The Best Technology to Buy for Book Lovers
If you or someone you know is a bookworm, receiving the gift of a book is always welcome. If the bookshelves at home are getting way too cluttered, we recommend getting an e-book reader. Instead of just adding another title from their favorite author to take up more space in their home, why not change the way they read books altogether? Giving an e-reader as a gift offers many desirable features to the reading experience: they’re lightweight and easy to read, they’re easy to carry around, and with one of these devices, you can take your entire collection of digital books with you wherever you go. Most e-readers on the market (such as Amazon’s Kindle models) offer direct connectivity to that retailer’s digital storefront, where a variety of releases can be previewed, sampled, purchased, and downloaded directly to the device. Virtually all digital book readers also work well with local libraries, making it super easy to borrow and download e-books from the library for a period of time. You can also upload files to the e-reader of your choice, as long as those files are not protected by Digital Rights Management software. That said, this legal restriction applies to almost all books you can buy.
E-readers can already be tied directly into a specific e-book ecosystem, so we recommend researching the functionality of your devices before choosing which one to buy. There’s a good chance that the bookworm you’re shopping for will want to transfer the books they own to a new e-reader, so it’s a good idea to do some research on a compatible option. Additionally, e-book retailers tend to have unique, proprietary systems. So, for example, a release purchased through Barnes and Noble probably won’t be readable on an Apple device — that is, unless you already have B&N’s Nook app installed.
The most popular digital book reader is Amazon’s Kindle line, which uses E Ink screens to provide a paper-like reading experience. There are a few different models in the Kindle line, but all offer a frontlit touchscreen, eliminating the need for a book lamp and saving your eyes from the harsh backlighting found on most LED tablet screens. In addition to the Kindle’s hardware, the Kindle app works on smartphones, iPads, and other devices.
But Amazon isn’t alone in town. For example, Rakuten’s Kobo ebook readers work with most third-party vendors that use the ePub book standard, and are deeply integrated with local libraries via the Overdrive platform. You can browse your library and download books directly from your Kobo device, something you’d need a third-party app to do with a Kindle.
Then there are devices — both e-ink devices and traditional tablets — that are compatible with apps from every e-reading platform. For example, both Apple and Android devices have access to free apps on their storefronts from Kindle, Kobo, Overdrive and more. You can read all of your content on these apps, but you may miss out on hardware-dependent benefits, like tapping physical buttons to turn the page.
We have here are even more e-book readers collected if you’re looking for more inspiration, we’ve also tested several large-screen E Ink multifunction devices that look more like a tablet and support a stylus.
My main general tip is that most Kindle devices regularly go on sale and sometimes even have volume discounts, so you can often count on paying less than the official retail price.
Amazon has released a basic $100 Kindle E Ink e-reader that no longer feels quite so entry-level. While its 6-inch display makes it a smaller and lighter e-reader than the Kindle Paperwhite ($140), its screen has the same 300 ppi resolution as the Paperwhite. However, the Paperwhite model is waterproof and includes a more advanced front-facing lighting scheme, with 17 LEDs compared to the four LEDs on the base Kindle 2022.
In the past, we’ve recommended stepping up to the Paperwhite if you could afford it, largely because it had a higher resolution than the entry-level Kindle, which made text appear sharper. But now that both models have similar displays (at least in terms of resolution), we might have to reconsider that recommendation.
Read our Kindle (2022) review.
The Paperwhite is Amazon’s Kindle in the middle, between the base model and the Oasis. It now has a 6.8-inch display and better battery life than its predecessor, making it my go-to choice since it’s now almost as good as the fancier Oasis.
While the Paperwhite is waterproof and you can adjust the color temperature of the screen, it lacks the physical page-turning buttons found on the Oasis.
There is also an improved model, the Signature Edition ($190), with 32GB of storage (vs. 8GB) and an auto-adjusting front light. Most importantly, it also works with the same Qi wireless charging pads as your phone. Again, wait for a sale or a good trade-in deal on this one.
Read our Kindle Paperwhite (2021) review.
The iPad Mini is a great little tablet for those who don’t want the usual 10- and 11-inch tablet behemoths. With an 8.3-inch display, it’s also the perfect size for e-books, and the color screen makes it a great choice for reading digital comics (ahem, graphic novels). At $500, it’s more expensive than the most high-end Kindle reader, but you do get a full-fledged iPadOS device that can also serve as a streaming video player or game console.
Read our iPad Mini review.
Amazon has long (until last year) ignored the need for larger e-ink displays, leaving the door open for brands like Kobo. This 10.3-inch display has stylus support for taking notes, 32GB of storage, a 227 dpi resolution, and a frontlight for nighttime reading.
No, it doesn’t officially support Amazon’s Kindle book format, but it does read major formats like PDF, ePub, MOBI, and CBR. Plus, it works with OverDrive, the e-book lending service that most libraries use.
We’ve rounded up a few more E Ink readers for the big screen here.
Amazon’s larger-screen Kindle Scribe isn’t just an e-reader. You can also write, draw and take notes by hand directly on its 10.2-inch screen. As CNET’s Taylor Leamey puts it, “Think of the Scribe as a supercharged Kindle that you can take notes on. It’s big enough to write comfortably, and the side-by-side page view is about as close as you’ll get to the feeling of reading an actual book.”
It’s a hefty $340 to start, or up to $420 with an upgraded premium stylus and larger storage options. That’s a lot for an e-reader, but with the ability to take notes, sketch, and annotate documents, you get much, much more.
Read our Kindle Scribe review.
Yes, Amazon’s Kindle is overpriced for what it is, but when I upgraded from a Kindle Paperwhite to the Oasis a few years ago, I was amazed at how much better the Oasis is in terms of readability and responsiveness of books.
It has a larger screen and I find the physical buttons for turning pages much better than swiping. The latest version can adjust the color temperature of the (monochromatic) screen, for better reading at night.
Amazon regularly has deals on these and also keep an eye out for trade-in bonuses for older Kindles so you can get them for a reasonable price.
Read our Kindle Oasis review.
