Best Kindles to buy in the UK for 2024

Verdict: Best Kindles

The best Kindle for your needs will depend on how you use it. Overall, we recommend the entry-level Kindle (2022) for most people because it’s an excellent compact performer with loads of space, a high-resolution screen and a travel-friendly size. However, it lacks waterproofing.

Most buyers will find they get everything they need from a Kindle Paperwhite (2021), which upgrades the entry-level Kindle with waterproofing, a little more battery life and adjustable warmth of the display. The Paperwhite Signature Edition takes things a little further, adding wireless charging and an auto-adjusting warm display, but it’s unlikely most users need these features.

If you must have physical page turn buttons, your only option in the current range is the Kindle Oasis. Those wanting to take notes with a stylus and in need of the biggest possible screen will prefer the pricey Kindle Scribe.

Meanwhile, the Kindle Kids and Kindle Paperwhite Kids are exactly the same devices as their non-Kids counterparts. However, they also come with a protective cover, a two-year “worry-free” warranty and a year of Amazon’s Kids Plus subscription.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Kindle?​​

Kindles are all lightweight and backlit with room for thousands of books, but what are the other advantages? You’ll get a distraction-free experience (unlike on a tablet), customisable fonts and text sizes, built-in dictionaries, and the ability to highlight key passages.

When it comes to downsides, though, you’ll miss out on real paper pages and the “new book smell”, and it’s harder to lend your favourites to friends.

What to consider when buying a Kindle

Screen size

Most Kindle models have either a six-inch or 6.8-inch touchscreen, although the top-end Oasis has a larger seven-inch screen. In practice, this means their dimensions are generally a little smaller or comparable to an iPad Mini.

A bigger screen means more space for text, but it’ll also be a larger ereader overall. Consider how much space you have in your bag and whether you’ll need to buy a case for it too.

Screen resolution

Every Kindle screen is glare-free and will display clear text, so it won’t be hard to read in bright light. However, the Paperwhite and Oasis come with more “pixels per inch” (ppi) for a higher resolution, meaning your text will be easier to read – the difference in resolution won’t be evident to every reader. If this matters to you, don’t go for the entry-level Kindle.

Waterproofing

Some ereaders are designed to keep working even after an accidental drop in the water. The waterproof Kindles are IPX8-rated, meaning they are durable enough to withstand immersion in two metres of water for up to an hour. That’s ideal for reading in the bath or by the poolside when on holiday.

Storage

The standard Kindle and the latest Paperwhite come with 8GB of space and the Oasis is sold with either 8GB or 32GB. You can also get the new Paperwhite “Signature” with 32GB of space.

Any of these will let you store a massive number of books on your device. To put it in perspective, an average Kindle novel is around 2-3MB, so you’ll be able to fit around 2,000 to 3,000 of these on the entry-level model. You’d have to be a serious reader to want even more space, but if you listen to audiobooks those do take up more room. And, if magazines, graphic novels or audiobooks need a home on your device, consider a 32GB model – which can house roughly 15,000 books.

Advertising

You’ve probably seen that Kindles are offered “with ads” and “without ads” and that there’s a £10 price difference between the two options. If you get an ad-supported one, you’ll see promotions on the screen when the device is asleep and need to swipe the screen to unlock it.

Ad-free Kindles give you the option to display the cover of the book you’re currently reading during sleep instead. You can always pay a one-off £10 fee to remove ads if you don’t like them, which is what we’ve done on our own Kindle.

Connectivity

These ereaders all connect to the internet through wifi so you can download new books. If you absolutely must download that latest novel when you’re on the go, there’s an option to buy the Oasis with what Amazon calls “free” mobile connectivity.

This means you can get new ebooks when away from wifi, but these versions come at a much higher cost. We’d recommend just using wifi hotspots when away from home.

Backlight

All Kindles have a built-in backlight but only the Oasis and the new Paperwhite Signature will automatically brighten or dim as light levels change, so it won’t blind you when you turn it on after dark.

On the Paperwhite and Oasis models, you can also change the tone of the light from cool to warm automatically. The pricey Kindles also feature more lights, so they’re brighter overall.

Page-turns

You turn the page by tapping the touchscreen on all models, but the Oasis has physical page-turn buttons too.

Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?

Kindle Unlimited – essentially, Netflix for reading – offers access to over a million books, thousands of audiobooks, and a wide selection of magazine subscriptions for £7.99 a month.

You can keep ten titles from Unlimited in your library at once, so it’s good for avid readers and if you love audiobooks.

However, you won’t find most mainstream authors or bestselling books on the service, so it’s worth bearing in mind that it features most self-published titles.

Here’s a full explainer for Kindle Unlimited, detailing everything you need to know.