Bookworms may still cherish the feel of leafing through pages, the whiff of new-book smell, and stacking their shelves with beloved tomes, but nothing beats an e-reader (ebook reader) for convenience. You can bring your entire library on vacation without an extra suitcase. If you’re working through a 1,349-page novel such as Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, your wrists will thank you.
And unlike a phone, your e-reader won’t constantly interrupt you with news alerts and texts, so you can lose yourself in a new world or focus on learning something new. Ebook readers evolve more slowly than say, smartphones, the latest batch are lighter, brighter, and more capable than ever. I evaluated six of the most popular models to see which belongs on your nightstand.
For more, check out our guides to using a paper journal to read more mindfully, how to start reading for fun and 10 mildly subversive (banned) books. This article was updated for fall 2026. We have reorganized our e-reader guide, checked availability and pricing for all models, and given it a refresh.
We’ve also noted the increased prices of Kindles due to rising memory and storage costs. We plan to test more models in the coming months. What we like and dislike about every e-reader More info: ebook reader questions and answers As an avid reader all my life, I embraced the convenience of ebooks years ago, starting with an early Kindle model.
My local library has a vast catalog, and my virtual queue is always full. Most weeks, I’ll get through a book or two or three. Even when I’m not reading, I’m listening to podcasts to find out which book to pick up next.
I’m also a veteran tech journalist with more than nine years of experience testing and reviewing products. At various times, my house has been cluttered with dozens of smart light bulbs, robot vacuums and artificial Christmas trees (though usually not all at once). For more than a month, I tested six ebook readers after researching many, using each for the same amount of time and putting them through the same tests.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
