Which Kindle is best? Amazon offers a range of options for readers – from the cheapest Kindle to the fanciest Kindle Paperwhite signature edition – but deciding which Kindle is right for you comes down to how often you plan on using yours.
No matter which Kindle you choose, you’ll get an ereader with sharp display and storage for thousands of books, With its e-ink display, the Kindle is as comfortable to read as any book or magazine, while still retaining all of the most useful features of reading on a tablet. The devices store tens of thousands of books (you can buy and download new ones almost instantly), they have battery life measured in weeks, and they let you do things such as highlight passages, adjust the font size and look up word definitions as you read.
Amazon’s range includes four Kindles at varying price points, each designed with different kinds of readers in mind. With the two cheapest Kindles, you can pay £10 less and have product advertisements appear on the lock screen. There are also kids’ versions, which are identical to the basic versions but come with an added children’s book subscription and a kid-friendly cover.
Remember, with any Kindle, it’s still possible to download ebooks from places besides Amazon’s own store, or even borrow them from your local library. While Kindle might have the market cornered, it’s not the only pony at the rodeo – check out our round-up of the best ereaders, if you’re a Bezos-averse bookworm.
Choosing the right Kindle depends on how much you want to spend, how often you’ll use it, how big your hands are, whether you usually read in bed, and if you’re about to fall into a swimming pool. Read on for a full run-down of the differences between each Kindle, how they measure up, and which you should buy.
How we tested
We’ve been using all four Amazon Kindle devices since they launched. We took these ereaders on planes, trains and automobiles, and we’ve used them in broad, direct sunlight as well as in the middle of the night. We also tested the built-in Audible functionality, which lets you switch between reading and listening to a book, on the devices that have this feature.
Why you can trust us
Steve Hogarty is a technology journalist with more than a decade’s experience testing, reviewing and reporting on the latest gadgets. For this review, Steve’s tests were designed to measure each Kindle’s performance in a range of situations and locations, to help you work out which model is right for you.
The best Kindles for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Kindle Paperwhite: £159.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Kindle: £104.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best premium model – Kindle Paperwhite signature edition: £189.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for note-taking – Kindle Scribe: £309.99, Amazon.co.uk
