Tech
The Best E-Readers, Chosen by WIRED’s Resident Book Lovers
Comparing Our Favorite E-Readers
Honorable Mentions
Below, you’ll find a few more e-readers we like but don’t necessarily love as much as our top picks.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Kindle Scribe 2024 for $400: The second-generation Kindle Scribe is a great option if you want an e-reader that doubles as a digital notebook, but also want to remain within the Kindle ecosystem. It has a 10.2-inch (300 ppi) paperlike display with features like adjustable warm light and an auto-adjusting front light. The included Premium Pen also has a soft-tipped eraser (mimicking that of a No.2 pencil). With Active Canvas and expandable margins, you can also mark up ebooks and write notes in the side panel. Amazon has announced three more Kindle Scribes are coming out this winter, including color options, so we’ll be testing those once they’re available.
Nook GlowLight 4 Plus for $200: The 4 Plus is the only waterproof Nook in the lineup, and it has the biggest screen at 7.8 inches, along with 32 GB of storage. It also has physical page-turn buttons and a headphone jack for listening to audiobooks (but you can also connect wireless earbuds via Bluetooth). But it was often slower than my Kindle and tended to freeze. While the large library has cheap and even free ebooks, it’s not as good a selection as Kindle Unlimited. The process of getting a book from the library on a Nook is also beyond frustrating. You’ll need to download either Adobe Digital Editions or Android File Transfer before connecting the device to your computer physically and then transferring the files.
Kindle Colorsoft Signature for $280: The Kindle Colorsoft Signature is Amazon’s first Kindle with a color screen. It has a screen with an oxide backplane, which Amazon says delivers better contrast and image quality along with custom-formulated coatings and nitride LEDs for brightness and color accuracy. But the screen is capped at 150 ppi for color images, versus 300 ppi for black and white, and the experience of reading is still a little fuzzier when compared to the latest Paperwhite. It takes noticeably longer to process color images, too. It’s missing features that are by now standard on other color e-readers, like page turn buttons and stylus support. It’s not a bad Kindle, and color does enrich the whole e-reading experience, but we suggest waiting for a discount during an Amazon sale event. Kindle has since launched a cheaper option, the Kindle Colorsoft ($250) that has less storage (only 16 GB, verus 32 GB) and no auto-adjusting light or wireless charging.
Nook 9-inch Lenovo Tablet for $150: If you mainly read cookbooks or other color-intensive materials, and you want a dedicated reader, you might want to consider this affordable tablet from Nook and Lenovo, which has the Nook app built in. As with the tablets mentioned above, you lose the E Ink screen and the distraction-free nature of an e-reader. You can at least turn off notifications while in certain apps, which I recommend doing for the Nook app. It ships with an old version of Android, and it’s not built for heavy work like video or photo editing.
FAQs
Ebooks can be cheap, but as with regular books, the cost can add up if you’re a big reader. You should take advantage of your library card and check out ebooks instantly from the comfort of your home. We have a detailed guide that explains how to get free library books, but the short version is that most libraries distribute books via OverDrive. You can access these books a few ways, through Kindle or directly from OverDrive with a Kobo, or you can download the Libby app. These ebooks are automatically removed from your device and returned to the library when they’re due.
Each e-reader’s own book service varies in quality. Our favorite is Kindle Unlimited for $12 a month, which includes millions of titles, including audiobooks and magazines. Amazon’s Prime Reading also offers a handful of free books every month, which is good to know if you already have a Prime account. You can even lend books to friends and family for a short while (or have them share a book with you). We have a roundup of the Best Ebook Subscription Services here.
What File Formats Do E-Readers Support?
The most widely used format is ePub, which works natively with all the e-readers in this guide except for Kindle—technically. You can still upload ePub files to your Kindle, but you’ll have use the “Send to Kindle” feature (through Amazon, your email, or the Kindle app) to convert it to Amazon’s proprietary format called AZW. (Newer Kindles support AZW3 and KFX, specifically). Other formats that will work with these e-readers include PDF, TXT, HTML, DOC, and DOCX.
Can I Install Apps on an E-Reader?
The Kindle, Kobo, and Nook use proprietary operating systems that don’t allow you to install third-party apps. The Boox, on the other hand, runs Android (mainly Android 11 and newer). So, that means you can use it to download any apps available in the Google Play Store or side-load apps from your computer.
Do You Need an E-Reader? What About a Phone or Tablet?
You don’t have to buy a separate device to read ebooks. Smartphones and tablets are perfect for this purpose. You can use Amazon’s Kindle app to read ebooks (iOS, Android), and even download OverDrive’s Libby app (iOS, Android) for library book access anywhere as well. However, the E Ink screens found in e-readers are just nicer to look at. I also like that these devices are one-trick ponies; there are no notifications to be distracted by or social media feeds to doomscroll through.
If you’d still rather have one smart device you can read on and use for other purposes, take a look at our Best Tablets and Best iPads guides for recommendations.
What About a Digital Notebook?
We’ve tried a few E Ink tablets meant for taking “handwritten” notes that can be organized and searched digitally. E-readers with that capability still prioritize reading. If the Kobo Libra Colour isn’t big enough for your note-taking needs, you might prefer these. Right now, our favorite E Ink tablet is the $629 ReMarkable Paper Pro which lets you take notes with a responsive stylus on a color E Ink screen. However, it’s not meant for reading—you can read PDFs on it, but the experience of getting books on it is far from seamless compared to Kobos and Kindles.
How Does WIRED Test E-Readers?
The most important thing we do when testing e-readers is read on them! We spend hours reading books acquired in a variety of formats, from books purchased directly from each brand’s store, downloaded from local libraries via OverDrive/Libby, or PDFs acquired for free from God knows where.
In the process, we evaluate battery life, brightness, lag, screen responsiveness, and text sharpness. We check for extra tools like annotation, and whether or not the tablet accommodates accessories like a stylus. We also note if the tablet has other features, like waterproofing or access to great exclusive subscription services.
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Long before we had Amazon or Facebook marketplace, or thousands of other online retailers, we had eBay. And now, we have an eBay coupon to help you save on basics like vacuums and phones, to even your most niche need—because eBay has everything from haunted objects to ironic landline phones to retro gaming consoles. One of the first and most enduring online shopping platforms, eBay has stood the test of time, providing us with the old-school feel of estate sales, complete with bidding wars and gently used items of quite literally every type.
Save up to 60% on Your Next Purchase at eBay
eBay has rotating deals, like 20% off up-and-coming brands, so be sure to check their page often to know which deals are next. They have huge savings on essentials, like Dyson vacuums—an enduring titan in the home cleaning realm. There’s also discounts on like-new refurbished Apple MacBooks and iPads so you can work or study for so much less. It’s not only office tech they have deals on, but even kitchen essentials, like the forever-popular KitchenAid Stand Mixer. eBay has deals on everything from clothing and jewelry to power tools, so check eBay’s deals page often.
How to Use an eBay Coupon (If you Have one Handy)
Once you’ve perused the nearly endless options of items on eBay, here’s how you can redeem the eBay discount code or offer at checkout: first, make sure your code isn’t expired (I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but you don’t want to be disappointed when that dreaded ‘invalid’ pop-up comes on the screen). Enter the code in the ‘Add coupons’ section, or check the box if the coupon is displayed. When you select ‘apply,’ you should see the discounted total, and then you’ll be prompted to pay.
Save More With Free Shipping
Once you find the special item of your dreams, go to the “shipping and pickup” search filter and check the “free shipping” box to get free shipping. Make sure you choose eBay free shipping on a multitude of items like motor parts, books, golf clubs, Pokemon cards, haunted objects, tech, and virtually anything else you can imagine.
Shop These Rotating eBay Deals
eBay has rotating deals, like 20% off up-and-coming brands, so be sure to check their page often to know which deals are next. They also have spotlighted, trending, and featured deals for huge savings on a myriad of products like auto parts, golf clubs, shoes, and more. eBay has a money-back guarantee to ensure you get the item you ordered or you get your money back.
Shop With eBay Mastercard to Get More Rewards
Have you heard of an eBay Mastercard? I hadn’t either, but if you’re a collector or frequent eBay shopper, an eBay Mastercard is a smart way to save on purchases you were already planning to make. You’ll earn five times the amount of points for the rest of the year after you spend $1,000 on eBay in a calendar year. Until then, you’ll earn three times the points per $1 spent, up to $1,000, on eBay in a calendar year. You can also earn twice as many points per $1 spent on gas, restaurant, and groceries, and 1 times as many points per $1 spent on all other Mastercard purchases.
Get Daily Deals With the eBay App
If you’re someone who shops or sells on eBay often, I’d suggest downloading the eBay app for even more perks. The eBay mobile app makes it easy to find the best rotating deals on various items and access to the hottest deals and discounts of the day before they leave. Through the app, you can browse everything from trendy items, to power tools, to tech gadgets, and then choose whatever price looks best. There’s also app-only discounts and special offers exclusively for eBay app users. Plus, eBay will help you figure out when’s the best time to buy, with price notifications to let you know when the price has dropped.
The MacBook Neo made quite a splash when it landed in March. $599 for a MacBook felt groundbreaking, and it was easy for casual onlookers to declare that Windows laptops had no true answer to it.
But what if I told you there was a Windows option that was better in almost every way? That’s the HP OmniBook 5, a laptop you’ve probably never heard of unless you watch the space closely. I’ve been recommending it ever since I tested it last month. The price has been fluctuating, but more often than not, the 14-inch model was selling for $500. You read that right: $500. Today, the cheapest, most consistent price you’ll find it for is $730 over at Walmart, but I’ve seen the HP frequently drop the price from $1,050 down to around $500.
And just take a look at what you get for the price, because it’s absolutely stacked. It comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, double what you get on the $599 MacBook Neo. There’s a 16-inch version as well, if you like the idea of having a bit more screen real estate work with.
The HP OmniBook 5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, a highly efficient chip that gets great, all-day battery life that’s at least on par with the MacBook Neo. If you haven’t used a Windows laptops in a few years and still think they can’t compete with MacBooks in battery life, you’re sorely mistaken.
The 16 GB of memory on the OmniBook 5 is particularly important to note, as it’s one of the big points of contention with the MacBook Neo. Being stuck at 8 GB in 2026 feels cruel on principle, and while testing it I was able to load up the MacBook Neo and easily find its breaking point. The 16 GB of memory on the HP OmniBook 5 is enough that you’ll never have to worry about how many tabs, applications, installations, or downloads you have going simultaneously. Combined with the better multicore performance of the Snapdragon X, it enables a kind of freedom that lets you forget about the hardware and focus on the task at hand. Don’t get me wrong—the MacBook Neo has its place, but calling it the undisputed king of budget laptops just isn’t right.
The HP OmniBook 5 Is Only $500
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Specs and performance don’t tell the whole story, and Apple has never been known for offering tons of specs for cheap. But the OmniBook 5 14 is also an attractive design in a highly portable package. At 0.5 inches, it’s exactly the same thickness as the MacBook Neo and right around the same weight too. Does the MacBook Neo have a bit more style and personality? Absolutely—especially if you fancy one of the bolder color options. But I’d say the OmniBook 5 is a very pretty laptop in its own right. It’s also made of aluminum, sturdy and well-built in your hands. The hinge is balanced nicely, allowing you to open the lid with one finger. It doesn’t feel cheap.
After years of suffering in silence with her trauma, Vega eventually called out her accuser in one of the most public forums in existence: Facebook. Within just a few days, she was contacted by eight other women, most of them also American college students studying abroad, with eerily similar stories of their own encounters with Vela, who was known to many as “Manu.” This three-part docuseries traces how Vega found the courage to stand up to her attacker and how the far-reaching power of using one’s voice on social media can be used for more than just sharing memes and family photos. Ultimately, Vega’s efforts led authorities to determine that Manu had assaulted between 50 and 100 young women.
Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord
From The Mandalorian to Skeleton Crew, Disney+ has produced a dozen Star Wars TV shows since its streaming debut, and fans are always clamoring for more. This month, that means the premiere of Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord, a gritty, animated series for adults that is set after the events of the universe’s famous Clone Wars and told from the perspective of Maul, one of the space opera’s most notorious supervillains. But it unravels more like a crime-drama, as it follows Maul’s rogue attempts to use his Sith skills to rebuild his Shadow Collective, a massive crime syndicate composed of Sith leaders, Mandalorian warriors, bounty hunters, and more, all united by the goal of usurping Darth Sidious and destroying his Sith Order. IYKYK.
The Testaments
The Handmaid’s Tale marked a watershed moment for Hulu when, in 2017, it became the first streaming series to nab the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series—solidifying the streamer’s reputation as a bona fide player. As that groundbreaking series signed off in 2025 after six seasons, it’s hardly surprising that Hulu would want to keep Margaret Atwood’s dystopian world alive, so now we have The Testaments. Set 15 years after the events of the original series, much of the series takes place at an elite prep school for young women learning to be the dutiful wives of the next wave of Commanders. Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) returns to terrify a new generation of young women, including Agnes (One Battle After Another’s breakout star Chase Infiniti), a pious young woman who is beginning to question the rules she has grown up obeying, and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a Canadian teen and recent Gilead convert—all of whom have secrets they’re keeping.
Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever
“There’s so much bad information that the good information gets drowned.” That’s the central thesis behind famed tech journalist Kara Swisher’s decision to dive headfirst into the science (and scams) of longevity—a multibillion-dollar industry that shows no signs of slowing—in this six-episode docuseries. Armed with her investigative skills and famously dry wit, Swisher talks to the brains behind brands promising wellness acolytes longer lives with everything from gene editing and AI-driven medical care to bleeding-edge anti-aging treatments. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, outspoken “biohacker” Bryan Johnson, nepo baby venture capitalist Reed Jobs, and Nobel Prize–winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna are among those who help Swisher separate fact from fiction in the quest to live forever.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Margo Millet (Elle Fanning) is a clever, ambitious young woman with her whole life in front of her—until an affair with her English professor leaves her pregnant and suddenly thrust into adulthood. With mounting bills and limited options to gain real income, Margo ultimately turns to OnlyFans, where she quickly gains a large and lucrative following—and the judgment that comes along with that. Based on Rufi Thorpe’s bestselling 2024 novel, this dark dramedy cleverly uses its setup to challenge the many still-existing stigmas surrounding sex work and even single motherhood. While Fanning is the undoubted star, she is ably supported by an A-list team of costars, including Michelle Pfeiffer as her mom and former Hooters waitress Shyanne, and Nick Offerman as her dad Jinx, a former pro wrestler.
This Is a Gardening Show
First he was Between Two Ferns, now he’s got his own DIY gardening series. Emmy-winning actor-comedian Zach Galifianakis brings his absurdist comedy to this hilarious docuseries, which is (mostly) as earnest as it is funny. Each episode introduces viewers to a new group of gardeners. While it’s largely aimed at laughs, there’s also a real exploration of the many reasons why people choose to garden, which often leads to very real and important questions about mental health, sustainability, the disconnection many people feel in the modern world, the many flaws in our current “perverse” (Galifianakis’ word) food production system, and what that might mean for future generations. Appropriately, the series debuts on Earth Day (April 22).
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85
Much like Hulu wasn’t about to say goodbye entirely to The Handmaid’s Tale, just because Stranger Things said goodbye on New Year’s Eve doesn’t mean the gang from Hawkins, Indiana, is totally parting ways with Netflix. In this animated spinoff, the kids—Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max—are going back in time slightly, to 1985, where the friends are desperately trying to reacquaint themselves with “normal” life after their terrifying dealings with the Upside Down. But they soon realize that something is still amiss in Hawkins, and they quickly find themselves embroiled in yet another paranormal adventure. Much like the nostalgia-fueled live-action series, the animated show is meant to be reminiscent of the Saturday morning cartoons that were a staple of every ’80s kid’s pop culture diet. Notably, the show is also being heavily promoted as a more family-friendly entry in the series—meaning monsters for all. All 10 episodes will drop on April 23.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is officially dead—at least for now. In mid-March, Sarah Michelle Gellar announced via Instagram that Hulu had put a stake through the heart of the long-awaited Buffy reboot, which would see the ’90s icon reprise her role as the vampire world’s biggest headache. But just because there presumably won’t be new episodes to enjoy doesn’t mean you can’t revisit the beloved original series.
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