The best Kindle: Reviews and buying advice

The Kindle is the reigning leader among e-readers. But Amazon makes several models—knowing which Kindle to buy depends on your budget and your reading preferences. That’s where this guide comes in. With our help, you’ll find just the right Kindle for you or your lucky loved one.

Amazon’s E Ink slabs were first introduced to the world in 2007, and currently there are four models with different feature sets—plus a variant designed for kids. A few scrappy competitors may nip at the Kindle’s heels, but none can hold a candle to the sheer volume of books, comics, and periodicals available for easy download and consumption on a Kindle.

Purchasing one of Amazon’s less expensive Kindles could mean missing out on features that could make your reading time more pleasurable. But that doesn’t mean the most expensive Kindle is the always right choice—don’t pay for features you won’t use. Let’s break it down.

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Latest news

• September 2022: A revamped entry-level Kindle with an upgraded screen and more storage has been announced. With its souped-up specs, it may be a fierce challenger for the “Best Kindle” title when it arrives on October 12th.

With all models, you can buy an ‘Ad-Supported’ model, which has advertisements that appear on the Kindle’s lock screen, or pay an additional $15 to $20 for a version ‘Without Ads,’ which should be self-explanatory. We show the price for the ‘Ad-Supported’ model in our reviews. Click the Without Ads button on any Kindle’s product page to get the version free of marketing campaigns. 

If you’ve already chosen Ad-Supported and now have regrets, you can still ditch the ads. You just have to pay the fee you would’ve at checkout for an ad-free Kindle. Our guide to removing ads from your Kindle explains how to do it.

The best Kindle for most readers

Though the price of the Kindle Paperwhite drifted upward with its 2021 refresh, its upgraded features justify the extra cost. With its bigger screen, improved front light, higher resolution, and waterproofing, it’s an easy pick over the basic Kindle. Read our full review.

The best waterproof Kindle

If you enjoy reading by the pool, in the bathtub, or lead a lifestyle that places your expensive electronic devices in liquid peril on a regular basis, you’ll be happy to know that the best waterproof Kindle is also our pick for the best Kindle for most people: The Kindle Paperwhite. 

With its IPX8 rating, it can survive in two meters of fresh water for up to an hour at a time. Want to read in the bathtub or by the pool? Not a problem, especially since the Kindle Paperwhite also allows you to disable taps as touch input, in order to avoid the touchscreen mistaking a splash of water for user input. Read our full review.

The luxury Kindle

The very name of Amazon’s “All-new Kindle Oasis” would seem to herald a radical overhaul. But the changes to Amazon’s top-shelf e-reader are far less dramatic. Beyond the introduction of a new color-adjustable front light that can warm or cool the screen’s illumination, the All-new Kindle Oasis remains strikingly similar to its predecessor. And that’s good news. It’s still the best e-reading experience you can buy—and your only option if you want a Kindle with cellular connectivity included. Read our full review. 

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