One of the best ereaders for 2024 – Uplaza

Display screen measurement: 6” | Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 16GB | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: No

Learn our full Kobo Clara Color overview

Our earlier decide for this class, the Kobo Clara 2E was a wonderful ereader with a crisp show, a heat glow and responsive, intuitive contact controls all housed in a water-resistant gadget that felt premium. When Rakuten introduced the Clara can be up to date, I fearful we’d see a tool with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated worth. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Color not solely provides coloration and a sooner processor, it’s simply $10 greater than the earlier technology.

Because the identify suggests, this ereader provides coloration to the web page, lending just a little vibrance to e-book covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The expertise comes from E Ink, within the type of the Kaleido 3 module that includes a coloration filter layer on prime of the usual black and white microcapsule layer. That ends in two totally different resolutions on one display: 150 dpi for coloration and 300 dpi for textual content.

Full-color pages remind me of comedian e-book artwork from the ‘60s, muted but saturated. Color makes book covers more enticing and adds a little variety to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s definitely not a obligatory characteristic, however it provides vibrance and it’s enjoyable. There’s a slight distinction in readability between the colour and non-color model of the Clara. For those who look intently, you possibly can see a little bit of noise on the white elements of the web page. That is as a result of added coloration filter layer. It is not distracting and solely one thing I observed when evaluating the 2 generations side-by-side. but when absolute readability is your major objective, you might be higher off with a non-color ereader.

Most likely the extra helpful improve right here is the twin 2GHz processor, a bump from the Clara 2E’s 1GHz CPU. There’s a noticeable enchancment within the velocity of the web page turns and navigating from the menu to the web page and again once more is almost instantaneous. As with the 2E, the Color hardly ever errors a swipe for a faucet or a web page flip gesture for a menu request.

The adjustable heat entrance mild remains to be right here (it’s truly just a little hotter on the Color) and makes studying at night time straightforward on the eyes. The working system is identical, with intuitive entry to the Kobo retailer, your private books and titles out of your native library by way of Overdrive. You possibly can customise your studying expertise with choices for font, font measurement, line spacing, margins and so forth. Kobos don’t have a strategy to save a gaggle of show settings just like the Kindle does, so I’d like to see that added with future OS upgrades. However for now, the customizations are simply sufficient to get your e-book the way you need it to look.

The Color is almost similar in form and measurement, and has the identical premium really feel because the 2E, although the plastic has a grainier end. The bezels are noticeably much less flush with the display now, although that didn’t alter my studying enjoyment.

Now that it prices $150, the Kobo Clara Color is $50 greater than the bottom mannequin Kindle. However the waterproof construct, heat entrance mild, responsive controls and lack of adverts (which value $20 to eliminate on Amazon’s gadget) make it value it. And, in nice information for the proper to restore crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired as soon as it falls outdoors of guarantee by a partnership with iFixit.

Display screen measurement: 6” | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 16GB | Waterproof ranking: None | Heat mild: No | Lock display adverts: Sure

Amazon has dominated within the ereader house for thus lengthy that I used to be shocked when a Kindle gadget didn’t win me over. A Kobo might have taken the highest spot right here, however nothing can beat the usual Kindle on the subject of worth. It’s listed at $100 however has gone on sale each few months since its debut in October 2022, generally for as little as $75.

With it, you possibly can entry the very best of what Amazon has to supply, together with many unique titles. Kindle Unique is a catalog made up of one million titles, together with books by established authors in addition to newer, self-published writers; Kindle Limitless affords the widest collection of any subscription-based studying service on the market; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you possibly can solely hear by a Kindle gadget or Amazon-owned app.

For those who like to modify between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the best way to go. While you purchase each iterations of a title, you not solely get a reduction, however the Whispersync characteristic traces up the place you’re within the e-printed model with the narration, too. Say you pay attention for an hour after which wish to learn – the synchronization permits you to decide up on-screen the place you left off audibly. (Although we should always level out which you could’t pay attention and browse concurrently on the identical gadget.) In checks, the characteristic was pretty correct, getting me shut sufficient on the web page or within the audio to determine my spot.

The usual Kindle doesn’t really feel significantly luxurious, however it doesn’t really feel low-cost both. The shell has a velvety end that doesn’t acquire fingerprints, however I discovered myself wishing it had extra texture for a greater grip. Navigating from a web page to the menu isn’t as speedy as Paperwhite or the Kobos we tried. And it takes a couple of moments to wake from sleep after hitting the button and swiping.

Web page turns are fast, however the touchscreen gestures didn’t all the time do what I wished them to. I’d usually discover the web page skipping ahead after I thought I’d tapped to return. There’s no heat mild, which didn’t trouble me throughout the day, however at night time it felt like I used to be nonetheless gazing my pc.

Kindle’s studying customization is nice, letting you dial within the font, measurement and margins. You possibly can even save a set of settings as a “theme,” one thing not provided by different units. I created one with bigger textual content and wider line spacing known as “tired eyes.”

Some folks gained’t be bothered by the lock display adverts that come normal on each Kindle gadget (until you pay to take away them). They’re pretty innocuous, largely selling Kindle e-book offers or particular titles (it’s not such as you’ll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). 

Personally, I like having the ability to set the sleep display to the e-book cowl of what I’m at the moment studying, however it’s straightforward to recover from that if all you need is a extra handy strategy to eat books on the lowest worth. It is also value noting that the Kindle Children is identical gadget however comes with a canopy, an extended guarantee and goes on sale extra often than the usual model. 

Display screen measurement: 7” Decision: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi coloration | Capability: 32GB | Waterproof ranking: IPX8 (submergible to six ft for 60 minutes) | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: No

When Kobo got here out with the brand new Clara Color, it additionally debuted the , which is perhaps the extra thrilling of the 2 units. Along with coloration expertise from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus assist. It’s the one ereader on this listing with that characteristic, making it lots like a small — however all of its new options truly make it a greater ereader.

After I wrote in regards to the earlier technology ereader, the Libra 2, I used to be impressed by how comfy it was for studying. None of that has modified; the buttons and auto-rotating display adapt the gadget to simply about any studying place you selected and the skinny design, textured again and soft-touch plastic give it a premium really feel.

Kobo’s interface is almost the identical right here as with different fashions, properly organized to allow you to simply discover your present reads or browse and search new titles from Kobo’s retailer or your native library within the Overdrive tab. The customizations for mild and textual content allow you to get the web page wanting simply the way you prefer it, however there aren’t so many choices that it feels such as you’re writing code.

The brand new options add to the expertise. In coloration, e-book covers all look extra attractive — although, in case your TBR listing is already three ft lengthy, this gained’t not assist issues. The brand new processor makes waking from sleep, turning pages, navigating the menu and altering orientation zippy quick.

Then there’s the standing compatibility. Attempt as they may, some new applied sciences their real-world counterparts. That’s largely how I really feel about styluses — I’m only a massive fan of pen on paper. However Kobo’s stylus makes it so enjoyable to focus on textual content and scribble notes within the margins of a e-book that I’m beginning to come round. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the facet so it doesn’t get misplaced.

Urgent and holding the button on the facet of the stylus highlights textual content whereas flipping it round erases. I by accident pressed the button a couple of instances after I was attempting to write down, however I acquired used to the location after a couple of minutes of utilizing it. You possibly can decide from 4 totally different highlighter colours and look at your written notes and spotlighted textual content within the notes part of any title — which I might see being fairly helpful for e-book membership reads, college assignments or simply refreshing your self on a previous learn earlier than you dive into the sequel.

Writing within the margins or instantly on the textual content labored on each e-book I attempted. Although I ought to level out that if you happen to change the font measurement in a e-book, your handwritten notes will likely be transformed to a sticky note-type field. Going again to the unique font restores your unique scribbles.

The Kobo Libra Color is $30 costlier than the Libra 2, however you get lots for $220. If it had been simply an ereader, the beautiful colours, responsive studying expertise, quick web page turns and simple highlights would make it definitely worth the worth. However you additionally get options that make it extra than simply an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta net browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks.

In fact, the stylus prices further and also you gained’t get options like notebooks and writing within the margins with out it. Collectively, the set prices $290, which remains to be $50 cheaper than the preferred stylus-enabled ereader, . That one does have a much bigger, 10-inch display, which, for me, is just a little massive for an ereader. The Libra Color then again has simply the proper options on the proper measurement, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness.

Display screen measurement: 7” | Decision: 300dpi | Capability: 32GB | Waterproof ranking: None | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: No

Boox launched the Web page in the course of final 12 months as a alternative for the now-discontinued Leaf 2. Stacked side-by-side, the 2 look similar: each have 7-inch E Ink screens, two guide page-turn buttons and a skinny, light-weight design.

Inside, the Web page has an additional gig of RAM, an upgraded Qualcomm CPU and a much bigger 2,300mAh battery, up from 2,000mAh on the Leaf 2. The batteries final so lengthy already — on the order of some weeks — so I didn’t discover a big distinction there, however the further processing energy and reminiscence has noticeably upped the wake velocity, effectivity in opening apps and page-turning velocity.

It nonetheless runs on a fork of Android 11, which suggests the Web page acts extra like a pill than a traditional ereader. Just like the Leaf 2, it’s greatest suited to the tech-savvy — you’ll get little hand-holding in setup and utilization. The pill is impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox customers have created APK information to tweak and enhance your expertise additional. The gadget even has audio system and might run apps like Spotify. In brief, the Web page can do excess of a typical ereader can, if you happen to’re prepared to experiment.

However the ereader expertise can also be fairly good. The tender, adjustable entrance mild with temperature management makes for nice low-light studying and the flush, glare-free, 300dpi display is crisp and detailed. Boox has its personal app library or you need to use Google Play to seek for and obtain apps very similar to on a smartphone or pill. You possibly can even get ereader apps from different producers, together with Kobo and Kindle, and set up Libby to learn borrowed books from the library.

Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is properly featured with a superb quantity of management over the look of the textual content. Nevertheless it solely handles DRM-free ePubs from websites like Venture Gutenberg or publishers like Tor. If you wish to learn ePubs with digital rights administration, which make up the overwhelming majority of present ebooks, you’ll want to make use of a special app. In fact, you might take away the rights administration from the information, however that’s technically unlawful, even after you “own” the e-book.

Display screen measurement: 6.13” Decision: 300 dpi | Capability: 128GB | Water-resistant: Sure, splashes and spills | Heat mild: Sure | Lock display adverts: No

Boox makes two sizes of its ereader. The is smaller than the , doesn’t have buttons and goes for about $80 much less. However after attempting it, I don’t suggest it. It’s laggy and getting the Google Play Retailer to work was a ache. As soon as I did, web page turns in apps like Kindle had been excruciatingly sluggish.

The Boox , nonetheless, is sort of enjoyable. It’s the identical measurement and form as a smartphone and, in a number of methods, acts like one. The house display is a muted black and white model of what you may discover on a normal Android — you possibly can even add a couple of widgets. Just like the Web page, it may well obtain and run apps from the Google Play Retailer and has audio system to play music and movies. The E Ink display (a Carta 1200) renders textual content crisply, however photos, significantly shifting ones, look far grainier and rougher than they might on an actual telephone’s LED display. That mentioned, the video high quality is the very best I’ve seen on an E Ink display, due to a software program enchancment Boox calls Tremendous Refresh Expertise.

However make no mistake, it’s not going to switch your telephone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the one connectivity and the 16MP digicam is only for making doc scans you possibly can convert to PDFs. However the phone-like construct is comfortingly acquainted and the E Ink display is beautiful to learn. At $280, it’s costlier than a normal ereader — and a few E Ink tablets — however it’s a extremely transportable strategy to learn Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and different ePubs, whereas additionally dealing with easy video games and apps like a smartphone. For those who’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a captivating various.