The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
We love Kindles here at WIRED. They're simple, reliable, and perfect at what they do—in one palm-sized device, you can bring thousands of books with you to the park or mountain, and they typically get a month of battery life per charge. You can subscribe to get unlimited books from Amazon or get free books from your local library (more on those below). But what's the best Kindle? Our guide will help you decode the differences.
Be sure to check our many other buying guides, including the Best E-Readers, Best Fire Tablets, and Best Alexa Speakers.
Updated May 2024: The Kindle Oasis has been discontinued; we've removed it from this guide. We've also added the Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder as an accessory.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Is It a Good Time to Buy a Kindle?
It's been a few years since a new Kindle was released, but it seems unlikely that one is coming in 2024. There's no saying for sure, though, and since Kobo just released a color e-reader, we might see one from Amazon next. Thankfully these devices last a long time and don't need frequent upgrades. If you're in the market for one now, you should be happy with it for a while—I've been using the Paperwhite since it was released in 2021 with no issues. The base Kindle and supersize Kindle Scribe were released in 2022, if you want the latest device. You may be able to get a good discount if you wait for Amazon Prime Day in July or Black Friday.