What Is the Best Kindle of 2026 (So Far)?

I've tested every Kindle, from the Paperwhite and Colorsoft to the new aluminum models. Here's how Amazon's e-readers stack up.

I've found the best Kindles to take your library anywhere

I have tested every kindle. Here's how Amazon's ebook readers stack up.

I have all kinds of Kindles, from the latest Kindle Scribes to basic handheld Kindles without a front light. The second was from a friend who noticed that I spent my entire postpartum summer taping library books to my phone and still have it to this day. But after trying all the latest Kindles, I'd say it's easy to pick the best.

Read on to find my favorite Kindles overall and my favorite Kindles for specific uses and younger readers. You can also check out my other buying guides made for readers like me, including the best Kindle accessories, the best e-readers, the best digital notebooks, and the best gifts for book lovers.

Updated October 2026: I've added details about the new Kindles announced today.

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Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024, 12th generation)

You came here to know one thing: What is the best Kindle? The Kindle Paperwhite is Amazon's most popular Kindle, and thanks to its wide range of features, it's our favorite after testing each model. You'll get a large, high-resolution display with warm lighting, and the tech inside is fast and smooth. Amazon launched the 12th generation Paperwhite in late 2024, and it's been our new favorite ever since. Whether you want to read more or are tired of carrying around physical books, all the extra features are worth the price. The original Kindle may look tempting, especially with the fun new colors it offers, but the Paperwhite will serve you better in the long run, especially if you're a night reader like me. Warm light is a great option for the eyes before bed.

If you already have a Paperwhite, the update isn't so important that you need to upgrade to the latest model, but if you're looking to buy a brand new Kindle, it's the best option. You'll get a slightly larger screen and the highest contrast ratio on any Kindle, not just Paperwhites. The battery life has also increased from two months to three months and it has the slimmest form factor ever. The 12th generation Paperwhite comes in two versions: the standard version and the signature version. The latter comes with automatic brightness adjustment, wireless charging and double the storage space at 32GB. The regular Paperwhite is more than adequate and is easily one of the best Kindles to buy, but if you're going for the model without the lock screen ads, you might want to pay an extra $30 for the Signature Edition.

Speaking of price differences, both the Kindle Paperwhite and the Paperwhite Signature Edition recently got more expensive after Amazon raised some prices. The base Paperwhite rose $40 to $200, while the Signature Edition went from $200 to $250. I'm curious how much cheaper they will be during the fall sale season. Now we may see the old base price as the new selling price. I'm waiting for Prime Day or Black Friday to buy either Paperwhite version.

Three-month battery (longest Kindle offering outside of Scribes)

Students who want something digital to take notes on but also love to read will love Kindle Scribe. While there's a new version of Scribe that's also great, the best version is still the second-generation Kindle Scribe from 2024.

This model has the same 10.2-inch (300 ppi) paper screen as the first version, but with a white border for a more notebook-style look, and the new Premium stylus not only includes that, but also has a soft-tipped eraser at the end. Personally, this is my most used Kindle because I love jotting down notes and ideas throughout the day. It's my go-to Kindle and digital notebook because it has a long battery life (12 weeks!) and is easy to reach for both reading and note-taking needs. While I don't have as many options and layouts as a real digital notebook, Kindle Scribe still offers a handful of options to help me free up more of the cluttered ideas in my brain, and solid options for students.

The second generation Scribe also has new software features, even though it is a slightly older model. Active Canvas lets you write directly into the book you're reading, though it doesn't work like real annotation—instead, notes appear in a small square on the screen like a Post-I note. This means it's always there if you resize the screen, but it doesn't feel as natural as our testers would have liked. There are also now expandable margins that let you write notes in the side panel of books, which looks a bit more intuitive, but still isn't the full annotation experience you might want.

There are also some productive AI features. The Refined Writing tool converts your notes into a script font, while Summarization quickly summarizes pages of notes with a script font into bullets that you can then share from the notebook tab. Both features work well, but I never seem to get around to them. These new software features can be downloaded to first-generation Kindle Scribes if you already have one, or you can wait for an over-the-air update to arrive on your device. There are currently three new Kindle Scribe models, which I'll detail below, but I still prefer this model. It also didn't see the same price hike as other Kindle devices, but that's true across the Kindle Scribe lineup.

It has a digital notebook section so you can switch between reading the book and writing notes

Larger display for easier writing

Pen included, with comfortable and smooth writing experience

Notes are accessible in the Kindle app even without your Scribe

The larger size is not as comfortable to carry or hold as the smaller Kindles

Amazon now has two versions of its colorful Kindle. There's the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, which came out last year and was Amazon's first model with a color screen, and now there's an early Kindle Colorsoft. It competes with colorful models we've already seen from Kobo and Boox, so while it's new to Amazon, it's not new to the world of e-readers. Both models feature a 7-inch screen with an oxide back panel for fast performance and higher contrast for color and black-and-white content. The front light has also been changed and has nitride LEDs that increase the color and brightness.

Colorsoft Signature has a few extra features, but also costs more. You'll get double the storage space - 32GB versus the base Colorsoft's 16GB - wireless charging and an auto-adjusting headlight. If you know you'll be using wireless charging and want an auto-adjusting light, you can get it for just $20 more, but if you don't already have your favorite wireless charger, you'll probably be just as happy to spend $20 less. At the moment it is a significant increase for the color screen and there are no other new features. At least the good news is that Amazon launched a dark mode for Colorsoft, which it didn't have before.

Amazon also raised the price of the Colorsoft Kindle and the Colorsoft Signature Edition by $40 to $290 and $320, respectively. I'm curious to see what both of these will cost on Prime Day and Black Friday—I'll hold off on buying anything until then.

There aren't enough extra features to explain the price difference between this and the Paperwhite

I am the parent of a young child and the books in our house are very very colorful. Color makes everything more attractive: your bookshelves! Options to choose from in Kids+! The pages themselves in comic books! Having a colorful option is something many users would like, but I think kids of all ages have the best chance of really getting the most out of it. They can enjoy everything from picture books to graphic novels in full-page color and add colorful highlights to the books they want to annotate or read. Because the screen is E Ink, it's not as vibrant as a digital or color screen on paper, but it's still a fun feature that adds to the reading experience.

You can technically turn on Kids mode on any Kindle, so you don't necessarily need a kids-branded model (both the original Kids model ($180) and a Paperwhite Kids ($230)) to read your children's books separately from the adults. But the real plus is that the Kids models, whether it's a Colorsoft model or a black and white model, come with free access to Kids+ for six months to a year. Kids+ is Amazon's subscription service that has thousands of age-appropriate books. Colorsoft Kids has the longest access, a full year, while the other models will only get six months. Those extra six months, plus the colorful pages, really make it worth going for a kids model. Colorsoft Kids is also waterproof and comes with a colorful cover (you can choose between two fun designs).

Unsurprisingly, the Colorsoft Kids, like the regular Colorsoft models, have increased in price, as have other Kindle Kids products. This one went up $30 to $300, while the Kindle Kids is now $180 (up $50) and the Kids Paperwhite is now $230 (also up $50). My recommendations may change soon based on the cost of the color version.

Colors are pale compared to printed children's books

If you're looking for something lightweight and affordable, Amazon's 11th generation Kindle is the best option for you. It was updated in 2024 and builds on the 2022 update, which added more storage, a higher-resolution display, and USB-C charging. The 2024 model has some nice updates, including a screen with a higher contrast ratio, a brighter front light, and a faster screen rotation speed.

You still won't get a warm light feature, so you'll need to upgrade to the Paperwhite or Colorsoft if you want it. But otherwise, you'll still get dark mode on this device (unlike the Colorsoft) and good overall performance and screen brightness for the price. Former WIRED reviewer Brenda Stoliar said the performance was a big improvement over the 2019 Kindle model she used before. If you have more space to spend, we'd still prefer the Paperwhite because you'll get the longer battery life and waterproof construction along with the warm light, but it's a good Kindle for the price.

But since Amazon raised its prices, including the Kindle model, it hasn't been as great as it used to be. The 11th generation Kindle used to sell for $110 and often goes on sale for under $100, but now it's starting at $150. I'm curious how well it will sell this fall, but I'm afraid we won't see it drop below $100 again.

Small, light and affordable. Fun colors, too!

Definite performance improvement over the previous iteration

The storage space is doubled compared to the previous model and it now has USB-C charging

No warm light or auto-adjust light options

Amazon announced today that a new generation of Kindles is on the way, with each model getting a new version. Here are the details; I will update this guide soon with my thoughts as we review each model.

Kindle (2026, 12th gen) for $150: This is the new version of the basic Kindle, with many of the familiar features (6-inch screen, six-week battery life, and 16GB of storage) but a new front design for the screen and lighter weight. It retains the new $150 price tag that the old Kindle's base moved to in August. You can also opt for the aluminum version, which has a more premium feel with different colors and 32GB of storage. Both versions are available now.

Kindle Paperwhite (2026, 13th gen) for $200: The Kindle Paperwhite 2026 will still have the waterproof design and 12-week battery life (my favorite part!), but now it promises an updated screen with the largest Kindle ever. A paper white screen and a higher contrast ratio. The Signature Edition will now have an aluminum back and will also have a charging dock with pogo pins on the back and a double tap for flipping. The regular Paperwhite is available for pre-order and costs $200 (same as the old model) with 16GB of storage and comes in black only, while the Paperwhite Signature Edition is available for pre-order for $250 and comes in two colors with 32GB of storage. Pre-orders are available on a rolling basis in different regions, so it may not be available immediately in your region.

Kindle Colorsoft (2026, second generation) for $290: The Kindle Colorsoft is a second-generation model with an updated display and edge-to-edge color, promising richer colors than the first generation. This model has the same new design as other Kindle models and also comes in a Signature Edition, which features an aluminum back, an auto-adjusting front light, pogo points for charging, and double-tap to scroll. The new Colorsoft is available for pre-order for $290 with 16GB of storage, while the new Colorsoft Signature Edition is available for pre-order for $320 with 32GB of storage and two device colors. As with the Paperwhite, pre-orders are going up in various regions, so keep an eye out if it's not available to you yet.

Kindle Kids models start at $180: All three models will have a kids' edition, which will include child-friendly covers and 12 months of Amazon Kids+. Basic Kindle Kids content is available now, while others are up for pre-order in certain regions.