The best eReaders, including major Kindle rival

Whether it’s packing them for a trip or finding room for them on your shelves, it’s easy to find yourself overrun and out of space.

That’s where eReaders can offer a convenient solution, allowing you to carry thousands of books in one lightweight device. (Plus, they’ll save you the heartbreak of ruining your favourite books with coffee stains or tears).

But how do you choose the best eReader for your reading habits and budget?

We’ve researched and reviewed the top eReaders available in Australia to help you find the top options – including the new colour-based Kobo Libra by Amazon Kindle’s biggest competitor.

Looking for some reading inspiration? We’ve got you covered there too with our guide to the top 50 best books to read right now.

Prices are correct and products are in stock at time of publishing.

OUR TOP PICKS

BEST KINDLE EREADER

Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen), from $269 at Amazon Australia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

Amazon released an updated version of its Kindle Paperwhite back in 2021, and it’s still our overall top eReader pick. There are two different options available – a standard 16GB ($269) version and a 32GB Signature Edition ($299) model – with the 32GB model better suited to audiobook lovers who need the extra space. If you’re not into audiobooks, the standard 16GB option will be plenty big enough, while including enough upgrades to make it worth the spend.

I reviewed the Signature Edition model and scored it a 4.5 out of five, but either model makes for a solid choice. Each device now includes USB-C charging, a faster page-turn rate and a larger 6.8-inch screen (up from six-inches on the previous model), which I found to be the ideal reading size. Both models maintain the IPX8 waterproof rating, grippy rubber backing, and crisp 300ppi resolution we saw on their predecessor, making them great all-rounders.

The Signature Edition also throws in a couple of additional features like wireless charging and an auto-adjust feature that adapts the backlighting to your surroundings, making it easier to read outdoors or in the dark.

After two years with my Paperwhite, I’m still amazed by its battery life – lasting about two months on a single charge. This has made it my travel companion of choice, as I don’t need to worry about the battery dying on longer trips.

Purchasing new reads is also a breeze on both Paperwhite models, thanks to the seamless integration of the Kindle Store and Kindle Unlimited. With the Kindle Library being the most expansive e-library out there, and with regular discounts on its vast selection of books and audiobooks, the Paperwhite is the prime pick for most readers.

BEST KOBO EREADER

Kobo Libra Colour, $370.25 at Booktopia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

Kobo’s Libra eReader has long been the Kindle Paperwhite’s biggest rival – and with the release of the new Libra Colour, it even manages to one-up it by offering bookworms a long-desired colour ink display. This means you get to see your ebook covers in all their glory, whether on your lockscreen or in the eStore. You can even highlight text and annotate directly onto your books in four different colours, with the colours also showing up once you’ve exported notebooks to your computer.

While you shouldn’t expect the same vivid colours you get with an iPad or smartphone, the colours on the new Kobo Libra really added something extra to my reading experience. If you’re a comic book or graphic novel reader, the Libra Colour also makes for a better option than some black and white eReaders, although its 7-inch screen may not be ideal for some comic formats.

Also new to the Libra Colour is a notebook section and support for a stylus, which I found great for jotting down thoughts as I was reading, even if the screen felt a little small for extensive note-taking. The compatible Kobo Stylus 2 is sold separately, which bumps the price up even more, but the annotating experience is still a nice addition.

Everything I loved about the Kobo Libra 2 is here as well, including an asymmetric design that makes the eReader easy to hold in one hand, physical page turn buttons, 32GB of storage, cloud file transfer via Dropbox and Google Drive, and access to OverDrive, Libby and Kobo Plus baked in.

The Kobo Libra Colour’s one downfall, however, is that the display is less bright and clear than the Libra 2. It’s still bright enough to read, even in direct sunlight, but it’s not as bright as the Kindle Paperwhite and caused a little bit more eyestrain in my experience.

Kobo’s library also doesn’t quite compete with Kindle’s vast collection, which keeps the Kobo Libra Colour in second place on our list. If you particularly want a colour screen though, or just want to avoid all things Amazon, the Kobo Libra Colour is the best Kindle alternative.

BEST BUDGET AND CHEAP EREADER

Kindle (2022), $179 at Amazon Australia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

Amazon gave its most basic Kindle a long overdue refresh in 2022, and the result was even better than we expected. At just $179, the eReader is smaller and more affordable than Amazon’s other ebook readers, though its upgrades have actually brought it more in line with the pricier Kindle Paperwhite.

At 16GB the Kindle (2022) gets twice as much storage as its predecessor, while sticking to a budget-friendly price. Its upgrade to the latest E Ink Carta 1200 technology has also seen the screen’s responsiveness drastically improve, along with the resolution, which now sits at 300ppi (up from 167ppi on the previous version). There’s even Bluetooth for audiobook listeners, USB-C charging and a Dark Mode option for those who like to read with the lights out, giving you plenty of great features for the price.

Its budget nature does, of course, come with some concessions: in this case, no waterproofing and no way of adjusting the backlighting to a warmer hue. While some people may prefer the truly palm-sized six-inch screen, others could also find it too small when compared to other models.

Still, the Kindle (2022) is a great value-for-money buy, particularly for those who are new to eReaders or just looking to get back into reading in general.

BEST MID-RANGE EREADER

Kobo Clara 2E, $220 (down from $229.95) at Booktopia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

If you’re after a compact, mid-range eReader, the Kobo Clara 2E is a great little companion. On the features front, the device offers plenty of much-needed upgrades from the Kobo Clara HD, including audiobook support, waterproofing, cool to warm backlighting, USB-C charging and 16GB of storage (up from 8GB).

The six inch display has also been upgraded to the latest E Ink Carta 1200 300ppi screen, which has both improved the eReader’s responsiveness and made it an almost like-for-like alternative to the Kindle (2022) model. The eReader’s design has meanwhile been crafted from 85 per cent recycled plastic, making it the most eco-conscious eReader currently on the market.

I scored the Clara 2E a 4 out of five due to its great features, wide range of format types, easy to use interface and OverDrive compatibility. I also loved the matching Kobo-branded case (sold separately), which doubles as a reading stand so you don’t have to hold your device.

While I did experience a little bit of lag when downloading ebooks, the Clara 2E is easy to like, and a definite improvement over older Kobo models like the Clara HD and the Nia.

BEST COLOUR EREADER

Kobo Clara Colour, $267.35 at Booktopia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

The Kobo Libra Colour tops our list for colour eReaders, but for a budget-friendly alternative, the Kobo Clara Colour is another great option.

Like the Libra Colour, you get a full-colour display for an enriched visual experience, and you can highlight in colour too. While the colours don’t have the same vibrancy you’ll get on an LCD screen, it’s still a significant step up from the usual monochrome seen on most ebook readers.

While the Clara Colour skips on the Libra’s physical buttons and stylus compatibility, it doesn’t skimp on the essentials: OverDrive access, Bluetooth connectivity for audiobooks, 16GB of on-board storage, and IPX8 waterproofing for reading in the tub. Plus, its had a processor upgrade, which gives it a noticeable performance boost over the previous Clara 2E.

I did find that the contrast for black and white text was dialled down compared to other eReaders I’ve tried, thanks to the added colour layer. The six-inch screen also felt a bit cramped, especially when it came to comics and graphic novels.

But, if you have your heart set on a colour eReader and the lack of note-taking features isn’t a deal-breaker, the Kobo Clara Colour offers a seamless reading experience from an ultra-portable device.

BEST EREADER FOR NOTE-TAKING

Kobo Elipsa 2E, $647.80 at Booktopia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

Bringing text annotation and a versatile range of note-taking tools to a large screen eReader, the Kobo Elipsa 2E presents itself as a great tablet alternative.

It offers a few major advantages over its main rival, the Kindle Scribe (below), including wider file compatibility, OverDrive support for borrowing library ebooks and the ability to write directly onto any ebook or PDF. However, it’s the addition of ‘Advanced Notebooks’ that really sees the Elispa 2E shine.

In addition to regular note-taking tools, Advanced Notebooks adds in impressive extras, like the ability to solve mathematical problems or draw diagrams and convert them to digitised versions.

On the flip side, the stylus for the Elipsa 2E makes writing and drawing feel less authentic than it does on the Scribe. The stylus also needs to be charged, while the Scribe’s doesn’t.

Still, the Elipsa 2E remains the top choice for those who want the best note-taking experience from an eReader, or for those who simply don’t want to commit to Amazon’s ecosystem.

BEST LARGE SCREEN EREADER

Kindle Scribe, from $549 at Amazon Australia

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Tried and Tested by Lauren Chaplin, Consumer Technology Reporter

Equipped with a higher resolution screen, a better stylus and a bigger library than the Kobo Elipsa 2E (above), the Kindle Scribe comes out on top if you’re looking for a premium reading experience with a few note-taking features thrown in.

The Scribe’s 300ppi display looks clearer and less fuzzy than the Elipsa 2E, while its Wacom stylus feels much breezier to write or draw with and never needs to be charged. That said, its note-taking abilities are somewhat limited, despite Amazon gradually expanding its features.

Where the Elipsa 2E offers total freedom when it comes to scribbling on your books, the Scribe only allows you to write directly onto Kindle titles with “Write-on Books” or “On-page writing” listed as a supported feature. If you want to annotate other texts, you’ll instead need to make a ‘sticky note’ and write your notes there.

The Scribe does offer more flexibility in terms of pricing and storage though, arriving in three different sizes with two pen options: 16GB with basic pen ($549), 16GB with premium pen ($599), 32GB with premium pen ($629) and 64GB with premium pen ($679).

BEST EREADER ALTERNATIVE

Apple iPad Mini (2021, 6th Gen), from $829 at Apple

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What You Need To Know

If you want more functionality from your reading device, or want a really vivid colour experience, it’s worth considering a tablet over an eReader. As one of Apple’s more affordable tablets, the iPad Mini is a solid choice here.

It boasts an 8.3-inch liquid retina display with 326ppi, making text nice and sharp for reading. It also features Apple’s True Tone technology, which adjusts the colour and intensity of the display to match the light around you (similar to auto-adjust lighting seen on the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition).

The iPad Mini also packs in all the features we would expect from an Apple tablet, including a powerful A15 Bionic chip, 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, 12MP Wide back camera, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, TouchID, stereo speakers and compatibility with the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen).

However, you should keep in mind that tablets use LED or LCD screens, rather than the E Ink screens seen on most eReaders. E Ink screens are typically easier to read in direct sunlight and are designed to be less stressful on the eyes, making eReaders the better choice if you’re going to be reading for long periods at a time.

BEST EREADER FOR TEXTBOOKS AND PDFS

Onyx Boox Note5, $879 at Harvey Norman

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What You Need To Know

If you’re looking for an eReader that can handle large-format documents, Onyx’s Boox Note5 comes equipped with a large 10.3-inch screen and an Android 11 operating system that makes it ideal for PDF and DjVu formats. Its Android ecosystem also allows you to extend its functionality by installing apps from the Google Play Store, though not all apps run as smoothly as they would on other devices.

The Note5 can read 17 different file formats without conversion and offers vertical and horizontal split-screens for a more flexible reading experience. There’s also dual speakers for listening to audiobooks, fingerprint recognition and compatibility with the BOOX Pen Plus and Pen2 Pro for note-taking.

It’s 226ppi display does leave something to be desired, especially when the rival Kindle Scribe packs 300ppi, but if you like reading and editing PDF files, or freehand drawing, this one could be for you.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING AN EREADER

When choosing eReader models to include in our list, we evaluated several factors:

Brands: Australia’s eReader market is fairly limited. We only included models that are easy to find at popular retailers and excluded options, like the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids, that aren’t readily available in AU.

Screens: With colour eReaders now available in Australia, we included both colour and black and white ink readers in our list. We also considered the screen resolution on each device and how it affects the overall reading experience.

Storage capacity: While 8GB of storage may be enough for some readers, we tried to include eReader models with 16GB of storage or more, as it’s a better size for most people.

Special features: We included models that cater to a range of different user needs, including waterproofing, audiobook capabilities, and note-taking and stylus compatibility.

Value: We weighed up the above factors against the price of each eReader, and rival eReaders, to determine overall value for money.

HOW WE CHOOSE PRODUCTS

With plenty of eReaders available, it’s impossible to test every model out there. To help you find the very best ebook reader options, we tested seven well-known models. In addition, our shopping team read hundreds of customer reviews and looked at test results and ratings from product review sites to find the best eReaders for all budgets.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS AN EREADER?

Also known as electronic readers, eReaders are portable devices designed for reading digital books, newspapers, manga, and other digital publications. Fitted with E Ink screens, they resemble paper to make them easier on the eyes than other digital devices.

Unlike traditional paper books, eReaders offer the convenience of carrying an entire library in a single device. With multiple reading apps, users can access various ebook formats, audiobooks and even digital magazines.

ARE EREADERS BETTER THAN TABLETS FOR READING?

eReaders are generally better than tablets for reading as they use E Ink displays that mimic the look of paper and cause less eye strain. They’re also lighter and have longer battery lives than most tablets, making them a better option for reading on-the-go or while travelling.

However, tablets are more versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes beyond reading, such as browsing the internet, watching videos, playing games, making video calls and using social media. They also typically have colour displays where eReaders are only black and white.

Overall, if you’re looking for a device to use primarily for reading, an eReader is the obvious choice. If you need a device that can handle a wider range of activities though, a tablet may be the better option.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KINDLE AND KOBO?

While there are a few different eReader brands around, Kindle and Kobo dominate the market here in Australia. Kindle has a larger and more diverse ebook store, but only supports a few ebook formats. It’s also owned by Amazon, which mean it’s well-integrated with Amazon’s ecosystem of services, such as Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited.

Kobo meanwhile supports more ebook formats and allows you to borrow library books (where OverDrive support is available), but has a smaller selection of books available for purchase compared to Kindle.

We’ve reviewed models by both brands and had an excellent experience with each, so choosing between them really comes down to personal preference for brand and features.

CAN I READ PDF FILES ON AN EREADER?

Yes, many eReaders support PDF files. However the experience may vary based on the model. We recommend doing some research on PDF compatibility and the process of using these files on your eReader of choice.

ARE EREADERS COMPATIBLE WITH DIFFERENT FILE FORMATS?

Yes. Most eReaders support a variety of file formats, with the most common being EPUB, CBZ, CBR, MOBI, PDF, HTML and TXT. However, supported file types will vary from brand to brand.

More best reading coverage

Kindle Scribe vs. Kobo Elipsa 2E review

Kobo Clara 2E review

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition review

The best books to buy for men

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