Which Kindle Should I Buy? A Kindle Comparison
I’m a long-time Kindle lover – I got my first one back in 2010 and have been using it ever since.
I love that I can access the ebook catalog from my library, that I can take 50 books on vacation with me without bogging down my luggage, and that I can read in bright sunlight with no distractions and it is so much easier on my eyes than reading on my phone or a tablet.
If you’re just entering the world of Kindle readers, it can be overwhelming to pick which one will be the best fit for you.
Here are a few things to know before I share a full Kindle comparison!
- A Kindle Reader (any of the models I’ll talk about below) is a dedicated ereader. It is NOT a tablet – it doesn’t have apps on it, and you won’t use it to surf the web, scroll social media or check your email. For about a decade, Amazon called their tablets “Kindle Fire tablets” which led to SO MUCH confusion about what was a Kindle ereader and what was a tablet. They’ve since dropped Kindle from the tablet names, so they’re now just Fire tablets, but just be clear that when we talk about Kindles, we are not talking about tablets of any sort.
- You can’t really go wrong with any Kindle reader. All the Kindle readers are excellent and picking the “right” one really just depends on your budget and what features matter most to you! Also, Amazon does easy returns, so you can always pick one, try it out for a few weeks and return it for a different one if you decide it’s not the right fit for you.
Okay! With that out of the way, here is a Kindle comparison to help you decide which Kindle is right for you!
Which Kindle Should I Buy? A Kindle Comparison
- Basic Kindle. This is the baseline Kindle ereader. It’s the least expensive and has the least bells and whistles, but it does the job beautifully. It has a built-in light (there haven’t been new Kindles in years that don’t have a built-in light), it has dark mode (where you can turn the screen black and the words white, which many people prefer when they’re reading in the dark), and, like every Kindle reader, you can put ebooks from Libby/Overdrive on it.The Kids Kindle is exactly the same hardware as the Basic Kindle but comes with a cover and a 2 year warranty and no ads when you’re in Kids mode. You can log into a Kids Kindle as an adult or into an adult Kindle as a kid, so the major deciding point between a Kids and non-Kids Kindle is the current price and if you care about the case and extended warranty. The Basic Kindle is my personal favorite based on price and size – I can fit it in my belt bag when we travel and I keep it in my purse 95% of the time! It’s also my #1 recommendation for kids.
- Kindle Paperwhite. This is absolutely the most popular Kindle ereader. The screen is a little bigger (7.0″ instead of 6.0″ and is waterproof. The screen is also a flush front screen and has warm light options, plus the battery lasts up to 10 weeks instead of the 6 weeks of the basic Kindle. The page turns are also 20% faster. (There is also a Kids Paperwhite version which comes with a case and a 2 year warranty and no ads). I have one of these and it’s great – it’s the one I use the most at home.
- Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition. This is a nicer version of the Kindle Paperwhite that includes wireless charging, an auto-adjusting front light and 32 GB storage.
- Kindle Colorsoft Signature edition. This is the same as the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition except that the screen is in color. It’s quite a bit more expensive so unless you’re reading a lot of books with images, magazines, or graphic novels, I don’t know that it’s worth the extra cost. Most people prefer the covers of the books in color on their Kindle home screen, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if you prefer it ENOUGH to pay an extra $100 or so for it.
- Kindle Scribe. This is the most expensive Kindle ereader and it comes with a pen and the ability to write directly on the screen (if you’re a big notetaker, this may be for you). The screen is also 10.2″ so it’s got a much bigger readable surface.
A couple of other things to keep in mind as you decide “which Kindle should I buy?”
- I wouldn’t worry about the ads on Kindles. You’ll pay less for a Kindle that has ads on it and people are always very concerned about these ads being intrusive. There is a tiny number of people who hate them, but the vast majority of people hardly notice them. They appear on your lock screen when your Kindle isn’t in use and they’re static ads for books. People imagine ads popping up while you’re reading and it is NOTHING like that. And if you decide you hate them, you can always pay to have them removed after the fact!
- If you buy a Kids Kindle that comes with a case and you want to swap out the case, you can just pop off the case it comes with. It’s like any other Kindle case that just snaps on and off – it’s not a permanent addition.
- If you have other questions about how Kindles work, definitely check out my Kindle 101 post where I answer SO MANY questions about Kindles!
Any other questions about the Kindle comparison? I’m happy to talk about Kindles all day long – let me know what questions you have!
