The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere

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We love Kindles here at WIRED. They're simple, reliable, and perfect at what they do—in one palm-sized device, you can bring thousands of books with you to the park or mountain, and they typically get a month of battery life per charge. You can subscribe to get unlimited books from Amazon or get free books from your local library (more on those below). But what's the best Kindle? Our guide will help you decode the differences.

Be sure to check our many other buying guides, including the Best E-Readers, Best Fire Tablets, and Best Alexa Speakers.

Updated May 2024: The Kindle Oasis has been discontinued; we've removed it from this guide. We've also added the Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder as an accessory.

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It's been a few years since a new Kindle was released, but it seems unlikely that one is coming in 2024. There's no saying for sure, though, and since Kobo just released a color e-reader, we might see one from Amazon next. Thankfully these devices last a long time and don't need frequent upgrades. If you're in the market for one now, you should be happy with it for a while—I've been using the Paperwhite since it was released in 2021 with no issues. The base Kindle and supersize Kindle Scribe were released in 2022, if you want the latest device. You may be able to get a good discount if you wait for Amazon Prime Day in July or Black Friday.

We think most people will like the Paperwhites the best. The step-up, waterproof e-reader went from one to three models. We tried the Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but all three have bigger, 6.8-inch screens with smaller bezels. The screens are brighter overall at their max and have adjustable warm lighting, but only the Signature can auto-adjust that brightness to your surroundings—we think that should be standard across all models. Its faster page-turn rate means there's no delay while you read.

The Signature has 32 gigabytes of storage and the Standard has 16 gigs (there's no longer an 8-gig Kindle). If you mostly listen to audiobooks, you may want to go for the Signature, since those tend to take up more room. But both storage options equals thousands of books and you can always just clean out your backlog; you can remove a book from your device without deleting it entirely from your Amazon account. The 2021 Paperwhites all have USB-C charging, and the Signature supports wireless charging.

The difference between Kindle models is not as stark anymore, so you'll probably be happy with whatever price point you prefer. This base Kindle was finally updated in 2022 and is the cheapest one at $100. It's the smallest of the lot at 6.2 inches tall and 4.3 inches wide, with a 6-inch screen (the same screen size as the Kindle Kids). If you find tablets too cumbersome to hold with one hand, consider this one.

The price increased by $10 from the last version, but it doubled the storage from 8 gigabytes to 16, and the screen is a 300-pixel-per-inch (PPI) resolution versus the old one's 197 PPI. It gets the same USB-C port for charging as the Paperwhite models, and it charges quickly. However, it's not waterproof, and it doesn't get warm lighting or auto-adjusting light.

Thanks to the included pen, you can now write on your Kindle (8/10, WIRED Recommends)! There's no lag, and the outcome looks very similar to your handwriting. It's already pricey at $340, but you can spend an additional $30 for the premium pen that includes an eraser on the opposite end. You can't write directly on most books like you can with certain Kobos, which is frustrating—you have to instead use sticky notes. There are now some options available with that functionality, but it's mostly crosswords and guided journals.

The enormous 10.2-inch screen is ideal for taking notes, marking up PDFs, or drawing, and there are numerous paper formats you can choose, like college-ruled or dotted. The screen size does make reading easy too, especially if you need to increase the font size, but it takes away some of its portability if you prefer to keep an e-reader in your pocket or small purse. There are 16-, 32-, and 64-gigabyte options. Since it was released, Amazon has updated it with additional brush types, a convert-to-text in export tool, and better page navigation and subfolders. Weirdly, it's not waterproof like the other pricier Kindles.

The 2021 Paperwhites include a 16-gigabyte Kids Edition, which brings a bigger and sleeker screen, more lighting options, and IPX8 water resistance for the first time over the original Kindle Kids Edition. The rest of the features are pretty much the same as the new Kindle Paperwhite, except you'll get a year's subscription to Amazon Kids+, a kid-friendly content library with parental controls. It also comes with a case and a two-year no-questions-asked replacement guarantee. If your kid smashes it just once, you get your money back.

If you're going to get your kid an entertainment device, an ebook reader that doesn't have access to social media is a safer choice. There is a web browser, but it's restricted by default (you can completely disable it too).

★ A cheaper alternative with more storage: The newest base Kindle Kids ($120) is cheaper, but this one isn't waterproof if you think that will be a problem with your kiddos. There's also no adjustable warm lighting.

If you've ever had a long reading session give you hand cramps, these two accessories might help.

Kindles are, thankfully, not as fragile as our pricey smartphones, but you may still want to add a cover to protect the screen if you're frequently toting it around in a bag. These are meant mostly to add some protection from minor bumps, but they're not padded for serious drops. If you get a Kids Edition, those come with a case already.

Have an old Kindle lying around—or are looking at a used one for sale—and aren’t sure which one it is? This Amazon page includes photos, specs, and release years for the entire lineup. Once you know which one you have, you may be able to trade it in for credit toward a newer model.

Most old models probably still work, just with fewer bells and whistles. We think it's best to avoid Kindles with keyboards or any other physical buttons other than page-turn buttons.

Some older Kindles lost the ability to browse, purchase, or borrow new books directly from the device. However, you'll still be able to do so on Amazon.com on your computer or phone and have it sent to your Kindle, which is a better experience anyway. According to the company, the models affected are the Kindle 2nd Generation (International), Kindle DX International, Kindle DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4th Generation, and Kindle 5th Generation.

If you buy every single book you want to read at Kindle, it can add up! But there are ways to save some money while reading as much as your heart desires.