What’s the best Kindle? Paperwhite, Scribe and more reviewed by a tech expert
What’s the best Kindle? Paperwhite, Scribe and more reviewed by a tech expert
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The 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite is the premium version of the basic Kindle (see below) and the best choice for most readers. The key differences are a bigger 7in screen, adjustable colour temperature, a faster operating system, smoother and more comfortable front-lighting, and waterproofing. The boost to the screen size might look marginal on paper but, in practical terms, it makes a big difference on the Kindle Paperwhite. You can either read more comfortably with a larger font size or keep the regular font size and see more words on each page. That means fewer page turns and a better reading experience – especially as physical buttons no longer exist on Kindle.
The Kindle Paperwhite uses more LEDs around the display, compared with the basic Kindle, so illumination is brighter and smoother across the page. It can also adjust from a cold, blue daylight to a warmer amber colour for more comfortable reading in low light. Otherwise, you get all the upgrades that arrived with the 2021 edition. USB-C charging means you’re more likely to have the right cable at hand when that weeks-strong battery finally dies, while waterproofing means you can confidently read while you soak in the bath.
The 11th-generation Kindle launched in late 2024 and, despite a price hike from £70 to £104.99, remains the cheapest ereader in the new range, and a great choice for most readers. So, what do you get when you opt for the most affordable Kindle? Everything you need in a modern ereader with none of the frills: a decently sharp, 6in, 300dpi e-ink display; around six weeks of battery life; USB-C charging; front-lighting using LEDs; and around 12GB of useable storage. That’s more than enough for thousands of ebooks, but could be restrictive if you use your Kindle for audiobooks, too.
This ereader is the same as the regular Kindle Paperwhite, but with a few key additions that make it a great choice for younger readers. Firstly, this kids’ version comes with a colourful, child-friendly cover to help protect the device from bumps and scratches, as well as a two-year worry-free guarantee. Secondly, this model comes with a six-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, which gives little ones access to thousands of age-appropriate books, Audible audiobooks, and educational apps. The subscription auto-renews, so, be sure to cancel it if you don’t want to continue paying.
The Kindle Paperwhite kids’ ereader is also ad-free, so your child won’t be bombarded with banners for air fryers and sponsored content while they’re trying to read. Parental controls also let you curate the reading libraries of up to four mini readers; view their progress; adjust age filters, and set a device bedtime. But, who’d want to discourage a bit of reading under the covers at night?.
Since the brilliant (and expensive) Kindle Oasis has been discontinued, the decadent-sound signature edition of the Kindle Paperwhite is the best premium Kindle Amazon makes in 2025. The £189.99 ereader is almost identical to the regular £159.99 Paperwhite, but with a few convenient additions – namely, wireless charging, double the storage and an auto-adjusting light that dims or brightens to suit your surroundings.
The price difference here will be tough for most readers to justify, particularly as the battery life on Kindles is extensive enough that wireless charging isn’t a huge convenience add. The 32GB of storage will benefit fans of audiobooks, if you’re one of the few people who prefer not to use their phone for audio. The auto-adjusting light is a neat addition, however, and means less faffing around with brightness settings when you move from the hotel bedroom to the sun lounger.
Whether that’s worth the extra £30 depends on how much of a bookwork you are but, for most people, the regular Kindle Paperwhite will do everything you need it to. The Kindle Scribe is a spacious, 10.2in ereader you can take notes on, thanks to the included stylus. For its sheer size alone, it offers the best possible reading experience of any Kindle and, despite being larger, the Kindle Scribe retains its sharpness and legibility, with a premium-looking 300dpi display. The ability to be scribbled on means you can leave handwritten notes on ebooks, sketch and doodle, jot down lists and sign PDFs.
Updated for 2025, the new Kindle Scribe gets a massively improved note-taking experience. Previously, your notes on ebooks would be hidden behind highlighted text, which felt oddly digital and stilted, given the physicality of the form factor. Now, with Active Canvas, your notes appear in boxes alongside the text, which shifts around the page to make room for your scribbled thoughts. You also get AI-powered handwriting recognition, which promises to turn even the worst of chicken scratches into regular, searchable text, as well as AI-generated summaries of your notes – though neither AI feature has rolled out in the UK yet. There’s a huge library of paper types to write on, too, from plain and ruled paper to day planners, to-do lists and gratitude diaries.
