Pros
- Easy to use, easy to read
- Enormous ecosystem of books
- Fast page turning
- Light weight
- Built-in screen reader
- 16GB of storage
Cons
- No light temperature adjustment
- No physical page-turn buttons
- Not water resistant
It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise: If you want to read within the Amazon ecosystem, the base-model Kindle is the right choice for pretty much any reader, thanks to its bevy of useful features at a reasonable price. The 6-inch screen and light body make it ideal for taking with you anywhere and everywhere.
This newest Kindle has a brighter screen with higher contrast than the previous generation, making it easier to read in more situations, and the page turns are faster, too. At just under 5.5 ounces, it’s the lightest reader we’ve tested. That makes it more comfortable to hold for extended reading sessions.
The big draw of any Kindle is access to what is arguably the largest existing ebook platform in the world. Plus, Amazon has widened support for the common .epub file format, so you can add books bought on other platforms to a Kindle. You can also subscribe to the Kindle Unlimited program, which gives you all the books you can read for a flat fee.
To check out ebooks from libraries to read on the Kindle, you use the Libby app on your smartphone. The app can accept multiple library cards from multiple libraries, an advantage over devices sold by the main competitor, Kobo. The checkout process is slightly clumsy, though — from the phone app you “send” the book to your Kindle, whereas with Kobo, the process happens on the device itself.
Of the two platforms, Amazon has substantially better accessibility tools. You can easily resize the text, a feature Brea Grant, of the “Reading Glasses” podcast, says helps her prevent headaches while reading. There’s also a built-in screen reader, which allows you to navigate the Kindle via gestures and audio cues as well as have the book read aloud to you. In our testing, it had a tendency to be finicky, and we found the controls were poorly explained for certain key features (like starting and stopping reading a book). Still, the capability represents a significant advantage over Kobo devices, which lack screen reading altogether.
The downsides of the Kindle are fairly minor. There are no physical page-turn buttons, so you’re reliant on tapping and swiping. Some people prefer the tactile feel of interacting with buttons. The 6-inch screen can feel small compared to larger models; if you prefer a bigger screen and the Kindle ecosystem, check out the Kindle Paperwhite. And there are some people who have feelings about Amazon and may be reluctant to throw their lot in with them.
With all of the Amazon and Kobo devices we tested, you can easily switch between multiple devices and the corresponding smartphone/tablet app. So if you’re reading a book on your e-reader in bed, you can pick up where you left off on your phone during your morning commute.
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