Best e-Readers for True Lovers of Reading in the UK

Review & Comparison, Last Update February 21, 2024
Do you have time for reading? Not much, right? There's always work to do. But reading is interesting and useful. With an e-reader, you can read in transport, or while having lunch, or have a chapter or two before going to sleep, without even bothering your family with lights on. ...Read more ...Read less
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BEST 2024
PROS
CONS
OUR VERDICT
Display
Screen Size
Screen Type
Book Formats
On-Device Storage
Battery Life
Additional Features
Body Material
Size
Weight
Accessories
Warranty
 
PROS
High definition display provides a clear picture, thanks to display backlighting it is possible to read in darkness. This ebook is very convenient and has a compact size.
CONS
The pages can only be turned with a touch screen, no buttons, and also no place for a memory card.
OUR VERDICT

Well thought-through ergonomic aspects, compact size, and light weight allow using this Kindle e-reader for a long time without feeling any weariness or discomfort. There is also a modified model with 3G support.

detailed parameters
Display
1080 x 1440 pixels E Ink Carta
Screen Size
6"
Screen Type
Capacitive Touch Screen
Book Formats
AZW3, AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI, PRC
On-Device Storage
4GB (approx. 3,000 books)
Battery Life
21 hours of continuous reading, 6 weeks of reading for 30 min per day
Additional Features
Wi-Fi, Web Browser, Dictionary, Book Store
Body Material
Plastic
Size
6.7" x 4.6" x 0.36"
Weight
Wi-Fi controlled: 205 grams, Wi-Fi + Free 3G controlled: 217 grams
Accessories
Kindle Paperwhite, USB 2.0 charging cable, and Quick Start Guide
Warranty
1-year limited warranty
PROS

Thanks to the Comfort Light PRO technology, the screen backlight will be adjusted automatically to provide the most comfortable conditions for reading depending on the time of day.

CONS

The device works with PDF files rather slowly.

OUR VERDICT

This Kobo e-reader boasts a large touchscreen, high resolution, automatic backlight adjustment, and robust casing with an IPX8 protection. It will definitely serve you for a long time.

detailed parameters
Display

1872 x 1404 pixels E Ink Carta

Screen Size

7.8"

Screen Type

Capacitive Touch Screen

Book Formats

EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR

On-Device Storage

8 GB of onboard memory, Holds up to 6,000 eBooks

Battery Life

Approximate running time is 730 hours (depending on use)

Additional Features

Wi-Fi, Book Store

Body Material

Plastic

Size

195.1" x 138.5" x 6.9"

Weight

230 grams 

Accessories

Kobo Aura ONE, USB cable for charging and synchronizing with a PC

Warranty

2 years

PROS

The display of this e-reader has a High Gloss coating. Its size is compact and comfortable, and it also has a user-friendly interface.

CONS
No buttons for page turning, quite narrow selections of formats (no FB2), no slot for a memory card.
OUR VERDICT

Functional design and easy-to-handle interface make the Amazon Kindle 6 a fairly good choice for a reading device targeted at the most general public.

detailed parameters
Display
800 x 600 pixels E Ink Pearl
Screen Size
6"
Screen Type
Infrared Touch Screen
Book Formats
AZW3, AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI, PRC
On-Device Storage
4GB (approx. 3,000 books)
Battery Life
14 hours of continuous reading, up to 4 weeks of reading for 30 min per day
Additional Features
Wi-Fi, Web Browser, Dictionary, Book Store
Body Material
Plastic
Size
6.7" x 4.7" x 0.40"
Weight
191 grams
Accessories
Kindle 6, USB 2.0 charging cable, and Quick Start Guide
Warranty
1-year limited warranty
PROS

The housing has an IP67 protection rate and is able to withstand submersion in water up to 1 meter. Additionally, the device is sand proof and dustproof.

CONS

Switching between options in the main menu is relatively slow.

OUR VERDICT

It is a premium e-book that comes in a reliable housing. It supports a large number of different formats and has all the basic functions for reading your favourite e-books with maximum convenience.

detailed parameters
Display

1430 x 1080 pixels E Ink Carta

Screen Size

6.8"

Screen Type

Capacitive Touch Screen

Book Formats

EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR

On-Device Storage

4 GB of onboard memory, Holds up to 3,000 eBooks

Battery Life

Up to 2 months on a single battery charge

Additional Features

Wi-Fi, Book Store

Body Material

Plastic

Size

179" x 129" x 9.7"

Weight

233 grams

Accessories

Kobo Aura ONE, USB cable for charging and synchronizing with a PC

Warranty

2 years

PROS

The special inkBUTTONS function makes the buttons quickly respond to all your actions and simplifies the control over the book.

CONS

The battery is not that long-lasting, so you will need to charge the device pretty often.

OUR VERDICT

The inkBOOK Classic 2 is a simple and affordable e-book with easy controls and Android operating system. Thus, you can even download additional applications.

detailed parameters
Display

800 x 600 pixels E Ink Carta

Screen Size

6"

Screen Type

Capacitive Touch Screen

Book Formats

EPUB and PDF (reflow) with Adobe DRM (ADEPT), MOBI (without DRM), TXT, FB2, HTML, RTF, CHM

On-Device Storage

4GB (approx. 3,000 books)

Battery Life

More than a week when used for 30 minutes per day

Additional Features

Wi-Fi, Library (books), Internet browser, Midiapolis Drive, Book Store, Midiapolis News Reader, App Store

Body Material

Plastic

Size

159" x 114" x 9"

Weight

153 grams

Accessories

inkBOOK Classic 2, Micro USB cable for charging and synchronizing with a PC

Warranty

1 year

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Kindle Paperwhite

Ergonomic Aspects

The Kindle Paperwhite Ebook body is made of rough plastic (resistant to any finger prints) that sits in your hand rather firmly. The front panel is finished with black matte plastic, the frame is minimal along the larger sides of a 6-inch screen and notably wider above and under it. There are no control buttons here, all the operation is still performed using the capacitive touch screen.

Review of Kindle Paperwhite Previous Generation (7th), 6” Display, Built-in Light, Wi-Fi, Black, with Special Offers

Image Quality

New E Ink Carta matrix provides Kindle Paperwhite ebook with a high quality of image. The latter becomes even more detailed, sharp, and there are no flecks of reflection if you prefer reading outside in the bright sunshine. Display backlighting will allow you to read a few chapters of your favourite book in the evening before you decide to go to sleep.

Kindle Paperwhite Previous Generation (7th), 6” Display, Built-in Light, Wi-Fi, Black, with Special Offers in the use

Additional Features

This Ebook has a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, so you will have an opportunity to visit the Kindle Store of electronic books. There is a browser installed in the reader. The Whispersync technology synchronizes the last page you have read, bookmarks, and summaries on all of your devices - you will be able to start from the very place you have stopped the last time you were reading.

Detailed review of Kindle Paperwhite Previous Generation (7th), 6” Display, Built-in Light, Wi-Fi, Black, with Special Offers
Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B00QJDO0QC

VIDEO
All New Kindle Paperwhite High Resolution 300 ppi Unbox
 

Rakuten Kobo N709

Large Screen for Ultimate Comfort

The book-sized Kobo Aura ONE eBook with super print quality will help you fully immerse into the reading experience. This model boasts a high-end 7.8" Carta E Ink HD touchscreen which ensures great resolution and convenience of use. As for the memory capacity, the Kobo Aura ONE offers up to 8 GB of storage. It enables you to store up to 6,000 eBooks. Sounds amazing? To buy or borrow e-books, you just need to connect the reader to the local public library (there is a built-in OverDrive for that). The set up is free and pretty simple - only your library card is required. This device will do its job perfectly and you will get nothing but pleasure when reading your favourite books.

Review of Rakuten Kobo N709 Aura ONE eBook Reader

All for Your Comfort

The manufacturer produced this e-reader with comfort and convenience of a user in mind. The thin edge-to-edge housing is lightweight, so your hands will not get tired even if you are reading for long hours. The Comfort Light PRO technology will reduce the blue-light exposure and protect your eyes. The automatic setting will imitate the natural sun position in the sky and create the optimum brightness accordingly. This is a big advantage if you often read at night. Your eyes will not suffer from blue-light exposure and you will be able to read as long as you like.

In addition, it should be mentioned that if for some reason the brightness that the device sets automatically does not satisfy you, you can manually adjust the light setting. This function makes this e-reader pretty usable.

Rakuten Kobo N709 Aura ONE eBook Reader in the use

Safety Comes First

The HZO Protection technology makes the device waterproof from the inside out. This e-reader can be fully immersed in water up to 2 metres for 60 minutes and nothing will happen to it. Thanks to this clever design and reliable protection, you won't even need to use additional covers while reading on the beach or near the pool. With the Kobo Aura ONE, you have an opportunity to enjoy reading your favourite stories wherever you are.

If you like listening to music but cannot stand all that wires getting in the way, you could consider purchasing Bluetooth speakers. These cordless speakers will become a perfect addition to any party. Moreover, you can carry a Bluetooth speaker around and enjoy your favourite tracks on a picnic, while playing football, or running in the park.

Detailed review of Rakuten Kobo N709 Aura ONE eBook Reader

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B01KWX3M1I

 

Kindle 6" Glare-Free

Ergonomic Aspects

The front panel of this Amazon Kindle 6 Ebook is performed in a very smooth high-quality black colored plastic with a miniature glossy logo of a Kindle brand. The type of plastic used here has an extremely high resistance to scuffs and fingerprints, and is actually one of rather high-performance characteristics overall.

Review of Kindle 6" Glare-Free

Image Quality

A screen of this electronic book reader looks the same as any real printed document. The display has a High Gloss coating of the very best quality, and thanks to it you will have the opportunity to read your favorite book, or a magazine even sitting outside in the park or at the beach under the bright sun shining full strength.

Kindle 6" Glare-Free in the use

Additional Features

The built-in wireless adapter gives your Kindle ereader an access to the Internet via Wi-Fi, and also to the Goodreads network at Kindle, where you will be able to connect to the largest community of book lovers, to see what your friends read, and to share with them the most important or most interesting and breathtaking moments of the books you have been reading.

Detailed review of Kindle 6" Glare-Free
Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B0186FESVC

VIDEO
Kindle, 6" E Ink Display, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers (Black)
 

Rakuten Kobo Aura H20 (121908)

Functional Device

The Kobo AURA H2O e-reader offers a convenient 6.8" Carta E Ink HD touchscreen with the high resolution of 1430 x 1080. This is more than enough to get detailed and sharp pictures and crisp text when reading books. The reliable 1 GHz processor ensures trouble-free operation of the device.

Talking about the memory capacity, we would like to point out that this model provides 4 GB of onboard memory and can store about 3,000 eBooks. For an average user, this number is more than sufficient. Anyway, in case you need more, there is an option to expand the memory up to 32 GB. This will enable you to have up to 30,000 eBooks on your appliance. Thanks to the Wi-Fi support, you can wirelessly surf the Internet, check your e-mail, or watch videos.

Review of Rakuten Kobo Aura H20 (121908) eBook Reader with Wi-Fi

Great Ergonomics

This electronic reader has one of the smartest designs out there. The device is equipped with a useful front light to ensure even light distribution. It will do a really good job for people who frequently read at night and do not want to disturb their partners. This light is nice and even after long hours of reading at night, your eyes will not hurt.

The Aura H2O e-book is a water-resistant appliance. Just for an experiment, you can hold it under the water (at up to one metre) for half an hour without any worries. In addition, this model is sand- and dustproof. Thus, it will not get damaged if you are hiking with it or reading on the beach.

Its user-friendly interface supports English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese languages making it a versatile device suitable for users worldwide.
Rakuten Kobo Aura H20 (121908) eBook Reader with Wi-Fi in the use

Thoughtful Design

The Kobo company focuses on durability and usability. Since an e-reader is usually stored in a bag with lots of other items, the manufacturer has made this model extremely reliable and well-protected from various external damages.

The black plastic housing of this model is strong enough to withstand abuses of travelling. It is quite comfy to hold for a long time. The power button is located on the top corner and is easy to reach. Actually, you will have to press the button rather hard to make it respond. It means the appliance will not accidentally turn on in your backpack and its battery will not get low. Overall, the Kobo H20 will be a perfect choice for active people who are often on the go.

If you have children, you can get interested in tablets for kids. This device will be perfect not only for entertaining but also for a child`s developing.

Detailed review of Rakuten Kobo Aura H20 (121908) eBook Reader with Wi-Fi

Additional Info

User Manual     Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B00N9ZVN90

 

inkBOOK Classic 2

Excellent Value for Money

For an affordable price, you can get an amazing device - the new inkBOOK Classic e-book from the Polish company Arta Tech. This model comes with a 6-inch E Ink Carta touchscreen which ensures rather quick page turns and an excellent quality of text. Its interface is simple and intuitive so that users can navigate the menu with no problems. Moreover, the physical inkBUTTONS will make the handling even faster and easier.

What differs this model from others is the option to install third-party applications and get access to a bunch of various bookstores. As for ergonomics and design, a good point is that you can switch off the display touch feature if you want to prevent unwanted page turns. An unusual back of the reader makes it look stylish and elegant.

Review of inkBOOK Classic 2 eBook Reader

Versatility

The inkBOOK Classic features the OpenDyslexic font. It makes the reading process easier in case you have some symptoms of dyslexia (selective disruption of the ability to master the reading and writing skills while maintaining the overall learning ability; sometimes the concept of dyslexia includes all the problems associated with written speech). To be more precise, the letter spacing here is wider and the bottoms are weighted. Due to that, the letters are correctly recognized and the whole text is easily understood.

Another advantage of the display is its high contrast and the good reflection of light. It ensures comfortable use of the device even in bright sunlight during long hours of reading. For sure, low-vision users will highly appreciate this feature.

The customizable buttons make the appliance equally comfortable both for left- and right-handed people. All you need to do is adjust the buttons according to your preferences. The Classic 2 e-reader is one of the most lightweight models on the market. And since it is only 9 mm thick, it can be rightfully called the perfect model for one-handed reading.

inkBOOK Classic 2 eBook Reader in the use

Internet Access

Despite the comparatively low price, this e-reader is equipped with a wireless Wi-Fi module through which a user can get access to the materials on the Internet (for example, on a Google cloud platform). By the way, you can look through our review on Wi-Fi routers and choose the model which will meet your requirements on the design and functionality. Summing up, we can make a conclusion that this e-book is a multifunctional and compact device suitable for customers who adore reading.

Detailed review of inkBOOK Classic 2 eBook Reader

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B01M8O73W9

 

What Is an E-Reader?

Recently e-readers have gained quite a few followers, you can see people reading e-readers in transport, on vacations, and at home. This is all thanks to the fact that this tiny device has space for thousands of books, and all of them you can take with you. Just put an e-book into your bag or in the pocket and you will be able to immerse into a fantastic world of fiction or another genre wherever you are.

E-book is a portable device for storing and displaying various electronic text formats (AZW3, TXT, PDF, MOBI, etc.). An e-book allows you to read your favourite novel, a magazine, scientific literature, or comic story.

Since this device gives you an opportunity to read and study where God takes you, an e-reader can be rightfully called an absolutely necessary device for each and every book lover.

If you not only read books but also write them, we recommend you to consider buying a touchscreen laptop.

Best e-Readers

What Features to Compare

E-readers can be different in sizes, from 4.5" to 10". Manufacturers determined the 'happy mean' of a display to be 6" to 7". These sizes make a device more compact and easy to transport than an average tablet. In this review, we will compare the 5 best e-readers.

The size of an Ebook is slightly smaller than a notebook, and it is not thicker than a pencil. Even compared to a single printed book, a reader is more mobile. E-reader body can be made of different materials, for example, aluminium, plastic, or combined. But mostly they are manufactured of extra-strong and lightweight plastic, that makes the device cheaper. Material quality and size of the device affect its Ergonomic Aspects.

First, you need to determine display characteristics, as it is essential for the e-reader Image Quality. Nowadays Ebooks have monochrome displays with matte High Gloss coating and use the so-called 'electronic ink' (E Ink). Such displays consume energy only when the displayed information is being changed (for example, when you turn a page), thereby battery life can last several weeks. Text sharpness and quality of little details in pictures depend on display resolution and pixel density per inch (ppi). The higher this index is the more detailed picture you will see. The average resolution is 800x600px (E Ink Pearl). To solve the problem of reading with weak light (for example, before sleep), some e-readers are equipped with an embedded backlighting.

In the latest models, manufacturers strive to replace the mechanical operational buttons with touch screens. There are three main types of touchscreens: Resistive, which reacts to pushing on the display with any object, Capacitive, which reacts only to a finger touch, and Infrared, which reacts to both object and finger touch. Models with infrared and resistive displays react to operation even when you wear gloves.

With the help of an e-reader not only will you be able to read exciting detective stories, romance novels, and other literature, but also, thanks to the embedded Wi-Fi, you will have the option of going online and will be well informed about what is happening around the world by reading the latest news. That's why pay attention to Additional Features of your e-reader. There are models that support 3G Internet, for example. You can also download new study books, magazines, fiction novels and other electronic books via the Internet or using a USB cable to connect your e-reader to a PC. If you have encountered new or odd word in a book you have been reading, you can learn its meaning with the help of a pre-installed vocabulary.

There might be more additional features in an e-reader, but you are primarily looking for a reading device, right?

Sources:

1. Simon Hill How to Pick The Right E-Reader, Digital Trends. October 3, 2012.

2. Piotr Kowalczyk Tablet or e-Reader? Ebook Friendly. October 19, 2015.

3. Gillian Shaw Six Tips for Choosing the Right Ereader for You, Vancouver Sun. May 28, 2013.

4. Chris Warren 5 Tips for Choosing the Right E-Reader, HowStuffWorks.

5. How to Choose an eBook Reader, wikiHow.

6. Ebook Reader Guide How To Choose The Best eReader, The eBook Reader.com.

7. How to Choose Which eReader is Best For You, eBay. May 27, 2014.

8. Mike Plant How to Buy the Best Ebook Reader, Which?

9. John Falcone Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy? CNET. December 17, 2012.

10. Allison Kidd How to Choose E-Books & E-Readers for Accessibility, Assistive Technology Resource Center Colorado State University. March 2014.

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Publish Date: 2017-11-02 15:28:03