Best E-Readers UK 2026: Kindle and Kobo Scored

Screen 82. A 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 panel at 300 ppi, with adjustable warm light (ComfortLight PRO) and dark mode. Text is as sharp as on the Paperwhite. The screen is just smaller.

Library 92. This is where it scores its lead. Kobo readers have OverDrive built in, so a UK library card lets you borrow Libby titles directly on the device. BorrowBox ebooks can be moved across with Adobe Digital Editions, as UK council guides explain. Kindles can do neither.

Battery 86, comfort 86, value 84. Kobo rates the 1,500mAh battery at up to 53 days at 30 minutes a day with the light at 10%. At 174g with IPX8 waterproofing, it is light enough for one hand. At £149.99 it costs £35 less than the Paperwhite with ads.

Comfort 93. The wide, curved grip and two page buttons make it the easiest reader here to hold in one hand. Android Authority and Android Central both picked out the buttons as the main reason to choose it. Android Central called it the natural upgrade from the discontinued Kindle Oasis. It weighs 199.5g and is rated IPX8.

Screen 88. The 7-inch Kaleido 3 panel shows text at 300 ppi and colour at 150 ppi. TechRadar and How-To Geek both describe the colours as muted and pastel rather than bold. Colour helps with covers and highlights more than with reading itself.

Library 95, battery 76, value 70. It has the same built-in OverDrive as the Clara, plus 32GB of space. Kobo rates the battery at up to 40 days at 30% brightness. How-To Geek called it decent rather than great. At £239.99 it is the most expensive reader here.

Battery 95. Amazon rates it at up to 12 weeks at 30 minutes a day. Reviewers' measured drain supports that. TechRadar went from 72% to 45% in three weeks of 2–3 hours' daily reading at low brightness. Trusted Reviews measured about 2% per hour at 25% brightness.

Screen 90. The 7-inch 300 ppi panel is the sharpest large screen here, with adjustable warm light and page turns about 25% faster than the previous generation. Android Police reported yellow banding at the bottom of its review unit. Amazon owners mention this too, so check yours on arrival.

Library 70, value 75. Amazon's store and Kindle Unlimited at £9.49 a month are the biggest in the UK. But UK library ebooks cannot be read on a Kindle, because Libby's Kindle delivery is US-only. At £184.99 with ads, it now costs £35 more than the Kobo Clara BW.

Value 90. Amazon UK lists the 16GB Colorsoft at £144.99, down 44% from £259.99 for as long as promotional stock lasts. That is £40 less than the Paperwhite with ads. Its value score depends on this price. At the full RRP it would score about 55 and fall to the bottom of the table.

Screen 84. The colour layer gives 150 ppi for colour and 300 ppi for black text. How-To Geek found the colour more natural than rival Kaleido 3 screens. Android Police and Forbes both reported a yellow band at the bottom of their units. Amazon says it fixed this and will replace affected devices.

Battery 80, comfort 82, library 70. It is rated at up to 8 weeks, against 12 for the Paperwhite. At 219g it is the heaviest reader here, and it is IPX8. Library access has the same limit as the other Kindles.

Screen 80. A 6-inch Kaleido 3 panel shows 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in colour. Colour suits covers and highlights. Comics and magazines are cramped at 6 inches.

Library 92, comfort 86. It has the same OverDrive borrowing, ePub support, 174g weight and IPX8 rating as the Clara BW.

Battery 74, value 72. Kobo rates it at up to 42 days at 30% brightness. At £169.99 it costs £20 more than the Clara BW for colour. We think most readers are better off with the BW model.

Value 92. At £84.99 with ads, this is the cheapest reader here by £60. It is also the lightest at 158g. Its 6-inch 300 ppi screen is as sharp as the Clara BW's.

Screen 76, comfort 70. The front light is now as bright at its maximum as the Paperwhite's. But there is no warm-light setting for night reading, and there is no waterproof rating.

Battery 68, library 68. It is rated at up to 6 weeks, half the Paperwhite's figure. It has the same Kindle store and the same lack of UK library support as the other Kindles.