How to choose an e-reader (2026)
By the Let’s Compare Editorial Team · 2 min read · 5 things that matter · Updated September 2026
Short answer: Start with the store you'll buy books from, then pick a screen size that suits how you read. Most people are best served by a 6–7 inch waterproof reader with an adjustable warm front light, which covers bedtime and bath reading beautifully. Only pay extra for colour or note-taking if you specifically need them. For plain reading, a great black-and-white screen still wins.
E-readers are refreshingly simple, yet a few choices will shape years of reading. Oddly, the biggest one barely shows up as a spec: which store's books you'll be reading. Everything else is covered below, with each spec's weight in our 0–100 score and what's typical across the readers we track.
What matters most, and how much
| Factor | Weight in our score |
|---|---|
| The E Ink screen | 33% |
| Waterproofing, buttons & notes | 22% |
| Storage, battery & audio | 20% |
| Size, weight & build | 16% |
How much each factor moves our 0–100 e-readers score.
Torn between the top two? See our head-to-head: Kobo Libra Colour vs Kobo Sage →
The E Ink screen: sharpness, light and colour
The screen is why you buy an e-reader, and it carries the most weight in our score. Unlike a tablet, E Ink looks like paper and reads perfectly in sunlight. Pixel density sets sharpness: the readers we track hit a median of 300 PPI, and 300 PPI is the gold standard for crisp text. A front light lets you read in the dark, and an adjustable warm light (73% of ours) shifts toward amber for more comfortable night reading. Colour E Ink exists (36% of ours), but it's muted and lower-resolution. Great for comics and covers; unnecessary for novels.
Weight in our score: 33%
Waterproofing, buttons & notes: how you actually read
Waterproofing is well worth having: 45% of the readers we track carry an IPX8 rating, which means reading in the bath, at the beach or by the pool without worry. Physical page-turn buttons (as opposed to tap-only) come down to personal preference, though many readers love them. Most readers can't take a stylus, so if you want to annotate or handwrite notes, look specifically for one that can (55% of ours support one).
Weight in our score: 22%
Storage, battery & audio: rarely a limit
These rarely decide a purchase, but a couple deserve a glance. Even the smallest storage option holds thousands of books; you only need more for big comic or PDF libraries or offline audiobooks. Battery life is measured in weeks, so don't sweat the number. If you switch between reading and listening, check for audiobook support over Bluetooth (82% of ours). There's no speaker, so you'll need headphones.
Weight in our score: 20%
Store & formats: where the lock-in is
Which bookstore you're buying into is the least visible spec and the most important one. The big ecosystems tie you to their store and app, and staying inside one is the convenient path. Format support complicates things: native EPUB and library borrowing (which vary by brand) determine how easily you can read books bought elsewhere or borrowed from a public library. Already own a big library on one store? That usually settles it.
Size, weight & build: comfort for long sessions
You'll hold a reader in one hand for hours, so size and weight matter more than they sound. A 6-inch model is the most pocketable, and 7 inches gives you comfortable extra screen without much bulk. Larger 8–10 inch models suit PDFs, comics and note-taking but need two hands. A flush glass front and warm, even lighting make long sessions easier on the eyes. Choose the size that fits how and where you read rather than the biggest screen on offer.
Weight in our score: 16%
Frequently asked questions
Is a colour e-reader worth it?
Only for comics, magazines or study material. Colour E Ink shows colour at about 150 ppi versus 300 ppi for text, so plain novels still look sharper on a good black-and-white reader.
Do I need a waterproof e-reader?
If you read in the bath, at the beach or by the pool, yes. An IPX8 rating covers roughly 60 minutes in shallow fresh water, and you no longer need a premium model to get it.
Which e-reader ecosystem should I choose?
Start with the store you'll buy books from, because that's what locks you in. If you'll read books from elsewhere, check for native EPUB and library-borrowing support.
Explainers for this guide
- Colour E Ink explained: is it worth it?
Kaleido colour looks tempting, but there's a sharpness tax. Plus what warm light and waterproofing give you.
- Kindle vs Kobo: which e-reader ecosystem suits you?
The screens are similar. What really separates them is where your books come from and what files you can read.
Sources & further reading
Every figure above is computed from our own catalogue. The general technical claims are backed by the independent references below (some from non-English outlets), so you can check them yourself.
- E Ink Kaleido 3 — E Ink
- PocketBook's new InkPad Color uses the latest 7.8-inch E Ink Kaleido color screen — Notebookcheck
- Amazon announces all-new waterproof Kindle Paperwhite — Notebookcheck
- Adjust ComfortLight PRO on your Kobo eReader — Rakuten Kobo
Ready to compare?
The figures in this guide are computed live from the 11 e-readersin our catalogue and update as it grows. Analysis by the Let’s Compare Data Engine.