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For avid readers only the best Kindles will do, but what the best Kindle is will largely depend on you. Whether you’re after something more portable and compact, or a larger display that enables you to mark up what you’re reading and jot down notes on the go, Amazon’s line-up of ebook readers has a surprising amount of features spread across its differing iterations.
As with any purchase, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re getting, and, additionally, what you’re not getting, when you part with your cash: so we’ve pulled together this handy guide to help you decide which Kindle is best for you.
The Best Kindles at a Glance
- The Lightweight: Kindle
- The All-Rounder: Kindle Paperwhite
- The Enthusiast: Kindle Scribe
Why Trust Us
To arrive at this list of monitors, the Man of Many team went through hours of rigorous testing, implementation, and analysis before culling it down to the very best. As a result, the list is primarily comprised of products we’ve tested in-house and have used extensively first-hand. While there are a few exceptions to this rule, generally due to scarcity and availability, we made note of the cultural significance surrounding each product should we not have been able to review it personally.
As a publication centred on the latest in products, culture and style, impartiality is at the core of what we do. Over the past 10 years, we’ve built up extensive experience in reviewing tech as a publication. We’re not fans of any one brand and like to get our hands on the latest and greatest tech before we call it the next best thing. For more information on our independence, testing, and review guidelines, you can read our full editorial policies here.
1. The Lightweight: Kindle
| Price | AU$199 |
| Display | 6” glare-free e-paper display, 300ppi |
| Battery | 1,040mAh Fully charged in ~2 hours Up to 6 weeks of battery life |
| Storage | 16GB |
| Weight | 158g |
| Dimensions | 157.8mm x 108.6mm x 8.0mm |
| Connectivity | USB-C port, Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz or 5.0Ghz |
| Other Features | None |
The newly revamped base-line Kindle is actually really good, despite the relatvely cheap price point. We’ve been testing a Macha-coloured unit for the past few months, and it is an excellent entry point to the Kindle ecosystem, but is definitely missing a few quality-of-life features that we’d have loved to have seen.
So, what’s this version got going for it? Well, it’s a great upgrade if you’ve been holding onto an older model that’s about to pass on, need something small and light to carry around with you, or want a cheap way to carry thousands of books around with you. The USB-C port is essentially standardised now, thankfully, though it does come with a cable if you haven’t got your own, and it’ll last for weeks on a single charge.
It is missing quite a bit, however. Firstly, the device isn’t water- or dustproof, meaning that while it’s very portable, you might want to be selective about where and when you actually take it outside. It also doesn’t feature a warm backlight option, making it less suitable for reading in the dark, say in bed, and it can’t be charged wirelessly.
Not all of those are dealbreakers, but they’re definitely downgrades compared to the other models. We’d recommend the base-level Kindle for new ebook readers, or people looking to replace their previous models that don’t need some of the extra features bigger models provide.
2. The All-Rounder: Kindle Paperwhite
| Price | AU$299 |
| Display | 7” glare-free e-paper display, 300ppi |
| Battery | 1,900mAh Fully charges in ~2.5 hours Up to 12 weeks of battery life |
| Storage | 16GB |
| Weight | 211g |
| Dimensions | 127.6mm x 176.7mm x 7.8mm |
| Connectivity | USB-C port, Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz or 5.0Ghz |
| Other Features | Adjustable warm light IPX8 waterproofing |
The Kindle Paperwhite is probably the pick for most people. It delivers double the battery life of the base-level Kindle, but retains a fairly light and compact form, and is also a bit more durable than the base-level Kindle.
It also features both a blue-light or warm-light mode, so reading in bed is less of an eyesore, and since it is has an IPX8 waterproof rating, you can take it out with you without worrying that it’ll just die if its exposed to the elements for too long. A portable device made to be portable, who’d have thought!
It is $100 more expensive than the base-level Kindle, but we think that extra cost is worth it. You can also upgrade it a bit further to the ‘Paperwhite Signature Edition’ (AU$329), which features wireless charging, 32GB of storage, and comes in different metallic colourways.
That upgrade might be worth it, depending on how much room you need on the device, but if you’re looking to read works with bigger file sizes like comic books or graphic novels, we’d probably suggest you go all the way up to the Scribe.
3. The Enthusiast: Kindle Scribe
| Price | From $539 |
| Display | 10.2” glare-free, e-ink display, 300ppi |
| Battery | 3,000mAh Fully charges in ~2.5 hours Up to 12 weeks of battery life |
| Storage | 16GB, 32GB or 64GB |
| Weight | 433g |
| Dimensions | 196mm x 230mm x 5.7mm |
| Connectivity | USB-C port, Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz or 5.0Ghz |
| Other Features | Adjustable warm light Additional note taking functionality, works with included ‘premium pen’. |
While the bigger Kindle Scribe loses the water and dust resistance of its Paperwhite brother, it also picks up a much bigger display, as well as some nifty new note-taking features that make us think Amazon was paying attention to ReMarkable all along.
See, the Scribe doubles up as a bigger than average e-reader, as well as a reusable-and-almost-infinite notepad – and not only can you take notes in a dedicated place, you can also now mark up books and documents you’re reading on the device using the included pen. It’s a nice feature, if you’re in the habit of drawing all over your books or writing in the margins of your PDFs, but we feel that the notepad feature is a bit more useful.
In saying that, it’s still a Kindle, and displays books with the best of them. Where this model shines, though, is in displaying bigger, more intricate images, such as on comic books, graphic novels, or manga. It’s still a black-and-white display, so it’s not quite perfect for comic book enthusiasts, but it’s getting there.
Still, it’s the least portable version of the Kindle that Amazon has on sale today, and shines most when it’s used for content that uses the bigger screen properly.
What to Consider When Buy a Kindle
Before you buy a Kindle, it’s worth taking the time to consider your options, and for good reason. Here are some things you should consider before purchasing an book or Kindle.
- Display Size / Colour – This is probably the most straightforward of all considerations, how big do you want your Kindle to be? Think about its purpose – will you be taking it on the go or leaving it at home for a relaxing read. Remember, bigger is not always better. It’s worth noting that Amazon is launching a colour Kindle in Australia and New Zealand in 2025, so if you’re desparate to read books in colour, it might be worth waiting a bit.
- Built-in Light – Not all e-readers and Kindles come with a built-in light option, however, it’s a great addition. The integrated light allows you to read at night without a lamp, so if you plan on hitting the books late, this feature is a requirement. The basic Kindle has only a blue backlight, while the Paperwhite and Scribe have both blue and orange backlights.
- Storage: Kindles come with a base-line storage size of 16GB now, thankfully, but if you absolutely need more storage than that you’re looking at the Kindle Paperwhite or one of the more expensive Scribe upgrades.
