Which Kindle should you actually buy? Our guide to the top models in 2025

If you want a small e-book reader that does all the essentials, this is the one we recommend. Not only is this the best small Kindle, but it’s also the best Kindle you can buy for under £100. A few years ago, Amazon's most basic model used to come without a backlight or high-resolution screen, but that's not the case anymore.

This has a sharp display with loads of contrast and detail for reading. It also has a great backlight so you can read without disturbing your sleeping partner. The only thing it lacks compared to pricier Kindles is waterproofing.

We love it for its more compact size compared to the rest of the range. It's the lightest Kindle and the best one for travellers short on space. On test, we found it feather-light to hold, easy to use one-handed, and ideal if you think you'd find a 7-inch screen too cumbersome.

It also comes in a lovely new "Matcha" green colour (pictured here) and has a long battery life. The upgrades are modest over the previous version, though, and it's a shame this still doesn't have waterproofing or adjustable warmth in the front light. It's still a fantastic compact Kindle, but you'll find clear upgrades if you opt for the Paperwhite instead.

Read our Amazon Kindle (2024) review

For most readers, the mid-range Kindle Paperwhite is the best option. It's a brilliant performer. It has an exceptional 12-week battery life (if you read for half-an-hour each day), waterproofing, a large 7-inch screen, and adjustable warmth for reading in all conditions. As we said in our review, it’s "the most well-rounded e-reader" that Amazon makes.

The larger screen is a little big for one-handed use, but at 211g it is still far lighter than the Kindle Scribe. And, while its starting price of £160 feels high, it makes sense for the extra features included here.

Amazon has improved the speed of page turns for this model, and its performance is smooth and reliable. The bright and adjustable display is excellent. As the name suggests, it's more “paper-like” than the one on the cheaper Kindle. We're also fans of the battery life and waterproofing. This will last you through long books and you can rely on it when reading by the pool or in the bath.

Like the other Kindles in the 2024 range, there aren't huge differences between this and the previous Paperwhite from 2021. But, if you're upgrading from an older Paperwhite or an entry-level Kindle, this is a big improvement.

Read our Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review

If you're thinking about buying a Kindle for a younger child, this is where we'd start. We've reviewed both Amazon's regular Kindle Kids, and the larger Kindle Kids Paperwhite, and found the standard version more compact and ideal for smaller hands. It's inexpensive and small, and it has the exact same physical hardware as the entry-level Kindle.

What that means is that you're getting the same impressive battery life, the same high-resolution display, the same backlight and extensive storage. It's worth noting that due to its support for different user profiles, adults and kids can share the same Kindle too.

The benefit of opting for the Kindle Kids is that it comes with a two-year guarantee, a robust protective cover, and a six-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, which is a service full of books, programmes and games to enjoy across multiple Amazon devices. That outer cover is also available in three different designs: “Space Whale”, “Unicorn Valley” and “Ocean Explorer”.

As with the 2024 Kindle, there aren't enough changes here to justify an upgrade from the 2022 Kindle Kids. But, this is still a great pick if you're after a small Kindle for a child. We'd only consider going for the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for an older child who may value the waterproofing, bigger display and brighter backlight.

If you're a serious reader, you'll want the very best Kindle money can buy. And, if you don't care about taking notes with a stylus, the one you're after is the "Signature Edition" of the Paperwhite. This premium e-reader takes the regular Paperwhite and stuffs it full of high-end features. It comes at a cost, but it's worth it if you'll make the most of it.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition shares a lot in common with the 2024 version of the Paperwhite. But it has a few great extras. The first, and most valuable, is that it will automatically change its screen brightness to suit your conditions. Paired with the adjustable warmth of the "paper-like" display, the auto-adapting brightness makes this Kindle the least fuss to use.

It comes with an enormous 32GB of storage too (the regular Paperwhite has 16GB). This is ideal for keeping a lot of books, including larger graphic novels and audiobooks. It has the thin design, waterproofing, 7-inch screen, same fast page turns and extensive battery life as the Paperwhite – the last extra is that it supports wireless charging for some added convenience.

The Signature Edition is impressive in use, although there may not be quite enough to justify the extra cost for many readers, as it will set you back £189.99. Some may also find it a shame that none of the models in Amazon's range have physical page turn buttons. It used to sell an Oasis model with these, and an ergonomic design, but it's now discontinued.

The Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is a special Kindle. It’s the first-ever model from Amazon to feature a colour display, which offers more muted colours when compared to a phone or tablet, but is surprisingly vibrant for E Ink. It also has the same great glare-free display technology you’ll find on the other models.

We think a colour display expands your reading options, making the Colorsoft potentially a great fit for reading comic books, graphic novels and fantasy tales where you may need to refer to detailed maps often.

This screen is great for showing full-colour covers, and will be ideal if you want to get digital copies of travel guides or cookbooks too. It’s also a great feature for students and learners who want to make use of multiple highlighter colours while reading – there are four shades available (yellow, pink, blue or orange).

Beyond the display, this premium Kindle has many of the same fancy features from the Paperwhite Signature Edition, including loads of storage, wireless charging, and an auto-adjusting front light.

But, it costs a pricey £269, making it the most expensive Kindle without a stylus or note-taking abilities. Is it worth it? We’d say the Paperwhite is the better pick for the vast majority of readers, as it has better contrast, battery life and faster page turns, but if you’d like to be able to read comics or use several colour highlights, this is the Kindle to pick.

Read our Kindle Colorsoft review

If you want to use your Kindle for taking notes as well as reading, the Scribe is ideal. The 2024 Scribe has an upgraded screen texture, tweaked design, and is available in more storage sizes. Like the original Scribe, it's designed for both reading and writing. You have full access to all your books from the Amazon store, and your Audible audiobooks, but you can also create notebooks that sync to your account, and you can write notes within your books.

We tested all the functions, and we're as impressed by the large 10.2-inch screen as we were when we tried the original. The Scribe models now have clever artificial intelligence (AI) features within your notebooks, too. These are optional, but we found them useful. The first one turns your messy handwriting into a script font, while there's also a way to generate a summary of your notes.

Unlike the first Scribe, this version is only sold with the "Premium Pen", a stylus that comes with an eraser and a customisable button. The writing experience feels great, and gets surprisingly close to feeling like paper. We like that your notes and annotations save in the cloud, and it's now easier to write your thoughts in book margins. The text will move to accommodate your notes.

We'd still only recommend this if you're going to use the note-taking functions, though. While the big high-resolution screen is excellent, if you're only getting it for reading books, the Paperwhite is a better pick. The Scribe also lacks waterproofing, and is a little heavy to be a portable option.

Read our Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) review

While it's still in stock, there’s a good argument for choosing the original 2022 version of the Scribe, as it's very similar to the newer design, but you can continue to buy it with the simpler Basic Pen (which lacks a custom button and eraser) and it’s currently on offer at a lower price. We’ve also noticed that Amazon has brought its useful AI features for note-taking to the older device via a software update, and it also now has the ability to jot down notes in the margins.

As these are some of the features that are meant to set the newest Scribe apart from the old one, we think it might be worth considering this older version if you’re a fan of its design. You should still opt for the newer model if you want more storage space or one of the new colours, though.

In general, these Kindles aren’t that different. They would both fit in the same case, and you could always upgrade to a Premium Pen to use with the 2022 Scribe. if you find that the cheapest bundle with the Basic Pen isn’t right for you. Overall, the older Kindle Scribe still deserves a place on this list as a great value option for note takers who would prefer to spend less than £300.

Read our Amazon Kindle Scribe (2022) review

Buying a Kindle for a child at a more advanced reading level? Amazon has handily provided the Paperwhite tech in a kids version. This one has the waterproofing, bigger screen, improved speed and adjustable brighter backlight of the main Paperwhite. And it has the same perks as all "Kids" Kindle models. You get the included "child-friendly" case, six months of Amazon Kids+ and a two-year "worry-free" guarantee.

The Amazon Kids+ membership provides access to a huge library of books, shows and games to enjoy on the Kindle and other phones and tablets. And you can have both child and adult profiles on the device, so this would suit an older child who may at some stage want to transition to a normal Paperwhite.

The cases offered are either in a "Cyber City" or "Starfish" design, and there isn't a subtle black option anymore. However, as with the Kindle Kids, these aren't built-in cases – you could always swap them over to a less obviously "kids" version in the future. Given how long E Ink devices last, this should be the ideal option for a teen, especially with its reliable waterproofing.

It does cost £10 more than the typical Paperwhite, but it's worth it if you'll use the included cover, guarantee and Amazon Kids+ trial. We'd still recommend the regular Kindle Kids for most young readers, but this is the one to go for if you're hoping they'll hold onto it into their teenage years and beyond.