There’s just one e-reader I do not advocate to anybody

E-readers are one of the simplest ways to learn in 2026. Should you’re a bit overwhelmed by your shopping for decisions, it is comprehensible — there are such a lot of respected companies to purchase from, and every affords loads of choices. You are in all probability acquainted with Amazon’s e-reader line: Kindles.

As one of many first gadgets to dominate the house, the phrase “Kindle” grew to become synonymous with e-readers years in the past, and different manufacturers have been enjoying catch-up to Amazon’s resolution since. Whereas different e-readers enable extra person freedom outdoors the large firm’s notably restricted software program backyard, many cannot deny the comfort Kindles convey to their studying expertise.

So in case you’re seeking to grow to be part of the Kindle household, I’ve a warning for you. There is a explicit Kindle that hides a considerable upcharge behind ineffective “perks,” and also you’d do effectively to keep away from it. It is the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version, and this is why you must spend your money on the common Kindle Paperwhite (not the Signature Version), and even the bottom Kindle as a substitute.

Why should not you purchase the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version?

The ‘premiums’ do not make it higher than the common Paperwhite

I have never been shy about my Kindle e-reader strategies previously — I actually do suppose that the entry-level Kindle is more than enough for most casual readers. It is solely $110 and virtually at all times on some sort of sale, so it is your best option for anybody balling on a price range who desires a easy e-reader with out the additional frills. The main variations between the bottom Kindle and the remainder are that it does not boast water resistance, heat filters, or an additional inch of display actual property. However, it nonetheless has a formidable six-week battery life. It is also the smallest Kindle, which makes it additional moveable for readers on the go.

Storage

16GB

Display screen Measurement

6-inch E Ink (300ppi)

Connections

USB-C

Battery

As much as 6 weeks

Now, if you wish to go up a rung, the regular Kindle Paperwhite is a worthy upgrade. It is my very own every day driver, and I do suppose the larger show and heat filters are price it after I’m up till 3AM studying the most recent romantasy e book. Plus, as somebody who persistently reads by the pool or within the bathtub, the IPX8 score is unquestionably well worth the $50 improve alone.

Feels like an e-reader anybody might get together with, proper? Each function on the Kindle Paperwhite is helpful with out being superfluous. What might the Paperwhite Signature Version do to take it up a couple of notches — and be $40 dearer than the common Paperwhite, to not point out virtually double the worth of the entry-level Kindle?

Earlier than I inform you what the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides, let me inform you what specs it shares with the common Paperwhite:

• 7⁠” glare-free show
• 300 ppi decision
• As much as 12 weeks of battery life on a single cost
• An adjustable heat gentle
• Audible through Bluetooth
• Flush entrance design
• IPX8 waterproof score (could be submerged in two meters of recent water for an hour)

Now, what might the Signature Version add that justifies an extra $40? Preserve studying.

Just one would possibly truly matter to you

There are 4 issues the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version provides:

• Wi-fi charging
• An auto-adjusting entrance gentle
• 32GB (double the storage of the common Paperwhite and entry-level Kindle)
• An ad-free lock display

If there’s one hill I will die on, it is that wireless charging on a tool that hardly wants charging within the first place is ridiculous. Each 12 weeks, if it is that a lot of a nuisance to discover a USB-C cable and plug it in, then digital studying gadgets might not be for you. Plus, there’s just about no distinction between laying it flat to cost wirelessly and plugging it in — in actual fact, I would argue it is simpler to proceed utilizing and holding it like regular when it is bodily related to energy.

Auto-adjusting entrance lights do sound good in idea, however I discover them to be extra annoying than helpful on my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Always shifting lighting is extra distracting than something, and each time it lands on a brightness that does not match my environment, I’ve to interrupt my studying to manually modify the slider. A lot for “distraction-free.”

However extra storage must be price the additional money, proper? Flawed. 16GB sounds tiny in a world the place our telephones and laptops now come stocked with 256GB and 512GB, however it can hold thousands and thousands of normal textual content e-books. I’ve owned a 16GB Kindle for effectively over a decade, and I’ve by no means as soon as come even near operating out of house on my machine — I have never even acquired a notification warning me that I used to be shut. Except you are studying hundreds of graphic novels (which take up far more house per web page), it is extremely unlikely you will ever attain that threshold — even after downloading hundreds of titles.

The one function that is engaging is the ad-free lock display. I do not love that my Paperwhite’s lock display is an energetic billboard for Amazon’s companies and random dystopian romance books, and I would favor to create my very own custom-made look. Nonetheless, there are many different methods to decorate the e-reader to cover the display from view, and even when it’s in view, it is not so distracting that it ruins my studying expertise.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Version is extra identify than helpful options

Nobody’s bragging about their e-reader prefer it’s a brand new automotive

The Signature Version sounds fancy, however it’s simply an additional $40 for 3 just about hole options — the one saving grace is the ad-free lock display, which does not carry an excessive amount of weight while you understand you are not watching all of it day. Except you’ve money to burn, the common Paperwhite is essentially the most bang to your buck with out spilling over into ‘paying for it simply to say you’ve it’ territory.

The bar is already excessive off the bottom in relation to the entry-level Kindle, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the one Kindle mannequin truly price its weight in upgrades.