. 


Phil was the internal reviewer for Samsung Mobile, writing opinions and review predictions about top secret new devices months before launch. He left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. He has been a High School English teacher at Title I schools, and is a certified Lifeguard. His passion is smartphones and wearables, and he is sure that the next big thing will be phones we wear on our faces.