• 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]

There are two main Kindle ranges: Colorsoft and Paperwhite. If you're in the market for a new Amazon ereader but aren't sure which one to buy, this article is here to help. I've put together a cheatsheet of what you need to know to make your decision, starting with the key differences between the two lines, the current Paperwhite options and Colorsoft options, a specs comparison table, and a summary of which to buy. I've also included a section on your other options in the Kindle range.

Ready to choose your new ereader? Let's get started...

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft vs Paperwhite: similarities & differences

In this section, I'll be discussing the standard Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft models, as well as the Signature editions, but not the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

Let's start with the similarities. Regardless of whether you buy a Colorsoft or Paperwhite, you'll be getting a seven-inch, glare-free screen, IPX8 waterproofing, and an option of either 16 or 32GB of storage. All offer 300ppi resolution when used in black and white.

The big difference to know is that the Paperwhite models only display in black-and-white, whereas the Colorsoft Kindles can also display in color (at 150ppi, which is standard for a color ereader). This has a knock-on effect on battery life: Amazon says the Colorsoft models will last eight weeks on a single charge, whereas the Paperwhite can go up to 12 weeks. That's based on half an hour of reading per day, on a brightness level of 13, which is just below halfway.

It also has an effect on price — regardless of if you opt for a Signature or standard model, at list price the Paperwhite Kindles are cheaper than the Colorsoft models.

Kindle Paperwhite models

There are two main Paperwhite models: the regular Paperwhite and the Paperwhite Signature. The only difference is that the Signature has double the storage (32GB compared to 16GB for the standard model).

Kindle Colorsoft models

There are three main Kindle Colorsoft options: the standard model, the Signature edition, and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. The first two are basically the same, except the Signature packs twice as much storage (16GB compared to 32GB). The Scribe Colorsoft offers writing capabilities alongside color reading, and it's different enough that I've relegated it to the 'Other options' section of this article.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft vs Paperwhite: which should I buy?

The only real reason to choose a Colorsoft over a Paperwhite is for its color display potential. Aside from that, the specs are either the same or better on the Paperwhite, and Paperwhite models are cheaper, too.

So how good is the color? Our tester was extremely impressed. You can get the full low-down in the Display section of our Kindle Colorsoft review, but the short version is that panning and zooming is smooth and speedy, with no ghosts or artifacts popping up, and refresh is "nearly undetectable".

On the subject of picture quality, our tester had this to say: "The Kindle Colorsoft lights the color and black pixels evenly, and color pages look fantastic. They look like paper, as they should... Get an iPad if you want bright and saturated." You can get a taster of what to expect in the carousel of images below.

You can use color to highlight text in different hues, which could be useful to students, for example. However, the obvious market for a device like this is graphic novel fans. On this point, be aware that because the Kindle Colorsoft can't run third-party apps, you'll be limited to the titles available via Amazon's own ComiXology platform. This offers a decent selection of comic books, but is more limited than the likes of Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe Infinite.

Note that you can read graphic novels on a Paperwhite, but they'll just be in black and white. Just like on the Colorsoft, there's a Panel view feature that expands each individual frame on the page — see it in action on a Paperwhite below.

If that has convinced you that color is something you'll want to make use of, buy a Colorsoft model. If not, pick up a Paperwhite and enjoy the cheaper cost and longer battery life.

Other Kindle options

If you're in the market for a black-and-white ereader, you also have the option of a standard Kindle, which has a smaller screen than the standard Paperwhite and Colorsoft ereaders, is cheaper and lighter in weight too. There are a few concessions you'll need to make, though: the battery life is on the shorter side, and it's not waterproof.

There's also the Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, which you can use for writing as well as reading. Both have larger (11-inch) screens, and neither are waterproof. Note that if you go for a Scribe Colorsoft, you can't use the two parts in tandem — so you can't take notes on a color page — which weakens the proposition somewhat.

Specs compared

• A developer has created an AI reader tool that replicates Tom Riddle's diary from Harry Potter
• It uses an image-input LLM that reads your handwritten messages as PNGs
• The creator keeps the tool's interface simple, but it's not the easiest to install

Harry Potter fans listen up: someone has managed to develop a feature that lets you speak to Lord Voldemort himself through one of the best ereaders — well, kind of.

Canadian developer Maxime Rivest used Claude Fable 5 to reimagine Tom Riddle’s famous diary from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as an interactive AI mod feature for the reMarkable Paper Pro — and the result is pretty impressive.

Just as how the diary is featured in the book and the 2002 movie, ‘Riddle’ allows you to write a message on your ereader using the stylus, and, after a brief pause, your message will then fade into the paper. Then, a reply will shortly appear on the ereader in an animated cursive font similar to Tom Riddle’s — mimicking the feel that someone is writing back to you from a different realm.

It looks pretty clever, doesn’t it? Well, it’s all thanks to the magic powers of AI.

Rivest, who used the reMarkable Paper Pro’s on-device software development kit to create the tool, says he wanted to design an interactive AI experience that felt as though you were writing in a regular notebook. There are no touchscreens, keyboards, or animated chat bubbles involved, instead he sticks to simplicity.

The feature is built with an image-input compatible LLM, so when you hand-write your note or question, this reads your message as a PNG which is then sent to the AI model. From there, it generates a reply and sends it back to the E Ink display. According to its GitHub listing, ‘Riddle’ works with OpenAI, OpenRouter, and Groq APIs, and local servers that support image input.

That said, downloading it isn’t the easiest. For starters it only works on the reMarkable Paper Pro in developer mode with a launcher installed. The tool’s GitHub page also states the following:

“This modifies your device. It runs as root, stops the vendor UI (in takeover mode), and drives the e-ink engine directly. It has only been tested on a reMarkable Paper Pro (ferrari, aarch64, OS 3.26-3.27). It may not work on other models or OS versions, and you use it entirely at your own risk. Not affiliated with reMarkable AS. Keep SSH access working before you install anything — that is your escape hatch.”

Since Rivest shared his video demo, it’s garnered a handful of responses that are equal parts amazed and spooked. One user on Reddit says that reMarkable should consider adding this as a flagship tool for their next-gen ereader.

Rivest has been just as active with replying to online comments, noting that this is “just [his] first chapter with the project. Alongside his ‘Riddle’ tool, Rivest also unveiled an interactive Marauder’s Map feature that he's developed, another artifact taken from the world of Harry Potter.

Did you use the Prime Day sales to snap up a new Kindle Colorsoft at a bargain price? Great thinking! Now, don't ruin it by forgetting to kit yourself out with a case. The good news is that a whole load of my favorite 7-inch Kindle cases are also on sale right now — including the official Amazon ones and a bunch by third party brands. It's almost like they wanted to capitalize on all those new Kindles being purchased, or something.

I've rounded up my favorites below, in the US and in the UK. I strongly suspect these deals will disappear with the ones on the ereaders themselves — that is, at midnight, when the Amazon Prime Day sales officially end. Oh, and if you went for a Kindle Paperwhite instead, I have more good news: it's the same size as the Colorsoft, so all of these cases will be good for either.

Not yet made your purchase? I wouldn't drag your feet too long, or you're going to miss your chance for those bargains (we likely won't see another good discount until the next Prime Day event — which won't be any time soon). If you're looking for more information to help you decide, TechRadar's Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review and Kindle Colorsoft review should help you out, or head to my Kindle range guide, which should help you make sense of your options.

• US: Kindle Colorsoft now $159.99 at Amazon (was $249.99)
• US: Kindle Paperwhite now $124.99 at Amazon (was $159.99)
• UK: Kindle Colorsoft now £154.99 at Amazon (was £239.99)
• UK: Kindle Paperwhite now £134.99 at Amazon (was £169.99)

US deals on Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft cases

UK deals on Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft cases

Just because I fall asleep every night with the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition does not mean I do not love it. This is my go-to reading device, and before I say more, I should inform you that the Prime Day deal on my favorite ereader is just about to end. You'll want to act fast if you want to sleep with your own e-reader.

I've been reading on Amazon Kindles since the second edition rolled out in 2009. I think I was sold on the gadget when I watched horror master Stephen King read his short story, Ur, on it.

• Browse all early Prime Day deals at Amazon

Multiple models (and design changes) later, my Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition travels the globe with me; it recently accompanied me to California and South Korea in the space of two weeks (on one charge).

Wherever I go, I read and, if it's at night and I'm in bed, I fall asleep with the Kindle Paperwhite resting on my chest. It doesn't judge and just eventually falls asleep on its own (or goes into low-power sleep mode) until someone pulls it off me and puts it on the end table beside the bed.

There are cheaper models than my Signature Edition. The base Kindle is during Prime Day 23% and comes in at just $84. That's a bargain. My signature Edition doubles the storage to 32GB, adds a front ambient light sensor (to auto-adjust the lights that can illuminate the reflective display), and includes wireless charging. On the last bit, I've found that I can drop my Jade Paperwhite on any Qi charger and it will start grabbing juice.

At 28% off, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is $144.99 (was $199.99) for Prime Day, which ends tonight at midnight. In the UK, it's just £137.74 (down from £189.99). Also, remember you need a Prime subscription to access these deals.

Today's best Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition deals

I know, wireless charging is probably a nice-to-have since my Paperwhite Signature Edition lasts for weeks on a charge. Seriously, how many gadgets can you take on a week-long trip without having to charge even once?

The other reason I still love Kindle ereaders is that they are single-purpose devices. When I go on vacation, this is generally the one gadget I'm looking at on the beach and am happy to leave email and social media behind. I read for hours and only occasionally fall asleep (the beach lounge chair is simply not as comfortable as my bed). The 300ppi screen is sharp, fast (20% faster than the last model), and in the sunlight, bright without needing a backlight.

Also, since I can burn through books on the sand, I'm always happy that the 32GB of storage can hold thousands of books and magazines.

One thing I do not worry about when on the beach is a splash of water. The Paperwhite Signature Edition is fully waterproof (I have dropped them in pools to prove this feature works as promised).

Look, you may never fall asleep with your Kindle, but I bet you will have a few sleepless nights if you miss this chance to grab a cheaper one. Happy reads or snoozes (or both).

More early Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More early Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

Editor's note: This piece was written before Apple raised its prices across a variety of its Macs, MacBooks and iPads, leading to a surge in purchasing of iPad Air deals. Some seem to still be available, but supplies are short, so act fast and check the widget below for live pricing in your area. The rest of this article remains as originally written.

It's been years since I last owned my own Kindle, as I ultimately do prefer physical copies to add to my collection, and only otherwise used my OG Kindle while travelling. However, whenever Amazon Prime Day rolls around, I do tend to second-guess myself when I see the meaty discounts on some of the best Kindles.

• Browse all early Prime Day deals at Amazon

In particular, I was tempted by the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft; as an avid manga reader, I was super excited by the idea of freeing up some shelf space (and if you read manga, you'll know that comes in short supply once your collection grows) by reading some of my less-favored series digitally. However, after trying it for a couple of weeks, I'm only using it for its primary function: as an ereader.

Sure, I'm pretty impressed by this all-in-one E Ink notepad, comic and book reader, but especially right now, the price is a huge turn-off. Put it this way; the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is currently $519 (was $679) in the US and £442 (was £569) in the UK.

Meanwhile, the Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for $124 (was $159) at Amazon US and £113 (was £159) at Amazon UK and the significantly more performant and multifunctional iPad 11-inch (A16) is $299 (was $349) at Amazon US and £309 (was £329) at Amazon UK. That's a $96 / £20 saving for an arguably better combination.

Below, I've detailed the key differences between each device.

Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is the latest, most performant ereader from Amazon, offering a combination of three different Kindle types: the standard E ink display Kindle, the notepad-like Kindle Scribe, and the color display Kindle Colorsoft.

Each is useful in its own right; reading comics and manga on the Scribe Colorsoft is a delight, though text boxes that spread across panels can be cut off if you use the full page panel view. It's pretty well optimized for the task, though even in vivid mode, colors can be a little washed out.

The writing experience is great. The screen is super responsive, the stylus is comfortable in use and features a shortcut key as well as a functional eraser, and the addition of color to the display means you can select different pen and highlighter colors to create more detailed annotations.

It packs all the usual useful Kindle features (including Word Wise, which is great for younger readers or language learners) as well as AI features like note summary and handwriting-to-text conversion.

However, there are three major things to note when it comes to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

First is that you can't actually use all of these features in tandem, meaning you can't markup comics or manga, though that's likely not a use case many people would want.

Second is that even outside of major sales events like Prime Day, you can get a Kindle, a Scribe, and a Colorsoft at almost the same price as this all-in-one device; and if you don't really need either the note-taking or the color display at the same time, you might as well do that.

Third is that while the large slate might be what you're looking for in terms of drawing, writing and graphic novel reading, it makes it a lot less portable than the standard or Paperwhite Kindle experience, which for me is the main reason I prize an ereader over a book.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

A step up from the basic Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite offers a bright and beautiful screen for reading your favorite books. At this point, I'd very rarely recommend the standard base model for any reason beyond its low price, whereas the Kindle Paperwhite is genuinely enjoyable to read on, and that includes comics and manga.

With its E Ink Carta 1300 display, the 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite offers great contrast for easy reading, a slightly larger screen, comfortable bezels for long hours of reading and 16GB storage (though we're not thrilled 4.5GB of that is dedicated to the operating system.)

If you've tried the 11th-generation model, there's a slim margin of upgrade with this newer, 12th-generation model, but if you're currently using any older Kindle Paperwhite or standard Kindle, you'll certainly feel the difference.

It's fast, the battery is great, and it excels at exactly what it was created for; reading. That's doubly true thanks to its slim profile, making it easy to grab and stash in your bag; at 211g, it's super lightweight to carry.

It's worth noting that, at list price, we're not 100% happy about the Kindle Paperwhite's value proposition. This goes for a lot of Amazon devices, which only feel like a good deal during major sales events, but for context, spend a little more on the Kobo Libra color which costs $219.99 / £219.99 and you can get a color ereader with a screen of the same size, double the storage, a more ergonomic design and writing capabilities.

Of course, if you're bedded into the Amazon ecosystem with access to its vast library of books through a Prime Membership, it's still a no-brainer.

Apple iPad 11-inch (A16 chip)

While the latest, 11th-generation iPad didn't reinvent the tablet-shaped wheel, it brought a nice refresh in the form of the A16 chipset, powering a fast, responsive iPadOS experience.

It's a great productivity machine, and especially when paired with an Apple Pencil, it offers everything you could want from a Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and more, with its app library including fantastic options for note-taking, drawing and more intensive creative functions like video editing; though you're better off with an Apple Silicon-powered tablet like the iPad Pro (M5) or iPad Air (M4) if that's your rodeo.

It weighs just over a pound, so it's less primed for travel, and an e-ink display offers weeks of battery life, whereas the 11th-generation iPad only stretches to roughly 10 hours with general use; that's why pairing it with a Kindle Paperwhite for your reading needs is my top recommendation.

Still, even on its own, it stands as a solid alternative to a Kindle altogether, but especially at its price, I'd wager it's a superior choice to a Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for most. After all, you can just install the Kindle app and read your favorite books, comics, and manga on the vastly superior display.

More early Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More early Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

I've covered the ereader space for decades and watched as the industry struggled to make usable color E Ink displays. The early displays were slow, with low contrast and faded colors, and were roundly rejected by those who happily scooped up and held onto monochrome ereaders like the iconic Kindle Paperwhite.

One ereader changed all that, and now the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft, which we called "the fastest, smoothest e-reader we've ever used," is on sale for Prime Day for $159 in the US and £154.99 in the UK for the 16GB model.

• Browse all early Prime Day deals at Amazon

Here's what makes these Prime Day prices more remarkable: the Colorsoft is, in the US, just $35 more than the Kindle Paperwhite, and about £20 more than it is in the UK. So basically, the cost of two or three Matchas to switch up from black and white to thousands of colors? Feels like a no-brainer.

Today's best Kindle Colorsoft deals

What's exciting about the Colorsoft is not just that it finally brings color to a reflective screen, but that it does it so well. I remember seeing the 7-inch, waterproof ereader for the first time in 2025. Initially, it looked and felt much like the Kindle Paperwhite I was familiar with, but the new color screen was a revelation. It's sharp, bright, crisp, and the colors pop across a range of content styles. Graphic novels are especially well-suited to the screen technology. You can tap or swipe through various full-screen panels, or view the full page of panels as you might on a physical graphic novel.

Books and, especially, magazines like National Geographic look good, too.

Best of all, there are no real trade-offs here. You get 16GB, which is more than enough space for thousands of tomes. As a reflective display, battery life is still strong, at 28 hours (according to our tests), which means multiple days or even weeks of multi-hour reading sessions. And like the monochrome Kindles, it has side illuminators that bathe the screen in light.

Plus, it's just as durable and waterproof as monocrhome Kindles.

Of course, even though it's color, you can still read your black and white text book and novels on the device. I suggest you get the latter from your local library by using an app like Libby.

My point is that there's very little reason to just buy a Paperwhite when, for just a little more money, you can have the best of both worlds: all the features of a Paperwhite and that really cool full-color reading experience. If you're a fan of graphic novels, there's no way you can pass this Prime Day deal by.

Looking for a great deal on a monochrome Kindle? We got you covered.

More early Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More early Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

Amazon Prime Day is often the best time of year to find a discounted Kindle, but if you've opened the listing page only to feel overwhelmed by the various models to choose from, then I have a quick quiz that might help you out.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

I've owned the standard version of Kindle for years, and it's not faltered once for what I need it for. Reliable and sturdy, it's one of the best tech gifts I've ever been given. It's also the cheapest model in the range, so you won't feel like you're wasting money if you still enjoy the charms of physical books. Right now, you can find the standard Kindle on sale at Amazon for $84.99 (was $109.99) in the US and for £75.99 (was £94.99) in the UK.

But if you've got a bigger budget, it's worthwhile looking at Amazon's most popular model, the Kindle Paperwhite, which is ideal for your next beach holiday with its waterproof design. Want the ability to journal? You're better off with the Kindle Scribe. Love reading graphic novels? You'll need the Kindle Colorsoft.

If you don't have time to read our guide to Amazon's excellent e-reader range to see how each model's specs compare, just answer four simple questions in the quiz below, and it'll recommend a Kindle based on the deals available at the time of writing.

Today's best Kindle deals in the US

Today's best Kindle deals in the UK

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

They say you need to own at least 1,000 to constitute a home library, and while I love a compelling novel as much as the next bookworm, finding the space is tricky — but that's why we have the Amazon Kindle, a budget-friendly e-reader that just got even cheaper this Amazon Prime Day.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

I've always enjoyed physical books, simply because nothing quite beats the feeling of achievement you feel at the close of the final page. I have a summer getaway coming up, and reading by the poolside or at the beach is one of the best forms of relaxation.

However, squeezing multiple novels into my luggage isn't realistic, so with that in mind, this could be the year I decide to go digital — for a reasonable price that is. Right now, Amazon's most recent standard version Kindle is now down to $84.99 in the US (was $109.99), and it's even cheaper in the UK at £75.99 (was £94.99).

Today's best Kindle deals

Amazon has some of the best e-readers out there, and they range from basic models to more advanced ones like the Kindle Scribe which are designed for note-taking and productivity. But they're often very pricey, even after a Prime Day discount is applied.

The 2024 Kindle is our best budget e-reader even when it's not Prime Day, and it's an ideal model if you're only after reading tools and not the bells and whistles of its Scribe sibling. This model is also not a bulky device that's going to take up loads of room when on the move (it has an easy-to-read 6-inch screen).

Additionally, many previous-generation Kindle owners may not be too thrilled with Amazon's recent decisions to axe support for older devices, even though you're still using them despite their declining functionality. If an upgrade is what you're looking for, we believe the performance alone will be worth your while.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Remote page turners for ereaders aren’t a new concept — several options are available for Kindles made by third-party manufacturers, while Kobo has a proprietary one for its own devices. They’re made for people like me, who are too lazy to even use the physical page-turn buttons on the likes of the Kobo Libra Colour — especially when lying in bed to read. (I mean, who wants to stick their finger out from under the blanket on a cold night to touch the propped up ereader?)

The other thing they have in common is that they pretty much look the same, like tiny remote controls.

There’s one page turner, though, that’s unlike any I’ve previously seen. The moment I saw pictures of the Boox Tappy in early May after it was announced, I couldn’t help but smile. It looked more like a cute retro toy than a Bluetooth page turner for an ereader.

I finally have it in hand and it’s even more adorable in person, thanks to the little design details I’ve discovered. Suffice to say, Tappy made me very happy as soon as I opened the box. I mean, just look at it!

It’s styled like a miniature retro typewriter with two keys only, each featuring a pixelated image, but a pair of spare key caps are provided that you can swap out for the default ones. In my humble (and overly biased) opinion, the extra key caps marked with a X and an O aren’t as appealing to me as the pixelated heart and steaming cuppa.

The attention to design detail doesn't stop there. The tiny ‘Tap This’ printed on the front of the page turner where a typewriter’s brand name would typically be sparks joy. The power switch — a tiny silver toggle — is kinda reminiscent of an actual typewriter cartridge release (for those of you that remember such things…).

The only ‘modern’ elements to the otherwise retro design are an indicator light next to the power switch and a USB-C port on the rear to charge the page turner.

More than just a head... no, page turner

The fun design aside, the Boox Tappy can do more than just turn pages on a reading app.

It can be paired with an Android phone, for example, and its default Reading Mode automatically becomes volume control. It has a MultiMedia Mode to switch tracks on a music app like Spotify, while a Browsing Mode allows you to scroll on a browser tab or on social media apps.

I tested this on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro and it worked a charm in all three modes, but keep in mind that button functionality isn’t customizable.

The button presses are arguably the best part about using the Boox Tappy — they’re so satisfying. It’s practically effortless to press down and there’s a small feedback, like a muffled click. I would absolutely use this as a fidget toy if it wasn’t paired with the Boox Go 10.3 Gen II Lumi digital notebook that I’m currently testing for TechRadar.

It uses the Bluetooth 5.4 standard to pair with compatible devices, which is quite stable, and has a wireless range of about 33 feet/10 meters. That last spec is probably moot as I don’t envision anyone using it to control device functionality — especially reading — from a distance.

Oh, for proprietary’s sake!

As much as I love the Boox Tappy, it sadly doesn’t play nice with other ereaders. For example, it paired with my Kobo Libra Colour but failed to turn pages, while three of my Kindles didn’t even pick it up as a Bluetooth device.

It connected with the Android-toting ViWoods AiPaper digital notebook but was a glorified sound adjuster rather than a page turner. Heck, it even connected with my iPhone 17 Pro and MacBook Pro but, again, could only adjust volume on the Apple devices.

I can’t fault Boox for that — after all, the Kobo Remote doesn’t work with a Kindle either. This compatibility issue has to do with the limitations of the operating systems used by ereader manufacturers. While there’s a universal command to make wireless headphones work with ereaders for audiobook playback, the same can’t be said about page turning as it’s a relatively more niche use case.

Until ereader makers add that additional software prompt to allow all wireless page turning, it reduces the Boox Tappy’s usability. Sadly Boox doesn’t provide a comprehensive list of compatible devices (other than some of its own ereaders), but if you or a loved one use a Boox device or an Android phone, it might be a fun little treat.

Given its functionality and it's good looks, the Boox Tappy is competitively priced — $25.99 / €29.99 / AU$49 isn't too bad in my opinion.

Adding a case or cover to your Kindle is a no-brainer. Not only will it protect it from scratches and bumps, but it can also make it more comfortable to read, by adding a handle, stand or improving grip. In this article, I've rounded up my favorite cases for the entry-level, 6-inch Kindle.

In our Amazon Kindle review, we awarded this model 4 stars — if you just want something simple and affordable, it's one of the very best e-readers you can buy. However, it's the only model not to have IPX8 waterproofing, so protection against spillages is another strong incentive to invest in a good cover.

Amazon has its own, very small, selection of covers, but the widest range comes from two brands called MoKo and (in the US) CoBak. Not the catchiest of brand names, but both have a strong selection of covers, in different colors and patterns, and with reassuringly positive reviews. I've included my top picks below.

If you haven't yet bought a Kindle, or. you're thinking of upgrading, it might be a good idea to hang on just a little longer — there's an Amazon Prime Day event running from June 23-26, and it's a safe bet that at least a few Kindle models will be discounted.

Note that this is the only Kindle to have a 6-inch screen, so these covers won't fit any other Kindle models. (I've put together a separate collection of Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft covers — these both have 7-inch screens.) I'll start with US cases — hop down the page for my top UK picks.

US — Classic Kindle cases

UK — Classic Kindle cases

Which Kindles will these covers fit?

These covers are designed for the simplest Kindle, sometimes called the Kindle Basic or Kindle Classic. It's the only Kindle with a 6-inch screen, so if you see '6-inch' in the listing then you should be good. Anything with Colorsoft, Paperwhite, or Scribe in the name isn't going to fit.

They'll definitely work with the current model, which is the 11th-generation version, in its 2022 and 2024 iterations. They might also fit older basic Kindle e-readers, but double-check the proportions to make sure before purchasing.

Got yourself a new Kindle Paperwhite or Colorsoft? Great! Let's get a cover on that ASAP. A good cover will guard against scratches, scrapes and potential breakages, as well as adding a general protective layer. (These models are all IPX8 waterproof, but you can't be too careful.)

I've rounded up a selection of my favorite Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft cases below — these e-readers have the same proportions, so all the cases will work for either. I've included Amazon's own-brand options and covers from third-party retailers; patterned and plain options in a range of materials; covers that just snap over the front, and cases that envelope the entire Kindle. Most of these have auto-Sleep/Wake functions — so your Kindle will automatically sleep when you close the cover — as well as useful things like handles for a more secure grip. If you like to read and eat at the same time, look out for a case with a built-in stand, so you can keep both hands free.

Our Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review and Kindle Colorsoft review will provide more info about the models these cases are designed for, or if you haven't yet purchased your Kindle, my Kindle range guide can help you make sense of your options. If you're not in a rush, it might be a good idea to wait for Amazon Prime Day before you buy, because I'm expecting a number of Kindles to drop in price for that event. You can also hop to the bottom of this page for a more in-depth guide to which models these cases will fit.

I'll start with US cases — jump down the page for my top UK picks.

US — Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft cases

UK — Kindle Paperwhite and Colorsoft cases

Which Kindles will these covers fit?

The Paperwhite and Colorsoft Kindle models have a 7-inch screen. These cases should fit the regular and Signature versions. Note that the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is larger and won't fit these cases.

The cases in this roundup will fit any Kindle with a 7-inch screen (occasionally referred to, more accurately, as a 6.8-inch screen), which is the Paperwhite and Colorsoft models (excluding the Colorsoft Scribe, which has a larger screen). They'll definitely all work with the current generation of each model, which for the avoidance of doubt is:

• Kindle Paperwhite: 12th gen (2024)
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature: 12th gen (2024)
• Kindle Colorsoft: 1st gen (2024)
• Kindle Colorsoft Signature: 1st gen (2024)

They might also fit older Paperwhite models, but double-check the proportions to make sure before purchasing. The cases in this roundup won't fit the Classic Kindle (6-inch screen), Kindle Scribe (11-inch screen), or Scribe Colorsoft (11-inch screen).

Thinking of buying a Kindle? It's a good shout — they're some of the best e-readers around. I'm on my third, and I use it almost every day. And now's a good time to be planning your purchase, because we're currently in the middle of an Amazon Prime Day event, and because Kindle is an Amazon brand, almost the entire range is discounted in both the US and the UK.

Figuring out which Kindle will best suit your needs can be tricky. Below, I've rounded up all your options, and if you scroll down the page you'll see a table comparing the key specs for each one. I'd start by deciding if you need a color screen, in which case you'll want to look at the models with Colorsoft in their name (as opposed to the basic Kindle and the Paperwhite models, which are black-and-white only). This function is essential if you want to use your Kindle to read graphic novels, but might also be helpful for students, as it'll allow you to highlight text in different colors.

• View all Amazon Prime US deals / Amazon Prime UK deals

Some Kindles will let you go a step further, and make handwritten notes as well as reading. These are the options with Scribe in their names, and they also have bigger screens than the rest of the range. Utilizing the writing functions will drain the battery much quicker than reading will, but you're still looking at up to two weeks of note-taking before you need to recharge.

Me? My ereader of choice is the classic Kindle. I'm just using it for novels, there's ample storage for my needs, and the small and light format is perfect for travel. Scroll down for a run through all the Kindle options, and the best prices for each model right now.

UK: Kindle models

US: Kindle models

Specs compared

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft: Two-minute review

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft delivers everything you could want from an e-reader (mostly). Amazon packed this device with all of the key features of its other Kindles, but unfortunately, it commands a much higher price as a result.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft nails all the e-reader basics, and that chunky upcharge brings some color into the mix so you can experience comics and the like. You also get a fancy pen to annotate and take notes. Those features function well overall, but they're not perfect.

Despite combining the “Scribe” and “Colorsoft” portions in the Kindle, you actually can't use them in tandem. You can't annotate or take any notes when you're reading comics or manga, which is ironic considering this is meant to be an all-in-one solution.

However, the 11-inch display is large enough to mimic the size of some graphic novels. That means you have plenty of room to take notes, too. The screen also captures images in strong detail.

So, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is a great e-reader, but unless it's on sale, I'd only recommend it to folks in a higher tax bracket.

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: price and availability

• From $629 / £569 / AU$999
• Launched in the US and UK on December 10, 2025
• Launching in Australia on June 10, 2026

No. I simply cannot recommend the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft to the average Kindle user. It’s just too damn expensive. Adding color and a pen to your Kindle is a luxury that I would only recommend to those invested in Amazon’s eBook ecosystem or someone with significant disposable income.

At its starting price with 32GB of storage, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft costs $629 / £569 / AU$999 (it will launch in Australia on June 10). For 64GB of storage, that price jumps up to $679 / £629 / AU$1,099. As someone who just wants to read a book, that makes my wallet cry. But keep in mind that this is the peak premium Kindle device.

You can break down the features of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft into three categories — Kindle, Scribe, and Colorsoft — and it's quite simple to pick apart its value proposition as a result. The Kindle is just your traditional Paperwhite device for $159 / £159 / AU$199, and then the Colorsoft adds a splash of color to that for $249 / £269 / AU$399, and finally, you’ve got the Scribe for $399 / £379 / AU$649, which is like the Paperwhite, except you can write on it. Combine all that, and you get the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

If, for some reason, you need all three features packed into one device, then obviously, your only option in the Kindle ecosystem is the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. But focusing on one key feature will save you some decent coin, so I recommend doing just that before committing such a princely sum to this all-in-one device. Not to mention, there are cheaper color e-readers out there, like the Kobo Libra Colour ($219 / £199 / AU$359).

• Value score: 3 / 5

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: Specs

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: design

• Slightly less portable, but more reading room
• Pen placement is awkward

The 11-inch Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is almost as big as some of the taller graphic novels I have on my shelf, which seems appropriate considering its purpose. It does make it somewhat more difficult to carry around than the 7-inch Kindle Colorsoft, but it feels more authentic. And despite the larger 189 x 245mm body, it weighs only 400g and is 5.4mm thick, so it’s still more portable than some hardcover books.

As far as the overall design goes, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft looks exactly how you imagine a Kindle would look, except without that chunky bottom bezel. The bezels are still large enough for your hands to grip the device without getting in the way of the screen.

I reviewed the Graphite model with the white pen, but you can get the Fig colorway, which also comes with a Fig-colored pen. I usually don’t say this about tech, but I think I prefer the black model, only because the Fig colorway might be a little distracting while reading.

At the bottom, you’ll find the USB Type-C port for charging, and the power button is located on the top-right side. Just below that is the space where the pen attaches.

If you’re thinking that the pen might get in the way while attached to the right side, you’d be correct. It’s a silly design choice, especially when the pen is small enough (155 x 8.8mm) to easily fit on top of the Kindle.

Overall, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is sleek and inoffensive. It’s thin and light, albeit a bit harder to carry around than previous models, but who doesn’t want a little more reading and writing space? However, I am frustrated by the pen placement.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: display

• There’s color, but it’s not colorful
• Text and images are sharp

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft covers the black-and-white spectrum at 300 ppi and adds a splash of color at 150 ppi. There isn’t much the 11-inch display could do to elevate the average book reading experience, but it didn’t have to. Text looked clear and crisp, and the 36 white LEDs and 34 amber LEDs made it so I had a more comfortable reading experience depending on the setting I was in.

Like with other e-ink displays, the LEDs do create a layer of color (white or amber) that warps the image on the screen a little bit. With black text, it’s perfectly fine, as the difference is negligible. However, when introducing color, it’s more noticeable.

The problem is that, while it’s nice to have color, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is just not as colorful as I’d like it to be. I read “Hellblazer Vol. 1,” and when John Constantine heads to Africa, there are supposed to be these bright and bold pink and yellow hues, but they are muted on the Scribe Colorsoft’s screen. Even when set to “Vivid” mode, the color doesn’t pop. Honestly, this is to be expected from an e-ink display. But it doesn’t change the fact that you won’t get the same experience as looking at a real graphic novel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that we can experience color at all, but at this wild asking price, it’s definitely not worth it for the color alone.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: performance

• Relatively smooth
• The response times you expect

You’re not looking at a racehorse here; this is a little pony, and that's OK. You don’t need all the performance in the world to run an e-reader.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is relatively smooth across the board but still suffers from slightly slow response times during navigation. This isn’t a huge turn-off, since most of the experience comes down to turning a page. I did have to restart my Kindle once because it simply refused to connect to Wi-Fi no matter how many times I tried, but it resolved itself afterwards.

When doing more involved things like annotating or taking notes, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft kept up with all of my movements and demands with little issue. Zooming in around the pages also looked and felt smooth, although there’s still a slight awkward delay for the image to refresh, as I could clearly see the ghost of an image from the previous screen.

• User experience score: 4 / 5

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: software

• Surprisingly fast performance on E Ink
• Smooth zooming, whether color or black and white

All of the important bits of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, or any e-reader, come down to the software experience. I am generally happy with what this Kindle provides, and it’s not that much different from other e-readers.

You’ve got the essentials that allow you to adjust the layout, font, spacing, etc. There are little things like the “Popular highlights” and “About this book” info, which are neat. Then there’s Word Wise, which defines unfamiliar words but also still needs a lot of work — it identifies overly simple words even at its lowest setting instead of exclusively honing in on the university-level vocabulary that most people would struggle with.

One of my personal favorite software features is being able to isolate comic panels. Double-tapping on a comic panel will make it full screen, and then you can flip through the following panels with ease. When it gets to a new page, it’ll show you the full page and then break down each panel at full screen. This is super cool because you don’t have to zoom in to get a closer look at what’s happening. However, it’s not perfect. I noticed an issue when reading “Attack on Titan” where, when there are two panels and text sprawled across them, sometimes the Kindle won’t combine the panels, and it cuts off the text.

Another cool feature is being able to simulate page turns, which I love in theory, but it doesn’t look the best in practice. The problem is that it’s a fade-in and -out effect instead of an actual flipping animation. It looks a bit more natural when reading a book because it’s a quick fade between texts, but it’s a much uglier transition with comics because there’s a lot of ghosting happening. It looks like it fades in chunks, and it was visually unsatisfying to the point where I turned it off.

To highlight the “Scribe” portion of this Kindle, the notetaking and markup process is rather smooth. The pen is equipped with an eraser on the back and a shortcut button on its side (defaulted to highlight). When reading a standard book, there are two important icons, one on the left and right. The leftmost icon is for all of your pen settings to customize the look, change between highlighters and erasers, and even insert notes and canvases between the text.

The right side of the screen is where you take your notes; it can expand and either split the screen with the text or hover over it, and wherever you write notes, it’ll attach a note symbol next to the closest text. That’s pretty intuitive, since you can change the layout of the book, so naturally it would move the space of your notes. You can even expand the size of notes to take up the full page if you want, so there’s plenty of room to write.

There are a lot of features for folks interested in the “Scribe” portion of things, and they operate pretty seamlessly overall. There’s even a workspace section where you can take full notes unrelated to what you’re reading. In that workspace, there are two AI features, one of which can summarize your notes, and the other can “Refine writing,” which basically transforms your notes into a text font that you can customize.

The only absent feature I noticed is that you can’t take any notes in comics. That means no drawings, notetaking, or even highlighting.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Kindle Scribe Colorsoft review: battery

• Light readers can go for weeks
• Heavy readers can go for days

According to Amazon, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft can survive for eight weeks if you're reading for 30 minutes at just under half brightness. I'll save you the math: that's 28 hours of reading time. For light readers, you could probably stretch that for a few weeks. Heavier readers will likely kill that battery in a few days.

I spent several weeks with the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, reading roughly an hour every day, and I didn't need to reach for a charger until toward the end of the month. That gives credit to Amazon’s battery life claim.

The reading time you experience will vary heavily based on the brightness of your screen. If you're someone who reads at close to zero brightness, you're going to get a lot more longevity out of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

Unfortunately, the battery does not charge fast. When I first got it, the battery was completely drained, and I had to wait quite a while before the Kindle showed any signs of life. It'll make you think it's broken, so I do not recommend letting it die.

• Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

• Review test period = four weeks
• Testing included = books, comics, manga

I spent a month bouncing around between books, comics, and manga. I read “The House Witch,” “The Time of Contempt,” “Hellblazer Vol. 1,” and “Attack on Titan,” most of which were available on Prime Reading. I spent roughly an hour a day reading. Logging into my Amazon account and getting them on the device was easy. Downloading comics and manga takes a little longer than books, but not significantly so.

For the “Scribe” portion of the review, I highlighted portions of dialogue and wrote little notes to myself to come back to later because the text was either written impeccably well or it was just a funny line. I also drew canvases between the text — just silly doodles right in the middle of the book.

First reviewed: May 2026

• E Ink and MediaTek are partnering to improve color display for ereaders
• It also wants to add AI-powered tools to ereaders such as translations and document summaries
• Though it its good news for color display performance, AI tools defeat the purpose of simplicity with ereaders

E Ink and MediaTek have announced that they will be expanding their partnership to make your ereaders even smarter.

Showcasing at Computex 2026, E Ink and MediaTek shared that they will be continuing with their collaboration to combine E Ink Gallery and E Ink Kaleido color display technologies with MediaTek’s latest chips to improve performance and make AI functions integral to the next generation of the best ereaders.

The core aspect of the partnership centers around the development of MediaTek’s MT8115 and MT8126 system-on-chips (SoC), which will pack AI-powered applications to carry out on-device tasks. This includes translating languages when reading texts not in your native tongue, multi-speaker voice recognition for capturing meeting transcriptions, and putting voice notes into text form. Additionally, these processors will also allow you to produce concise summaries of long documents.

Though AI integration is one of the partnership’s main objectives, it’s also designed to enhance color display ereaders which, despite having come a long way, can still fall behind on the performance front.

As well as supporting ereader displays up to 13.3 inches with 300 PPI high resolution, the partnership promises enhanced color rendering, making it easier for you to read illustrative texts such as magazines, textbooks, comics, and educational resources.

Not only will color displays appear brighter and more visually appealing, the E Ink Kaleido technology paired with MediaTek’s chips allow for smoother and faster page transitions and refreshes.

“Building on our longstanding partnership with MediaTek, we continue to optimize the ePaper display experience,” said VP of Business Center at E Ink, JM Hung, in the announcement. MediaTek’s VP, Adam King, also added to the announcement; "As generative AI reshapes the industry, we are combining MediaTek’s edge AI compute capabilities with E Ink’s full-color ePaper displays to evolve the digital reader into a true smart device”.

As handy as color display improvements sound, the proposed AI integrations could cause an uproar among AI haters who also use ereaders.

Though ereaders aren’t as advanced as tablets, that’s kind of the point. They provide a simple interface with basic reading purposes, and are perfect for escaping AI functions that the majority of everyday devices are rolling out by the minute. Reading as a means of leisure is built entirely on minimal distractions and escapism, so pumping AI tools into this seems counterintuitive and frankly, the last thing that bookworms would want from their reading experience.

How long will it be before Amazon jumps on this bandwagon with future generations of Kindles?

The big news in the world of tech deals this week is that Amazon Prime Day has officially been announced for June 23 - 26. As always, the retailer has started its promotions early with some fantastic warm-up deals on own-brand services.

The best early deal? In my opinion, it's the good old extended Audible free trial. Right now, instead of 30 days, you can get a full three months of the standard Audible Membership on the house without paying a penny. That's unlimited access to over one million audiobooks and one free book token per month. Essentially, that's three books that are yours to keep in your library, forever.

Another excellent early promotion is for Kindle Unlimited: the brand's vast ebook library. Currently, that's also being offered with an extended three-month free trial, which means you'll save $30 / £24 in total.

Kindle Unlimited features a huge array of titles and magazines, which (as you'd imagine) make a fantastic pairing with one of the brand's Kindle ereaders. Those are almost certainly going to be on sale at record-low prices in the upcoming Prime Day sale, so this is a great opportunity to get both a device and an ebook service cheap.

Today's best early Prime Day deals

• See more: check out all of today's early Prime Day deals at Amazon

Note that these early Prime Day deals — like all other Prime deals — require a Prime membership to be eligible. If you're not a member, don't fret - you can still get them by simply signing up for the Amazon Prime 30-day free trial. That will cover you not just for these promotions, but for any exclusives featured in the upcoming sale later this month.

• The Zerowriter Fold is a new word processor with simple features for distraction-free writing
• It has an e-ink display, similar to Kindles
• It's currently taking pledges on Kickstarter, with first-wave shipping set for January 2027

Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if the next Kindle had a built-in keyboard?’ The Zerowriter Fold is a new device with an e-ink display, and it’s the closest thing to it — well, sort of.

While Kindles are perfect for reading, the Zerowriter Fold is a modern typewriter and word processor developed in Canada with a display that’s similar to the best ereaders. However, it’s purpose-built for writing text instead of reading books, and the best part is that there are no subscription catches. It’s one device, one payment.

At the moment, the Zerowriter Fold is being crowd-funded on Kickstarter, and the shipping for the first wave of orders is scheduled for January 2027, which includes the Zerowriter Fold, a charging cable, a handbook, and a keycap puller for switching out the keyboard. It’s currently accepting pledges of CAD$355 (around $256/ £192) for the next wave of devices, which are set to be shipped in March 2027.

Admittedly, this is quite a bit of time to wait, but looking at the demand for the first round of pledges (it was capped after hitting 500), this is something that consumers are actually passionate about.

The Zerowriter Fold’s main aim is to eliminate as many distractions as possible, ensuring that 100% of your focus goes into your writing. Unlike desktop word processors, you're not getting advanced features and settings, as they can easily welcome distractions.

Instead, the Zerowriter Fold sticks to the basics: a 6-inch e-ink display and a low-profile mechanical keyboard that can be replaced, so it’s easy to customize to suit your level of comfort. It offers two different writing modes: Drafting Mode for an always-forward, distraction-free experience, or Word Processing Mode, which gives you access to more editing tools such as amending text types and sizes and bookmarks.

As for its exporting functions, you can either save texts to SD cards as you would with a digital camera, scan a QR code to export to your smartphone, or use a USB-C cable to manage texts directly — but the stand-out feature is its impressive battery life.

Its built-in battery can run up to 100 hours in a single use, mainly because the Zerowriter Fold uses a low-power-consumption e-ink screen. Realistically, no one is going to be writing for four days straight, so the Zerowriter Fold can last for weeks before it needs another round of juice.

The company behind the Zerowriter Fold only started its journey in 2024, but has come a long way since. Prior to its latest Kickstarter campaign, the team developed the Zerowriter Ink, which is essentially the Fold but without its laptop-like enclosure. The company describes its latest word processor as “the first fully-realized Zerowriter”, as it states on its web page.

• Amazon's next Kindle lineup could come with user-replaceable batteries
• The company could also start selling its own replacement kits
• Support for older Kindles is ending on May 20, and users have started jailbreaking their devices

Amazon could be hiding something up its sleeve, and its next lineup of Kindle e-readers could be getting an upgrade every bookworm would be thankful for — replaceable batteries.

In the MobileReads forum, a handful of users sparked a discussion that pointed to messages found in Amazon’s Kindle 5.19.4 firmware update referring to user-replaceable batteries, as well as replacement kits and instructional guides. The firmware was then pulled, but eagle-eyed users managed to share it before it disappeared.

Though it’s speculation for now, one user in the forum shared they believe that “it is very likely”, who also shared the following messages found in the firmware release:

“This battery cannot be recognized and may not perform as expected. Charging has been limited to protect your device.”

“To return your device to its original performance specifications, we recommend installing a battery that complies with Amazon specifications.”

“Go to Settings > Device Options > Battery for battery troubleshooting guidance and support.”

“Scan the QR code below to purchase a battery replacement kit and view instructions for replacement.”

The move would align with a new EU regulation that will enforce tighter requirements on consumer electronics. As of February 2027, gadgets such as smartphones and tablets will need to have easy-to-repair batteries that don’t require specific tools, making it easier for users to replace certain hardware parts themselves.

In addition to replaceable batteries, it’s likely that Amazon’s next Kindle range could come with design upgrades to make switching out batteries easier. Most older models are sealed with adhesive, making it difficult for users to pry open their e-readers, while some Kindle batteries are glued into the device.

It would be a welcome upgrade for avid e-readers everywhere, but whether it’s enough to make up for shutting down support for pre-2012 models is another question.

Is Amazon doing this because it has to?

From May 20, Kindle devices released prior to 2012 will lose support meaning that, while you’ll still be able to read books already downloaded to your device, you’ll no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download additional books on them after that date. Not only that, but the company also unveiled it would be pulling the plug on its Send to Kindle function — which allows you to wirelessly transfer ebooks you bought elsewhere, as well as documents and other files, to your Kindle.

To say this upset owners of these models would be underplaying the response it got from avid readers, but despite Amazon’s attempt to force users to needlessly upgrade to pricier devices, the jailbreaking bug has hit bookworms everywhere. With Amazon’s cease of support looming, users on Reddit aren’t being quiet about how they’re modifying their devices to download third-party apps such as KOReader to continue purchasing books and for most, it’s the best thing they’ve ever done.

You should note that jailbreaking your device isn’t recommended, and it comes with a handful of risks. For starters, it could lead to bugs, battery life deficiency, and other performance issues, and then there’s the matter of piracy. But for those who are dead set on avoiding having to upgrade their device, it’s become a common practice, as has sideloading books.

Amazon hasn’t been giving readers much of what they want, but now that replaceable batteries could be its next hardware upgrade, perhaps this will redeem the series of poor choices it's made lately.

I’m a massive fan of digital notebooks (aka epaper or E Ink tablets) — I’ve used over a dozen in the last few years and, as a habitual list maker and note taker, I find them extremely useful. My favorite e-notebook — purely from a writing experience — is the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024 edition) and, while I loved it when it first launched, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is now my least favorite as newer options just do it better.

I’ve come to realize that a lot of that preference boils down to one surprising element: the stylus. Or rather, the stylus' little nib and how it feels when you get down to the act of (figuratively) putting pen to paper.

The Kindle Premium Pen I use with the 2024 Scribe feels a lot softer and, thus, smoother than the hard plastic tip of the Kobo Stylus 2. Onyx Boox styli are also generally acceptable, though the prolific device maker has stumbled a little with its most recent InkSense Plus Stylus as the relatively thicker nib adds more friction than I personally prefer.

And that’s the clincher: stylus preference is very personal — while some writers prefer a smooth, flowing experience, others might want that extra friction or scratchiness. I’m firmly in the former camp and the absolute best stylus that’s given me that experience is the ViWoods C1 stylus.

Other than a Supernote pen, the C1 is the only other ceramic-tipped stylus I've tried and the amount of precision and control it offers is far more than anything I've experienced with the several bundled pens I've previously used.

Rather disappointingly, the C1 doesn’t come bundled with any of the ViWoods tablets — you need to purchase it separately. While it’s not cheap (costing $99 / £89.99 / AU$140), I think it’s well worth the extra splurge if you’re after a writing experience that combines smoothness and friction perfectly.

Using EMR (electromagnetic resonance) technology to pair the stylus to a tablet, the C1 also works with other competing epaper devices like Supernote and the now-discontinued reMarkable 2 (but not the newer reMarkable Paper series), on some of Samsung’s S-series Galaxy Tabs, as well as dedicated drawing slates from the likes of XPPen.

EMR pens like the C1 offer other advantages too, including superior pressure sensitivity and accurate positioning for precise line making, as well as faster response speed so there’s no lag between pen placement and the marks actually appearing on screen.

The power in a pen

Ever noticed that your handwriting can change depending on which pen you’re using? That’s because some pens feel more natural than others, which then translates to more pleasing handwriting. Again, this is largely dependent on the pen's nib and it's exactly the same for digital writing as well. While I rather like my handwriting, it's nicer — neater — when using the ViWoods C1.

For that, I give credit to the C1’s needle-like ceramic tip that’s pinpoint perfect and translates into better control over the marks being made on the screen. That control is increased because there’s zero input lag, which means it’s just like using a pen on paper.

That’s thanks to a speedy response time of 960Hz (or 960 RPS), which is the frequency at which a tablet records the stylus’ position and pressure. In the C1’s case, it’s sending data practically every millisecond! For context, a standard stylus typically has a response speed of 200 to 300 RPS.

This speed also makes me feel like I’m not exerting any pressure while writing — even the lightest touch makes the marks flow without generating any fatigue in my hand, and that’s an important consideration for me as I suffer from RSI in my fingers. In comparison, most other styli (including the Kindle Premium Pen I like so much and ViWoods’ own Stylus W2) feel like they’re ‘sticking’ to the screen and require a touch more effort to move.

Like I said, the C1 feels effortless.

The ceramic tip also makes the C1 a lot more long-lasting than other standard styli. It’s the only digital pen I’ve come across that doesn’t ship with extra replacement tips — ViWoods says the included one should last “a lifetime”, so there aren’t any ongoing costs here either. To offer some comparison, using the reMarkable Marker Plus for six months wore the tip down significantly (see the image on top of the page), while I replaced the Kindle Premium Pen’s tip after a year of near-daily use.

After learning about a colleague’s experience with titanium replacement tips that resulted in damaging the tablet’s screen, I was worried the same would happen when using a ceramic pen — after all, the C1 nib is also a pinpoint piece of hard material. However, after six months of testing on the ViWoods AiPaper and the reMarkable 2, I’ve seen no scratches.

Ergonomically, the ViWoods C1 is well designed, with just the right amount of heft and a non-slip grip. Like other EMR pens, it has a customizable shortcut button that can be set to highlighting, erasing or lassoing text, depending on which one you use the most. If I was nitpicking, I’d say that the eraser on the top of the C1 is a little rattly but, personally, I didn’t find it distracting and barely even registered it when I was concentrating on the task at hand.

Take note — there’s a caveat

As someone who reviews e-ink devices regularly, I have a rather large collection of epaper tablets and I tried the ViWoods C1 on seven of them, namely the 2024 Kindle Scribe, two Kobo note takers (even though I know they don't support EMR), a reMarkable and 3 Boox tablets. I expected the C1 to be able to write on the Kindle Scribe and the Boox Note Air3 at the very least but, unfortunately, it only worked on one of those devices (the reMarkable 2).

Even if it did write on other tablets, the pen’s full functionality might not be unleashed due to software incompatibility between the tablet and the stylus. For example, erasing with the pen on the ViWoods AiPaper was a lot more effective than when I performed the same task on the reMarkable 2. Intelligent lasso also worked only on the ViWoods device and not on the reMarkable. This can make it hard to recommend purchasing a second stylus, even one as good as the C1.

Every brand that sells a large-screen epaper writing tablet bundles it with its own stylus, offering you full functionality at no extra cost. Nearly all of them have no discernible lag (it’s only when you use something like the C1 that you realize there’s something faster) and they write quite well, so not everyone will need an additional stylus. However, if you write or draw every day, finding the best stylus for your needs is definitely worth the extra cost, as long as you keep the caveats in mind.

First revealed at the 2026 BookCon event in New York last month, Kobo has announced a range of limited-edition "collector cases" with "whimsical" and colorful designs. The cases are, indeed, beautiful, going from a leafy Green Canopy option to more fun and joyful Botanical Bliss and each design is available for all three 2024 ereader releases — the Kobo Libra Colour, Clara BW and Clara Colour.

They're already listed for purchase on the Kobo websites in the US and the UK, and Aussies will be able to buy them from May 12 — the smaller cases cost $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95, while a Libra Colour collector case will set you back $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$49.95.

I personally love the Botanical Bliss case and wouldn't mind it on my Kobo Libra Colour, but, in all honesty, I'm a little disappointed with this announcement. I was really keen to hear about an updated version of the Kobo Elipsa 2E that is now long in the tooth and feels dated against the likes of the latest releases of the Kindle Scribe and Boox Note series.

I remember a time when Kobo would release new hardware nearly every May, but 2025 was an exception and the Japanese-Canadian brand launched the Kobo Remote later in the year instead. With no new ereader release since the three current devices from 2024, I really thought 2026 was when we would see an updated 10-inch slate.

Analysis: the Kobo Elipsa 2E just doesn't compare any more

I make no secret of the fact that I'm partial to Kobo's user interface, and I'd been using the Kobo Elipsa 2E since its release in 2023 as my ereader and digital notebook. At the time, I liked it so much that I called it a real Kindle Scribe contender in my Kobo Elipsa 2E review, but I replaced it with the 2nd-generation Kindle Scribe in 2025 as the latter offered me a better reading and writing experience. In fact, I find the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 a better digital notebook despite not having a frontlight.

I still love Kobo's Advanced Notebooks, but the hard-nibbed Kobo Stylus 2 doesn't feel as nice to use as Amazon's Premium Pens or the many other styli that come packaged with their respective tablets. Nearly every other stylus I've tried, including those from ViWood, offers a smoother ballpoint pen-like experience that you won't get from the Kobo Stylus 2.

The ambient light sensor on the 2024 Kindle Scribe makes the display look brighter and the 300ppi resolution puts the Elipsa's 227ppi screen to shame. In fact, most 10-inch monochrome digital notebooks released in 2025 have a 300ppi display.

There have been several Boox tablets released since the Elipsa 2E and while I'm not expecting Kobo to match that frequency — I really hope not as the Boox devices aren't exactly perfect — even Amazon released new Scribe models in 2024 and 2025!

If you really want a Kobo note-taker, the Libra Colour is still my pick of the best ereader to buy (and the Kobo Sage has been discontinued), but the Kobo Stylus 2 is still not the nicest pen to write with, so a refresh of a couple of hardware items is overdue.

So c'mon, Kobo, where's the new Elipsa at?

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro: Two-minute review

The Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro is the kind of interesting ereader innovation I want to see more of, even if the biggest appeal is still just how unusual it is. My ereader expert colleague reviewed the original Palma and the newer Palma 2, but I have been able to use both of these devices as my main ereader, to ensure a good basis for comparison.

The Palma 2 Pro takes the same pocket-friendly, phone-like form of the Palma 2 and adds a color E Ink display, more memory, Android 15, SIM support and stylus compatibility. The Palma is already somewhat of a niche ereader (and a niche we are big fans of), so these new features are quite ambitious.

The 6.13-inch, 2:1 screen is still the main reason to consider the Palma. It looks and feels more like a smartphone than a typical ereader, and comes complete with a speaker, dual microphones, side buttons, a rear camera and now a hybrid SIM tray. But rather than an LCD or OLED display, it uses an e-paper display that means it’s a much nicer experience for long reading sessions.

In other words — if you already consume books, articles or newsletters on your phone and want something easier on the eyes, the Palma 2 Pro has a lot of appeal.

Another new advantage is stylus support — like some of the larger models, the Palma 2 Pro works with a compatible stylus and enables note-taking directly on the device. Another great little extra is a combined SIM/SD card slot, which means you can upgrade the storage or add in a data SIM and access books (and the internet) when on the go.

Physically, the Pro is very similar to the Palma 2, though there are a few useful changes that show how the design has progressed more than just changing to a color display. The power button (that also houses the fingerprint reader) is still on the right edge but the volume/page-turn buttons now sit on the left with the smart button — a layout that feels a lot more intuitive.

The SIM/SD card tray is on the bottom and the body is a little thicker. At 172g bare on my scales (Boox lists it as approximately 175g), it’s still easy to carry around, and even with the soft case from my review package fitted, it remained pocket-friendly enough for daily use, plus there’s an excellent magnetic flip cover.

The biggest change, of course, is the screen. The Palma 2 Pro uses a Kaleido 3 color E Ink panel, whereas the Palma 2 has a Carta 1200 monochrome display. The upgrade to color immediately makes the interface, book covers, comics, web pages and some apps feel more engaging and useful than they do on the black-and-white Palma 2. To be clear, it’s not bright, glowing color like you get from a phone or tablet, or glossy like a magazine — it’s closer to soft pastels on paper.

While the black and white part of the display has the same resolution and DPI as the Palma 2, the Kaleido 3 color layer gives the screen a slightly grainier look, with grayer whites, compared to the sharp Carta display on the Palma 2.

While reading on the Palma 2 Pro is still great, it does mean the Pro is not an automatic upgrade for everyone. For pure monochrome text, the Palma 2 still has a clearer, more paper-like display, with better perceived contrast and cleaner whites.

That means the Palma 2 is still a solid choice, while the Palma 2 Pro is at its best for those who will actually make use of the color screen.

The Pro has had a slight bump in spec, which in turn makes the user experience a little slicker. An upgrade to Android 15 (the Palma 2 runs Android 13) gives the Palma 2 Pro a more current interface, while 8GB of RAM (up from 6GB), Android 15 and updated software tuning help it feel slightly smoother when opening apps, scrolling through menus and using gesture navigation.

It’s still an E Ink device, so you won’t mistake it for the responsiveness of a smartphone, but third-party apps such as Kindle, Kobo and Google Play Books work well, and Google Play Store support gives it far more flexibility than most ereaders.

I also found the fingerprint scanner accurate and very handy on the Pro. It’s quick to set up and, in daily use, it rarely failed to unlock the device. In comparison, the Palma 2 doesn’t unlock quite as reliably.

The stylus support worked well, and the Boox stylus is easy to start using — no pairing is needed. Handwritten notes can be made in compatible apps, like Boox’s Notes app, or on your ebooks with NeoReader. The small screen means it takes a little getting used to and it’s not as capable as a larger note-taking device, but it is a nice little extra for those who like to jot down handwritten thoughts.

Making it slightly less appealing though, is that buying the Boox stylus adds around an extra 10% to the price, and there’s no neat way to carry it with the flip cover.

The Palma 2 Pro continues some of the little niggles that felt out of place considering the price of the Palma 2. The body still feels plasticky rather than premium, the camera is more useful for quick scans than for taking photos, the speaker is basic and performance is on the low end compared to a phone. The Palma 2 Pro is also considerably more expensive than the regular Palma 2 and other mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

Still, I like the Palma 2 Pro for the same reason I like the Palma 2: it’s compact, versatile and something genuinely different. The color screen won’t suit everyone, but if you want a pocketable Android ereader that can handle books, apps, light web use, color-rich documents and the occasional note-taking session, it’s a great upgrade to one of the most interesting ereaders around.

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Price & availability

• Announced October 2025
• List price: $379.99 / €399.99 / £379.99 / AU$679
• Available now directly from the Boox Shop and select retailers

The Palma 2 Pro is a much more expensive device than the regular Palma 2, with current pricing sitting at $380 / £380 / AU$679. That makes it pricey even by premium ereader standards, and it’s a notable step up from the Palma 2’s current $250 / £249 / AU$499 pricing.

On the plus side, that higher price does give you a tasty set of new and updated features. The Palma 2 Pro adds a Kaleido 3 color E Ink display, 8GB of RAM, Android 15, a hybrid SIM slot with mobile data support and compatibility with the Boox InkSense Plus stylus.

While these are all great additions, they won’t all matter equally to every reader, so the best value proposition is only going to apply to a smaller subset of potential buyers. If you mostly want a pocketable device for reading typical ebooks, the regular Palma 2 is still the better choice.

The Pro starts to make more sense if you’ll actually use the color display for book covers, comics, web pages, documents or apps, or if mobile data support is important to you.

The Boox website has a range of compatible accessories available. For the Palma 2 Pro, stylus support helps it feel more useful beyond reading, though it’s worth noting that the Boox stylus is sold separately and is priced around $46 / £47 / AU$72 — adding around 10% to the total purchase cost.

The standard box includes the Palma 2 Pro, USB-C cable, card tray eject tool, quick start guide and warranty card. My review package also included the Magnetic 2-in-1 protective flip case, which is another $22 / £22 / AU$38 or so from Boox.

Compared with mainstream 6-inch ereaders, the Palma 2 Pro is expensive, and it is on par with a mid-range smartphone. In fact, you could buy almost three Amazon Kindle or Kobo Clara BW ereaders for the price of the Palma 2 Pro, but they also don’t offer the same Android flexibility, color E Ink display, large storage capacity or phone-like form factor.

That said, I could better stomach the price if the Palma 2 Pro came with the stylus and case as standard, but as it stands, it only really offers decent value if you truly need the unique form factor and will actually use the full set of features.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Specs

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Design & display

• Available in Charcoal Black and Ivory White
• Color E Ink makes the Palma format more versatile
• Phone-like and pocket-friendly

The Palma 2 Pro mostly sticks to the Palma 2’s design, but the small changes do make it feel a little more polished in daily use. It’s still unmistakably a Palma, with the same tall, phone-like shape, rear camera, speaker, dual microphones, USB-C port and compact footprint, but it’s slightly thicker at 8.8mm (up from 8mm) and a little heavier at 172g on my scales, up from the Palma 2’s measured 166g.

The button layout has changed too. The power button with fingerprint scanner now sits on the right edge, while the volume/page-turn buttons have moved to the left with the smart button. The hybrid SIM tray is on the bottom beside the USB-C port, while the microphones have shifted closer to the speaker.

None of these changes dramatically alter how the Palma 2 Pro feels, but I think the layout is a bit more intuitive than the Palma 2 as volume buttons on the left mean they sit under a forefinger, rather than under a thumb on the right.

If you don’t use the volume buttons for page turning (or you are left-handed), then the smartphone-like layout on the Palma 2 might be preferable.

Build quality is very similar to the Palma 2 — it’s a little plasticky, and the rear panel has a rough, grippy texture. The Pro is white rather than cream, and the surface of the plastic is a matte gloss, rather than being purely matte, but isn’t slippery.

Unlike the silver buttons on the Palma 2, the Pro uses the same shade of white on the buttons and the body, giving a sleeker, understated look. While most ereaders use a lot of plastic, the build certainly doesn’t feel as premium as its price suggests.

While I didn’t run into any issues of the surface staining like my colleague experienced in her Palma 2 review, it’s still plastic, so even with the flip case, I wouldn’t leave it loose in a bag with keys or other sharp objects. Like a phone, it is best kept in a protected pocket of a backpack, and while the glass screen feels reasonably tough, damage is still worth guarding against.

My review package included the magnetic flip case, which is a big upgrade over the flip case that came with the Palma 2. It has a cloudy-clear flexible shell that clips around the device, plus a detachable flip cover that connects magnetically. The shell is the part with the magnets, not the Palma 2 Pro itself, and it also carries through MagSafe-style support so it can be attached to a compatible stand.

This makes it very easy to keep protected when on the go, but also allows it to be instantly pulled out from the flip case for more relaxed at-home use.

The case doesn’t give heavy-duty protection, but it’s an excellent compromise between a bulkier folio and a slim shell. The flip cover attaches easily but stays secure, the fake-leather material feels well made and there are no sharp or rough edges. It also adds good grip without making the Palma 2 Pro feel too big, and in fact I wish I could get this style flip case for my phone.

Sadly the new flip case is only available for the Palma 2 Pro, which feels like a misstep from Boox, as there is a Palma/Palma 2 flip case with magnetic attachment available, just in the older style. This means either of the outer, magnetically attached parts of the case could work fine with either device, but you can’t buy the actual shell with the magnets separately, which is needed due to the changed button locations.

Pocketability is still one of the biggest reasons to buy the Palma 2 Pro as it feels much closer to carrying a phone than a conventional ereader. Even in the flip case, it’s still easy to slip into a jacket or pants, and it is the right size to work with phone-specific bag pockets, or even accessories like waterproof pouches.

The display is where the Pro version will pique a lot of new interest over the Palma 2. It uses a 6.13-inch Kaleido 3 color E Ink screen, with the same 300ppi black-and-white resolution as the Palma 2, but color content is displayed at 150ppi. That’s normal for this kind of color E Ink panel, and it means the Palma 2 Pro can show book covers, comics, web pages, app icons and more in color but still give a crisp black and white e-paper experience for text.

There is a trade-off, and overall clarity suffers somewhat. The color layer sits over the monochrome layer and adds a fine grid-like texture, so plain text doesn’t look quite as crisp or contrasty as it does on the Palma 2, and blank areas have a slightly grainy, screen-door-type look.

It’s still very readable, and I had no issue using it for long sessions, but the monochrome Palma 2 has cleaner whites and better contrast if all you care about is text.

Color on the Palma 2 Pro also shouldn’t be confused with color on a phone or tablet, or even a magazine print. It’s muted and pastel-like rather than glossy and bright, but that works well for an ereader.

The small touches of color throughout the OS make the device feel nicer to use, and switching back to a black-and-white ereader feels rather limiting, despite offering a better display for reading text.

Touch response is similar to the Palma 2. Page turns are quick enough, menus respond well enough and the touchscreen is accurate, but there’s still noticeable lag compared to a phone if you drag items around.

Screen refreshes can also look slightly fuzzier on the Pro because the color screen shows a little more ghosting, though if you tweak the settings to your own preferences, it produces a fairly clean image overall.

As with the Palma 2, the 2:1 aspect ratio won’t suit everyone, but it’s still the standout part of the design. It makes the Palma 2 Pro a very good fit for people who already read on their phones and want something easier on the eyes, while still keeping the same portable feel.

Boox describes the Palma 2 Pro as water-repellent, with protection against daily exposure such as spills, splashes and light rain, but it’s not waterproof and doesn’t have an IP rating. That’s fine for normal use, but I wouldn’t treat it like a waterproof ereader and take it in the bath.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: User experience

• Android 15 with Google Play Store support
• More customizable than a Kindle or Kobo
• File transfers are easy

The Palma 2 Pro still isn’t a phone, even if it looks more like one than most ereaders. Setup is much like using a small Android device: you connect to Wi-Fi, sign in, activate the Play Store and start installing apps. It’s familiar enough if you’ve used Android before, but there are still plenty of Boox-specific settings to get used to.

That extra control is part of the appeal. You can adjust refresh behavior, navigation, power-saving settings, app optimization and reading layouts in far more detail than you can on a Kindle or Kobo. It can feel like a lot at first, but in daily use, the Palma 2 Pro gives you useful control over how much speed, clarity and battery life you want to prioritize.

Getting your documents and ebooks onto the device is quite easy. BooxDrop is a good starting point — it lets you transfer files from a phone or computer over Wi-Fi. If you are in the Google ecosystem, you can use the Drive app (or other Android app of your choice) and wired transfers over a USB cable on Windows just require plugging it in.

The Android to Mac experience isn’t as simple, and Apple requires its users to install third-party apps such as MacDroid to connect to an Android device.

USB-C OTG support also worked seamlessly, and like the Palma 2, the Pro will happily read files straight from a USB stick. For most users, though, BooxDrop or cloud storage is probably still the simplest option.

While the two devices are very similar, in my testing the touchscreen is a little better on the Pro compared to the Palma 2, but it still doesn’t feel anywhere near as responsive as a phone. Light taps are occasionally not picked up and swipes don’t always give enough instant feedback to help show you are doing it right.

Once I adjusted and used slightly slower, more purposeful touch interactions, it worked just fine, but there is a little recalibration compared to the haptic feel of a smartphone.

I didn’t have a lot of patience for NaviBall, Boox’s floating shortcut tool that opens when tapped. The idea is useful, but in practice it often sat over text or stopped pop-up buttons like confirm and cancel from working correctly and had to be moved before those buttons could be used. You can move it around easily enough, but I eventually stopped using it, as it added more friction overall than convenience.

The Boox InkSense Plus stylus is very capable, with 4,096 pressure levels, tilt support, a shortcut side button and replaceable 0.6mm tips. It’s also an active stylus, so it needs charging via USB-C, unlike the passive pens used by some note-taking tablets.

I found it great for quick annotations, short notes and rough sketches, but the small screen size makes sustained handwriting impractical. The Notes app can also convert handwriting to text, but I didn't find this useful due to the limited amount of writing I did.

If writing is important to you, check out my colleagues' reviews of the 7-inch color display Boox Go Color 7 Gen II, the monochrome 7-inch Boox Go 7 or the 10.3-inch Boox Note Air5 C.

While Boox hasn't noted any hardware changes, the fingerprint scanner feels slightly improved on the Pro. It is easy to set up, and in daily use, I found it rarely failed to register and unlock on the first go. That makes it feel far more usable than it did on the Palma 2, where the sensor needed more careful finger placement.

Audio is still best judged by ereader standards compared to the surprisingly good results from some smartphones. The built-in speaker is fine for audiobooks and podcasts, but Bluetooth headphones or a small speaker are still the better option if you care about sound quality.

I had no issue with pairing Bluetooth devices, but using your favorite music streaming app needs a little setup to get it to work correctly. For example, with YouTube Music, I had to unfreeze the app and adjust power settings so Wi-Fi and Bluetooth weren’t turned off when the device slept.

The downside is that this has a noticeable impact on battery life, and if you use it as a music streamer, expect to charge it every few days. If you are serious about using it to play music, then the best bet is downloaded files and local playback through the built-in music app.

Video playback works, but only in the loosest sense, and it does not give a very watchable result. That said, music videos can be oddly pleasant if you lean into the low-resolution, low-frame-rate, pastel-color look.

The same is true for many mobile games — anything where high resolution or non-glacial framerates matter won’t be much fun, but some titles are perfectly playable.

The extra flexibility of being able to install and use regular apps is great overall, but despite the color screen, the Palma 2 Pro is much better thought of as a reading-first device that happens to handle audio playback and other light Android tasks better than most ereaders.

• User experience score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro review: Performance

• Faster than the Palma 2, but still limited by E Ink
• Handles Android apps well for an E Ink device
• Battery life is very good

Thanks to extra RAM, Android 15 and software tuning, the Palma 2 Pro is slightly faster than the Palma 2 in daily use, though it’s not the kind of spec upgrade that changes what the device is good at.

It’s still an E Ink ereader first, so the improvements are more about smoother user experience than enabling phone-like usage.

Boox doesn't specify the exact processor, but CPU X identifies the chipset as QTI SM6350, with two cores running at 2.07GHz and six at 1.71GHz, plus Adreno 619 graphics.

That's the same class of hardware as the Palma 2, but the Pro pairs it with 8GB of RAM rather than 6GB. Android 15 and Boox’s software tuning also help the Pro feel smoother in daily use.

In Geekbench 6 benchmark testing, the Palma 2 Pro scored 632 for single-core, 1,586 for multi-core and 835 for GPU, compared to the Palma 2’s 519, 1,211 and 723 respectively.

That puts it 22% ahead in single-core testing, 31% ahead in multi-core and 15% ahead for GPU, giving the Pro a measurable advantage even if the real-world difference is a bit more modest than the numbers might suggest.

In real-world use, page turns feel slightly faster and smoother than on the Palma 2, but the difference is small. App launching and multitasking are a little better too. Apps open a touch quicker, menus feel more responsive and gesture navigation is noticeably easier to live with than it was on the Palma 2.

You still need to allow for the usual E Ink delay, but the Pro feels a little less hesitant when jumping between apps or digging into settings.

As with the Palma 2, gaming on the Pro is also workable, as long as you keep expectations realistic. Simple games like Alphabear 2 and Two Dots run fine, while more visually involved games such as Monument Valley 2 and Sky: Children of the Light are playable in a way that feels odd, but not unpleasant, on the E Ink screen.

The color display does help here, though the muted tones and lower refresh rate mean this is still more of a novelty than a device you’d pick for gaming.

Battery life is a little lower than the Palma 2, which isn’t surprising considering the better performance. The Pro uses the same 3,950mAh battery capacity as the Palma 2, and overall endurance is still very good.

The color screen itself does not use any extra power when it isn’t being refreshed, and even refreshes only use slightly more. The bigger impact comes from usage: when displaying a lot of color, the lower reflectivity means you tend to have the front light set slightly brighter than when reading plain text.

With conservative settings and around an hour of reading a day, I’d expect about five to six weeks from a charge, whereas the Palma 2 will do a week or two longer. If you’re using more apps, streaming audio, browsing the web and making use of wireless connections, two to three weeks is a more realistic expectation of battery life.

Charging speed will still depend on what you plug it into, but the Pro tops up quicker than the Palma 2 does in the same test. Using a wall adapter, the Palma 2 Pro went from 20% to full in around two hours, while charging from a laptop dock took it from 25% to 71% in an hour.

Overall, the Palma 2 Pro is a modest but useful step up in performance. Responsiveness is still limited by the lower-end hardware and E Ink display, but it feels smoother, handles Android better and has more than enough battery life to work well as a daily ereader.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

There aren’t many direct rivals to the Palma 2 Pro, which makes recommending alternatives a little tricky. Its phone-like shape, color E Ink display, Android flexibility, mobile data support and stylus compatibility put it in a very small category. Devices like the Bigme HiBreak Plus/Pro have very similar features, but we have not been able to test one yet, and they are harder to buy plus not as well supported as a known name like Boox.

Ultimately, most buyers will be choosing between the Palma 2 Pro and a more conventional ereader, or deciding whether the regular Palma 2 is enough. I’ve included the closest practical options below, covering the standard Palma 2 and two mainstream 6-inch ereaders.

For even more options, check out our guide to the best ereaders.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro

• Used as my daily reading device for 8 weeks
• Sideloaded eBooks, music and other files via BooxDrop, cloud, email and USB
• Downloaded Android apps for benchmarking, reading, streaming, browsing and light gaming

I began by following the on-screen setup process, connecting the Palma 2 Pro to Wi-Fi, activating Google Play and adjusting the main Boox settings for refresh rate, power-saving and system navigation. Like other Boox devices, there are more customization options here than you’ll find on a Kindle or Kobo, so I spent some time tuning the setup before using it as my daily ereader.

I used BooxDrop to transfer ebooks and music files, then tested other transfer methods including Google Drive, email, OTG and wired file transfer.

I downloaded Android apps from the Play Store, including Geekbench 6, CPU X, Google Play Books, Kindle, Kobo, Chrome, YouTube Music and a small selection of games. The reading apps were used to check page turns, refresh behavior and display optimization, while the music and browser apps were used to test how well the Palma 2 Pro handles more general Android tasks.

For most of the eight-week testing period, I used the Palma 2 Pro daily as an ereader. I also used it for web browsing, local music playback, YouTube Music streaming, audiobooks, light gaming and occasional video playback to test where its E Ink limitations stood out.

To compare it directly with the Palma 2, I used both devices side by side for reading, app use, navigation, scanning, sample photos and benchmarking. That comparison was especially useful for checking whether the color display, extra RAM and Android 15 made a practical difference in daily use.

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed May 2026]

• The Xteink X4 ereader has gone viral for its compact size
• It's 4.3 inches, weighs under 80 grams and can be attached to Qi2-compatible smartphones
• It's the first non-Amazon ereader to make the top 10 list

Amazon has been the reigning champion of the best ereaders and its range of Kindle devices continue to dominate the market — but this viral mini ereader has taken social media and bookworms by storm.

The Xteink X4 is the latest gadget that users online can’t get enough of, and it’s all because of its compact size. Coming in at 4.3 inches and weighing 2.72 ounces (which is just under 78 grams), the Xteink X4 is small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket and can even be attached to Qi2-compatible smartphones such as newer iPhone models and Google Pixel phones.

Besides offering the features of a regularly-sized ereader but in compact form, its reasonable $70 price mark is another big selling point — a decent budget option compared to newer Kindle models which can be quite the investment. But following its popularity surge thanks to its online hype, it’s become a new rival for Amazon’s own ereader brand, and it could ring alarm bells for the retail juggernaut.

In a rare turn of events the Xteink X4 has ushered its way into Amazon’s top 10 best-selling ereaders, making it the first non-Amazon device to make the list. It currently sits in the number six spot, surpassing the Kindle Colorsoft and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, the former which still takes one of the top spots in our list of the best Kindles.

Despite the positives, reviews of its software have been a bit of a mixed bag as Trusted Reviews puts it, with some owners highlighting that its software offerings can be quite basic. But even then, this isn’t a massive setback that’s pushing away prospective owners, and it still offers an adequate casual reading experience, which could be even more of a threat to Kindle devices — especially given Amazon’s latest Kindle crackdown.

Just a few weeks ago Amazon announced it would be pulling the plug on older devices despite them still being used, which frustrated users believe is a way for the company to get you to needlessly upgrade to a new and thus pricier Kindle. The decision affects Kindle devices released in 2012 and before, meaning that as of May 20, you’ll no longer be able to purchase or download new books to your device, but you’ll still have access to read content that’s already downloaded.

• Check out this tiny ereader you can build yourself
• The parts can be put together for less than $50
• It comes a small ereader display with 3D-printed parts

It may not make it into our best ereaders list, but the tiny ereader built by YouTuber Paul Lagier definitely has lots of appeal: it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and it was custom made for less than $50.

Watch the full video (via Android Authority) to see how it was done. The device is battery powered and uses several 3D-printed parts, together with a 1,500 mAh battery and an 2.13-inch LoRa E-Ink Display Module sourced from Amazon.

Crucially, the affordable display that Lagier chose already has a microcontroller and charging circuitry built in, which means the only added hardware needed was a power source and a case. All in all, the estimated cost is under $50 (around £37 / AU$70).

Lagier says the pocket-friendly gadget is "designed to do just one thing, help me start reading again". He's hoping that the small size of his ereader means he can quickly grab a few minutes of reading time in between everything else going on each day.

From firmware to file uploads

The video above offers a fascinating look at the construction of the small device, together with some context on Lagier's reading habits, the motivation for the project, and details of what makes an ereader an ereader.

Lagier made a custom shell for the ereader, together with a single button for controlling everything on screen, but he describes coding the firmware and navigation system as "the most complex part" of the build.

The ereader uses a USB-C port for charging, and is able to read plain, DRM-free text files that can be uploaded through a web browser — the gadget can actually create its own temporary Wi-Fi hotspot for file transfer purposes.

There's even a bookmark feature for pages you want to save, and Lagier says battery life works out at about two weeks between charges. If you're interested in building your own, check out the project page at Ko-fi, and Lagier's follow-up video too.

Looking ahead to a summer of travel and relaxation? Or at least a couple of weeks of it? Reading is always one of the things I aim to do more of while I’m chilling, and there’s no better way to do so than through an ereader. Right now, you can buy a certified refurbished Kindle at Amazon for £60.99 (was £75.99), which is the cheapest possible way to get the ereader right now.

This particular model is the last-gen version, but it’s still very good, and the refurb has been officially certified by Amazon, so it’s in good condition. This Kindle offers a comfortable 300 ppi high-resolution display that is glare-free and effortless for your eyes. Six weeks of battery life and storage for thousands of books make this ideal for the longest of vacations, too.

Today's best Kindle deal

Our Amazon Kindle review gave it four stars out of five, appreciating that it’s a “great basic ereader.” For some people, it may be a little small and simple, but I really enjoyed my time with the Kindle. It has excellent battery life and its compact design is good for travellers.

Its place as the best Kindle for those on a budget has been lost to the newer Kindle, but this one is about £30 cheaper, which makes it very tempting. You’d struggle to find any of the best ereaders for this low a price.

The certified refurbished Kindle works just as well indoors as it does outdoors, and it handles nighttime well. At this price, you won’t get a colour screen, but when reading, that’s hardly essential.

If you need more functionality and crave the notifications that the Kindle saves you from, take a look at the best cheap tablets available right now. There are often some excellent iPad deals going on.

• Pre-2013 Kindles will soon lose Send to Kindle support
• This follows news that they'll lose access to the Kindle Store
• The changes are set to happen on May 20

It’s fair to say that a lot of Kindle owners aren’t particularly happy with Amazon right now, as the company recently announced that pre-2013 models will no longer be supported from May 20.

The support page detailing this change initially just mentioned that these devices would no longer be able to access the Kindle Store or use Kindle Unlimited, but now — as spotted by GoodEreader — the page has been updated to say that Send to Kindle will also stop working.

Send to Kindle is a feature that lets you wirelessly transfer ebooks you bought elsewhere, as well as documents and other files, to your Kindle, but from May 20 the only way to get content onto affected Kindles will be via USB cable.

So it’s a change that makes these older models even more useless than they were previously set to become.

Unhappy readers

There haven’t been many reactions to this Send to Kindle news yet, but in the days since Amazon first announced that these older models would lose access to the Kindle Store there has been no shortage of annoyed responses to that.

On Reddit this includes things like “I hate this”, “screwing the most loyal early adopters is extremely not cool”, and “this is a revolting waste.”

Amazon is offering a 20% discount off new devices, but given that the same fate might eventually befall those too, this could end up pushing users to rival services like Kobo, or perhaps to something with direct access to multiple ebook stores, like a Viwoods or Boox device.

A couple of years ago, I lost my 12-year-old Kindle Paperwhite. I was briefly devastated, and then bought a new one because I had to. Now I consider myself somewhat lucky, because I was spared the frustration of watching my Kindle's untimely demise at the hands of its parent: Amazon.

The company announced this week that it's about to effectively brick almost a dozen Kindle e-readers built before 2013. As we reported, people took to Reddit to express their dismay — and I don't blame them.

This is potentially a disaster of Amazon's own making and, in a way, a byproduct of its own expert craftsmanship. After all, consumer electronics built almost 15 years ago have no business still working today — and yet they sometimes do.

When I lost my Kindle Paperwhite during a business trip in 2024, it was working perfectly. The only thing it had lost was Amazon's 3G Whispernet cellular network; it was free and meant I could download a book from almost anywhere, but the end of 3G also spelled the end of Whispernet. Oh, and the built-in browser no longer functioned. To be fair, it barely works on my 2025-generation Kindle.

I've long been impressed with Kindle builds, going back to the original models, which, despite having more physical buttons (even a full physical keyboard on the Kindle 2), held up surprisingly well. I think my son has my Kindle 2 stuffed in a drawer somewhere.

They were impressively hard to break. While I used to carry my Paperwhite in a protective case, I eventually grew tired of the extra weight and dropped it unprotected in my backpack. Even by 2024, the screen was unbroken.

As of 2010, Amazon had sold almost eight million Kindles. I suspect the number more than doubled over the next two years. How many are still using those devices? Who knows, but it could be in the tens of thousands. Amazon made a great product, consumers loved it, and now it's pulling the e-reading rug out from under them.

Amazon is turning the wrong page

Amazon's predicament, or self-generated calamity, reminds me of Sonos, another company making fantastic hardware that casually withstands the tests of time.

I have a pair of Play:1 speakers that I picked up in 2014. They feature a timeless design, and sound quality that rivals any similarly sized and priced speaker you could buy today. In 2020, Sonos tried to encourage customers to upgrade by offering a big discount on new speakers, but only if you basically discarded your old ones (put them in 'Recycle mode'). The move was met with almost universal disdain, and Sonos eventually backed off the plan.

In that same year, Sonos warned that older speakers might stop getting software updates and would eventually stop working with the Sonos apps. That's right, Sonos was really batting a thousand with customers. This plan was also eventually shelved, and I can happily report that my Play:1 speakers continue to work perfectly to this day. Sonos got the message.

Amazon, however, did not. As of this moment, the company plans to end support for still perfectly functional Kindles, making it virtually impossible for them to download new books (side-loading may continue to work).

The backlash will likely be swift and ongoing. As one Kindle customer told me on X, "Upgrading? They are breaking our Kindles and expect we’ll remain customers?"

Who knows, the number of customers leaving Amazon because of this Kindle decision might end up being a rounding error, but there's a loss of goodwill that will be harder to measure. Just ask Sonos, which has spent years rebuilding its relationship with customers.

• Kindle owners are frustrated with Amazon's decision to end support for old models
• Users say they shouldn't need to upgrade if devices are working as normal
• Sideloading is still an option, but Amazon could stop this workaround.

It’s official, Amazon is ending support for a wide array of older Kindle models as of May 20, and it’s shaken up a lot of keen e-readers to say the least.

Since users online shared that they received an email detailing the change, it garnered a slew of comments and reactions, particularly on Reddit — none of which seem to welcome Amazon’s decision to cease support. If your pre-2012 Kindle hasn’t let you down yet, I’m afraid the time for an upgrade might come sooner than you think, but you’re not the only one in this boat.

If it's not broken, don't fix it

As mentioned, all Kindle models released in 2012 and before will no longer receive support. This means that you’ll still be able to read content that’s already downloaded on your device, but you won’t be able to purchase or download new books after May 20 this year.

The reaction speaks for itself, and a vast majority of these users are quite pressed about it, especially since it will affect devices that are still widely used today — most notably the Kindle 3, Kindle 4, and the first generation Kindle Paperwhite. If there are so many users who are satisfied with how these older devices are still performing, then why the need to end support?

Some are convinced it’s a classic Amazon money-grabbing scheme, with one user questioning “Why replace something so simple like this that still works?”.

Most Kindle users in the Reddit thread have come to a collective agreement; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it (or end it in this case). For most users, the simplicity of a Kindle is what has kept them glued to older models instead of upgrading to Amazon’s more advanced, and therefore pricier, models. It's simply because advanced features aren't a huge necessity for those who just want a device for reading books.

Unlike devices such as phones, computers, and tablets that require new hardware iterations to keep up with evolving software and security updates, e-readers have a singular flagship purpose and that’s for reading. “It's a text reader, that's it, no need to turn it into a brick other than money,” one user shared, while another commented “if the device isn't broken, and can still be used, and all of the features we want and/ or need are on the devices we already own, then we shouldn't have to upgrade”.

However, despite this, there appears to be a silver lining. Yes, you won't be able to purchase and download new books to the affected devices, but this won't stop users from sideloading books from sites that aren't Amazon as a workaround.

A popular way of sideloading books onto a Kindle is by sending files and EPUBs to your Kindle email which will then appear in your device's library. One user in the Reddit thread revealed they sideload books to their Kindle "with a wire and (my) laptop", but even then, the burning question — how long this trick will still work come May 20 — is still on everyone's lips. Will sideloading be Amazon's next target?

• Kindles from 2012 and older are being sunsetted on May 20
• Amazon has started emailing users about the imminent loss of support
• First to fifth-generation Kindle and Kindle Fire devices will be affected

RIP, Kindles with keyboards, it was fun while it lasted.

A decade after users of older Kindles were required to update the software to retain access to the Kindle Store, Amazon has decided to completely sunset them on May 20 this year.

Reddit user Amorisaiya posted that they've already received an email from Amazon advising them that Kindle and Kindle Fire devices "from 2012 and earlier" will no longer be supported. Others still using these older models, however, are yet to be notified.

While owners of these older Kindles will still be able to use them to read already downloaded content and access their accounts, they will no longer "be able to purchase, borrow or download additional books on them after that date".

Kindle removing support for OG devices from r/kindle

If any of these devices have been deregistered or a factory reset performed, users will not be able to re-register them after the May deadline, making them entirely defunct.

The full list of Kindles affected are:

• Kindle 1st generation from 2007
• Kindle 2nd generation released in 2009
• Kindle DX from 2010
• Kindle DX Graphite also released in 2010
• Kindle Keyboard also from 2010
• Kindle 4 launched in 2011
• Kindle Touch also released in 2011
• Kindle Fire 1st generation from 2011
• Kindle 5 released in 2012
• Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation also launched in 2012
• Kindle Fire 2nd generation from 2012
• Kindle Fire HD 7 tablet also released in 2012
• Kindle Fire HD 8.9 from 2012

It's clear from the Reddit thread that users of the third and fourth-generation Kindles are still quite happy with their ereaders, but it doesn't surprise me in the least that Amazon has finally pulled the plug on these pioneering models.

First, the 3G-enabled Kindles lost internet access, although that wasn't Amazon's fault, then the company announced it would pull Kindle Store access across devices that were older than 10 years.

Every time, Amazon offered its customers an incentive to upgrade and this time is no different. Amazon will discount new Kindles by 20% for affected users and throw in a $20 ebook credit for the Kindle Store for US customers. In Australia, where most of the users receiving the email notification are seemingly based, Amazon will offer the same 20% discount on the hardware, and an additional AU$30 credit for the Kindle Store, with the offer ending June 20, 2026 globally.

So, is it time to re-Kindle?

Unless you factory reset or deregister your older Kindle, the affected older models will still be usable, albeit you'll only be able to read books you've already downloaded to the device. And while you can still purchase new content through the Kindle mobile app or via a web browser, you won't be able to access the fresh content on the affected devices.

That said, you might still be able to sideload books onto these older devices as USB Download & Transfer was stopped only for newer models.

I would still recommend an upgrade at this point, mostly for ease of use and staying connected to the Kindle Store via the device. Also, in all honesty, the performance on the newer devices is excellent, although I struggle to justify Amazon's price hike across the current 2024 range of Kindles.

If you are looking to upgrade, my pick would be the base model of the 12th-gen Kindle Paperwhite (2024), especially if it's discounted. It's fast and the screen is excellent — I think the implementation of the E Ink Carta 1300 display on the latest Paperwhite alone justifies the upgrade, but I am a little biased as it's the best grayscale ereader screen I've used to date (and I've used a fair few since 2008, when I purchased my first ereader).

You can take a look at my picks of the best Kindles below or, if you'd like more options, consider something else from what I consider to be the best ereaders available right now.

• The Bigme Hibreak Dual has screens on both the front and back
• One is an LCD, and one is a color E Ink, which is a world-first combination
• We've previously seen similar phones with grayscale E Ink displays

Update 07/04: Bigme has confirmed to TechRadar that the Hibreak Dual will use an LCD panel, not an OLED panel. We've updated the headline to reflect this.

As a fan both of ereaders and weird phones, an upcoming phone from Bigme, the Bigme Hibreak Dual, is exactly the sort of device I’ve been waiting for.

The Hibreak Dual is a dual-screen phone with a display on each side, one of which is an LCD panel, and the other a color E Ink screen. That latter display is likely to be the E Ink Kaleido 3, which features in many of the best ereaders, and which Bigme already uses in its single-screen HiBreak Pro phone.

According to Bigme, this is a world-first, though it’s worth noting that we’ve seen similar ideas before, with, for example, the Yotaphone series putting an e-paper screen on one side and an OLED or LCD display on the other. However, those phones used grayscale e-paper, not the color version we’ll be getting here (Bigme has also confirmed to TechRadar that it'll be launching a monochrome version of the Hibreak Dual).

Those Yotaphone models are also ancient, and while the Hisense A6L landed with a similar dual-screen design more recently, even that is a few years old now. So, a new model — particularly with the addition of color — is an exciting prospect.

So far, little is known about this Bigme phone, but it’s worth noting that the brand has experience in making e-paper phones, such as the Hibreak S, pictured at the top of this article. In the past, these devices have just had a single screen, combining the benefits of E Ink — such as less battery drain and less potential for eye strain — with full phone functionality.

The best of both worlds

With the Hibreak Dual, it’s likely that the company will also address the issues of E Ink, such as it having a much lower refresh rate. Here, you’ll presumably be able to choose whether you want to use the E Ink screen or the LCD display, depending on what you want to do.

Obviously, you’d choose E Ink for books, but you may also opt for it when you want to conserve battery life or reduce distractions. Meanwhile, the LCD screen would presumably give you a conventional smartphone experience.

And with the E Ink display here being capable of color, it should be an upgrade on the older versions of this idea we’ve seen from other brands. That said, this is sure to be a niche device, so it will be interesting to see how successful it is.

That success will, in part, depend on the phone's specs, and we’re yet to learn about those. But with Bigme claiming the Hibreak Dual is coming soon, we’ll hopefully learn more before long.

Amazon's huge Spring Deal Days sale is live this week, and as anticipated, some of the best deals are reserved for the retailer's own-brand devices. In particular, a real highlight is the Kindle Colorsoft for £164 (was £239).

The Colosoft is Amazon's first-ever colour-display Kindle, and it's a model that's not as partial to discounts as the others in the range. Even better still, today's deal beats the previous record-low from Black Friday by £5.

At £164, today's deal addresses one of the main criticisms from our Kindle Colorsoft review - the price. £240 feels a little steep for a device that's essentially just a colour version of the Paperwhite, but at under £170, it's a good choice in my opinion.

You'll not only get a 7-inch colour display with the Colorsoft, but also multi-week battery life, 16GB of internal memory, and adjustable warm light. As with the Paperwhite, it's waterproof, making it a versatile device for holidays and the like. I feel like Amazon's discount is almost perfectly timed for those thinking ahead to the summer months, but either way, it's a great price cut at a time of the year that's usually 'off-peak' for these types of deals.

Kindle Colorsoft on sale at Amazon

• See more: check out all of today's Spring deals at Amazon

Note that, unlike the annual Prime Day deals, today's discount on the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft is open to all prospective customers - not just Amazon Prime members specifically.

If you're interested, you can check out a few more highlights from this week's sales just down below, covering everything from the latest tech to home appliances.

More highlights from the Amazon Spring Deal Days sale

• Amazon Devices: Fire TV & Blink from £13.99
• Apple: AirPods & Apple Watch from £139
• Appliances: up to 30% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Clothing: up to 50% off Sketchers & Crocs
• Essentials: from £5
• Gaming: up to 50% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Sony & Shokz from £59
• Health & Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Smart home: up to 50% off cameras & doorbells
• Smartwatches: Apple & Huawei from £99
• Tablets: Fire & Galaxy Tabs from £59.99
• Toys: up to 30% off Lego
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Onyx Boox Note Air5 C: One-minute review

I’ve been a fan of the Boox Note Air series of epaper tablets since I first tried the Note Air 2, and the Note Air5 C — announced in October 2025 — continues the tradition of solidly built devices that work well.

The headline act here is an updated operating system. It’s the first epaper tablet to run an Android 15-based software and Boox has promised that the device will receive three years of support, much more than previous iterations.

The second thing that’s new here is the pen. It ships with the Boox Pen 3, which is unlike anything I’ve seen from the Chinese ereader maker. It continues to have the felt tip-like writing experience, but unique is the storage space for three replacement nibs on the top, covered by its own cap. Sadly this top cover is loose and pops off easily.

Lastly, the Note Air5 C features a set of pogo pins on its rear that allows it to attach seamlessly to the optional keyboard folio from Boox, and there’s a pair of buttons on the magnetic side for page turns or volume adjustment.

That’s all that’s new here — nothing really groundbreaking except the software upgrade. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Note Air5 C, like its predecessors, is solidly built and performs well. It just doesn't feel very different from other Boox devices and, if I was asked to recommend a 10-inch e-notebook, I'd probably pick the lighter (albeit grayscale) Boox Go 10.3 or the reMarkable Paper Pro for its color display (although you won't get Android's versatility).

There are a few other small issues that I think is important to note: while the screen light is great at its brightest, it's comparatively darker at low and mid levels. The magnet to secure the pen to the side of the tablet is also not very strong — the only position where it secures well covers the bottom page-turn button, but even that isn’t great.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 CPU used here helps the device perform well, but I found some lag when using the on-screen keyboard. There's a much more significant lag when using the optional keyboard folio, which makes touch typing annoying. You might also experience some ghosting, particularly if the document you're perusing is image-heavy.

While my complaints aren't serious, I think they diminish the Note Air5 C’s overall value and make it harder to recommend over its own Go 10.3 sibling, or the reMarkable Paper Pro if color is important.

Onyx Boox Note Air5 C review: Price & availability

• Released October 2025
• Available now for $529.99 / €529.99 / AU$919
• US and European price includes folio and box of 5 replacement nibs; Australian price is for device and stylus only

If you’re in the US or in the UK, (or anywhere in Europe for that matter), the Boox Note Air5 C is well priced, especially when purchasing directly from the Boox Store where it’s bundled with a folio case and a box of five replacement pen tips. And given there are three spare nibs on the top of the new stylus itself, that’s a lot of spare tips for the price.

In Australia, however, it’s a very expensive prospect as you only get the tablet and the Boox Pen 3 — no extras are included.

In contrast, the reMarkable Paper Pro, which is also a 10-inch color e-notebook, starts at $579 / £559 / AU$929 with a basic Marker and no additional extras. However, it uses a better color display (a customized version of the E Ink Gallery 3 technology that no other ereader maker is currently using), so the saturation is much better. On the flip side, the Android-running Note Air5 C gives you more freedom on the apps you can use and is the more versatile device.

Then again, if you can forgo the color display, a monochrome epaper tablet would be a lot cheaper. For example, you can get the Boox Go 10.3 for around $410 / €420 / AU$699 (US and European price includes the folio and extra nibs), and it’s a fantastic e-notebook that’s lighter than the Note Air series. Even the Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) would be a cheaper buy and I love its bright, monochrome display.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Note Air5 C review: Specs

Onyx Boox Note Air5 C review: Design & display

• Solid build, but heavy to hold for long durations
• Newly designed pen with spare nibs on the top
• Customizable page-turn buttons
• Excellent 10.3 E Ink Kaleido 3 display, but colors can appear muted

Physically, the Note Air5 C is identical to the previous two generations, with a couple of minor differences. As I’ve already said, that’s not a bad thing, as the overall design is still nice and the device is solidly built. So solid, in fact, that the Note Air series is on the heavier side when it comes to 10-inch epaper tablets.

For context, the Boox Go 10.3 weighs 375g and the ViWoods AiPaper tips the scales at 370, but neither of them have frontlights. In contrast, the Note Air 4C weighs 420g and the 5C comes in at 440g. It’s not the heaviest e-notebook — the reMarkable Paper Pro is 525g — but it’s not the most comfortable to use in one hand for long periods of time.

Despite being on the heavier side, I like the Note Air series’ metallic chassis and glass screen. While that makes the tablet cold to the touch (especially in winter months), it also makes it a hardy device. That said, there’s no waterproofing here.

There are only two design differences between the Note Air5 C and the previous 4C and 3C generations. One is a set of pogo pins on the rear to connect to the optional keyboard folio, and the other is a pair of small buttons on the magnetized edge of the device for page turning or volume adjustments.

I’ve been waiting for a large-screen ereader with page-turn buttons but this placement means the device can’t be used single-handed — you will need one hand to hold the device via the larger bezel and use the other hand to press one of the buttons on the opposite side. In my time with the Note Air5 C, I never once found the need to use the buttons, but the long-press functionality can be set to various functions that can prove handy for some users.

However, if you have the supplied stylus — called the Boox Pen 3 — secured to the side of the tablet, it covers the lower button. Place the stylus lower and the magnetism just isn’t strong enough for a secure hold.

I have to take some time to describe this new pen too. It has an interesting design where, instead of an eraser on the top, three replacement nibs can be stored vertically. They’re covered by a cap with a side clip — much like an actual pen — but sadly the cap is loose and pops out easily. You also need to replace it carefully, and correctly, to avoid damaging the nibs. As thoughtful as the design is, I think the cap would have benefitted from being clipped into place rather than sliding on and off. Despite the addition of the spare nibs on the top of the stylus, the pen is well balanced, lightweight and lovely to write with on the Note Air5 C.

I should also mention that the most secure way to stow the stylus is to use a folio cover, but the one I was sent for this review didn’t have a loop. Instead, it had a removable flap that I found very annoying to use. Even the keyboard folio designed for the Note Air5 C has the same flap and it’s just as annoying there as it comes off easily or shifts position with the merest of touches.

Going back to the tablet itself: there’s a USB-C port, a microSD card tray and dual speakers on the edge opposite to the page/volume buttons, while the top edge houses a power/sleep button that’s flush with the body. The power button is also a fingerprint scanner and I didn’t find its placement very intuitive — I kept expecting the button to be on the corner, but it’s placed slightly away and I kept having to feel for it.

As expected, one bezel is thicker than the other three, with the top corner of the bigger bezel featuring the Boox branding. Small orange strips on three of the edges add some trim to the device, and the same orange surrounds the USB-C port.

This chassis encloses a 10.3-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 screen with LEDs under the glass panel for a frontlight. The light can be adjusted for both brightness and temperature, although keep in mind that warmer (yellow) light will affect the colors displayed on the screen. While this won’t affect those of us who mostly read and write in black and white, fans of comics, manga and graphic novels — or anyone using the color inks to mark up documents — may find colder light the better option.

At its brightest, the frontlight is excellent, but dip it a little bit and the difference is quite dramatic, with the screen appearing darker than expected, but this is a common feature among Boox's color epaper devices like the Go Color 7 (Gen II).

The display, with a monochrome resolution of 300ppi and color resolution of 150ppi is standard, is good. Text is sharp and clear for reading, while colors are good… in the context of being an E Ink display, not compared to an LCD screen. That said, they are relatively muted compared to the reMarkable Paper Pro, which uses the E Ink Gallery 3 screen technology that no other epaper device has yet adopted.

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Note Air5 C review: Software & user experience

• First 10-inch epaper tablet to adopt Android 15
• Boox promises three years of software support
• Good native apps, but complex user interface

Where the Note Air 4C runs on Android 13, Boox has adopted Android 15 for the 5C. Running a later version of Android means the newer epaper tablet will get better software support — and Boox has promised three years of security updates — and there’s better app compatibility too.

It’s important to note, however, that my review of the 5C’s software is based on the firmware it was running at the time of writing (v4.1.2) and the experience could change slightly depending on what future firmware versions add. The current software fixed a major issue the tablet suffered from at launch (and one I experienced as soon as I started using it) — being unable to write comfortably along the four sides of the screen in the native Notes app.

Android OS & apps

The custom version of Android 15 running on the Note 5C doesn’t feel very different from the software on older Boox devices as the company has its own user interface overlaid on the operating system. Boox has done a lot of work over the years to simplify its interface, making it cleaner and easier to use, but there’s still plenty to wrap your head around.

That said, I love the look of the default home screen on Boox’s larger tablets, which has a box for your books, another for notes, below which are the apps — both native and those downloaded from the Google Play Store — and, finally, a few icons to access the native library app, a bookstore (with titles that are available in the public domain), the folders within the device’s storage section, and all settings.

Unlike older Boox devices, the Google Play Store is preinstalled and all you need to do is sign in to download any app. While you won’t be using video streaming services, you can download audio platforms — the built-in speakers are fine, but I’d highly recommend pairing Bluetooth speakers or headphones instead. You can also download some mobile games — I played a bit of Two Dots and it wasn’t too bad — but I suspect most users opting for a device like the 5C would want reading and productivity apps.

You can install Gmail, for example, to access your emails or install KoReader or Moon Reader instead of using the native NeoReader app. Personally, I use the Kindle and Kobo apps to access my existing purchases and get new content, but I also like Instapaper (for reading web articles offline) and Libby (to borrow library books), but the choice is yours.

However, I’ve found the native apps to be more than enough for most users. Not only will you get a full-featured library and notes applications, but there’s also a browser, music player, calendar and a gallery. There are a couple of applications to help you transfer files — although you can use Google Drive and/or Dropbox for easy cloud transfers. Wired transfers are possible on Windows PCs and, as a Mac user, I stuck with the OTG support on the USB-C port that allowed me to plug in a portable SSD.

Swipe down from the top right of the screen to open the Control Center and you’ll find plenty more options there, including buttons for taking screenshots and splitscreen view. This is also where the volume and light control sliders are, but Boox introduced buttons for some preset light options in 2025 and, honestly, I don’t like either the Bright or the Soft settings. I choose custom and make adjustments as I need them — something I did in my Boox Go 7 review as well.

There’s a long list of settings to get through as well, but what’s irksome about the Boox interface are the smaller hidden menus that you need, especially in the native reading app. Unless you’ve already used a Boox device previously, you’ll likely miss them, or you’ll stumble upon them when you’re looking for something specific to change. Ironically, this is a massive improvement over the previous versions of the UI but, if you’re a first time Boox user, be prepared to be patient while learning your way around.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Reading experience

While I had issues with how text rendered on the 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 screen in my Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) review, thankfully none of that affects the Note Air5 C. Reading, whether you’re using the native NeoReader application or you’ve downloaded a third-party app, is a pleasurable experience. Text is sharp and there’s a wide variety of font sizes to choose from.

What I like about the open Android ecosystem of Boox tablets is the ability to sideload any font I like — I’m partial to Amazon’s Bookerly — and use that in the native library app for any sideloaded DRM-free content.

As an avid reader who has used the Boox Go 10.3 as well, I’m pleased to say that the text contrast on the 5C is better, which adds clarity and makes for a better reading experience over the monochrome sibling. Plus, the frontlight on the 5C makes a difference — if you want more contrast, you have to set it to high brightness with no warmth. Adjusting the light temperature can have an effect on the clarity via the contrast, but at no point did it make the text look fuzzy or unreadable. It’s a marked improvement over the Go 10.3 which uses the E Ink Carta 1200 display technology.

Colors, while not as saturated as on the reMarkable Paper Pro due to the difference in screen tech being used, are not bad and I found book covers looking good. However, my favourite graphic novel series, The Sandman, looked washed out compared to when I was reading it on my Kobo Libra Colour or even the Boox Go Color 7 Gen II. I’m not much of a comic or graphic novel reader, so the muted colors didn’t really bother me as I’m very used to looking at the frames in black and white on a monochrome ereader.

If you need to make notes on ebooks in the native reading app, you can either scribble or type, and there are menu options within the app to help you do so. These get saved automatically in the document you’ve annotated and you should see them when you open it again. You can use colored ink to write, but all typed text will be grayscale. Highlights can be in a variety colors too.

Overall, the Note Air5 C makes for a lovely ereader, but its weight can make it uncomfortable for using beyond, say 30 to 40 minutes, and if you leave the folio on, that’s added bulk to take into consideration. Whether you’re reading in bed or sitting up, this is definitely a two-handed device.

• Reading score: 4 / 5

Writing & typing experience

The Note Air5 C offers one of the best writing experiences I’ve had. The Pen 3 is designed to offer a felt-tip experience, which is smooth, and there’s just enough friction to make it feel like you’re writing on paper. You can even hear an almost-audible scratch on the screen that you’d hear when scribbling with pen and paper.

However, if you’ve used an epaper writing tablet without a frontlight before — like the Boox Go 10.3, ViWoods AiPaper or the reMarkable 2 — and decide to move to one with a light, you might find the gap between the pen and its stroke a little disconcerting. This gap is due to the LEDs occupying the space between the top glass and the actual E Ink layer below — but you get used to it very quickly, so this isn’t a complaint, merely an observation.

I found no lag between pen movement and the mark appearing on the screen, although there were occasions when the device didn’t register a pen stroke — a page refresh usually fixed this issue, although I did restart the device a couple of times when a simple refresh didn't work.

Despite that, the overall writing experience is excellent. Typing, on the other hand, not so much.

Whether you’re using the on-screen keyboard or you’ve opted to purchase the optional keyboard folio, there is a lag. The former is the faster option with only the slightest lag, but using the physical keyboard is slow and makes touch typing difficult. I tested the Note Air5 C with a Logitech wireless Bluetooth keyboard and found the lag is slightly less compared to Boox’s own keyboard folio. This allows for a better touch-typing experience in my opinion.

In fact, my experience typing on the 5C was so slow that I stopped using physical keyboards and stuck with the on-screen one when necessary (like inputting a password).

• Writing & typing score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Note Air5 C review: Performance

• Smooth and fast performance overall
• Some ghosting, but mostly when viewing image-heavy documents
• Disappointing battery life, but standard for an Android device

Boox doesn’t reveal what specific processor it uses in its devices. To determine that, I downloaded the CPU X app — a free download from the Google Play Store — and this told me there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chip inside doing the heavy lifting.

This chip is also in use in the smaller Boox Go 7 ereader and works well there, and is an upgrade over the Snapdragon 680 in the original Boox Go 10.3. So, does it make the 5C the better device? To answer that, I began by first benchmarking the CPU, something I’ve done for previous Android-based epaper tablets because it’s easy to install the Geekbench 6 app on them.

The single-core score for the Note Air5 C recorded was 576, while multi-core was 1424. In comparison, the Boox Go 10.3 scored 403 and 1261 respectively, while the ViWoods AiPaper produced a result of 299 and 1114 from its MediaTek MT8183 CPU.

To be honest, these numbers don’t really mean much for devices like ereaders and e-notebooks — it’s how well the operating system has been implemented that will make or break the performance. For instance, despite a lower score, I found the ViWoods AiPaper to be the better device compared to the Boox Go 10.3 in real-world use because of how well the Android 13-based OS had been implemented.

On the Note Air5 C, the Snapdragon 690 chip doesn’t really make much of a difference in overall performance when compared to the Go 10.3, although it’s a lot better compared to the Note Air 3, which was the previous device in this series that I have experience with.

Other than the typing lag I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve had no other significant issues with the 5C: apps open quickly and none crashed during my testing, page turns are quick and any adjustments — like brightness or volume — happened instantly. Ghosting can still be a problem for some users though, and I found it to be particularly noticeable when reading image-heavy documents and books.

The only reason I would opt for a non-Android e-notebook like the Kindle Scribe or the Kobo Elipsa 2E would be for the battery life. As I expected, the 3,700mAh battery doesn’t last very long as Android is a power-hungry OS.

You might find yourself charging the device every 3 to 4 days, depending on how much you use it and what some of your settings are. During my testing, I found that an hour of reading at mid-brightness and some warmth to yellow the screen dropped battery life by 2%. An hour of notetaking will drop it quicker — in my case, about 8% at the same light settings with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched off.

Bump the frontlight to full brightness (and no warmth) and those battery drops for the same amount of use increases to a 5% and 10% respectively. If you have Wi-Fi turned on at all times, expect a touch more battery use, but it’s not a significant drop. If you happen to use some apps, like the browser or the music player, the battery will drain faster.

Long story short, prolific use will get you 2-3 days on a single charge, which can be extended to about 5 or 6 days if you use the device for maybe 30 minutes every day.

Topping up the battery is also a bit of a time investment — it took 2 hours and 3 minutes for my review unit to go from 16% to full, and that’s when plugged directly into a GAN wall charger using a high-quality USB-C to C cable. In my experience, this charging rate is slower than the 4,100mAh capacity battery in the ViWoods AiPaper, but about the same rate as the Boox Go 10.3 (which also uses a 3,700mAh battery).

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Note Air5 C?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you're unsure whether the Boox Note Air5 C is right for you, there are other options to consider. However, keep in mind that any such device with a color display will be expensive, while monochrome options can save you some cash.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Note Air5 C

I've been testing and writing about ereaders and epaper tablets for nearly a decade now, and have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to E Ink devices. That puts me in an excellent position to compare and just new devices coming into the market, just like the Boox Note Air5 C.

As with any new epaper device, I first go through all the settings options to ensure I have the tablet set up the way I like it, as it becomes my person device for a few weeks. Having done that, I connected the 5C to Wi-Fi and logged into the Play Store.

Plugging my 2TB Samsung T7 Shield portable SSD into the USB-C port, I was able to access a bunch of ebooks I keep as test files for my ereader reviews, plus a few PDFs. While this was the primary way of transferring files during my testing, I also signed into Google Drive to download some old notes I had saved from an older Boox device. I also used BooxDrop, which has some EPUBs stored in the cloud, that I could transfer to the 5C. These were the methods I tested for file and font (Bookerly specifically) transfer.

I spent about an hour each day over four weeks reading, but I spent a lot more time taking notes, including for this review — the Note Air5 C essentially became my e-notebook for work and for personal use. I tried annotating PDFs and some DRM-free ebooks as a test, but I also used the on-screen keyboard, the Boox keyboard folio made specifically for the 5C and a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard as part of my review process.

I kept tabs on battery use in 1-hour blocks, but I also changed settings to see how it affected battery usage. And, finally, I timed how long it took to charge when I allowed it to drop below 20%.

Read more about how we test

[First published February 2026]

• PocketBook has launched the InkPad One
• It's a Linux-powered ereader with stylus support and a large 10.3-inch screen
• It's not yet widely available, but that might change

Kindle and Kobo might be the main ereader brands, but there are all sorts of interesting alternatives popping up, one of which being PocketBook, which has just launched a new device called the InkPad One.

This is a 10.3-inch ereader with a grayscale E Ink Mobius display that has 226 pixels per inch. It has a front light that adapts to the environment, a 3,700mAh battery promising up to two months of life, 32GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and a 1.8GHz quad-core chipset. It’s also slim and light, at 5.15mm thick and 400g.

Interestingly, it runs Linux rather than Android or a proprietary operating system, so you’re not locked in to a specific ecosystem, and it supports 21 book formats, including AZW, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and many more.

Plus, it includes access to a Libby-powered app for borrowing books from libraries, and in the UK it gives you "the world’s most comprehensive English-language UK digital eBook library, with user-friendly LCP DRM-protected content of 4.5 million eBooks and 90,000 audiobooks".

It also supports stylus input (and comes with a stylus), making this a less locked-down alternative to the likes of the Kindle Scribe.

It also has broadly comparable specs to the Kindle Scribe, including a similar size screen, and an actually slightly thinner and lighter build – though its display is a little lower-resolution.

Not yet widely available

Still, if you don’t want to be locked into Amazon's ecosystem, or stuck with an arguably even more limited ecosystem like that of the reMarkable Paper Pro, then the PocketBook InkPad One could be a tempting choice.

However, we’d suggest caution, as we only gave the company’s InkPad Eo a two-star review, noting that it was expensive and clunky – although that tablet was based on Android 11, not Linux.

If you do like the sound of the InkPad One you might have to wait a bit, as right now it’s only available in Germany, but the company has revealed that it will be coming to the US and the UK, priced at $360 and around £270 respectively.

Samsung just debuted a “world-first” color e-paper display that relies on a bio-resin derived from phytoplankton – and it’s a major leap forward for sustainability.

As explained in its announcement, Samsung’s new 13-inch Color E-Paper display’s housing is made from 45% recycled plastic and 10% phytoplankton-based bio-resin. This might not sound like a lot, but the design choice leads to a reduction in the amount of conventional petroleum-based plastics used to make the screen, and according to Samsung an over 40% reduction in carbon emissions for the manufacturing process compared with traditional materials.

First being launched as business signage – with the e-paper display being billed as a replacement for more traditional paper signage – this bio-resin housing hasn’t been announced for any other Samsung screens right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t debut elsewhere down the line.

And over time we might hopefully see a much larger percentage of the renewable material making up the plastic in Samsung (and others’) tech.

What is bio-resin?

Bio-resin is a bioplastic that isn't all that new (the first was made back in 1855), but continued research has improved the quality, and manufacturing efficacy of biological plastics meaning we might be seeing them more frequently in consumer products.

It’s designed to mimic the best qualities of regular petroleum-based plastics – such as plastic’s strength and moldability – but not its worst qualities.

Because bioplastics and bio-resin don’t rely on petroleum – instead coming from renewable organic sources – there’s no finite resource that might eventually run dry, and if bioplastic and bio-resin made products meet certain standards (such as consisting of predominantly biological material) the products can also be commercially compostable and biodegradable further reducing their polluting impact.

Though much like Samsung’s new plankton-derived display housing, expect petroleum plastic (even in a recycled form) to still feature in some capacity in many bioplastic products. This is after all just a step forward toward more sustainable plastic from Samsung rather than a complete solution.

That said, the positive environmental impact of this change shouldn’t be ignored, and hopefully this Samsung e-ink display is the first of many to be made from plankton.

It may not be a Prime Day sale, but there’s an excellent offer on one of Amazon's best and latest ereaders right now. Today, you can buy the Kindle Colorsoft at Amazon for £174 (was £239.99) – a £66 saving on the usual price. That makes it just £10 more than it was over Black Friday, so this is a considerable saving and one of the best Kindle deals outside of a major sales event.

The Kindle Colorsoft hasn’t seen many discounts since its launch. Usually, it sticks around its full price with only occasional dips during key sales. With no other sales periods for a while, this is almost certainly the cheapest it’s going to be for a few months.

We referred to the Kindle Colorsoft as “the Kindle of your dreams in color” which is high praise indeed. Its seven-inch Colorsoft display is the highlight, but you also get great battery life, waterproofing, and an adjustable backlight. It’s the ultimate Kindle for avid readers right now.

Today’s best Kindle deal

Our Kindle Colorsoft review gave it a strong four and a half stars out of five. We loved its “speedy refresh and zooming” and described it as changing “the way we see Kindle forever.”

Granted, you may not need a colour screen unless you read a lot of graphic novels, but this is still one of the best Kindles around. It provides better performance compared to previous models with smooth zooming and “fast performance on E Ink,” which keeps it ahead of many of the best ereaders.

As a Kindle Paperwhite owner, I suspect the upgrade would be fairly incremental. However, if you’ve never owned a Kindle before, or you own an old model, this could be the one for you if you want the best of what the ereader range has to offer.

If you’d prefer a device that also plays games and lets you browse social media, take a look at the iPad deals also available today. You’ll be more easily distracted while you read, but it does offer more functionality.

• Kindle ebooks are now available DRM-free
• This means you can read them on other ereaders
• But publishers and authors need to opt in first

Kindle ebooks have a lot going for them – there’s a vast selection of them on the Amazon Kindle store, and you can read them on some of the best ereaders, but they also have a major issue in the form of DRM (digital rights management).

This means that Kindle books can only be read on Kindle devices or the Kindle app. So if you have other brands of ereader that you’d like to read on, or devices that lack the Kindle app, you’re out of luck. But that might be about to change.

Amazon has now rolled out a DRM-free option for ebooks, allowing authors and publishers to choose whether they want to apply this DRM or not. For any books that don’t have DRM, you’ll find the option to download an EPUB or PDF version under the ‘More Actions’ dropdown in the ‘Digital Content’ section of your Amazon account.

These formats are far more widely supported, allowing you to read your books on almost any device that supports ebooks or documents. So this is great to see, and could mean you’re less locked in to a single ecosystem.

A good feature that publishers might not use

But there’s a catch. Well, actually there are two catches, but the biggest one is that this being voluntary, we might not see many publishers choose to remove DRM – since doing so also makes it easier for people to pirate the books.

Indeed, as Goodereader notes, no major publishers yet seem to offer DRM-free Kindle books. That might change – after all the feature has only just launched, but it also might not. So you’re probably more likely to see this option from small publishers and self-published works.

The other catch is that there doesn’t currently seem to be a way to tell whether a book is available without DRM until you’ve purchased it, so you can’t really make purchasing decisions based on this feature. That seems like it would be an easy fix for Amazon, though it may not be something that company wants to do.

In other words then, this DRM-free option very much seems like a ‘wait and see’ feature – it has game-changing potential, but unless or until it’s widely embraced its usefulness will be limited.

Onyx Boox Go 7: Two-minute review

I received the Boox Go 7 months ago for review, along with the Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II), and I’m glad I delayed my testing. A few firmware updates since I tested its color sibling have improved overall performance and I now have the new stylus for it.

That’s right: the Go 7 is more than just a basic ereader, offering stylus support and a native Notes app that’s full featured. You’ll need to purchase the stylus separately, though, but that’s not unprecedented – you’ll need to do the same for the Kobo Libra Colour as well, for example. While the new InkSense Plus is an improvement over the older Boox InkSense pen previously sold, writing on the Go 7 isn’t as nice as I’ve experienced on other ereaders – there’s just not enough friction.

That said, the 7-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display here is the standout feature and there’s nothing more important for an ereader than its screen. Right from the start, it made the Go 7 the better device compared to its sibling – something I said in my Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) review and I still stand by that statement – putting it on par with the likes of the current-gen Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024). Text is sharp and crisp, while the overall reading experience is enhanced by very snappy performance. Page turns are quick, whether you want to tap to turn or use the buttons.

Speaking of which, access to the Google Play Store gives you a lot more flexibility on how you want to use the ereader – the native apps are great, but if you have personal preferences for specific reading or productivity app, they’re easy to install, with fast load times and smooth third-party functionality.

Another reason I love a Boox device is the impressive file and font support. You can sideload a wide variety of files and fonts, and you don’t even need a wired connection for that – Google Drive and Dropbox support help with cloud transfer that’s quick and easy. Transferring directly from a USB-C external hard drive or portable SSD is also remarkably simple and very fast and, in all honesty, I don’t see the need to tether this device to a PC at all for file transfer.

The Boox interface has also improved but, as I’ve said before in many of my previous reviews, there’s still too much going on and some setting options are still hidden within the native app and accessed from different submenus. Better streamlining is definitely called for, which would be a huge help to first-time Boox users.

Another reason I’m docking marks from the Go 7 is its lack of waterproofing. Given its price tag and that all its main competitors have IPX8 certification, it’s a huge oversight. If you’re careful with it while traveling or reading by the pool, in the bath or near the kitchen sink, this is arguably the best Boox device I’ve tried in a long time.

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: price & availability

• Released in April 2025 in most major markets
• List price: $295.99 / €249.99 / AU$419
• Available to buy directly from the Boox Shop and select retailers

It seems very strange to me that if you’re in the US and you shop directly from the online Boox Shop, the Go 7 costs more than the Go Color 7 (Gen II) – the latter is listed at $279.99, while the former is $295.99 at full price at the time of writing.

On the other hand, the pricing for Europe and Australia makes more sense: €249.99 and AU$419 respectively for the Go 7 compared to €279.99 and AU$459 for the color variant.

No matter where you live, the monochrome Go 7 is a relatively expensive ereader, although it can be argued that its price is justified by the open operating system and 64GB of onboard storage that’s expandable via a microSD card.

Moreover, its features include writing (although the InkSense Plus stylus will need to be purchased separately for $45.99 / €45.99 / AU$69) and built-in stereo speakers (sound isn’t great though). That said, not everyone will need the freedom that the Android operating system provides and the likes of the Kobo Libra Colour is cheaper at $229.99 / £209.99 / AU$379.95.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: Specs

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: design & display

• Crisp and clear 7-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display
• Slim, lightweight and compact body with page-turn buttons
• Features speakers and microSD card tray

The Go Color 7 II and the Go 7 are siblings, meaning they’re identical physically – the only difference being the screen technology they use. In fact, the design has been inherited from the original Go Color 7 and that’s not a bad thing at all.

The Go 7 is slim, lightweight and compact enough to take with you anywhere. And the page-turn buttons are well placed to be just where your thumb would sit when holding the tablet in one hand. Personally, though, I would still prefer the old Kindle Oasis asymmetry (still used in the Kobo Libra Colour) that had a little extra thickness along the larger bezel to make it more ergonomic. The thinness of the Go 7 can make the fingers hurt if you're someone who reads for long hours. Having a case to add some overall thickness helps with this little issue.

I love how the page-turn buttons feel and work – there’s a nice little feedback that makes them satisfying to use. They become volume-adjustment buttons if you’re using an app that doesn’t need scrolling or page turning, which is nice since you can listen to audio files here.

As with the color variants (Gen I and II), the rear is textured, and there’s a small power button on the bottom right corner of the tablet. One slim edge is just thick enough to house a USB-C port for charging, as well as a microSD card tray and speaker grilles. A tiny mic is on the opposite edge.

Boox continues to steer clear of waterproofing for its ereaders, sadly, with the Go 7 also missing out. In my opinion, it’s an unforgivable oversight given its price tag.

The star of the show, however, is the Go 7’s display. As its name suggests, it’s a 7-inch screen using E Ink’s Carta 1300 technology. This display has proved itself time and time again on other ereaders and does so again here where it’s been optimized well.

Text and images are displayed marvelously well and the anti-glare coating on top ensures bright overhead lights don’t distract when you’re reading. The LEDs for the screen are fantastic, far better than the screen light on the Go Color 7 II. The light is brighter and not nearly as yellow as on the color version of this ereader. In fact, I’m amazed at how different the two screens are – the Go 7 is practically perfect while the Go 7 II is fuzzy and too warm.

• Design & display score: 4.5 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: software & apps

• Runs a slim version of Android 13 with excellent native apps
• Full access to the Google Play Store offers a lot of freedom
• Clean user interface, but some settings are hidden in submenus

An ereader running Android is an excellent choice for anyone who doesn’t want to get locked into either the Kindle or Kobo ecosystems. The freedom to use third-party apps or source content from any platform, can make a huge difference to the user experience.

That said, the native apps have plenty to offer and the average user may not even need to download anything else from the Play Store. The library app called NeoReader, for example, offers plenty of customization options that you don’t need to use MoonReader or KoReader… unless that’s really what you prefer. The same goes for the native Notes application too. There’s also a browser and music player, among other things.

Some of the third-party apps I’ve used on this Boox device are Kindle, Kobo and Evernote, but I’ve used Libby on a different Boox ereader.

The Boox interface has evolved into a much cleaner version of the convoluted UI from years past, but there’s still room for improvement. For example, it’s not at all obvious that there’s some library settings in NeoReader hidden on the top menu bar under More – it’s very easily missed unless you have the patience to explore every single menu option on the device.

The Notes app is also not available on the home screen navigation by default; you need to head into the device’s System Settings to find it and apply it to be visible if you plan to use it often. For me, given the Boox Go 7 has stylus support, the expectation is that the Notes app would be available by default on the home screen.

I saw a major change in how the ebook styling menu in the library app was set up in 2025 and that’s been carried over, which is a good thing. However, the complications still exist: tap in the middle of the screen when an ebook is open to bring up the menu, choose Style and the setup is much cleaner than before, but you need to tap on More Settings to adjust fonts, spacing and margins. These are much easier to access on a Kindle or Kobo.

Long story short: I can see the Boox UI is improving, but there’s really just too much going on still and the average user doesn’t need so many customization options. I don’t think even a power user like me needs so many options on an ereader. Less is more, Boox.

• Software & apps score: 3.5 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: user experience

• Arguably one of the best reading experiences on an electronic device
• Full featured, but takes some learning to get it set up for individual needs
• Not a great writing experience

Most of us read text-heavy books, so opting for a monochrome ereader makes economical sense as there’s really no point in opting for a color screen if you aren’t going to be viewing anything more than a book cover in color. But the Go 7 makes a much stronger case of being the better ereader compared to the Go Color 7 (Gen II) by offering a much nicer reading experience.

As I’ve already alluded to in this review, the screen on the Go 7 is a standout. Text is sharp and there’s good contrast too, making it one of the best Boox ereader I’ve used. This is further enhanced by the fact that page turns are quick, whether via a tap on the screen or the buttons. That said, individual books take a little longer than the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) to open, but all other library functionality is snappy. Boox really has done an excellent job of optimizing the E Ink Carta 1300 display for this device.

Text selection for highlighting or annotating is also quick, and it’s very precise if you use the InkSense Plus stylus. However, the Boox Go 7 doesn’t support global handwriting, which means you won’t be able to annotate or markup books using NeoReader – and that's despite a feature called FreeMark (which allows you to write on the screen when any app is open but not annotate). The native Calendar (for memos) and Notes apps are the only places where there's default stylus support.

This might seem restrictive, and for a power user like me, that definitely is, but the average user looking for a capable ereader won’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles of a more advanced epaper tablet like the Boox Note Air series.

If you did want to use the Notes app, though, be warned – the writing experience isn’t great. The InkSense Plus glides over the screen with barely any friction and it can be a little disconcerting at first, but you do get used to it. That said, there’s absolutely no lag and stylus input is instantaneous. I’ve used it to write and draw crude designs on the Notes app and didn’t mind it, but I would much prefer to use the Boox Go 7 as an ereader rather than a note-taker.

• User experience score: 4 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: performance

• Fast and snappy performance
• Occasional ghosting only when reading image-heavy books
• Battery drain is higher compared to the competition

The Go 7 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM – the same combo powering the color variant – and performance is generally very good for an E Ink device.

While the NeoReader app isn't the fastest book loader, that's not a fault of the device but he application. However, using third-party apps is smooth, with quick loads and all other functionality within them working well. Where I’ve previously encountered third-party app crashes on older Boox tablets, I had no such issues here.

As with the Go Color 7 II, I found wired file transfer via OTG to be remarkably quick and, for the first time while testing a Boox tablet, I didn’t even bother using Google Drive or BooxDrop to access my ebooks. I only signed into my Google account to access the Play Store.

Thanks to the Carta 1300 screen, the Go 7 doesn’t suffer as much from ghosting as the color version. In fact, I had no ghosting while reading text-only books, but there was the occasional overlay when reading graphic novels, which is common when reading image-heavy titles on epaper displays.

Battery life, however, is disappointing. The expectation from an ereader boasting a 2,300mAh capacity pack would last a few weeks, but in real-world use Android devices like the Go 7 don’t offer as much use on a single charge like a Kindle or Kobo.

If you have Wi-Fi switched on at all times, you’ll get about a week of use when reading about two hours a day and the screen brightness set at medium levels. You’ll eke out more with Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth) turned off and the light dim.

Start doing more than just read and you will see the battery drain even faster. The browser and music player are power hungry, and the more you jot notes, the quicker the Go 7 will run out of juice. Battery drain even in sleep mode is quite significant – something I’ve seen in nearly every Boox I’ve tested to date.

While there’s no quick charging here, you don’t need to wait too long for the battery to top up. On average, the Go 7 took about two hours to go from 9% or 10% to full over the several months I used it when plugged into a USB-C port of a 65W wall charger. It will be slower if you use a dock connected to your PC or a USB-A to C cable, but this is quite standard for most ereaders.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go 7?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Onyx Boox Go 7 review: Alternatives

If you're not sure whether the Boox Go 7 is worth picking up, I've listed a few alternatives below, with the Kobo Libra Colour, despite its color screen, being its closest rival from a design perspective. There are other standard ereaders as well and I've listed their specs in the table below to help you compare them all.

How I tested the Onyx Boox Go 7

I might have had the Boox Go 7 for months, but I've used it on and off for maybe just two of those before writing this review. That's because I got distracted by other Boox devices...

I digress, though. For this review, I tried various ways to upload files, including signing into Google Drive. I moved one font folder over, but used the OTG support to import the ebooks I wanted on the device for my testing. I used the same method to transfer a couple of music files to test the built-in speaker as well.

I was sent the new InkSense Plus stylus towards the end of December and I was pleasantly surprised to see that setup was remarkably simple as long as the pen was charged.

From the Play Store, I downloaded the Kindle and Kobo apps to access my existing libraries and to test how third-party apps function. I also used Evernote and Libby on this device, plus downloaded CPU X to confirm what hardware was powering this device.

I used the stylus to both write and draw, but spent most of my testing hours reading. I did use the browser briefly.

I've been testing ereaders for nearly a decade now for TechRadar and built up a strong knowledge base to help me able to objectively compare different models from different brands – and the Go 7 definitely stands out.

Read more about how we test

[First published January 2026]

• The Hannspree Lumo has a paper-like LCD display with no backlight
• This makes it easy on your eyes, like an e-reader, but it still has a 60Hz refresh rate and 16.7 million colors
• However, its specs make it a very basic tablet

We don’t see many major innovations in the tablet market – or the ereader market for that matter – but the Hannspree Lumo innovates in both, by essentially being a full tablet and ereader all in one.

It does this by having a 7.8-inch paper-like proprietary LCD display that, unlike typical LCD screens, doesn’t depend on a backlight. Instead, it reflects ambient light, like an actual piece of paper. The result is that the screen isn’t harsh on your eyes, allowing for a pleasant reading experience as you’d get on an e-reader.

But where a typical ereader’s screen has slow refresh rates, and either monochrome visuals or muted colors, the Hannspree Lumo promises rich, colorful content, with its screen being capable of 16.7 million colors, and having a 60Hz refresh rate and a 5ms response time.

So this Android 14 tablet should be as good for streaming movies on as it is for reading books, and while its screen doesn’t rely on a backlight, it does include an LED front light, which you can switch on to use the tablet in darker environments.

Very basic specs

All of which sounds very promising, but as far as Android tablets go, the Lumo’s specs are very basic. Its screen has just a 728 x 1024 resolution, and there’s just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It also has just a 3,000mAh battery, though it can supposedly still last for up to 6.5 hours with the front light at maximum brightness.

So it sounds like the Lumo will make for a better ereader than a tablet, but if you do want a true combination of the two, then this could be the best option – and it does also support a stylus.

If you do like the sound of it, the Lumo is priced at £299 (roughly $400 / AU$600), though there’s no word yet on whether it will get a US or Australian release.

I’ve always been a big fan of using the best ereaders instead of other tech when possible. They strain my eyes far less than phone screens, have longer-lasting battery lives, and always make me feel like I’m on vacation – I guess I associate them with holiday reads.

In the past I’ve figured out how to send all my PDFs to a Kindle in order to use them for work, replaced my iPad with an ereader for creative tasks and doled out ereader tips to TechRadar readers because I’ve used the gadgets so much. But my new year tech resolution takes this to a whole new extreme.

To say ‘adieu’ to the brain rot that comes with using a smartphone, I want to see if I can ditch it for a lookalike ereader. Specifically, the Palma 2 Pro from Boox, which costs $399 / £379 / AU$679 – a little expensive for an ereader, but cheap for a smartphone.

I chose this because it has a similar size to my smartphone, with a 6.13-inch display, but a whole host of other features and specs that make it a close smartphone competitor. To say what, though, would spoil the article.

To see whether the Boox Palma 2 Pro could replace my Android smartphone in 2026, I ran through some average tasks I use my mobile for, to see how the Boox compares.

Reading and writing

In case you think it’s unfair to compare a smartphone to an ereader, I’m going to start by serving the ball into the Boox’s side of the court. The device’s E-Ink screen has a 824 x 412 resolution when viewing color content, and double that for black-and-white viewing. I’m the kind of guy who’ll happily sacrifice color when using an ereader, but some demand it.

Ereaders were always designed for reading, and it’s what they do best. As soon as you turn on the Boox, its library, dictionary and book store are on the front page; it has apps for managing documents and sending/receiving them from a PC.

I use my phone a lot for reading, and it’s easy to boot up the Kindle app or Play Books to jump into a novel. That's the same as on the Palma, but E-Ink is a lot better for reducing eye-strain and late-night reading than my mobile's OLED screen. It looks like a real page, and reading it feels like reading a page, instead of staring into a blinding beam of light

I’ve enjoyed Boox devices for marking up documents and making notes too, but while I was sent a stylus with the ereader, the case doesn’t have a compartment for it, so it was too much of a faff toting the thing around. Note-taking was a little annoying then, as you can’t use your finger to handwrite in the Notes app, and typing is slower than on a phone due to the slower refresh and pick-up speed.

Keeping in touch

Here’s the real test of a phone replacement: how does the Boox work as a way to communicate? Now, there’s no getting around the fact that you can’t make calls or texts with the device; personally, I don’t remember the last time I received either of these solicited, but it’s worth pointing out.

What I haven’t mentioned thus far is that the Palma 2 Pro has access to the Play Store. So while texting is out, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and the like are all in. Something else I haven’t mentioned is that the Palma can connect to Wi-Fi… or you can pop a SIM card in and connect to a 5G network.

That means you can access all of your communications apps on the go. If you’re in the large group of people who haven’t received an actual phone call in years, you won’t miss a thing here.

Staying entertained

Now the hurdles arrive; how does the device handle music, movies or games? For some context, the Palma 2 Pro has 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM, which is the same as a phone you’d buy for that price, but as previously mentioned the screen doesn't refresh anywhere near as regularly. That means moving content looks slow and stuttery.

Music first: I downloaded Spotify and prepared to pair my Bluetooth headphones, but was surprised to find the music would play out loud. The Palma has built-in speakers which are no worse than the average ones you’ll find on a phone… so stick to your headphones if you care about audio fidelity.

Now onto watching, which you might have some reservations about; after all, E-Ink displays aren’t nearly as vibrant as LCD or OLED ones, and they have lower refresh rates and screen tearing for motion, which could be a problem. The Palma has a neat feature called EinkWise which lets you tweak the refresh rate and color saturation, which goes some way to offsetting these issues.

However it’s not quite enough. I tried to watch the new Knives Out movie on Netflix – and even though I’ve already seen it, I was struggling to work out what was going on. The lack of dynamic range isn’t anywhere near enough to handle movies, and most colors were interpreted either as pink or cyan. You can see a picture I took of the screen, which reflects how Knives Out looked.

So what about gaming? To be honest, after how Knives Out turned out, I knew not to boot up one of my grand strategy games to see if that fared any better. But I did find it much more suitable for puzzle apps like the NYT Games one, and Connections looked just fine on the E-Ink screen.

Photography

There’s no way the Palma 2 Pro can compare with a smartphone, given that my mobile has four cameras and ereaders have none, right? Uh – wrong, because the Palma 2 Pro actually does have a camera. And not just some cheapie sensor for document scanning; it’s 16MP and has a flash module!

Looking through the device’s viewfinder, you’d be forgiven for thinking that snaps have the same inverted coloration and muted colors as the ereader’s display. That’s not the case, though, and I moved some pictures over to my computer to better examine them.

I’m not going to try to convince you that the Palma is going to replace the iPhone 17 Pro Max as the best camera phone though, as the ereader is no photography device. Pictures look washed-out and hazy and very low-res. I’d happily use this camera to scan documents or grab reminders, but I wouldn’t use it to capture an important moment or cute animal pic.

Like many people I'd like to spend my money more ethically, and as an author that's particularly true of buying books. Rather than contribute to Jeff Bezos's "let's send Katy Perry slightly into orbit inside a giant space rocket" fund, I try to buy most of my books from local indie bookshops, at book festivals and directly from small publishers.

That often costs a bit more, but as someone in the indie book industry I'm very aware of the difference that even small sums of money make when that money is spent locally or with small publishers. It really helps bookshops, publishers and authors alike, and that keeps the good books coming.

So, instead of throwing coins into the gaping maw of global e-commerce, I'm trying to do with digital what I do with printed books: eschewing Amazon and its Audible offshoot for alternatives that give me a warm glow and make me feel like a slightly better person.

None of these alternatives can offer the sheer breadth of Amazon and Audible's catalogues, in much the same way as your local deli can't compete with Costco. But there's plenty to recommend with these services: they can variously save you money, help keep good booksellers in business, and support the authors who write the books you love.

1. Your local library

There are several apps that enable you to borrow library books as ebooks. The biggest are OverDrive's Libby, which also offers audiobooks, and for UK dwellers there's also BorrowBox, which sticks to text rather than audio and is favored by many UK councils. Libby and BorrowBox also feature a range of magazines you can browse, and Overdrive has another app, Sora, designed specifically for pupils of signed-up schools.

Both Libby and BorrowBox are based on using your library card as ID (and make it easy to get one if you don't already have one). Once you've signed in with that and set up your account you can then send titles to your device just like you would borrow a physical book from the library. And like physical library books, your loans are limited in number and have to be returned by a certain time.

2. Bookshop.org

One of the things I love about Bookshop.org is that when I buy books from it, a little bit of my money is given to my nominated bookshop. And now the same can happen when I buy audiobooks.

This is a relatively new service for those of us in the UK so the selection is currently small, but the prices of high-profile books like Cory Doctorow's Enshittification are close to Amazon's and there are plenty of big-name authors.

And there's a big upside to the the much smaller selection: you're not dragging yourself through AI slop and low-quality shovelware to find the diamonds.

3. Libro.fm

Libro is my favourite audiobook source – and like Bookshop.org, it enables me to buy audiobooks and give a slice of the payment pie to my nominated local bookseller.

The most cost-effective way is to take out a subscription (the standard subscription of $14.99 / £7.99 per month gets you one credit for one book per month) rather than buy books individually, because that latter option charges full price. Subscribers get discounts on additional audiobook purchases and special member-only sales too.

Libro.fm doesn't have the breadth of Amazon's Audible but its 600,000-title catalogue is hardly tiny. And your audiobooks aren't copy-protected, so they're yours to move between your different devices without turning you into a criminal.

4. Smashwords

If you're looking for more independent and self-published authors like the ones on Amazon's Kindle platform, Smashwords is a good place to go – especially if your tastes tend towards romantasy, fantasy and SF.

Smashwords e-books are sold without copy protection and mostly in ePub format, and authors generally offer very generous free samples so you can be sure that you're buying something you're going to like reading.

That's good for the authors too: unlike some platforms, Smashwords sales are final, so people can't read your book and then get a refund.

5. Direct from independent publishers

If you really want to support independent authors, buying directly from their publishers often means they get the best possible royalty rate (and are likely to receive it more quickly too).

For example, my publisher 404 Ink will happily sell you ebook versions of all my books and my fellow authors' books, and that's common in independent publishing where margins are tight and every sale matters.

For small presses, direct sales can make the difference between surviving and thriving – and small presses are often where the literary stars of tomorrow take their first steps into publishing, so you're helping support the stars of the future.

This is a great time to buy an Amazon Kindle. Cyber Monday deal have dropped the price on every Amazon e-reader to all-time lows, without exception. If you're new to Kindle, start with the Kindle Paperwhite for $124.99 at Amazon in the US or £134.99 on Amazon in the UK. It's durable enough that you can splash it at the beach and it will last for weeks on a single charge, even if you read a bit every day.

Even the new Kindle Colorsoft gets a big discount for the first time this Cyber Monday, and my favorite full-color Kindle is now $169.99 on Amazon in the US and £164 on Amazon in the UK. I loved reading graphic novels on the color display, but once I saw my book covers in full color, I could never go back to a bland grey and white Kindle.

• View all early Black Friday deals at Amazon

You can read up on all the best Kindles, and every one of them is on sale. I've tested every Amazon Kindle from the durable Kindle Paperwhite through the capable and expansive Kindle Scribe (2024), which impressed me with its AI handwriting recognition. You can trust me to guide you to the best Kindle to suit your needs, and nothing more.

Amazon's Cyber Monday Kindle deals – quick links to all-time low prices

• Kindle: was $109.99 now $79.99 at Amazon US
• Kindle: was £94.99 now £64.99 at Amazon UK
• Kindle Paperwhite: was $159.99 now $124.99 at Amazon US
• Kindle Paperwhite: was £169.99 now £134.99 at Amazon UK
• Kindle Colorsoft: was $249.99 now $169.99 at Amazon US
• Kindle Colorsoft: was £239.99 now £164 at Amazon UK
• Kindle Scribe (64GB): was $449.99 now $309.99 at Amazon US
• Kindle Scribe (16GB): was £379.99 now £259.99 at Amazon UK
• Kindle Scribe (64GB): was £429.99 now £309.99 at Amazon UK

Today's best US Cyber Monday Kindle deals

Today's best UK Cyber Monday Kindle deals

If you want to learn more about our favorite e-readers and other tablets, you can check out our buying guides, with roundups and links to in-depth reviews for every tablet we recommend.

• Best E-Readers
• Best Tablets
• Best iPad tablets
• Best Android tablets
• Best cheap tablets

More Cyber Monday deals in the US

• Amazon: 60% off TVs, AirPods & vacuums
• Adidas: shoes, clothing & gift ideas from $18
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $85
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99 at Amazon
• Christmas: wreaths, trees & decor from $5
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances & holiday decor
• Nike: 25% off clothes & shoes at Amazon
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off TVs & phones
• Target: Christmas decor & clothing from $10
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: TVs, vacs & holiday decor from $4
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More Cyber Monday deals in the UK

• Amazon: huge savings on all tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Smeg, Bosch & PS5
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Currys: up to £1,000 off TVs & laptops
• Dell: up to 35% off laptops
• Dyson: up to £200 off vacuums & hair care
• Ebay: up to 50% off refurb tech & fashion
• EE: PS5 & Switch bundles from £19/m
• Google: up to £975 off Pixel phones
• John Lewis: tech & fashion from £1.99
• Ninja: up to 30% off air fryers & blenders
• O2: up to £800 off iPhone & Pixel
• Samsung: up to £250 off Galaxy phones
• Scan: PC gaming hardware from £19.98
• Shark: up to £130 off vacuums & fans
• Sky: TV & broadband packages for £35/m
• Smarty: 50GB SIM-only deal for £8
• Smyths: Toys and PS5 deals from £5.99
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion
• Virgin Media: £200 credit on broadband
• Vodafone: six months half price iPhones

Amazon has now officially kicked off its Black Friday sale and several of the retailer's ever-popular Kindle devices are on offer. That includes record-low prices for some of the latest models, including the Amazon Kindle for $79.99 (was $109.99) in the US and the Amazon Kindle for Amazon Kindle down to £69.99 (was £94.99) in the UK. It's one of the few times I've seen it discounted over the last 12 months.

• See all Kindle deals at Amazon

The Amazon Kindle did briefly hit $84.99/£74.99 a few months ago during Prime Day, but the latest model simply doesn’t go down in price that often. This is the time to buy if you’re an avid reader. It’s also perfect timing for thinking about gifts this Christmas.

The Amazon Kindle is the lightest and most compact Kindle yet, while still boasting a huge battery life and an adjustable front light. It means you can carry hundreds of books around with you easily, giving you a library in your pocket. I've found a Kindle to be an essential addition as a big fan of reading and learning.

Black Friday Kindle deals in the US

Black Friday Kindle deals in the UK

In our Amazon Kindle review, we gave it four stars, citing some concerns that it isn’t a true upgrade over the previous model. However, if you haven’t owned a Kindle before (or for a while), you’ll appreciate its “brighter screen light” and “better performance with minimal ghosting.” It remains the best Kindle for anyone on a budget, with its Matcha green colorway being particularly attractive.

The best ereader market is an increasingly varied one, but for many people, the simplicity of the Kindle ecosystem makes it an easy choice to make. While the best tablets also allow you to use the Kindle app, by using a dedicated Kindle, you won’t have to worry about being distracted by notifications.

It’s also small enough to toss into your bag, so, at any moment throughout the day, you can sneak in a few pages. I’ve found that owning a Kindle has led me to read a lot more in recent years.

For anyone considering spending a little more, there are other Kindle deals available. If you need more functionality, there are numerous tablet deals too if you want something more powerful or feature-rich.

More Black Friday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More Black Friday deals in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Black Friday is one of the best times to invest in a Kindle, and even though the price-slashing event hasn't arrived yet, I've spotted a deal on the first colour model on Amazon's ereader. You can now get this Kindle Colorsoft Bundle on sale at Amazon for £210.68 (was £300.97).

That's a £90 saving and the cheapest price we've ever seen. On top of the 4.5-star ereader, this bundle includes a plant-based cover that will keep your Kindle free from scratches and a power adapter for charging.

You might be wondering whether it's worth investing in the Colorsoft given that the basic Kindle costs less than £100. Only you can decide what's right for you, but if you read a lot of image-heavy content such as graphic novels and comics, or love to see the full-colour covers, then this is the ereader to buy.

Today's best Kindle Colorsoft deal

In our Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review, we gave the ereader a seriously impressive 4.5 out of five stars and said, "It’s going to change the way we see Kindle forever." Our reviewer praised its "amazing performance on E Ink, with Amazon’s robust Kindle library and e-book simplicity."

Boasting a seven-inch glare-free display that auto-adjusts its brightness based on the surroundings, you'll never need to fiddle with the brightness setting again. It's also incredibly smooth in its responsive performance. That means whether you're enjoying a graphic novel, a comic, or a standard novel, it's guaranteed to look fantastic.

This bundle includes a black plant-based cover, which further extends the durability of the ereader itself. The cover has a microfibre interior, which helps protect the screen from scratches. This, alongside the power adaptor, makes it the complete package.

The Kindle Colorsoft is one of the best ereaders around, and those who have experienced its colourful beauty are finding it hard to go back. That being said, if you'd like something simpler, then our best Kindles guide has all the options.

• Monochrome Kindles are "slightly crisper" Amazon says
• The information appears on color Kindle FAQs
• You still get a high-quality experience on Colorsoft Kindles

Update October 21: Amazon has now changed the wording on its color Kindle FAQs, saying simply that the Colorsoft display is "distinct" from the Paperwhite display, and no longer mentioning crispness. The black and white text resolution (300ppi) is the same across monochrome and color devices, Amazon says.

Our original story follows below...

When Amazon introduced the Kindle Colorsoft last October, we were wondering what kind of compromises might come along with the color display – and Amazon has now officially admitted that its black-and-white ereaders offer a superior reading experience.

As spotted by Good e-Reader (via Android Police), the FAQs on some of the color Kindles have been updated to say that the monochrome Kindle Paperwhite offers a "slightly crisper" display for your ebooks.

While the text seems to have disappeared from the page for the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft introduced just last month, it can still be found on the listing for the Kindle Colorsoft and indeed the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.

That's not to say there's anything particularly bad about the Colorsoft models, though: Amazon says these ereaders deliver a "high-quality reading experience", albeit with a different brightness and texture level to the black-and-white Kindles.

Color me interested

We certainly had no complaints about the display in our Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review, calling the ereader's display snappy, sharp, and fantastic for content such as comics. Of course, the screen isn't glossy and saturated like a phone or tablet.

The color element is added by a separate color layer: specifically, a Kaleido 3 color display from E Ink, with support for 4,096 different hues. It's the same screen technology you'll find on the color Kobo ereaders as well.

Kobo actually beat Amazon in the race to get a color ereader out into the world, and there's a case to be made that the Kobo models – the Libra Colour and the Clara Colour – are going to give you better value for money.

We haven't had chance to review the latest Kindle Scribe Colorsoft in full, but our first impressions are good ones, and of course it adds stylus support. The color ereader displays may well be slightly less sharp, but it's not something to worry about.

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• The Kindle yellow band issues have now been fixed
• Amazon adds two new Kindle Colorsofts to its lineup
• The Kindle Scribe family now has three models in it

• Kobo has just announced a remote page turner for its ereaders
• It will be available to buy in most major markets from November 4
• Kobo, however, is yet to announce any new ereaders for 2025

I'm an avid reader. Someone once told me that if an average reader goes through about 3,000 books in a lifetime, I'd probably have read 6,000. Most of that reading is done in bed, where I have my (month-old) Kobo Libra Colour propped up beside me on its magnetic cover, my arms tucked under my head or under the blanket. And every minute or two, I need to stick a hand out to press a page-turn button.

The new Kobo Remote, however, could completely change that experience for me.

Yes, Kobo has just announced a new hands-free reading experience via its new remote page turner that will be available to buy around the world from November 4 in black and white variants.

I was hoping for a new ereader (Kobo hasn't announced anything in 2025), but I'll take it.

Look, mum, no hands!

Remote page turners aren't new – you can get cheap RF (radio frequency) ones on Amazon easily enough, but most of them are compatible with Kindles and can be glitchy with other brands. I should know, I've tried using a couple with my old Kobo Elipsa 2E and with the Onyx Boox Note 3 Air and I've not really liked the experience.

The Kobo Remote is Bluetooth enabled and is compatible with only the brand's ereaders, but I suspect it might work on other ereaders too (although Amazon's disabled Bluetooth connectivity in Australia, where I'm based, so there goes that experiment).

If you already own one of Kobo's Bluetooth-enabled ereaders, the company promises "the absolute minimum of movement to disturb your reading cosiness". I'm eager for this experience, and can't wait to try it once it's on shelves. It will cost $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95 in the US, the UK and Australia respectively.

You might also like...

• These are the best ereaders to buy – all tried and tested
• Kindle vs Kobo: which ereader brand is better?
• Read me in-depth Kobo Libra Colour review – it's my fave ereader. Or take a look at my Kobo Clara Colour review or Kobo Clara BW review for cheaper models

Amazon held a huge devices event yesterday and introduced some exciting new products such as the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. That’s led to a huge price cut for another Kindle as we approach the retailer's upcoming Prime Big Deal Days sale - and one that will suit more bank balances.

Right now, you can buy the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft at Amazon for £169.99 (was £239.99). The £70 discount works out as nearly 30% off, which makes it even cheaper than the £185 price tag we saw in the summer and a new record-low price. It only costs £10 more than the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, and honestly, it’s making me look at my older Kindle and wonder if I could spring for an upgrade.

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft has a seven-inch colour display which is high-contrast and provides paper-like colour, which is easy on your eyes. It’s optimised for reading in colour compared to the Paperwhite, while you can even colour the pages yourself to make highlighting text clearer. Its battery life isn’t quite as good, but you can still expect up to 8 weeks between charges and enough storage for thousands of books.

Today's best Kindle deal

When we reviewed the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft, we called it “the Kindle of your dreams in color”. We loved its “amazing performance on E Ink” with “speedy refresh and zooming”. It’s pricey at its usual price, but with this discount, that’s far less of an issue.

In our best Kindles roundup, we raved about its “good colours, responsive performance, and excellent battery life”, with it also featuring highly among the best ereaders overall.

As with other Kindles, it’s a different experience from the best tablets, but in a good way. It’s distraction-free reading without any temptation to check TikTok for five minutes (turning into hours). It's a great buy for any book lover.

There are other Kindle deals if you want to aim for something cheaper or maybe the writing-focused Kindle Scribe. If you long for notifications and games, take a look at the tablet deals too.

I’ve been using my OG Kindle Scribe for years now. Not only is it a great tool for getting down whatever ideas or scribbles that happen to be in my head, I’ve found it really supports my writing practice. Whether I’m in a coffee shop or on a plane, it’s now trivial for me to get stuck into writing fiction, something that I struggled with endlessly on distraction-ridden devices like laptops and mobile phones.

As a result, I’m definitely a bit of a writing tablet evangelist, which means I’m always excited to see a new device hitting the market. However, 'excited' didn’t really cover it when the new raft of Kindle Scribes were announced on September 30. Alongside impressive quality of life improvements, the reveal of the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft – packing the full color screen of its Kindle Colorsoft stablemate – was a bit of a ‘shut up and take my money’ moment. There was no doubt in my mind I was going to upgrade.

At least, there wasn’t until the launch of Amazon’s early Prime Day sales when I discovered the brand was offering the Kindle Scribe (2024) from $299.99 (was $399.99) at Amazon US – or from £269.99 (was £379.99) at Amazon UK. Particularly compared to the $629.99 / £569.99 list price of the upcoming Scribe Colorsoft, this is a staggeringly reasonable price, and made me wonder whether I was better nabbing this deal than going for the full upgrade.

So how do the newest and older models compare in terms of features? And does that innovative color display make the extra spend worth it?

How do the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and Kindle Scribe (2024) compare?

By far the most attention-grabbing reveal has been the fact that the Kindle Scribe is now available with a Colorsoft E-Ink display. And while some early devices with that tech have looked a little desaturated, the hues on the Scribe Colorsoft look impressively vibrant for a low-power e-paper display. Whether you’re sketching or annotating, this seems like it will unlock a whole new dimension to the Scribe experience.

The Scribe Colorsoft isn’t the only model that’s seen advances though: the design of all three of the new devices has seen plenty of incremental improvements.

Perhaps most noticeable is the Scribe’s slimmer profile: Amazon has trimmed the depth of all three of the new Scribes down from 0.22 inches / 5.6mm to 0.21 inches / 5.3mm and cut their weight down from 0.95 lbs / 433g to 0.88 lbs / 400g. Certainly this seems to translate into palpable results – in his initial hands-on, our US Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff already remarked that he was "astonished at how light and thin it felt".

Conversely, all three devices’ screens have been scaled up. Their predecessor’s 10.1-inch glare-free screen has been expanded to 11 inches, giving you even more room for scribbling and sketching. Despite this, the whole lineup maintains its 300ppi resolution for black and white images – although the Colorsoft drops this to 150ppi for color images.

Receiving a literal glow-up, the two more expensive Scribes in the new lineup have improved front-lighting. The LEDs are smaller than in 2024’s model and Amazon has upped their number, meaning you won’t sacrifice readability for that slimmer design. As the name would suggest though, the Kindle Scribe without Front Light is bereft of additional lighting, so bear in mind that you’re unlikely to do much journaling in the dark with that model.

Personally, I’m a big fan of some of the ergonomic tweaks Amazon has made here as well. For example, the thick spine that’s been on show on the Scribes since the OG unit back in 2022 has been surgically removed. While some may prefer having this additional bezel to hold onto, I’ve always found it an unnecessary addition compared to the slender bezels of the mainline Kindles.

But the bigger upgrade for me is the fact that the Scribe’s stylus is now magnetic, clipping to the side of the slates for easy storage. This feels like a far more elegant solution than the simple band its predecessors rocked. And as Lance discovered in the article above in his time with the device, it seems to be seriously sturdy solution – you’re unlikely to dislodge it with just a flap of the tablet.

Possibly the only feature that’s a dead heat between the two generations in my mind is battery life. The Kindle Scribe (2024) can deliver a solid 12 weeks of reading. Conversely, the new generation is much more all over the map here: while the Scribe without Front Light parlays its lack of LEDs to 16 weeks of reading, the Kindle Scribe (2025) matches its predecessor’s 12. And the marvelous hues of the Scribe Colorsoft requires a sacrifice in return – it will only last you eight weeks of reading.

What a difference a $100 / £110 discount makes

On paper, the latest generation of Kindle Scribes offer some serious upgrades. And the color screen of the Colorsoft is seriously tempting to me, offering enormous potential for sketching, highlighting and journaling. So why the hesitation?

This is where that whopping $100 / £110 discount comes in. As it is, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is available at a pretty major markup; the list price for the cheapest 32GB model is $629.99 / £569.99, which is already considerably higher than the $414.99 / £399.99 list price of the equivalent Scribe (2024) model. In light of the Colorsoft’s superior design, that markup would seem entirely warranted – but it’s much harder to square now that the latter tablet has been reduced to $314.99 / £289.99.

Even compared to the cheaper 2025 models, the Scribe (2024) is significantly more affordable. The 32GB model of the Kindle Scribe (2025) is due to go on sale with a list price of $499.99 / £449.99, while the equivalent Kindle Scribe without Front Light will have a list price of $429.99 / £389.99. That means you’ll save at least $115 / £100 opting for 2024’s model – no small change in anyone’s book.

Ultimately, my advice would be that if you can afford it, holding fire and waiting for the new Scribes to go on sale will see you richly rewarded. They’re slimmer, more comfortable to hold and offer larger screens – and that’s setting aside the Colorsoft’s impressive color display. But if pure value is your main concern, you really shouldn’t sleep on this bargain early Prime Day deal.

Possibly more than most tech gadgets I've played with in recent years, Amazon's Kindle Scribe Colorsoft feels like the product of listening.

It's a thinner, lighter, more open, smarter, and certainly more colorful product than the Scribe that came before it. The pen-ready ereader appears to answer virtually every wishlist update and maybe a bit more.

Granted, my time with the new $629 color E-Ink device, which Amazon unveiled on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) at its huge 2025 Devices Event, was limited, but I'm not gonna lie; I'm already impressed.

The specs tell part of the story. This Kindle Scribe Colorsoft manages to offer a larger screen, 11 inches as opposed to 10.2 inches on the 2024 Scribe, while still being 33 grams lighter and 0.4mm thinner.

The design is far more classic, tablet-like, with a balanced bezel surrounding the new color-ready screen. Aside from the Kindle logo and four tiny rubber feet, the back is unblemished. There's a power button on one edge, and the bottom edge is just thick enough to house the USB-C charge port.

Paper-like design

Holding the tablet in my hand, I was astonished at how light and thin it felt. I had no trouble firmly grasping a corner and supporting its weight with just two fingers. It's so thin that the pen is now slightly thicker than the Scribe Colorsoft chassis. It's a good thing Amazon increased the internal magnet power. I did my best to shake the pencil off the Scribe to no avail.

The touch-friendly screen is fast and virtually flicker-free, something I noticed as we quickly swiped through previous sketches and notes.

And, of course, it's a color-friendly screen, which means that in addition to the sharp, 300ppi text and sketching, you can markup and sketch in a half dozen colors (there's also a color-mixing wheel that I did not try) and view content in up to 4,096 colors (at 150ppi). There are a variety of pens, though I think the fountain pen is the most satisfying.

Reading and writing

Now, I've read some content on Amazon's lovely Kindle Colorsoft, but being able to draw and markup in colors on an E-Ink device is a whole different thing.

First of all, the pen on the digital paper is remarkably responsive. It looked like pink, green, yellow, and black ink were pouring out of the included pen and right onto the screen. There's no visible distance between the pen tip and the on-screen output. Additionally, the pen and screen performed exceptionally well in recognizing pressure. I marveled at how I could effortlessly switch from the thickest to the thinnest, almost hair-strand-thin line.

This kind of response set a benchmark for what you should expect from a color E-Ink device.

Colors, in general, also look vibrant and, in some ways, slightly brighter than what we saw on the original Kindle Colorsoft. This is likely because the image stack on the new device is thinner, and while Amazon miniaturized the LEDs on this device, there are actually more of them.

I'm also impressed that the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is more open than its predecessor, as it is ready to work directly with OneDrive and Google Drive for file import. The export, though, remains somewhat more limited in that both platforms will only receive PDF files from the Scribe Colorsoft. Eventually, you'll be able to send notes back and forth to Alexa+.

There are other productivity features that, while I did not get to try them, promise to make this a more open, useful system. They include AI-powered search, Quick Notes, and Workspace for grouping books, PDFs, and other files.

The cost of cool

Now for the bad news. This lovely piece of hardware starts at $629 for a 32GB model. The previous Kindle Screen (monochrome, obviously) started at $399. And that price doesn't even get you the lovely maroon option.

Since it's an E-ink device, it sips power (even with the LEDs turned on) and can last for 8 weeks on a single charge. If you write on it every day for 30 minutes or so, your battery life might be cut down to two weeks, which is still pretty good by my book.

It's early days with the new Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. I like the look of it, the feel of it, and the performance of it, but I worry about the price. It's clearly a powerful and colorful tool for those with deep pockets and an interest in seeing, creating, and getting work done in color.

We'll know for certain if it's worth the investment once we've run our full battery of tests.

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