We tested every Amazon Kindle to find the best models for different budgets and needs
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Sarah Saril/Insider
Amazon's Kindle lineup has led the e-reading space for years. In terms of design, performance, and convenience, they're nearly unrivaled by other brands. Right now, buyers can choose between four main Kindle models, and I put them all to the test to find the best Kindle for most readers.
My top pick, the Kindle Paperwhite, presents the ideal balance between performance and price. It has a larger screen than the base Kindle and is one of the cheapest waterproof e-readers you can get. But if you're on a tight budget, the more affordable standard Kindle is also a great buy. It isn't waterproof but delivers the same core features that Kindles are known for without breaking the bank.
After dozens of hours of reading, page-flipping, and book browsing, here's how all the best Kindle models stack up and why certain ones are better suited for specific buyers.
Our top picks for the best Kindle
Best overall: Kindle Paperwhite - See at Amazon
Best premium pick: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition - See at Amazon
Best on a budget: Kindle - See at Amazon
Best for notetakers: Kindle Scribe - See at Amazon
Best overall
The Kindle Paperwhite offers everything a reader could want from a book replacement, balancing simplicity with an excellent set of features, speedy performance, and a reasonable price. More than just the best Kindle, it's also our pick for the best e-reader you can buy.
The Paperwhite is designed with all the Kindle essentials, including a beautiful paper-like display with adjustable lighting, font size settings, and a dark mode. It's also got a sharp screen with 300 pixels per inch (PPI) and Bluetooth support for Audible listening. But you can expect as much from any of our picks in this guide.
Sarah Saril/Insider
What sets the Paperwhite apart from the rest of the Kindle lineup is its perfect set of features for the money. Unlike the standard model, the Paperwhite is waterproof and has a more modern flush-front design. After unlocking the device, you'll find the snappiest performance of all the Kindles with little to no ghosting (after-images left on the screen). Its lighting temperature is also adjustable, and it has a larger 6.8-inch screen versus the standard Kindle's six-inch display.
Starting at $150, it's the cheapest waterproof Kindle available. Even better, it's sometimes on sale for as low as $100, which is the regular starting price of our budget pick. Whether discounted or not, the Paperwhite delivers the best Kindle value for most people.
Note: Though Amazon previously sold an 8GB version of the Kindle Paperwhite for $140, that model is no longer available. As of April 2024, only the 16GB Paperwhite is listed for purchase on Amazon's site.
Check out our Kindle Paperwhite review.
Best premium pick
Designed with all of the normal Paperwhite's splendor and more, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature offers additional features if you're willing to pay a little extra. It's a convenient size with a beautiful display and snappy performance that helps you stay immersed in your books.
Like the regular version, the Paperwhite Signature Edition has a 300 pixels per inch (PPI) resolution with a 17-LED backlight. That translates to crisp page fonts that are easy on the eyes, with lighting powerful enough for reading books in the sun. It's also waterproof and powered by a speedy processor for quick page turns with little to no ghosting (after images left on the screen).
Steven Cohen/Business Insider
It gets its premium title by being the only Kindle to charge wirelessly and the only model with automatic light adjustment aside from the $340 Kindle Scribe. And where the normal Paperwhite has 16GB of storage, the Signature Edition comes with a whopping 32GB for building a massive library of titles and storing tons of audiobooks.
Our former pick in this category, the Kindle Oasis, offered even more cool features but had an outdated design and was more expensive. However, the Oasis has been phased out of the Kindle lineup and is no longer available to buy. I wish the Paperwhite Signature Edition had the Oasis' page turn buttons and automatic page orientation flipping, but for $60 less, missing these features isn't a dealbreaker.
Best on a budget
Amazon's base Kindle got an upgrade in 2022, making this model one of the newest of the bunch. That means, despite being the cheapest option, the 11th-generation Kindle now has the benefit of a modern user interface with a 300-PPI resolution.
This model forgoes many extra features in exchange for a lower price point, but it still comes with a glare-free display, adjustable backlight, and customizable settings. With a six-inch screen, it's the smallest Kindle in the lineup, but it feels great in hand. In my review, I found it ideal for users who just want to read and don't want to pay for all of the bells and whistles of its pricier siblings.
Sarah Saril/Insider
However, if a waterproof design is important to you, you'll have to get the more expensive Paperwhite. You can't read in the rain or the tub with a regular Kindle, and that's its main drawback. It also lacks extra features you might want to pay more for on another model, like lighting temperature settings, automatic adjustments, and a writeable screen.
In the end, my advice is this: if the Paperwhite is on sale for the same price, opt for that, but when the regular Kindle costs less money, it's an excellent budget e-reader.
Check out our Kindle review.
Best for notetakers
Most readers don't need the Kindle Scribe, an e-reader you can write on, but it is a nice device. Starting at $340, it offers an incredible sketching and note-taking experience, as well as all of the essential e-reader features you could want.
The Scribe comes with the usual Kindle glare-free display, adjustable brightness, and customizable settings, with the added bonus of automatic page orientation flips and lighting adjustments. With its paper-like feel and responsive e-ink display, writing on this device is a joy that feels leaps and bounds better than writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. It's also well organized with digital notebooks you can format and file away into folders.
For an extra $30, you can upgrade the included stylus to the Premium Pen. After testing, I found the Premium Pen to be a nice improvement over the basic option. It adds a dedicated eraser and a shortcut button to the base design. Both can attach magnetically to the Scribe.
Sarah Saril/Insider
But despite just how fun it is to use, it's tough to justify the Scribe's high price. As noted in my full review, it's uncomfortably thin, making a case a necessary investment for commuters and students to prevent any potential bending. One of the Scribe's main selling points is its annotation functionality, but most Kindle ebooks don't allow you to write directly on their pages. Instead, you need to use a clunky sticky note feature. You also can't use the highlighter directly on text. Did I mention it isn't waterproof?
If you have $340 to spare, the Scribe is a fun device, but if you fall into the category of "most readers," I recommend opting for a cheaper Kindle model.
Check out our Kindle Scribe review.
How we test Kindles
Sarah Saril/Insider
I used several key evaluation points to judge each of the Kindles in Amazon's e-reader lineup to arrive at their final ranking, including display, responsiveness/speed, price, and lighting customization. Here's how those aspects were considered during testing for our reviews.
Display: Though all Kindles share the same 300 PPI resolution, every model has a different size that makes a big difference when used. In testing, I found the Kindle (11th Generation) could be too small for some readers and the Scribe too large for others. Luckily, the sharp resolution is easy on the eyes across all of the models, even during long reading sessions.
Responsiveness/speed: You don't need to be a speed reader to notice when an e-reader is slow. Page turns will take a second to stutter into view, previous screens will leave an after-image, and graphics will load in slowly. I evaluated this by loading each device with 100 titles from my ebook library before testing. The fastest model is the Kindle Paperwhite, and the Oasis is the slowest, but this difference is small.
Price: Of course, price plays a big part in judging a Kindle's value, and that's part of what brings the Paperwhite above the rest. I compared pricing between Kindle models and comparable e-readers from Kobo and Nook to see what the industry is like overall. None of the Kindles are a waste of money, but the Scribe is definitely the least cost-efficient.
Lighting customization: You won't always be reading in the same room, under the same conditions, every time, and that's where lighting customization comes in. The ability to toggle the brightness based on your current environment is a godsend for eye comfort, especially for long reads. All of the Kindles offer adjustable brightness, but the base Kindle doesn't offer temperature adjustment, and only the Oasis and Scribe offer automatic lighting changes.
What to look for in a Kindle
Sarah Saril/Insider
Every reader is different, but there are a handful of features that all buyers should look for when it comes to committing to a Kindle.
If you ever plan to read in the bathtub or the rain, waterproofing is a must — that eliminates the 11th-generation Kindle and the Scribe from the running. Readers who like to get in a few chapters before bed can also benefit from lighting temperature adjustment to warm the screen and ease your eyes into bedtime, which is something the base Kindle doesn't offer. And if you're looking for a digital notebook that you can write on, the Scribe is the only Kindle to offer such a feature.
Ultimately, the best Kindle for you is whichever one covers your needs the most without breaking the bank. That's why I recommend the Kindle Paperwhite as our top pick because it manages to offer the best balance between price and features for most people.
Kindle FAQs
Sarah Saril/Insider
Are Kindle books free?
Ebooks typically cost money, just like physical books, but you can score titles for free in several ways.
- Join Kindle Unlimited: This Kindle Subscription service comes with over four million digital titles when you sign up for $12 a month.
- Become an Amazon Prime member: If you're a Prime member, you have unlimited access to thousands of Prime Reading titles as an included benefit of your subscription.
- Check out a book from your Public Library: E-reader users can still take advantage of borrowing books for free from their local public library's website.
What is Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's e-reading subscription service. For $12 a month, it includes access to over four million books, thousands of audiobooks, magazine subscriptions, and Kindle Books you can borrow.
Can the Kindle read to me?
Your Kindle can read most content to you using Text-to-Speech, an option available in your Kindle's menu. If you prefer a human voice reading to you, you can also buy and download Audible Audiobooks of your favorite titles to have a narrator read to you from your e-reader.
Do I need a case for my Kindle?
While most Kindles are designed with a solid build, a case is still a good idea for protecting your device from drops or scratches. The Kindle Scribe, in particular, has a very thin design, which makes it feel flimsy without a case. You should also consider buying a case if you bring your Kindle with you outside your home during trips and commutes.
Cases can also help by providing a better grip on these otherwise flat devices. For less bulk, you may even want to consider attaching an adhesive phone grip, like a popsocket, to your e-reader.
For top recommendations, check out our picks for the best Kindle Paperwhite cases.
When is the best time to buy a Kindle?
Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are the best times of year to buy just about anything, including Kindles. During these major sales events, Kindles drop to their all-time lowest prices, making it easier than ever to make the leap and buy one.
Historically, we've seen the Kindle Paperwhite on sale for as low as $95 and the Kindle (11th Generation) on sale for as low as $65. Deals can be short-lived and low in stock, so we highly recommend acting fast if you come across a great deal.
Is Amazon releasing new Kindle models?
Amazon has not officially announced any plans to release new Kindle models. The last new Kindle was the Kindle Scribe, which launched in 2022. However, Amazon recently discontinued the Kindle Oasis, which could point to a new high-end Kindle replacement on the horizon.
Sarah Saril/Insider
The Kindle Paperwhite offers everything a reader could want from a book replacement, balancing simplicity, capability, performance, and price. More than just the best Kindle, it's also our pick for the best e-reader you can buy right now.
The Paperwhite is designed with all of the Kindle essentials, including a beautiful paper-like display with adjustable lighting, font size settings, and a dark mode. It's also got a sharp screen with 300 pixels per inch (PPI) and Bluetooth support for Audible listening. But you can expect as much from any of our picks in this guide.
What sets the Paperwhite apart from the rest of the Kindle lineup is its perfect set of features for the money. Waterproof with a flush-front design and USB-C charging, the Paperwhite already looks and feels modern from its exterior. After unlocking the device, you'll find the snappiest performance of all the Kindles with little to no ghosting (after-images left on the screen). Its lighting temperature is also adjustable, and it has a larger 6.8-inch screen versus the standard Kindle's 6-inch display.
Starting at $140, it's reasonably priced and the cheapest waterproof Kindle available. Even better, it's often on sale for as low as $100 — which is the regular starting price of our budget pick. Whether discounted or not, the Paperwhite delivers the best Kindle value for most people.
However, if you're up to paying a little bit more, you may want to consider the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. It offers all of the same pros of the Paperwhite, with the addition of an auto-adjusting light. It's also the only Kindle that you can charge wirelessly.
Check out our Kindle Paperwhite review.
Sarah Saril/Insider
Amazon's base Kindle got an upgrade in 2022, making this model one of the newest of the bunch. That means, despite being the cheapest option, the 11th-generation Kindle now has the benefit of a modern user interface with a 300 ppi resolution.
This model forgoes many extra features in exchange for a lower price point, but it still comes with a glare-free display, adjustable backlight, and customizable settings. With a 6-inch screen, it's the smallest Kindle in the lineup, but it feels great in hand. In my review, I found it to be ideal for users who just want to read and don't want to pay for all of the bells and whistles of its pricier siblings.
However, if a waterproof design is important to you, you'll have to pay more for a Paperwhite. You can't read in the rain or the tub with a regular Kindle, and that's its main drawback. It also lacks a few other extra features you might be willing to pay more for on another model, like lighting temperature settings, automatic adjustments, and page turn buttons.
In the end, my advice is this: if the Paperwhite is on sale for the same price, opt for that, but when the regular Kindle costs less money, it's an excellent budget e-reader.
Check out our Kindle review.
Sarah Saril/Insider
Released back in 2019, the Kindle Oasis is the oldest device in the Kindle lineup. Regardless, it's still an incredible e-reader. It comes with the same paper-like display all Kindles are known for, along with adjustable brightness, dark mode, and customizable settings. The Oasis is also designed with a slightly larger 7-inch display than the Paperwhite and a larger, more ergonomic body, including a ledge to rest your fingers on.
All of the Oasis' features make it feel more premium, including its metallic exterior with page-turn buttons. When you unlock the device, you'll get speedy performance with handy automatic features to adjust brightness and page orientation. And, of course, it's also waterproof.
The Oasis' only negative is how old it is. Its age shows in a couple of ways like its micro-USB charging port and some minor ghosting that's noticeable between pages. It's also important to note that stock has fluctuated significantly in recent months. Given the short supply, it's possible that Amazon is planning to release an updated Oasis model, so buyers may want to hold out to see if a new version gets announced soon. If you'd like to spend your money on a newer device with some of the Oasis' extra perks, I also suggest looking into the Paperwhite Signature Edition.
But, for the most feature-packed of all Kindles available right now, the Oasis is still what you're looking for. Despite its shortcomings, its siblings can't match its capabilities and physical design, making it a solid high-end option if you're willing to pay more and can find it in stock.
Check out our Kindle Oasis review.
Sarah Saril/Insider
Most readers don't need the Kindle Scribe, an e-reader you can write on, but it is a very nice device. Starting from $340, it offers an incredible sketching and note-taking experience on the same device where you can read all of your books.
The Scribe comes with the usual Kindle glare-free display, adjustable brightness, and customizable settings, with the added bonus of automatic page orientation flips and lighting adjustments. With its paper-like feel and responsive e-ink display, writing on this device is a joy that feels leaps and bounds better than writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. It's also well organized with notebooks you can format and file away into folders.
For an extra $30, you can upgrade the included stylus to the Premium Pen. After testing it, I found it to be a nice improvement over the Basic Pen — it adds a dedicated eraser and a shortcut button to the base design. Both can attach magnetically to the Scribe.
But despite just how fun it is to use, it's tough to justify the Scribe's high price. As noted in my full review, it's uncomfortably thin, making a case a necessary investment for commuters and students to prevent any potential bending. One of the Scribe's main selling points is its annotation functionality, but you can't even write on pages without using a clunky sticky note feature, nor can you use the highlighter directly on text. Did I mention it isn't waterproof?
If you have $340 to spare, the Scribe really is a fun device, but if you fall into the category of "most readers," I recommend opting for a cheaper Kindle model.
Check out our Kindle Scribe review.
Sarah Saril/Insider
I used several key evaluation points to judge each of the Kindles in Amazon's e-reader lineup to arrive at their final ranking, including display, responsiveness/speed, price, and lighting customization. Here's how those aspects were considered during testing for our reviews.
Display: Though all Kindles share the same 300 ppi resolution, every model has a different size that makes a big difference when used. In testing, I found the Kindle (11th Generation) could be too small for some readers and the Scribe too large for others. Luckily, the sharp resolution was easy on the eyes across all of the models, even during long reading sessions.
Responsiveness/speed: You don't need to be a speed reader to notice when an e-reader is slow. Page turns will take a second to stutter into view, previous screens will leave an after image, and images will load in slowly. I evaluated this by loading each device with 100 titles from my ebook library before testing. The fastest model is the Kindle Paperwhite, and the Oasis is the slowest, but this difference is small.
Price: Of course, price plays a big part in judging a Kindle's value, and that's part of what brings the Paperwhite above the rest. I compared pricing between Kindle models and comparable e-readers from Kobo and Nook to see what the industry is like overall. None of the Kindles are a waste of money, but the Scribe is definitely the least cost-efficient.
Lighting customization: You won't always be reading in the same room, under the same conditions, every time, and that's where lighting customization comes in. The ability to toggle the brightness based on your current environment is a godsend for eye comfort, especially for long reads. All of the Kindles offer adjustable brightness, but the base Kindle doesn't offer temperature adjustment, and only the Oasis and Scribe offer automatic lighting changes.
Sarah Saril/Insider
Every reader is different, but there are a handful of features that all buyers should look for when it comes to committing to a Kindle.
If you ever plan to read in the bathtub or in the rain, waterproofing is a must — that eliminates the 11th-generation Kindle and the Scribe from the running. Readers who like to get in a few chapters before bed can also benefit from lighting temperature adjustment to warm the screen and ease your eyes into bedtime, which is something the base Kindle doesn't offer. Personally, as someone who likes to read while lying down, I love the automatic orientation adjustment and page turn buttons of the Oasis since they can accommodate whichever way I flop around.
Ultimately, the best Kindle for you is whichever one covers your needs the most without breaking the bank. That's why I recommend the Paperwhite because it manages to balance both of those things for most people.
Malarie Gokey/Insider
Are Kindle books free?
E-books typically cost money just like physical books do, but you can score titles for free in a handful of ways.
- Join Kindle Unlimited: The Kindle Subscription service comes with over four million digital titles at no extra charge when you sign up for $12 a month.
- Become an Amazon Prime member: If you're a Prime member, you have unlimited access to thousands of titles as an added benefit of your subscription.
- Check out a book from your Public Library: E-reader users can still take advantage of borrowing books for free from their local public library's website.
What is Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's e-reading subscription service. For $12 a month, it includes access to over four million books, thousands of audiobooks, magazine subscriptions, and Kindle Books you can borrow.
Can the Kindle read to me?
Your Kindle can read most content to you by using Text-to-Speech, an option available in your Kindle's menu. If you prefer a human voice reading to you, you can also buy and download Audible Audiobooks of your favorite titles to have a narrator read to you from your e-reader.
Do I need a case for my Kindle?
While most Kindles are designed with a solid build, a case is still a good idea for protecting your device from drops or scratches. The Kindle Scribe, in particular, has a very thin design, which makes it feel flimsy without a case. You should also consider buying a case if you bring your Kindle with you outside your home during trips and commutes.
Cases can also help by providing a better grip on these otherwise flat devices. For less bulk, you may even want to consider attaching an adhesive phone grip, like a popsocket, to your e-reader.
For recommendations, check our picks for the best Kindle Paperwhite case.
When is the best time to buy a Kindle?
Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are the best times of year to buy just about anything, including Kindles. During these major sales events, Kindles drop to their all-time lowest prices, making it easier than ever to make the leap and buy one.
Historically, we've seen the Kindle Paperwhite on sale for as low as $95 and the Kindle (11th Generation) on sale for as low as $65. Deals can be short-lived and low in stock, so we highly recommend acting fast if you come across a great deal.
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